Happy New Year! Resolutions for 2013

At this time of year I traditionally and bravely dance out on the highwire and present my resolutions for the coming year after seeing how well I did in meeting the previous year’s.  The idea is to get motivation for the coming twelve months by setting real achievable goals.  At least I thought that’s what the aim should be since I did not do very well with my 2011 resolutions, as I pointed out here in January 2012, but in many ways 2012 was much worse.  I will blame this not only on my own laziness but also interference by life getting in the way unpleasantly from time to time.  So first the catalogue of misses:

1.   Weight down to 78 kgs as soon as possible, as in “now.”

Well this was a huge flop as not only did I fail to drop the 8-9 kgs I had planned but in fact went completely in the opposite direction and gained 7 kgs, bringing me to an insanely-high 92.6 today.  To reach my original target (actually set in 2011) I now have to get rid of 14 kgs, or 31 pounds!  This is a key resolution since I feel sluggish and tired all the time and I know that I will be hopeless riding up hills in the coming year unless I get really serious about this.  There is also the general health issue.  So, I need to stay away from beer and cake this year and work out a lot more.    

How I look (or at least feel) now

2.        Organized Rides

Well, this actually worked out quite well although I did not manage to get into l’Eroica for a second time and could not work out the logistics for the Paris-Roubaix sportif.

 

6 Hour Charity Spinning Event, Netherlands (January 28)—completed!

Amstel Gold Sportif 150 km (April 14)—completed!  And then ridden a second time a month later!

Lake Garda (1), including watching Giro d'Italia team time trial after riding course (May)--completed

Lake Garda (2) Pezcycling Camp with climb up the Stelvio (May-June)--completed

Gran Fondo Damiano Cunego, Verona, Italy 85 km (June 3)--completed

Paris-Roubaix Sportif, France 210 km (June 10)—too complicated to get organized for

2012 Lost Boys Tour of Europe: Corsica, France (June-July)--completed

L'Eroica, Chianti, Italy (September)—unable to get registered

Unexpected organized rides completed:

Gruyere Tour 88 kms in August

Romandie-Verbier Classic 100 km in September

WK Limburg Sportif  170 kms in September

Rund um die Baumberge 125 km RTF in October

So I will give myself a passing grade on this!

3.        Touring

I did manage the first part of the Limes Radweg but this was it.  I would still like to do the Xanten-Paderborn "Roman Route" and more of the Limes, but with better planning. 

4.      Doing something about learning Italian.

Well, five visits to Italy this year certainly helped! 

Now, for the 2013 Resolutions:

1. 1.       Get serious about weight loss.

1. 2.       Get serious about weight loss.

1. 3.       Get serious about weight loss.

Time to roll out the High-Intensity Training Plan again, and also crack open the Olympic Distance Training Program that I have.  Although I have no interest in doing a triathlon, switching between three disciplines is probably good for me at this point in life.  I am also going back to keeping a food diary as well as a training one.

2.       Organized Rides:

Tour du Lac Leman 180 kms May 26 in Switzerland

Ride two Radmarathon (200 km) rides in Germany

Lost Boys Annual Tour of Europe: July/August in Switzerland

Hallzig Historica in August (retro ride)

Ride two CTFs

Rhön Bicycle Weekend 18/19 May (152 km Saturday, 205 km Sunday)

At least one time trial!

3. Blog entries at least twice a week, so 104 entries instead of 2012’s sad 31.

4.  Improve riding skills, particularly descending as it was not very good in Corsica for some reason.  Well, partly due to a crash, but still...

 So that's it for 2013's resolutions.  If everything goes according to plan, I should get into the last part of the year looking more like this: