Training in the gym so I can do some BANG! and POW! IRL<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n#2 Be 165 lbs by December 31st 2022<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWell, unless I chop off part of an arm, I think I’m going to have to consider this one a miss. However, I’m trending in the right direction, finally. I make progress when I can establish and stick to a routine. Some curve balls are okay once I’m on the right path (hallo Christmas parties!), but there’s a limit to what I can bear before my habits go ‘a whirling off into the ether. Looking back in 2022, I made the best progress in February, June, November, and December. Shocker – those were the months that I wasn’t travelling and could focus on habit, routine, and doin’ the right things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will cite some successes here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have successfully made regular strength training with a trainer a thing this year. The high-180s weight I’m at right now is a vastly different high-180s that I was in summer 2021. My clothes fit better, and I feel sturdier. I definitely feel much less injured. This is a better timeline.<\/li> I know what is needed to make progress. It takes tracking my food daily, weighing daily, staying at ~1500 calories or under per day, weight training, getting as many steps as I can each day, and doing cardio with some level of intensity more days of the week than not. This is the tried-and-true recipe. It is science, not art. Now I need to continue the practice until I can again run 8-minute miles and smash faces on the bike and don all the clothes I miss wearing and feel good in my own skin. But I remember HOW, which is half the battle.<\/li> This is the lightest I’ve been all year. There were a few points where I got close but then I let life get in the way, and I’d reverse all my progress and more. Now, I’m three months into consistently good habits, and progress is happening. My current trendweight is 187.7. My average weight the first week I started weighing at the end of October was 192.9. 5 down lbs in 2 months? I’ll happily continue that slow and steady trend.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nSometimes first is indeed worst (if no one else in your AG finishes)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n#3 Toe the line of an Ironman<\/s> Do some races<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I gave up on the Ironman very quickly once I realized it wasn’t my passion this year. And I still have no regrets. However, once that big scary goal went away, it highly deprioritized triathlon for me. I still hung on early in the year to limp through the X-50 (1 mile swim, 40-mile bike, and 9-mile run), but I had to keep pushing through injury\/imbalance to do it and I came in DFL. And, as they say, DFL is better than DNF, which I also did this year – at Kerrville sprint triathlon due to the same stupid injury that wouldn’t go away. My only other race was Pflugerville, which was just one day after the exercise embargo was lifted after Covid recovery – and I’d honestly say this one went the best since I performed as expected. This was not a banner year for sport, in fact, it’s probably one of the worst in memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hit rock bottom mentally after DNF’ing Kerrville at the end of September. I’m super glad I did though. It made me really realize the bullshit I’ve been perpetuating for the last few years (“hey, I signed up for this race and then effed off and didn’t prepare for it”; also “hey I have this injury, I think I’m just going to ignore rehab and just hope it goes away”) need to staaaaaaahp. I can’t expect my body to output stardust and miracles when I have been feeding it garbage and nonsense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So instead, I stopped being a super self-sabotaging idiot for the most part and started doing the right things again even though I didn’t feel like I deserved them (crappy thinking but the truth) and guess who’s got two thumbs and running pain-free 5ks again? Oh yeah, that’s me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What else was on my 2022 goals list?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’ve been everywhere, man.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nGeneral Stuff:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nNot being afraid to fail in public<\/strong> – I think I’m pretty good at this these days. \ud83d\ude42 I’m wearing my “Shhh, I’m overthinking” socks right now and they feel like they’re from another era of my life. I’ve realized that I am doing the best I can and that everyone that stood where I stand now was making stuff up as they went along sometimes.<\/li>Pavlovian relaxation response<\/strong> – I am still looking for the thing that automatically signals “let’s chill the eff out”. I am also looking to make guitar a habit again. Maybe I will work these two goals together to end of the workday with a few songs.<\/li>Travel plans<\/strong> – yep! Went all the places. Carribean cruise twice, Berlin, Hamburg, Koln, Brussels, Paris, and camping in San Antonio, Denton, Krause Springs, and Kerrville. Probably could have swung a diving trip, and\/or a bit more camping this fall, but it was a conscious choice.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nThough I haven’t been playing much, at least I have style when I do?<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHobby List:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThree new guitar songs<\/strong> – nope. I learned one (Pearl Jam, Black) and part of another (California Dreamin’) but since I’ve been playing less often, I’ve just been playing the songs I know.<\/li>Painting more <\/strong>– yep! I put some more finished pieces on the wall this year, I painted some minis, and I am working on a project livening up a very-thoughtful-but-definitely-not-my-style gift. I have new paints and canvases and always would love to do more but I’m not going to specifically goal-set with this hobby and instead enjoy picking up a brush when the muse finds me.<\/li>Fiction writing<\/strong> – this was a big nope until four days ago. Then I got inspired in the middle of the night with how I’d re-arrange and begin the Fork Files and got started the next morning and I’ve been writing for a few hours every day since. I’m about… 10% through a true first draft of what I’d like to make into the first book. Yet more momentum I didn’t expect even a week ago!<\/li>Photo gallery<\/strong> – also nope. Maybe over break as well but also maybe not. Heh.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nIt’s been a middling year in terms of hobby goals, but I also decided that I needed to take the pressure off ACHIEVING things in my spare time with work being as it was. I spent a lot of time editing photos and reading books and I have picked up a few games that aren’t Bloodbowl lately. Leisure has been relaxing and pleasurable, and I don’t regret it at all. I have NOT done the thing I hate and spent an inordinate amount of time doom scrolling social media, so I’ll call it an overall win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Though I got so dang close to winning the championship… twice!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAdulting list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Doctor for checkups<\/strong> – yep! And then I ended up having some minor surgery after which I feel a little bit better in a way I didn’t realize I felt worse before.<\/li>Investment property <\/strong>– nope. We’re still debating strategy and saving money for it.<\/li>Fixing the living room floor<\/strong> – also nope. It’s not getting worse, so it’s just going on the future “fix the house” list.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\nWhile this isn’t a great showing here, I also did some things NOT on the list. We cleaned out the office and the front guest room and have more projects to do over break. I’m okay with this progress and it has some momentum behind it for next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The office has carpet!!! And space to play and work.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAnd I generally end the year with three words. I don’t have clear winners this time, but I’ll give it a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Potential<\/strong> – this is both positive and negative. I see amazing things afoot, but that also means they have not yet been achieved. There are many examples in work, triathlon, health, and life where I’m excited about where I could be going, but not where I am right now. However, there is PROMISE if I stay focused.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPromise<\/strong> – even though I didn’t really complete a lot of my goals, I nailed the most important one (work\/life balance). This shows promise that with proper focus, I can make progress on anything else on my list in the future as I have time and space to do so. Many things in my life feel promising right now. Maybe it’s the eternal optimist in me, but I’m feeling very encouraged about my trajectory. That’s a great way to end a year!<\/p>\n\n\n\nPriorities <\/strong>– I am in a situation right now with work and life where I have about 300% of the things I want to do in 100% of the time. This last week of “hobbymas” has been excellent – and has shown me that even without work in the mix, I would more than fill my days with activities I enjoy and not be bored. I’m training a handful of hours a week and I could definitely do more (and would need to, should I want to undertake longer races again). At work, I could dive deeper into a lot of things and cause more problems (in a good way) to solve, and I could easily be back at that 150-200% I was at this time last year. Instead, I’ve done my best to use all the time I have in my day as wisely as possible to have the best mix of work, activity, hobbies, and relaxation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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