2019 goals and goal race

Way back in January I set some goals for the year. Thankfully none of them included posting more regularly on my poor, neglected blog. Anyway, I meant to post them here and never got around to it, so in the spirit of better late than never (basically my mantra), here they are:

1. 300 days with activity logged

2. 1 hr per week trainer time*
3. 35 min per week strength*
4. 30 min per week yoga*
5. 4000+ miles bike
6. 500 miles foot
7. Read/track 1 book per month
8. 3+ night bikepacking trip
9. Backpack with Jeff and Jacob
10. More than half of my grocery store trips with reusable bags.

*I’m hopeful that setting some low goals that are easily achievable will shame me into actually meeting them.

Through the end of March, I was killing it. I signed up for back to back to back RunBets, which forced me to get outside and walk or run almost daily.  I signed up for a weight lifting class, giving me double my goal minutes. I read a bunch in January, and have coasted on that since. My reusable bags got a good workout, and youtube videos kept me at my bare minimum yoga goal.

As far as the bike-related goals, they got a pretty weak beginning where between the weather and my lack of joy in the trainer I was averaging about 1:01 of trainer time a week. Then I saw a facebook post about the Arkansas High Country Race, a 1,000-mile unsupported bikepacking race/route around Arkansas. 

Seeing as my longest ever bikepacking trip has been a 2-nighter covering around 80 miles total, maybe ARHC is a bit of a stretch, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. And, miraculously, my husband was OK with me going. So I signed up. Holy shit. I mean, even if it's a colossal failure, I'll get so much experience, which will surely teach lessons to help when Chuck and I tackle Tour Divide in 2 years.

That race registration kicked my motivation into high gear, and my bike miles skyrocketed. Then the last weekend of March found me, rather than on my way to Arkansas for the Ouachita Challenge (a challenge I was woefully unprepared for to be sure), horribly sick with food poisoning. Immediately following that was an insane work week ending with major family drama. That's not my story to tell, so I'll just say it seems like things are going to work out ok.

I mean, really.Could he be any cuter?

Along with the bad, though, there are also the good things that just keep us busy. Our 4-month old grandson is living here with his dad half the week. He's a joy, and I'm being reminded all over again how much time a baby takes up, even when it's not your baby and you're not the one providing 24/7 (or in this case, 24/3.5) care. Jacob is playing two sports, so right now it feels like if I'm not at work I'm watching him play. 

Now that life has calmed down a little, I just need to figure out how to mix training back in. I mean, I basically know...I just haven't wanted to get up early and do it. That extra hour of sleep each day isn't going to get me up 79,000 feet of climbing in June, though, so it's time to start giving my alarm a workout.

But first, Jeff, Jacob, and I are going to get to work on goal #9.