2023 Defaults
Last year I went on about priorities. Top of the list was reading (not the news), and this started out pretty well. As the year progressed, I did drift back to tabbing back and forth to the Guardian (and adding in the Globe and Mail, until I know any better Canadian news sources), but I ended up reading 23 books, which is not bad. A little under one a fortnight, which balances between the extremely quick (Brave New Works, 2 days) and the much longer (Journey to the West volumes 3 and 4, The Woman in White)
Chinese learning has been alright, after a big lull during The Move. I did some Zoom lessons but I don’t know how useful it’s been. More likely I need structured classes and homework.
Running has been pretty decent, all things considered. I got 5k (19:21) and 10k (39:33) PBs in my good friend the Vitality 10k in May. Then after The Move, a half marathon PB (1:27:53) in the Toronto Waterfront. Mid-year volume was hit and miss with move prep, but since I got to Canada I’ve been pretty regular, even if the weather has been a battle.
Sleep is now pretty good. Potty training has commenced, but should hopefully, maybe, not take so bloody long.
Health, diet, was kind of all right. The usual, predictable ups and downs. Gets better in the new year, spirals off in the spring after my birthday. Pull it together after that, then go to Dublin and it all goes to hell. My weight is pretty consistently 65 kg +/- 2 kg, but I can bring that down a bit to get into marathon shape.
What do I want for this new year then? One thing I found useful was making a default (or habit, I suppose). My default for a lunch, or on a weekend day is to run and there has to be a good reason not to. We’ve made Friday movie night, because I miss watching movies, and there has to again be a good reason not to.
To go down the priority list again, my default for reading will be books (not news, not takes, definitely not Reddit or Twitter). There’s a genre of article that is in the form “look at this person/trend/thing you’re probably better than” that I will pause and try to avoid. I will do my best to read more than last year. Another decade has passed so I’ve picked up Ulysses again. I’m on its wavelength this time.
Running, I basically want to do as much as I can get away with. Most of it is lunchtime during the week, which is fine, weekends I have to eke out some time. I’ve signed up for the Toronto Marathon in May, and will probably do the Waterfront again in October. Possibly probably the Island 10k in September and whatever else I can rustle up during the year. I think, based on the half I did in October, that I’ll be enough in shape to qualify for Boston in 2024 (because I turn 40 before it happens and the qualifying times get easier)
Find some kind of structured Chinese class, take and pass HSK 3. Presuming I can find some sort of in-person test because I could not be arsed doing that online, doesn’t feel like an accomplishment.
Eat fruit, eat less (ideally no) sugar. It’s kind of out of my hands at the moment but I look forward to eating significantly less meat and significantly more vegetables.
So here’s the summarised goal list for 2023:
- 26 books. One every two weeks
- 200 km a month running
- 2,500 km for the year
- Marathon PB and Boston qualification. Maybe sneak in a 10/5k while I’m at it.
- Chinese HSK 3
- Buy a house
- Stay in and around 62 kg
I may try do a weekly Sunday thing to keep myself on track.