Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Goals for 2011

Hmm, no one has started one yet. So here goes.....

I have twin goals for 2011, both linked. One is to ride cross country, as I've posted in another thread. The second is a little harder to explain. You see, as thestoutdog explained to me about a month ago, I'm being chased by a fat man. Here he is:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs600.ash2/155258_1634320870374_1607271639_1441349_7806823_n.jpg

I used to be him five years ago. The fat guy had some good in him, but he was unhappy and inflicted his misery on everyone around him. Even though this is me now....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs120.snc3/16753_1231344876226_1607271639_573094_2882679_n.jpg

I still see the fat guy, all 400 pounds of him, back there. He's waiting for me to become him again. When I'm off guard he comes back into my thoughts, tries to make me change my life...... he's there.

So my goal is to leave him behind. Back in 2007 the former poster Uncadan, the man who made me a cyclist and athlete, wrote that the fat man "had his hooks into me." Well, time to get off the hook. I'm no longer a former 400 pound man. I'm now a 240 pound cyclist who slacked off and added about 50 pounds to his former 'fighting weight.' In other words, I can't backslide, because that 400 pound man isn't me, he's someone else. I need to get back to the weight I used to be, not worrying about my not hitting a goal years ago and having fallen back from it.

Those are my goals for 2011. What are yours?

Some are health/fitness related and some aren't...
My 11 goals for 2011:
1. Continue weight loss, specific goals include
Get weight under 300 by June and NEVER go back over it
Get weight under 250 by this time next year
2. Complete at least one Sprint Distance Triathlon - the Warsaw Optimist Sprint Triathlon is the one.
3. Improve time in the Fort4Fitness (local health/fitness focus event) 4.1 mile run/walk and actually run the entire distance this year. Goal time is 48 minutes, which is a 12 minute mile average. Not elite level time but 14 minutes better than last year.
4. Run 4 5K events with a goal of improving time in each successive event
5. FINALLY complete my solo CD - an electronica/modern jazz CD with fretless bass and 7-string bass as the solo instruments.
6. Complete one metric century ride - 100 Kilometers
7. Complete one imperial century ride - 100 Miles
8. Take one long weekend trip on the motorcycle with my brother, probably over a holiday weekend
9. Take my wife on one week long vacation, just her and I
10. Take my daughter on one weekend trip, just her and I
11. Attend one girl's specific coaching clinic (I coach girl's basketball at the Jr. High level)

* Take the ferry out to some of the islands in Puget Sound (http://www.alanbauer.com/images/Water/WSDOT%20Ferry%20crossing%20Puget%20Sound%20with%20snow-capped%20Olympics%20in%20the%20west-Horz.jpg), and ride them.
* Camp by kayak in the Lake Ross (http://www.anewoutdoors.com/images/Kayak/RossLakeRon.jpg) back country. I've paddled there, and it's gorgeous, but I'd like to spend a week island and coat hopping in the wilderness.
* Do some cycling along Mt Rainier (http://media.photobucket.com/image/Mt%20Rainier/phrigginogre/Rainier.jpg), probably up to Sunrise and back down.
* Hike up above Muir Camp (http://byfiles.storage.msn.com/y1piA4jOftAUj57ZUP3HEH_w6Csx8F-ou8SiBVW6J-oDaiX39jghs4Le2Y3qAVTipaVKaWkyKZoUx4) from Paradise (http://www.daytrails.com/Paradise%28MtRainier%29.jpg) again on Rainier.
* Hike to Cascade Pass (http://homepage.mac.com/stephen.ramsey/climbing/triplog/200307-buckner/cascade_pass.jpg) again, and beyond, plus Easy Pass (http://www.nps.gov/noca/planyourvisit/images/Milliren_Goat_at_Easy.jpg).
* Get a working camera, and bring it with me for a lot of these.

Ride to and from my 1-year post-op appointment (Jan 3rd)... ~45 miles round trip.
Metric Century late February or early March.
Imperial Century late April.
200k Brevet early June; based on how that goes...
Additional 200k Brevets, until it's just too darned cold to do them again.
Maintain weight around 205; would be nice to lose another 10 lbs, but stabilizing my weight would be a great step.
Start walking on days I don't ride, perhaps working up jogging and 5k/10k runs.

Hmm, no one has started one yet. So here goes.....

I have twin goals for 2011, both linked. One is to ride cross country, as I've posted in another thread. The second is a little harder to explain. You see, as thestoutdog explained to me about a month ago, I'm being chased by a fat man. Here he is:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs600.ash2/155258_1634320870374_1607271639_1441349_7806823_n.jpg

I used to be him five years ago. The fat guy had some good in him, but he was unhappy and inflicted his misery on everyone around him. Even though this is me now....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs120.snc3/16753_1231344876226_1607271639_573094_2882679_n.jpg

I still see the fat guy, all 400 pounds of him, back there. He's waiting for me to become him again. When I'm off guard he comes back into my thoughts, tries to make me change my life...... he's there.

