Adjusted Reality

December has been an interesting month, and not quite what I expected.

I had made a big deal about holidays being DAYS, not months. I even mentioned it to my mother when she had already given up and “was going to start again in January” before Thanksgiving.

Well, it me too. Not really on purpose but it’s December 30th, I haven’t been tracking much this month, and I’ve been spotty at my morning routine, so I barely have any weights logged. And I can tell you, I’ve definitely been eating more which I assume means I’ll weigh more. My excuse? My phone broke on Thanksgiving, then I went on a cruise (where I didn’t log, but that was kind of planned) and my loaner isn’t quite as nice, so I haven’t been using it as much and just got out of the habit and decided I’ll get back to it Jan 6th. Definitely one of these types of situations.

I have enjoyed the break, though, so it’s not all bad. It’s not a free for all or anything. And seriously, an extra 1-2 lbs, which is all it is, is fine and I’ll get back to routine in about a week and feel refreshed and maybe I’ll be carrying fewer pebbles on my back so I can step over the cracks again with gusto.

Remind me I said this when I’m pissed about the scale in January.

Besides the utter failure which has been eating healthy and tracking things, I’ve been very productive elsewhere!

• So far, we’ve done a massive amount of bedroom cleanout/fixing the dresser, cleaned off Joel’s desk, cleaned out the kitchen to switch out our new dishes, tupperware, and silverware, and cleaned out the garage (which is now full of other things, but it’s inevitable until we go back to the office). Weirdly enough, I’m actually now like… what can I clean out next (instead of the usual dread) so let’s see how long that sticks.
• I have written! Only three times, but I’m up to about 42k words now. And I feel like I’m maybe halfway through book 3’s story, so that’s about right with the word count. I need to get back to the point where I can jump in and do 30-60 mins without it feeling like a waste because it takes that long for me to get in a groove after some time away and that means doing it more often.
• I’m halfway through 2023 fishy pictures and then will move onto the cruise we just took next. I usually like to wait until each vacation feels like a memory before I edit them, but I posted so little during (because of the phone issue), and it’ll be nice to see palm trees and sunsets in winter. If winter ever gets here, it’s 88 degrees today.

And last but certainly not least… I’ve walked like, everywhere! The calendar isn’t really worth showing because so many workouts have been walks (which it doesn’t display), but I’ll hit the highlights:

• I’ve been pretty consistent with weights. I am weirdly showing missing one on vacation, which doesn’t seem correct, because I remember doing it. I missed one session the week after we got back. So, 14/15 for the last 5 weeks. Not bad!
• Running has been spotty. I don’t run on the ship, so that was a week and a half off. Then I was feeling low energy when I got back, so I gave myself another week. THEN I twisted my dang ankle on a long walk so there was another week. Last week I ran 2.5, 4, and 4.25 miles. All good. We’ll build a little from there.
• From the day after Thanksgiving until today, I’ve logged 133 miles of walking (or 48 hours). That’s a lot!

So, I have not been inactive and I have been kinda productive. Have I outeaten my activity? Absolutely. But it’s better than sitting at home doin’ nothing so I’ll take it. I’ll keep the good habits (activity) and ditch the bad ones (shoving everything in my cakehole) next week.

Since it’s the last month of the year, let’s wrap up 2024 goals here too before we create nice shiny new ones.

#1 Lose 12 lbs OR track 365 days of food.

I didn’t do either of these things, but I really did come close to tracking every day, only falling off while on vacation in Vermont and again in December during vacation and holidays. I assuredly weigh less than I did January 2024 – my trendweight at the beginning of the year was close to 188, and in November, it was 183. If I truly do gain 2lbs this month, that’s still 3 lbs less and that’s not nothing. I am definitely stronger and sturdier than I was 364 days ago, so that’s also not nothing.

I make progress when I am diligent about tracking, and I’m certain when I post my 2025 resolutions something very similar to this will be on my list.

#2 Continue to earn my right to run

I’m pretty happy here. I’ve been VERY consistent with my weight training, I’ve missed maybe 1-2 sessions a month max, but 3x week of strength (back/bi, chest/shoulders, leg/core) is a fully ingrained habit in my life. I’ve set a rule of 2 for recovery (do 2 each day: stretch, roll, boots, ice, massage chair, tub) and while boots and ice definitely are used more often than the others, it’s keeping me sturdy and upright.

Running hasn’t been quite as consistent, as sometimes I’ve favored walks instead. I ran 322 miles with 90 sessions logged, and I walked 858 miles (with over 400 sessions logged!). Walking and hiking have gone from something extra to burn calories to a major goal – I had no idea I’d want to hike/run a 50k but I’m planning to do it in February.

I met my race goal to run a half marathon, and I did actually run it, not limp through the whole thing, even if I walked a few massive hills the last few miles. 2:39 isn’t a great time for me, but it’s a respectable 12-minute mile pace (considering the elevation change). I raced one 10k just coming back from a cranky hip, and I did… okay (about 10:30/mile). I did one tri on a minimal amount of training (mid-Aug through end of Sept), replicating my times almost exactly from the year before. So, I know what is needed to maintain these sports, at least!

