Yes, I'm feeling a wee bit Irish after ten days over in Ireland. It was a great time, and while I definitely felt quilty about missing some of the distance challenge, it was supposed to go on break while I was away. I stayed active while I was over there. I went for a 30+ minute walk every day, except for the 31st since we were traveling that day, and I even went for a hike up Slieve Gullion which was amazing even if I fell and fucked my knee up. I did seem to pack on a few pounds while I was over there, my Mother in law blames it on my crisps, I think it was the food, but either way it was a great time. I also want to say I was a little hasty on my December goal and I smoked that even with taking ten days off the bike. I think I might have hit 700 if we'd stayed home.
So... All things considered I had a great December and a fantastic 2023. So let's talk about what my goals were:
- Maintain Weight
- Ride 450 miles
- Walk 20 miles
- Perfect Month in Apple
- Apple December exercise goal
- Gold in my December challenge
Weight results:
- Starting Weight: 217.60
- Ending Weight: 228.1
- Net Loss: +10.50
- Total Loss: (99.90)
Exercise info:
- Number of rides: 85
- Time on exercise: 01:05:09:17
- Distance on rides: 542.43
- Number of walks: 13
- Time walking: 6h 56m
- Distance walking: 24.07
Results:
Well, for the first time in a while I finished my weight up for a month, but I expected that. I ate what I wanted, drank a little bit, and not to overshare, am having a little bit of toilet issues from traveling. Other than that I did all I wanted this year and more. I use Strava for some of the metrics so I know it's off on the walking distance because I forgot to hit "record" a few times, but everything else I exceeded and the high point was actually going for a hike up the Slieve Gullion mountain with some of Merinda's family. I'll post some pictures, but I've wanted to hike some of the mountains over there for a while and it was very rewarding to finally get to do that, especially given that a year ago it would have been impossble.
I'd also like to take a moment to talk about 2023 as a whole.
- Total time: 322h
- Total distance: 4,482 miles
- Riding distance: 4863.55 miles
- Number of rides: 791
The metrics are a little off because I started Strava after the first, but to use Strava's words, 2023 was a triumph.
So, enough of 2023, let's talk about what I want to accomplish for January and 2024 as a whole.
For January:
- Maintain Weight
- Ride 500 miles
- Walk 20 miles
- Perfect Month in Apple
- Apple January exercise goal
- Gold in my January challenges
- New Years Apple challenge
- Start using the rower
I think these are all very achievable. Nothing special to talk about with the exception of the rower. Yes, we bought a rowing machine. There was a sale and I snagged an echelon rower for 150 bucks, it was just too good a deal to pass up. Yes, it needs a tablet, but I have an Ipad mini and that will do for now. Rowing is great exercise and I need some cross training. Now all we need to do is clear up the back room and make it the exercise room.
For 2024:
- Maintain Weight
- Ride 7000 miles
- Perfect Year of Apple move rings
- Every Apple Monthly exercise goal
- Ideally, I'd like a perfect year of closing my rings
- Gold in *all* my challenges
- Complete a sprint triathalon
- 250 walking/running miles - yes I said running
- An annual rowing goal, but I have to use it first. I'll add this later
As I've been sitting here setting goals I think this is a good mix of goals. Some. like the Apple ones or maintaining my weight should be easier, while some are going to be a little more challenging. I think 7000 miles is attainable, but it's easy to say so in January. I fell while hiking the mountain in Ireland and hurt my knee. Yeah, it was minor, but it could have been worse. A lot worse, and that could have had lasting repercussions on my fitness. I do plan to do more hikes and activities like that. Also, if you're actually reading this, you might have seen I want to do a triathalon. That's something I've wanted to do for close to thirty years. Back when I was running a lot I thought about it, but never got motivated before I stopped and got fat. It's time to fix that. There's a sprint triathalon here in Dunedin on May 19, which would have been my mom's birthday. It seems like a good sign that this is the one for me, so I'm going to register for it. It's a 1/4 mile swim, 12 mile bike and a 5k. I'm pretty sure I can do all those already even if I walk the 5k, and I'm not going for a time, just to finish. We'll see how that goes. Other than that I want to set some walking/rowing goals, but those will take a little time.
Final Thoughts:
I'll say it again, 2023 was a triumph for me. I managed to get my health back on track so I can hopefully enjoy my life. I want to maintain that in 2024 and keep moving forward. I'm hoping to start scuba at some point this year and like the plaque on my desk says "Live your best life". Happy New Years everyone and we'll talk soon!