So my goal is to leave him behind. Back in 2007 the former poster Uncadan, the man who made me a cyclist and athlete, wrote that the fat man "had his hooks into me." Well, time to get off the hook. I'm no longer a former 400 pound man. I'm now a 240 pound cyclist who slacked off and added about 50 pounds to his former 'fighting weight.' In other words, I can't backslide, because that 400 pound man isn't me, he's someone else. I need to get back to the weight I used to be, not worrying about my not hitting a goal years ago and having fallen back from it.

Those are my goals for 2011. What are yours?

#pragma PEP_TALK=ON

In many ways the weight loss is the easy part, it's maintaining it that is hard.... You need to remember something, Uncadan didn't make you anything, Uncadan simply provided a little guidance along the way, your the one who took up cycling, your the one who lost a pile of weight, your the one who will decide to either keep going as a less then 300lb man or will return to being a 400lb man. I think what makes it difficult is that we are currently in a largely mentor-less society. For a long time, old people were considered wise counsel, and they typically mentored younger people, who turned around and mentored someone younger again. They didn't always call them mentors, but just about everyone was both mentored and mentor at the same time. What becomes an issue is that right now, this mechanism has been abandoned as old fashioned, except in a few special circumstances. Along with mentoring, we need accountability, we need someone who is willing to be there and give us a good swift kick in the pants, when we are dragging our heels. You can be co-accountable, that is you are accountable to someone who is accountable to you, so your just as likely to be called upon to deliver the swift kick in the pants as to receive it.

Thanks to the Internet you can have accountability with someone and mentorship with someone who lives a continent away as easily as with someone a block away.

#pragma PEP_TALK=OFF

Goals for 2011, well having started a thread on who has met or will meet goals in 2010 a couple of days ago...

I turn 50 during 2011 :eek:, right in the middle of the year. I want to ride a century on my Birthday in June... Fortunately I live in a metric country and that's easier to achieve then it would be in the US :D. I also want to get Emeritus status, below that magic number where I can get my certificate and then move to the 50+ forum.... My riding goal is to exceed not last year, not the year before, but my best year so far 2007 when I covered some 2057km with about 6 months of riding....

My over all goal is to ride more in my 50's then I did in my 40's, and even that will be better then my 30's when I didn't pedal even 1 metre.

You need to remember something, Uncadan didn't make you anything, Uncadan simply provided a little guidance along the way, your the one who took up cycling, your the one who lost a pile of weight, your the one who will decide to either keep going as a less then 300lb man or will return to being a 400lb man. I think what makes it difficult is that we are currently in a largely mentor-less society. For a long time, old people were considered wise counsel, and they typically mentored younger people, who turned around and mentored someone younger again. They didn't always call them mentors, but just about everyone was both mentored and mentor at the same time. What becomes an issue is that right now, this mechanism has been abandoned as old fashioned, except in a few special circumstances. Along with mentoring, we need accountability, we need someone who is willing to be there and give us a good swift kick in the pants, when we are dragging our heels. You can be co-accountable, that is you are accountable to someone who is accountable to you, so your just as likely to be called upon to deliver the swift kick in the pants as to receive it.

Thanks to the Internet you can have accountability with someone and mentorship with someone who lives a continent away as easily as with someone a block away.

#pragma PEP_TALK=OFF


I'm aware I was the one who turned the pedals over. However, I stand by my statement. I'd not be the cyclist I am today if Uncadan hadn't responded to a plea on a web forum from a 40 year old man wanting to learn to ride a bicycle. (Don't hold that against him.)

want to lose 20 more lbs.... and if i feel good when i reach it. maybe a little more! wonder what i would look like at 160!!!

1. Lose 30-40 pounds by June
2. Ride the GAP and C&O from beginning(Pittsburgh) to end(D.C.) - currently building a cross bike for this ride
3. LiveStrong Philly - 5K on Saturday, Century ride on Sunday
4. Black Bear Triathlon - been wanting to do this for the past several years but keep having to bale, the date this year seems to be working out so far
5. Start Trail Running - running on the local MTB trails, see trail runners almost every time I am out in the woods, supposed to be a great workout
6. "Warrior's Dash" in the Poconos - already signed up, did one last October and had a blast

The first week back on the bikes will certainly include a century.. A month with no bike and Xmas eating.. maybe, I'll do two..

Hmm, no one has started one yet.

Sorry to bearer of this news, but: :p

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/702512-Goals-for-2010

Sorry to bearer of this news, but: :p

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/702512-Goals-for-2010

That's 2010.

Ride at least 5 t-shirt rides under 100 miles
Lose at least 60 lbs by July
Then: http://www.hh100.org/

My goal for 2010 is to not die from eating too much holiday food.