Where I didn’t plan to venture was the trails. I did a hilly hot trail half marathon in June and a 25k in November. We hiked most of this – still getting the hang of running much on trails – but found it to be a fun challenge. Something different. Something less like “let’s go out and crush the competition” and more like “let’s go play in the woods and eat snacks and talk about random stuff for hours”. And I’m kinda liking the vibe of the latter in my life right now.

Either way, I felt directionless at the beginning of the year on sportslife and now I definitely have a map and a plan for 2025 that will make me happy and fulfilled.

#3 Adulting

Progress (expensive progress) was definitely made this year.

• I still haven’t actually cleaned out my dang fridge/freezer from January, and we didn’t lose power for 7 days like the new normal, so I wasn’t forced into it, but it’s on this holiday vacation’s goals. IT WILL HAPPEN.
• Bathroom remodels accomplished! It was a pain in the arse during the process (and we got the “pay the premium so they’ll minimize the time spent” Rebath service) but now I actually quite like spending time in my bathrooms, which sounds like a weird thing to say, but it’s true. Now my jetted tub isn’t a rust bucket and actually works! We have a very nice shower with a bench which I never knew I needed, but it’s the best. Most importantly, the walls are not falling apart. Check!
• The great office project is in progress. The most important thing – moving Joel into the spare bedroom – happened early in the year. The rest? Not really. But, we’ve started the process again over break and the retro gaming corner is set up in my office and next up is finishing that room and starting on making Joel’s not a disaster.
• The garage got cleaned out… and then immediately filled back up with storage from our work offices. Fitting the cars in the garage will be a March goal once we move into the new place.
• Not on the list but done: getting Joel’s dresser and closet usable again, some drawer and closet cleanouts for me (no idea why I had so many socks! and I cleared up like 50 hangers), some kitchen paring down (including the bar area) and organizing, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting.
• We figured out we don’t really need an accountant (now that tax stuff has stabilized) and I don’t think I framed anything (but we also decided we were moving offices, so was going to wait until after I get settled). However, we did get art for the guest bathroom and the vanity area of the bedroom, so I’m counting it!

Next year, I would love to continue the momentum I have right now, but I also realize this motivation came from a lot of staycation time already to relax, which only happens once a year. I’ll try setting some reasonable goals and establishing a habit (like, really, I can dedicate 2 hours a month to something, but I just don’t) but we’ll see if that happens.

#4 Staying Happy and Well-Rounded

Work/life balance went from a tenuous tightrope walk earlier in the year to pretty much no worries by the end, so I’m thrilled with that. I only traveled for work once, and I very much did not confuse working a convention for a few days with vacation. Here’s my guesses vs actuals from my travel plans in January:

• Somewhere for my birthday (YES). Vegas? (Nah, we just went camping at Canyon Lake)
• Bonaire in May (NO, but we went camping again instead)
• Krause Springs 4th of July? Check.
• Somewhere in EU after work travel in Sept, maybe a cruise? (we didn’t actually go to EU for work this year, so NO on this, but we did go to Vermont to go hiking instead)
• We had considered Bonaire again in December, but went on a Carribean cruise instead (to get our Diamond status on Royal Carribean before they raised the dang points again).

Even though it didn’t go as planned, I did pretty well with the goal to take some time for non-work travel once per quarter and I plan to do something similar in 2025. And for reals, do that dive trip in Bonaire.

Other goals:

• Finish book 3 and have a loose outline for the whole story – not quite. I really thought I might get this one when I started it in July but I lost a little steam in the second half of the year. I did put together a potential loose outline though! Guessing I can probably meet the goal of finishing book 4 (of probably 7?) next year though.
• I finished the dang Paris pictures! Hooray! On May 1st, actually. Then I made my way through a whole bunch of smaller projects and am honestly mostly caught up with my footage. Will I run out of footage before my next big vacation? Probably not, but it will be close, and that’s kinda cool.
• Painting? I haven’t really touched a paintbrush this year. Kind of sucks, but I’ve been focusing my hobby time elsewhere.
• I didn’t game as much as I intended to throughout the year, but I tend to play more in the winter (which had and is happening) and I kinda want to figure out what’s keeping me from playing more regularly. I do love playing handing the controller back and forth with a game on the TV. I think I’m just not into playing something on the PC while watching TV (love me some mono focus time) and we haven’t done much of that lately. Maybe a goal to do more of this next year?
• I absolutely slacked at guitar, to the point where I’m not sure I know all the songs I learned anymore. This winter will be a great time (since I’m full WFH for 2 months) to establish a routine where I play on WFH days.

All in all, it was a very productive, very weird, very unexpected year. It didn’t turn out as planned in a few regards, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I made some good habits which I will endeavor to keep, and some bad habits I’ll endeavor to break. But we’ll talk more about that after the rest of this lovely holiday.