New Year's Thoughts

Well, it's mid-January, so the new year isn't quite so new, the holidays are long past, decorations stored, kids back at college, and we're pretty much settling in for the wait until spring.  There were lots of things on my mind as the calendar changed, though, so I thought I'd share them with you.

I noticed around November that the usual spate of "hey, the new year is approaching and you need to get in shape" ads seemed to start really early this time around.  Usually they don't really start hitting the airwaves until almost Christmas, because let's face it: admitting that you want to change yourself and get in shape and such is a bad idea before Christmas, and it wouldn't surprise me if there was some food advertising lobby that said to the fitness advertising lobby, "hey, back off, let 'em get fat.  You can have them after Christmas."  After all, the two sides can't peacefully co-exist, really, can they?

But this year it seemed like Weight Watchers, Nordic Trac, and all the other health ads were in full swing by Thanksgiving.  Please realize that I'm not a huge fan of the new year's resolution (that feels like it should be capitalized, doesn't it??), because it's too easy to blow it early and then figure you've messed up the entire year.  And I remember being at Weight Watchers meetings in January and hating them - really big crowds of people!  Sometimes it was like I was thinking, "hey, new people should have their own time; this is for the folks who have been here.  Most of you will quit in a month, anyway!"  And sadly that was true: I did think along those lines, and they did quit in a month.  So why shouldn't those ads be going as early as they were?  Maybe people should start on November 17 because it's November 17.

This idea even came up at the Christmas Eve service at our church this year!  Apparently overheard in a supermarket checkout line was a statement (hopefully not from someone from my church!) along the lines of "oh, it's Christmas Eve.  All the visitors will be at church tonight, and I can't stand that."  REALLY???  As disciples of Christ, committed to the idea of spreading the gospel to all corners of the Earth, you don't want visitors in church celebrating Christ's birth???  Wow.  Who would say that?

My friend Jessica has some thoughts on this subject, and since A) she had already written her blog, and B) it's better than the one you're currently reading, I figured C) why reinvent the wheel?  So I give you, dear readers, a post from "Run, Brinksy, Run," the musings of friend and former colleague Jessica Brinks.  The following words belong to her, and she has graciously allowed me to re-post them here:

New Year, New Me...

12/31/2014

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So you've probably seen this meme floating around on the internet the past few days... I will admit that I love a good meme and so I chuckled the first time I saw it.  And then I saw it again... And again...  And then a few more times. And now it's my turn to call bullshit. Because since when have we decided that ridiculing people for trying to better themselves is a good idea?

People like to complain that all the "resolutioners" come in and crowd the gyms, complaining about the inconvenience all the extra people are and praying for the day that they all quit so that they can "have the gym back to themselves."

Ouch.  I hope I'm never one of those people who sets a goal for themselves and has people actively wishing for the day I give up on my goals.

I will admit, yes, that overcrowding in the gym is obnoxious.  And I've been there, frustrated by the masses of people and irritated by the lack of available weights or treadmills.  I've had the thought cross my mind that if I just wait it out, things will get better.  This year though, I'm going to look at it differently. 

These people are there because they want to be better.  And who am I to knock them down from trying to achieve their goals?  I believe it was the great Rocky Balboa who once said...

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Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up.

There isn't a single one of us who dropped out of the womb and ran a marathon.  Who was able to bench press the bodyweight of a human immediately upon birth.  Who was delivered by a stork, wearing a pair of running shoes and saying "Let's do this!"  We all had to start at the beginning once.  For some of us, it wasn't even that long ago.  I may have been "athletic" my whole life, but I never started running (on a semi-serious basis) until a few years ago.  I remember all too well the struggle of trying to make it half a mile without dying.  Of thinking that a 5k was an impossible distance.  So to those who are willing to take on this adventure of becoming a more fit, healthier, happier human being?  I applaud you.

Too many people complain about busy gyms in one sentence and then turn around and in the next wax poetic on the sad state of affairs of the health of our nation.  Of climbing obesity rates and unhealthy habits.  And yet, when we as a country resolve to do better, we get ridiculed and mocked for our public declarations. 

For those who cry out that there's no need to wait until a specific date to start your new resolutions?

Ok, you're right.  You don't have to wait.  But what's wrong with wanting to start with a "clean slate?"  What's wrong with picking a starting point and planning to move forward from there?

Veyr few things in life happen without planning and forethought and picking a date, however arbitrary, helps people prepare not only physically, but mentally as well.  You find me a road race that says "Just start somewhere on this street and finish whenever..." and I'll show you the worst organized event in the history of running.  EVERY JOURNEY MUST HAVE A BEGINING.  And who am I to judge what day that begining should occur on.

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This year, I will make my own resolutions. Some of them will be the same as last year, because, for a variety of reasons (READ: excuses, but that's just me judging me) I did not make all of my goals for 2014. But that's the great thing about resolutions. No one says they have to change. There is nothing wrong with starting over, setting your sights on a goal, and working to achieve it. I hope all of you "resolutioners" out there are successful in 2015.  Take this opportunity to prove all the haters wrong and that setting goals and doing what you need to do to achieve those goals is admirable.  And may we all be supportive of each other in our journeys this year.  There's enough Negative Nancy's out there.  We got this.

Thanks, Jessica!  Meanwhile, I am off to the doc tomorrow for the annual physical.  Look to this space in the near future for the results!  Have a great week!

It's Really Been TWO YEARS??