I swore I wasn't gonna do this, but what the hey.

Goals for 2011:

1. Try to ride with the local bike club, no matter how much they might laugh at me.
2. Finish a metric century bike race, then enter more, improving my times along the way.
3. Finish a 5K road race, then enter more, improving my times along the way.
4. Either finish a century bike race or go on a century bike ride (not sure if there's going to be any true centuries in the area this year).
5. Complete a 66-mile trail ride I very nearly completed this year until my bike failed six miles from the end and I had to walk the carcass back. Hey, I completed it, just on foot. :)
6. Keep training to run to compete in a 10K in 2012.
7. Improve on the drifting, painful morass that was 2010. I won't say it can't get worse, but it damn well better get better.

1. Lost 72 pounds from Jan. to Aug. 2010, need to re-lose about 10 - not bad.

2. Get back on the bike as quickly as possible after Jan. 1 ... did 2,400 miles from March to September and haven't ridden since. My goal of 2000 miles last year, after a multi-year layoff, fit fairly nicely in my daily routine but I discovered that I need to stretch it out over more days and stop riding muli-hour rides all of the time. Was a bit burned out by fall.

3. Take 5 strokes off my golf handicap.

My goal for 2010 is to not die from eating too much holiday food.

I swore I wasn't gonna do this, but what the hey.

Goals for 2011:

1. Try to ride with the local bike club, no matter how much they might laugh at me.
2. Finish a metric century bike race, then enter more, improving my times along the way.
3. Finish a 5K road race, then enter more, improving my times along the way.
4. Either finish a century bike race or go on a century bike ride (not sure if there's going to be any true centuries in the area this year).
5. Complete a 66-mile trail ride I very nearly completed this year until my bike failed six miles from the end and I had to walk the carcass back. Hey, I completed it, just on foot. :)
6. Keep training to run to compete in a 10K in 2012.
7. Improve on the drifting, painful morass that was 2010. I won't say it can't get worse, but it damn well better get better.

It will get better, John423.

As for riding with the club, your experience should be better than this:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/285944-Clyde-Dropped-on-quot-Instructional-quot-Ride?highlight=bicycle+club+philadelphia+dropped+beginner

Goals for 2011? I'll host the Historian as he tours X-country ;-).

• Go to the Health Club and workout 5 days a week during January & February.

• Lose 20 lbs by July.

• I’ll complete three events known collectively as the Horribly Insane Dare.

Horribly Hilly Hundreds: http://www.horriblyhilly.com/course.html
The 100K ride is challenging enough for May with 5,700 feet of elevation gain over 67.1 miles.

Insane Terrain Challenge: http://www.vikingbikingclub.com/insa...rain/about.htm
Provides 12,400 ft of climbing over 121 miles. This event is in June.

Dairyland Dare: http://www.dairylanddare.com/routes.html
50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300k distances. The 200k provides 13,547 ft of climbing in August.

• I’ll ride 4000 miles for the year

• I’ll complete my first multiday tour with 200+ miles over 3 days or more.

• Complete one event a month with the Great Lakes Randonneurs from April to July.

• Complete the Bike Psycho Century 200k in August

• Race CX in the Fall

Be this guy;

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll210/wildcat-bucket/DairylandDare-JC-0194.jpg

Not this guy;

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/ll210/wildcat-bucket/IMG_0859.jpg

Goals for 2011? I'll host the Historian as he tours X-country ;-).


Is that a goal, or a hardship to endure? :-)

I figure if I don't write them down, then they will never get done. I'm going to print this out and post it on the 'fridge.

1) Have a waist size smaller than my age (will be 44 in January)
2) Get below 200lbs by Christmas 2011
3) Ride at least 2500 miles
4) Ride my first Imperial century - Shiner GASP http://www.shiner.com/shinergasp/
5) Ride my second century - Hotter Than Hell 100 http://www.hh100.org/
6) Do at least 3 local mtb races

This is a big year for me as far as getting healthy. My dad died of a massive stroke when he was 44 (I was 13) and that is weighing heavily (pun intended) on my desire to drop the weight. Granted he smoked 2 packs a day and drank like a fish and I don't do either of those, but the fear of doing the same to my kids is there. I want to be there to see my kids grow up, graduate, get married, spoil my grandkids, etc. The hard part is going to be convincing the wife that I have to have the ride time. A lot of times I get the "you don't want to spend time with your family?" question since no one else really likes to ride.

A lot of times I get the "you don't want to spend time with your family?" question since no one else really likes to ride.

Gotta love that. Tell her you need to ride so you can be around to spend more time with your family.

My now-ex-wife (thank God) would give me a pass to go play music with my friends once every six months, then guilt trip me like crazy after I got back about "why don't you wanna spend all your time with meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee?" She screwed up when I was at my fattest by telling me I could take as much time as I needed at the local gym to lose weight. I then started spending 2 or 3 hours a day there as my escape.

