Tuesday, 9 June 2009

Halfway House

Nearly halfway through the year, which is more than a little scary. Time to see how the New Year Resolutions are shaping up...

1) Regain running fitness after injury.
I missed my target of 1h 30 for the Reading Half, though in retrospect the physio treatment time lines meant I never really had a chance to get back up to speed properly. Generally speaking I'm back in shape...still a little slow on the running, but certainly better. It's been helped no end by number 2 (below) and the tri-training. I'm notably a slightly different shape now, as the swimming and cycling take effect.

2) Start cycling to work.
Mission accomplished here. As well as cycling to work, I'm also doing some lunchtime cycles, and whenever possible going to Gill's on the bike as well, so averaging about 100-150km a week. My bike is holding up well, and in general for the distance I'm covering not many punctures or mechanical issues.

3) Do a triathlon.
Again, job done. I did the Dorney Lake sprint tri a few weeks ago, and I have at least 4 more scheduled in over summer, with the possibility of a couple more. More than anything I'm enjoying the variation in training, and I've been doing lots of bike work, and both pool-based and open water swimming. The running is not getting quite the work is deserves, mainly as I have a nagging worry about re-aggravating the knee...

4) Sort out the porch...
This one may not be achieved this year, due to fiscal constraints. Instead I'm currently considering doing one (or more) of the following pieces of work;
  • New dishwasher and undersink plumbing in the kitchen
  • New oven
  • New garage door

(3) is the sensible option, and I'm going to chase up some quotes once the bonus is in.

5) Eat healthier.
Doing a little better here. I'm reducing the daytime snacking, and work now have a kettle, rather than just drinks machines, so I have moved off the hot chocolate to cuppas, which have far less fat and sugar in it. Weekends are still a bit of an issue, but far better than it was (and plenty more still to do). In my defense I'm dropping weight at the moment, so I do need all the calories I'm taking in, though I could probably do with improving the shift from simple carbs to more useful proteins and complex carbs...

6) Be a little less paranoid.
Who said that?

All in all not too bad. Three are fully achieved, one is in progress, and only one has had to be changed (I'm going to ignore the paranoia one for now, as it's not really quantifiable).