Wow.  Two years.  The idea that I began a journey to a healthier self began two years ago is somewhat mind-boggling...  And what a journey it's been: ups, downs, a couple of sideways, and numbers that keep making me basically happy with the way things are going.  (The month of December has been a little rough because I kinda sorta haven't been very disciplined and have found a few pounds that previously left me, but I'll be OK.)

Thinking back to December of 2012 - I was 35 pounds heavier, my blood pressure was under medicated control, and my other health numbers looked like they belonged to someone unhealthy, unfit, and headed for disaster of some sort.  Which was all true.  How does a guy my height manage to get up to 226 pounds?  

And while the numbers are all considerably better, I am not yet satisfied or done with the process.  There are still too many things body-wise that need to be made healthier even though they are much better.  There are too many physical condition things that, though greatly improved, can improve further.

I was on the MTB trail with a student a couple months ago; we were riding down one path while his parents were on another.  At one point, since he knew he was kicking my fat@$$, he asked if he should slow down.  I said I was hanging in there, and that it gave me something to work for.  I kind of like chasing other people down.  It gives me a goal.  Our discussion followed up in a few minutes with the idea that I always like to have people ahead of me so I don't get complacent.  There are lots of people in my life like that, whether they be colleagues at school, other riders, other folks on their health quest, and even my wife, who has lost 45 pounds in the last 14 months.  All of them keep me moving toward something better that I can attain.  Call it inspiration if you want to, I guess.  But seeing someone ahead of me makes me give chase sometimes.

Let's do the "bad news first, then the good news" thing now.  The month of December, dear friends, saw a return to too many old habits, and the ease with which I slunk into them kind of scared me.  I managed to find about six pounds, which were added to about three others that crept back in over November.  

Why and how did this happen?  Oh, lots of reasons...  That whole holiday celebration thing for one.  And the whole flippin' month is a holiday, really, isn't it?  A couple road trips to places where I ate out, plenty of alcohol over the last six weeks (those are not "good" calories...), and several meals out here in town with friends and former students.  I tried to keep it at least vegetarian, but will admit to a few meals that included meat.  Not that lean, happy chicken stuff, either.  Nope.  I did keep it to only one giant disgusting burger, but there were a couple breakfast outings with folks that set me back.  

But I will not be discouraged except with my behavior.  It's very easy to see where things went wrong, so it will be easy to set them right as well.

This time the elevation in the scale numbers was noticeable.  Usually I can say I'm still feeling great, and a couple pounds here and there are no big deal.  Oddly enough, though, there was a morning bike ride with a friend right before Christmas in which I ended up doing only one lap at a fairly easy trail.  "Sorry, man, I'm just not feeling it right now."  He went on to do a second lap, and my poorly-fueled body went home.  It's all about the fuel, people.  Treat your body well and it will pay you back.  Same goes for treating it badly!

OK, lets get to the good news half of this!  Can't be all feeling sorry for myself all the time, right?  Have to point out how great things are going, too.  And there have been a few:

I went back to TB's Gym a couple weeks ago.  It had been at least six months, because I certainly hadn't gone since my crash, but I'm pretty sure I hadn't gone at all in 2014 until mid-December!  I used to be quite diligent about going three days per week with the guys, but the last couple years have seen a decline in my desire for strength training as well as a required Monday after-school meeting from 3-4 p.m.  And since Fridays are quite busy in the fall, it has been easy to do the "yeah, it's too hard for me to get there at the right day and time" stuff.  Which is a total cop-out.  Well, maybe not total, but pretty close.

So I decided to experiment with lifting again.  I wasn't sure about how my shoulder would feel, and of course I took it easy since I hadn't been out in a while.  So far, so good is what I can say at this point.  I have been easing back in to things, and have only found a couple of exercises that my broken area absolutely will not tolerate.  As I've said before, there's a group of people that lift together, and it always helps the motivation level to work out with someone else.

I also managed, in spite of missing most of June and July on the road, to exceed my 2013 bike mileage.  The 2015 tally came in at 2266 miles, ridden on the road, trail, beach, snow, etc. on four different bikes.  And due to my inability to just accept something for what it is and think it's all good, I have been thinking about how many more miles I'd have had if I hadn't wrecked my two highest mileage months - I usually get about 400-500 miles in each of them, so there's a thousand miles I missed!  Ah, well, water under the bridge, I believe is how the saying goes.

I received my 24-Hour Challenge entry on New Year's Eve.  Not going to miss that event this year (unless it's for completely awful weather...), and started on the indoor trainer yesterday to begin my preparations.  Coach Troy and Spinervals returns for another winter!!  There will also be plenty of fat bike riding, I hope, because that gets me some fresh air and uses some different riding muscles.  

Let's see, what else was good?  I entered and completed my first official race with Iceman 2014, but you knew that because you read about it.  I turned 50 but have no idea if I am supposed to feel older or younger or whatever than I actually feel right now.  I managed two rides with the Hot group on the Tuesday night shop ride.  That sort of thing.  Overall I'd give 2014 a pretty good rating.

The future at this point?  I have another physical coming up in a few weeks, so we will see how the numbers compare to last year.  I'll be detoxing again soon.  I'm planning on a spring MTB race, the Barry Roubaix, which has historically been on a weekend I always have a school thing; this year I don't, so I will probably enter.

All in all things are good.  I don't have any resolutions for the new year because I really don't believe in them.  My goal is to get back on track right now and continue down the road to good health.  Here's to another great year!