1. Complete the 140 mile 'Epic Ride' with the LBS group in 2 weeks (Jan 8).
2. Get down to a 36 inch waist (eventually back to a 34).
3. Lose 25 lbs.
4. Ride the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic in one day
5. Keep riding with the LBS as many Saturdays as I can.
6. Average 100 miles a week on my bike in 2011
7. Take my wife out to dinner and a movie at least once a month.
8. Pay off my credit cards.

That's probably enough.

Its in my sig

The only goal I really have is to stop settling in life and go after my dreams.

1) Start working
2) Enjoy a career and stop settling for jobs
3) To meet up with some of you guys and gals and enjoy a ride sometime
4) Just stop settling

This has actually been really, REALLY tough for me. I don't have much experience when it comes to goal setting, and I have even less experience ACHIEVING the goals I've set for myself. However 2010 proved to be a successful year for me. Below I will try to recap 2010, then determine my course for 2011.




2010 Goals:


1) Walk 1,000 miles.
Status = Done! I managed to walk 1229.1 miles so far! I use a pedometer to count steps and 20 of my steps equal 1/100th of a mile, so when I do the math I am able to log my steps for the day.



2) Bike 2,000 miles.
Status = Done! I rode 2965.2 miles so far this year! I'm actually hoping to click off the last few to 3,000 before the new year.

3) Never see my weight start with '4' again.

Status = Lost 157.4 lbs (36.2%), for a current weight of 277 lbs. I managed to get all the way down to about 270, but then gained about 10 lbs back over the last month or so. I am slowly taking the gain back off.

4) Ride a century.

Status = Done! 7/31 & 9/18. I rode my first imperial century with Bluetrane from Reading out to Phoenixville and then up to Mont Clare and back to Reading again. The second I did with my brother riding from Reading to Philadelphia and then back to Pottstown.

5) Ride the GAP and C&O Canal from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC
Status = Done! 10/8. This almost didn't happen. I had scheduled and rescheduled the trip numerous times, but always had to cancel, mostly because I was looking for a riding partner. When October rolled around, I had to make a decision between skipping the tour or going solo. I chose to go solo and in just under a week and 340 miles later I rolled into Washington, D.C.





2011 Goals:


1) Run a 10k.
Ever since I started running, the longest distance I had ever run was 3.1 miles (5 kilometers). I just recently started running longer distances on my training runs, but I have yet to run more than 5 miles. I am already signed up for a race series that allows you to do either a 5k or 10k (you can decide during the actual event) and I am hoping to complete a 10k during the first 3 months of 2011.



2) Run a half marathon.
The next logical step up from a 10k is the half-marathon. I am looking to do this in May, 2011 at the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon.



3) Run a marathon.
This will hopefully mark the culmination of a long year of training and running improvement. I am planning on running my first marathon in Philadelphia in November, 2011.


4) Run 250 miles.

I ran 94.2 so far in 2010, and that was with only just getting started in late February / early March. I am hoping to knock off 100 miles by the end of this year and step it up a little bit for next year. Besides, if I hold steadfast to the first 3 goals, 250 miles should fly by!



5) Walk 1,250 miles.
Since I passed the 1,000 mile goal of 2010 with several weeks to spare, I decided to raise my expectations a little bit and keep counting steps in 2011. This shouldn't prove difficult if I consciously make the decision to walk (as opposed to drive) to a few more of my errands.



6) Ride a double metric century (124.274 miles).
I got really close to doing this back in September. Unfortunately, we ran out of daylight and decided to call it a day in the name of safety. I know what route I'm going to ride already. The key will be doing it on a day with more daylight (I'm thinking mid to late June).



7) Ride 1 century each month.
The thrill of completing a century was a great feeling. I want to get that feeling at least once a month. It gives me something to stay in top shape for and doing 12 in 12 months would be a great accomplishment.



8) Ride 500 miles each month.
Although I am proud of the nearly 3,000 miles I've logged so far this year, I realize that if I was more consistent, I would have logged hundreds more. Therefore, my goal will be to increase my monthly totals to about a 500 average. I feel this will help me be more consistent in my riding throughout all 12 months of the year.



9) Bike 6,000 miles.
This is a stretch goal for me, however if I hold steadfast to the previous two goals, it shouldn't be an issue. After all, 12 x 500 = 6,000.



10) Complete a triathlon.
I did a run/bike/run duathlon this year and had a blast. I would really like to try adding swimming into the mix and giving a tri a try. I don't really have the right gear, but I would still like to get my feet wet in the activity (no pun intended) and see if I really like it before I shell out tons of money I don't have on gear.

11) Achieve my goal weight of 240 lbs.
I'm less than 40 lbs away right now. I set the goal of 240 pounds back when I got started at this, however I doubt I'll be really happy there. If I manage to get to that weight, I will likely continue to work on losing from there. And while weight is becoming less important to me compared with the other benefits of my new lifestyle, it's still important for me to continue my journey to a "healthy" weight and not let myself backslide.


12) Do a pull-up.
I've never done one. Never. I had a horribly embarrassing experience once while trying to do one when I pulled the bar off the wall. This would represent the ultimate non-scale victory for me at this point.


Well - I think I've agonized over this enough for now. I also realize that I can adjust / add goals as I go, but I wanted to have a clear set of targets before the year started.

I got one word for you Sayre.


WOW!

1. cut my usual commute from 53 minutes to 45 minutes (I'll need to boost my mph a bit to make it, which will require getting leaner)
2. get back on the calorie-counting program that helped me lose 40# last year
3. develop a satisfying indoor alternative (current trainer is dull and hurts my butt - rollers maybe?)
4. do a century during each full Daylight-Savings-Time month (April-October, so, eight for the year)
5. get lean enough that I never need to use the 'granny' front cog, and that the 8 speeds on my Nexus hub are enough for my hill climb home each day
6. 5000 miles from 1/1/11-12/31/11

The only goal I will set for 2011 is to get off my couch and do something.

Goals for 2010 where a bust.
The only good thing about 2010 is that they finally figured out two illnesses that have served as a barrier to more physical life style, they where asthma, and fibromyalgia.

Get below 90kg, and hold it - currently near there, down from 97kg

Get out on the bike more - this year's mileage is about 4500km

Perform better in races - basically dropped or DNF (lapped) this year

Do a really challenging event - already booked in for the Alpine Classic 250km (AUS) in January

Manage a 7min time for the rowing ergo over 2km (standard race distance) - this year was 7.18

Go overseas for some fun events or touring - might have some opportunities to ride in Philippines, Taiwan or even Italy.

That's 2010.

I stand corrected.


Mine are in my signature.

I'm not sure 2011 is going to be a banner year for physical activity achievements since it looks like I'll likely have at least one surgery that has a long and arduous revovery rehab time. It's also possible that I may well have an additional surgery at the same time, or within a day or two of the big one, if the Doc's agree that getting over one while getting over the other one will work and won't impede either.

So, my only cycling goals are to just ride when I can, and somehow not let anything get in the way of the now three time cancelled participation in the October Austin, TX Livestrong Challenge. There will likely be milestones set, achieved, and probably some missed along the way, but it will be what it will be.

We've recently purchased an RV. The plan is to spend as many weekends as possible with my wife as we explore this brave new empty nest thing, even if one of the adult kids is still living here. She's a big girl and take care of herself over the wekend! Since we work opposite shifts, it's a great chance to for the Wife and I to reconnect a bit more as well.

Here's a headscratcher. I'm going to purge unnecessary bikes and bike stuff from my life. I tend to spend too much time finding, aquiring, and wrenching on bikes and bike parts. I have too many, too much, and just don't need it all. Fear not, I'm keeping at least 4 complete bikes. OK, maybe 5.

Last, but not least, continue on my journey of rediscovery of my music. Perhaps the only redeeming thing to come from the late 09 femure fracture has been my rediscovery of my love of music. I'm going to find my way back to the stage, and maybe even lay down a few tracks that should have been done a long time ago.

I'm not sure 2011 is going to be a banner year for physical activity achievements since it looks like I'll likely have at least one surgery that has a long and arduous revovery rehab time. It's also possible that I may well have an additional surgery at the same time, or within a day or two of the big one, if the Doc's agree that getting over one while getting over the other one will work and won't impede either.

So, my only cycling goals are to just ride when I can, and somehow not let anything get in the way of the now three time cancelled participation in the October Austin, TX Livestrong Challenge. There will likely be milestones set, achieved, and probably some missed along the way, but it will be what it will be.

We've recently purchased an RV. The plan is to spend as many weekends as possible with my wife as we explore this brave new empty nest thing, even if one of the adult kids is still living here. She's a big girl and take care of herself over the wekend! Since we work opposite shifts, it's a great chance to for the Wife and I to reconnect a bit more as well.

Here's a headscratcher. I'm going to purge unnecessary bikes and bike stuff from my life. I tend to spend too much time finding, aquiring, and wrenching on bikes and bike parts. I have too many, too much, and just don't need it all. Fear not, I'm keeping at least 4 complete bikes. OK, maybe 5.

Last, but not least, continue on my journey of rediscovery of my music. Perhaps the only redeeming thing to come from the late 09 femure fracture has been my rediscovery of my love of music. I'm going to find my way back to the stage, and maybe even lay down a few tracks that should have been done a long time ago.

You should make sure that 2 of the complete bikes are his and hers putter around the area bikes, so that you can park the RV in a town and then leave it there, take out the bikes and use those to explore.....

I started riding late last year and stopped earlier this year, lost my job, started a new one, lots of stress trying to cover a ton load of bills, but at the end of 2010 I have broken the back of all that and need to get back on the hoss.

My goals:

1. Getting from 240 to 200 by August
2. Adapt to a more active lifestyle
3. Be able to ride comfortably 75 plus miles before the end of the year
4. No soda and eliminate as much refined foods as possible

My wife and I are making these changes together as she has also put on some weight, not as much as me though. As a teenager and young adult she danced with a group of professional dancers and that kept her in shape, now the pressure and long hours of career and family leaves very little time to exercise, something we will be changing.

I am bookmarking this so I can look at it at least once per week for insiration

I have a few things that I wish to accomplish in 2011.

1. Don't slide back into the Clyde ranks in the winter time. I am fighting that one now, but since I am working out, seems like this one might finely happen this year.

2. Run a half marathon

3. Learn to swim better

4. Do at least two sprint triathlons

5. Ride 2 to 3 centuries this summer

6. Do some walk/run events with my wife. She is starting to do walking and there are a lot of events that offer both. So, it should be something the two of us can enjoy together.

I like the goals you have set, good luck!

Me? train for and finish the Leadville 100.



The only goal I really have is to stop settling in life and go after my dreams.

1) Start working
2) Enjoy a career and stop settling for jobs
3) To meet up with some of you guys and gals and enjoy a ride sometime
4) Just stop settling

There are some that I've told my non-cycling friends, because they'll understand:

Run a 10K in the spring: some folks at work have plans for a series of runs: 5k, 10K, half-marathon. The day of their half-marathon conflicts with my other major goal, but I should be able to join them for a 10K trail run in the beginning of April. Never mind that up to now, my longest run -- 20 years and 40 pounds ago -- was a 4 miler, and that the official results for my sex/age have me as 17th out of 16. We'll see if my knees hold.
Ride the "Coast the Coast" MS Society fundraiser -- it's 170 miles over 2 days along the Jersey shore, Long Branch to Cape May. I hope to take the extra adder on the 1st day to make that an English Century. That's at the end of May.


And some goals that the folks here will understand, even if non-cyclists don't understand what I mean:

get out of the darn valley! I live 80 feet from a river, and have done most of my riding on very very very flat terrain. Sure, I've done a century in the NJ Pine Barrens, but I can't even ride to the top of the hill that defines my neighborhood without stopping. Google Maps puts it at a paltry eight-tenths of a mile. (Historian and Sayrekulp, you know the area: I'm talking about getting from Main St in Manayunk up the hill to Ridge Ave., somewhere between Shurs and Umbria.)
Do a group ride in the "gently rolling hills" of SE PA without bailing. This past summer I got SAGged at mile 18 of a 50 mile ride in West Chester, PA. If I make it through the 27 mile ride this year I'll count this one as completed; if I make the 50 mile ride, you may see videos of my victory dance.

There are some that I've told my non-cycling friends, because they'll understand:


Run a 10K in the spring: some folks at work have plans for a series of runs: 5k, 10K, half-marathon. The day of their half-marathon conflicts with my other major goal, but I should be able to join them for a 10K trail run in the beginning of April. Never mind that up to now, my longest run -- 20 years and 40 pounds ago -- was a 4 miler, and that the official results for my sex/age have me as 17th out of 16. We'll see if my knees hold.
Ride the "Coast the Coast" MS Society fundraiser -- it's 170 miles over 2 days along the Jersey shore, Long Branch to Cape May. I hope to take the extra adder on the 1st day to make that an English Century. That's at the end of May.



And some goals that the folks here will understand, even if non-cyclists don't understand what I mean:


get out of the darn valley! I live 80 feet from a river, and have done most of my riding on very very very flat terrain. Sure, I've done a century in the NJ Pine Barrens, but I can't even ride to the top of the hill that defines my neighborhood without stopping. Google Maps puts it at a paltry eight-tenths of a mile. (Historian and Sayrekulp, you know the area: I'm talking about getting from Main St in Manayunk up the hill to Ridge Ave., somewhere between Shurs and Umbria.)
Do a group ride in the "gently rolling hills" of SE PA without bailing. This past summer I got SAGged at mile 18 of a 50 mile ride in West Chester, PA. If I make it through the 27 mile ride this year I'll count this one as completed; if I make the 50 mile ride, you may see videos of my victory dance.



If you come out in April, I'll ride with you through Chester County. Since I'm leaving at the end of the month, it will be my last chance to show someone around.

My revised 2011 goals:

Train for and complete an Olympic Triathlon on 7/31/2011
Weight lifting for upper-body strength (I'm pretty pathetic above the waist now)
Get to my goal weight of 175lbs, and never go above 180 again (at about 216 today)
Ride at least 5000 miles for the year
Do at least three overnight bike camping trips
Start riding with the local club - on my single-speed (I've done that once this year)


Yeah, I'm going to be busy with those goals. I started a Y membership about a week ago for training.

