December Challenge: finis. On To the New Year!

The December Challenge has ended. In summary, I joined the community center gym, rekindled my love for spinning, and am in the ongoing process of learning how to swim laps without swallowing a pint of pool water. It was a good kick-start and fun to begin to do other things. The consistency for the month kind of fizzled out in the end. But it has helped me realize how much effort/discipline required to do everything I want to do. When I was just running, it was easier – one activity, predictable, and I could do it any time I wanted. Taking classes at their given times and figuring out when the pool is open and not crowded definitely takes more effort.

And now for some lists... I love lists!

Some loose goals for the new year:
1. Figure out what is wrong with my knee, aka make an appointment with Oxford Physical Therapy
2. Get stronger overall
3. Eat better

In keeping with the spirit of "new year resolutions", an umbrella resolution is to be more consistent with training. I want to get serious, be it setting a new goal for a marathon or trying to do my first triathlon. This is the stuff I like to do, what I love. I'm happiest when I am giving it as much focus as possible, so I just need to remember that and not think about distractions and the temptation of laziness.

Specific goals / training desires:
1. Get the garage set up with my wind trainer again. This is happening right now as I type. Greg is putting the place back together (we had a small flood which made it a mess). I am looking forward to streaming random Netflix shows while riding. Though I haven't figured out how I'm going to listen to said shows over the volume of the trainer (computer's speakers are not loud enough).
2. Take one spinning class per week minimum.  5:50 a.m. is rough, but there is also a 9:30 class that might be possible when I'm not really busy with work
3. Keep swimming.... I'm up to 1000 yards total and I can do 100 yards consistenty. While this seems like a swimming fitness level equivalent to only being able to run across the living room before having to gasp for air, I keep telling myself the best way to get better is to, as Dory says, just keep swimming.
4. Be able to do real pushups.  Useful thing to be able to do. You never know when you might lose a bet and have to do 20 pushups or something.
5. Work on overall strength. Legs, arms, abs, pinky fingers...everything!

I have race/event goal ideas too, but I don't want to talk about that until I know what is going on with my knee and how that will effect what I can do this year. Really hope it's nothing too major.

So, here's to a new year, new training schedules and new possibilities!!