Sunday, January 13, 2019

2019 is here!

So how did 2018 turn out?

Swim: 65,926 yards (37.45 miles)
Bike: 57.5 miles
Run: 471.3 miles, 2 marathons, 1 5k
Strength training: 6 times
Yoga: 6 times

Overall, 2018 was not a bad year. I got promoted at work, started grad school at UNC-W, finished 2 marathons in 2 new states, and had surgery to repair a umbilical hernia. The kids got good grades, they are both in middle school now, and happy wife, happy life.

But the disappointing parts. Arthritis forced me out of the RAM swim team in May, so I stopped adding to that swim total on 5/25. Arthritis also kept me off of the yoga mat, every time I tried it ended in tears after less than a minute. Joint pain sucks. My weight maxed out at 220.4 lbs, low point was 202 lbs. So I was over 200 lbs for the entire year, compared to the 177 lb average from 2015. I spent most of my Ironman training days around 170 lbs. So to be over 200 for the entire year is still shocking. It also meant what little running I was able to accomplish was slow and cumbersome, usually painful.


wrong on a whole lot of levels?

My goals for 2018:
1. Run 800 miles - fail
This wasn't really because of an injury. The arthritis sucks, but I also had surgery, and tons of stress related problems. I took care of the marathons in the spring so I didn't have anything to train for during the fall. Plus grad school takes up a TON of time. So I just didn't get in as many miles as I wanted. 471 is just over halfway there.

2. Delaware - Success!
Ran the marathon at Trap Pond, fun race, fun trip with my sweetheart.

3. Colorado - Success!
This was an amazing trip, beautiful race, and I can't imagine a better way to knock CO from the state list. And now I can't wait to go back.

4. Get under 200 lbs - fail
yeah. above. I came close, 202. After the surgery I really tried the weight loss phase setup that I used to do before starting ironman training. But I couldn't put in the time for workouts, and after a few weeks the stress really got to me so I started gaining again.

So I was 2-2, and that's not good enough. 2018 was still on the positive side of the arch, but I can do better than that.

Halfway there!
2019 Goals
Since 2018 was racked with stress and change, without actually changing much. I need to channel that into some actual change in my approach to the year.

1. Grad school - pass my classes
Setting this as the first goal because I'm not going to graduate until 2020 and it is the most important non-work activity going on right now.

2. Oregon - I'm registered for the Boring Marathon outside of Portland

3. Tennessee - I've been holding out on marathoning in TN just in case I wanted to do another Ironman (Chattanooga). That's never going to happen, so I've registered for a 12 hour race outside of Knoxville the weekend after I get back from Oregon. I like the 12 hour option to *either* get really slow laps to finish marathon distance or get in my first ultra in a few years if I'm feeling good.

4. Run 800 miles on the year

5. Finish the front porch
I'm in the middle of a project to rebuild the front porch. Finish it safely. After that, I will be able to get in more mileage and should be able to hit 800 or 1000 (super secret goal) for the year. Here's the current progress on the project:

The front porch
That's most of the brickwork on the left side. Still have a couple of stairs to go, 2 more courses on the left wall, then the entire right half of the front, a 3rd column, and the right side of the brickwork. Then stand up a rim and build a gable roof over the whole dang thing. Should be done in the spring, just in time to landscape the front yard.

I'm putting every spare minute into the porch, especially until grad school starts back up on MLK day.

6 De-stress some
Running injuries got me back into some major woodworking projects in 2017, now obviously I'm still really deep into projects and loving it. Work stress rose pretty good last year, especially the 2nd half of the year. Combine that with starting the MBA program (which is never stressful, right?) and that means I'm not setting a weight goal for this year. Just try to manage the stress. Running really helps. Hitting milestones on the porch project really helps. Hitting milestones on the work project really helps. I'm waiting for my next work project to kick in as well, likely that will spin up over the summer and lead into work over the fall.

Stress and workload both have a dramatic effect on bodyweight. I can eat better and move more, sure, but keeping stress at bay is really going to be the key to maintaining some decent weight.

Cheers to a happy and light 2019!