Oh, Merry Christmas everyone. I'm headed out for a snow ride.

1. Lose Clyde Status by the Seattle-to-Portland (STP) bike ride in July
2. Complete the one-day STP 203 miles
3. Run 500 miles over the course of the year
4. Keep the diabetes under control.

1. Bike commute MINIMUM 3 days per week, rain or shine.
2. Ride a metric century with energy to spare.
3. Get/keep my cholesterol under control without meds.
4. Get to <190 lbs.
5. Do at least 2 overnighters by bike.
6. Do a local club/group ride at least once evry 2 months.
7. Feel my age or younger, if that makes sense.

This time of year is always the same for me. I find myself setting goals for the coming year and looking at the list of completely unaccomplished goals for the previous year. I am one of those people who start with good intentions but lose motivation after a while. I don't understand why I can't be self-accountable, but I seem to need someone to give me the boot to the backside to keep me going. Since leaving the Navy over 20 years ago, I haven't had that person to do that. Anyway, here are my goals:

1. Buy a road bike. I like my hybrid, but I think if I can keep up with the pack on group rides, I won't stop going on the rides.
2. Weight loss, through more riding/exercise and changing my eating habits. I haven't weighed in about 3 weeks, but I need to lose somewhere around 150 lbs. Hopefully this will help me manage my type 2 diabetes better.
3. Complete a century ride. Last year I wanted to do a 30-miler, but chickened out.

Passage4:

A year ago I was on the max dose of Actos,Glipizide,Metformin a1c = 12.3. Now only Metformin last a1c = 4.8. Next week I go in for Bloodwork and hope to be Medication free.Since the metformin is taken with food it is a constant reminder of what will happen if I don't eat right. Try to form the connection... eating poorly = more medication , more medication = nearer death. A hard line YES but this is reality.

Another modivational trick is using weight loss to "fund" that bike purchase. Say the road bike you want is $1500. For each pound you lose, $10 dollars goes into the bike fund. You can't "borrow" from future losses. If you cut out fast food and snack food I'll bet you'll really save more than $10/pound in real money.

How to start? I'd recomend joining the Y. Make going there first thing after eating a good low glycemic breakfast ( Brand flakes for me). Do not overdo it. Just walking in the door is a success. Do you own shopping. Read the labels of all foods. Park farther away from the door. Each of these activities keeps the goal in the forefront of your mind. As you see or hear food commercials think "They're trying to kill me with their cramp just to make a buck. Good food doesn't need to be advertised."

Make a printed copy of your sentence " I find myself setting goals for the coming year and looking at the list of completely unaccomplished goals for the previous year." Post it in a many places as you can so that you have to read it as much as you need to. It really does say it all.

First goal, is to post in appropriate threads!

After that, I'll repeat from the wrong thread...

Simple goals. I've never been really good at keeping bigger goals...

Recover from my knee replacement surgery.

Get on the bike. Indoor trainer is a good start when my therapist says its OK.

Lose some weight in a healthy sustainable manner. Sounds vague I know. But if I can get just a few pounds off and keep them off, I know I can do the rest.

Well, in this year, The Pirate Turns 40. I guess some goals should be set, then:



Get my weight down to 200 lbs.
Do a Century ride (non-metric)
Do a cycle tour (~five days, 250 miles, Northern CA)
Get over the mental terror of tights and start wearing the damn things because I know they’re more comfortable and practical
Ride ~3000 miles, aggregate on all of my bikes (This is a little harder than it seems as everything I need is within a 7.5mi radius – This means I need to bang out longer rides)
Continue to work on a more forgiving and philosophical approach to the times that I fail (personally, professionally) and spend less time beating myself up about them.
Find that mid point between “complete denial of anything I enjoy” and “wide-open throttle why stop at one when I can have five” eating.
Meditate at least two times per month
Do at least one Brevet (200K)


OK – enough of this. Happy early New Year, everyone!

This time of year is always the same for me. I find myself setting goals for the coming year and looking at the list of completely unaccomplished goals for the previous year. I am one of those people who start with good intentions but lose motivation after a while. I don't understand why I can't be self-accountable,...

Hi Passage4 - I feel that pain, brother, for I have been there.

There is a motivational theory that says in order to motivate someone a) you need to offer that person something that he wants and b) that goal must be somewhat attainable. So, to use a business example one would be unsuccessful in motivating someone by saying "If you swim to Japan, you'll be promoted to Vice President". This is because a) swimming to Japan is somewhat unattainable, or b) maybe that person doesn't want to be a VP.

Now - let's apply this to what we're dealing with here. We know that the goal is something you want - to lose weight (and all the health benefits that come along with that). The problem, I'd guess, is that maybe you're setting a goal that seems to be unattainable. You say that overall you need to lose 150 lbs - that's a good, high level thing to know. My question, then, is how soon are you trying to lose it? Within one year? You'd have to average 12.5 lbs/mo in order to do that. On the large scale, that’s doable, but it’s also very daunting. That said, it’s understandable – we all try to lose the most amount of weight as fast as we can.

