Evolution or Revolution for New Year'...

Evolution or Revolution for New Year's Resolutions?

Many times I think that we try the path of revolution for the New Year.  As the feasting wears off and we think of what didn't get accomplished in the previous year, we set truly ambitious goals.  It's like we are trying the personal equivalent of storming the Bastille.  If any aristocrats of our old habits are found, off with their heads! Vive la revolution!  Does becoming a Bolshevik of our psyche actually work?  For some, yes. A clean sweep for many people often succeeds.  But for many others, I think that if we get down on ourselves for not executing the "revolution" last year may find some solace in looking at evolution. Perhaps we have progressed some.  Perhaps we can build on that. Maybe the revolution functions best not in totality, but as just enough shock to overcome inertia and create enough space for change.

For myself, I look back on some of my goals from last year to see how well I did. If I treat it as a pass/fail exam, then I failed.  But I don't feel like a failure. In fact, I feel a lot better! So what worked? I set a goal of getting into racing.  I wanted to run a half marathon, (fail) Xterra triathlon (fail) ultra mountain bike race (fail).  But the big picture was racing: I ran 5 trail races, two road races, one MTB race and one triathlon. Pass, with flying colors! I wanted to lose weight to improve my power to weight ratio, I lost about 15 lbs.(pass) I wanted to learn more and improve my skills for following the McDougall Program to lose that weight and improve health.(pass) I feel and perform better than I have in a long time, and have learned a lot. If I don't look at the bigger picture it would be easy to look at 2009 as a fail, but I definitely don't feel that way.  Seen in this perspective, 2009's lessons are motivating for 2010.

So what's on tap for 2010?

Fitness:

sub 45 min. 10K run (road)

1 mile swim in open water

150 lb. bench press for reps

225 lb. squat for reps

Pull-ups at body weight for reps

(those lifts would return me to previous levels when endurance was not the priority)

100 mi. road bike century

Racing:

Xterra: Nor-Cal complete season: Granite Bay, Del Valle, Tahoe x2

Uvas and Sac Sprint Triathlons

Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz Triathlons

Half-Marathon

50 mi. MTB Race

July Fri. MTB Series

Try cyclocross

Skyline to the Sea Ultra 50K

Nutrition:

Attain race weight (150 lbs. ?)

Improve McDougalling skill

Further reduce oil, cheese, flour and sugar

Create recipe resource 

Other:

Join triathlon club

Write article for Veg Times (publishing optional!)

How much editing is allowed?  Unlimited editing dilutes commitment, but carving them in stone might mean discarding them altogether.