Perhaps, you might consider short-, mid- and long-term goals, for instance: Lose 50 lbs in 2011, 50 more in 2012 and the final 50 in 2013. What’d you have, then, is a long term, somewhat attainable plan. Further, focus on month to month goals. Weight loss is not as daunting if you think “I only need to lose four pounds this month” vs. “Great Scot! I have to lose 50 lbs this year!” For me, that second scenario triggers the “screw it, it’ll never happen” response, and back off the wagon I go.

Mind you, “only” losing 50 lbs/year is slower than some would like – fair enough. But remember, you didn’t get to where you are overnight, either.

The important thing is to keep on keepin’ on.

I'm trying to reexamine my motives.

When i first started cycling 18 months ago, it was to prove something to myself. As I got into better shape and started getting lots of compliments on my daily marathon-length commute and first century, my motivation began to slide into acclaim by others. And that rubbed off oddly, such that I felt I "deserved" a reward for riding so much. And food became that reward, such that i plateaued my weight loss and even gave back some of the 40 pounds I lost last year.

Eventually it got to the point where I was posting cycling accomplishments to Facebook and bragging to friends (slyly) about all the miles i had put in, though ironically I wasn't getting any leaner. Then one day, a blunt friend put it starkly: "if you ride so much, why aren't you thinner?" ouch. He said what many probably think, which helped me realize that I was actually making a mockery of myself.

S this years I'm going to try to get back to my original motivation. Well see how it goes

I first avoided posting here because I have so many ideas in my head for this year that I found it overwhelming. So, I've tried to narrow it down to my first 5 priorities for this year.

1. Attain my goal weight of 220 lbs. by year end of 2011 (currently at 325).
2. Ride at least one imperial century.
3. Run at least one 5K (I currently cannot run more than about 1 minute).
4. Ride at least 3 major t-shirt rides, including one in the mountains.
5. Commute to work by bicycle an average of 3 days per week from April to September.

2011 goals for me are:

- Ride 1000 miles
- Walk 500 miles
- Get my weight down below 225 from 255 now
- Get my swingspeed over 135
- Advance to (and hopefully beyond) the regional level in the Re/Max Long Drive Championship
- Get the monkey off my back and hit over 400 yards (current official best is 392)

I wasn't sure I wanted to quantify my goals, as it's something I tend not to do very often, but when I thought about it, I realized I already have some modest (and occasionally ill-defined) ones, so what the heck - why not go ahead and put them in print, so to speak:

1. Earn emeritus status here in the C/A group.
2. Continue #1 until I'm at least under 180 - then re-evaluate whether my ultimate goal of 165 is wise/appropriate or even attainable.
3. Complete the C25K program and participate in at least one formal 5K.
4. Team with my hyper-athletic and uber-competitive co-worker to do the biking portion of a relay triathlon in June.
5. Put cycling back into a more central role in my life, like it was 30 years ago.

I'm glad to see the use of the term goal instead of resolution. Goals are written down, tracked and you have accountability just by doing that. My wife thinks I'm crazy in setting my goals, I'm a small business owner and don't have tons of free time.

2011 Goals
Ride/Run 4000miles. I don't care if I ride 3500 and run 500 or ride 3999 and run 1.

Complete 4 centuries
Complete the Hotter-N-Hell Hundred in under 5:30.
Complete/Compete in 4 Duathlons, 2 on rode 2 off rode ( I HATE to swim)
Run an orginized 5K and 10K.

My wife and kids are my motivation. My wife lost 60lbs in 2010, ran numerous 5K and 10K and completed a 1/2 marathon. In 2010 she turned in to an athelete...

I have 4 kids, 13yr old girl, 11yr old twin boys and a 2 1/2 yr old daughter, I want them to be physically fit all their lives and not have to worry about weight loss and athletic goals to maintain their weight loss. If they see mom and dad doing completing/competing it will become their norm.

From reading everyone else's goal, I'm realizing mine are on the conservative side:

Cycling related
Put at least 1500 miles on my bike. The only time I have to ride is on the weekends, so if I can average 30 miles a weekend, I should be able to do it.
Do at least 1 century ride.
Ride to my wife's cousins home in Oceanside. When I bought my bike, her husband bet me a bottle of scotch I couldn't ride from my house to his. It's 93 miles door to door. I'm going to get that bottle!

Fitness related
Same as above
Run at least 1 5K and not finish last.
Get off blood pressure medication

Personal
Get out of debt and buy a home.

I'm sure others will pop up from time to time.

bet me a bottle of scotch I couldn't ride from my house to his


Good Motovtion in my book, even better if its single malt.
:)