My resolutions for 2019: The year-end assessment

It’s the last day of 2019, which means it’s time to look back and check how I did on my resolutions.

1. Drop below 180 pounds.
I did this! I buckled down and lost nearly 35 pounds in 2019. I weighed 208 the last time I stepped on the scale in 2018, and my lowest weight was 173.2 on August 30. Sure, I weighed 186 on Friday, but I dropped below 180 pounds and stayed there for months.

2. Get stronger and stay loose.
I did this! Though I did not do any yoga (I looked into it, though, and was on the verge of signing up for a class), I got stronger and stayed loose. I joined Planet Fitness in July and hit the weights. I still have my spare tire, but it is smaller than it was at the beginning of the year. I worked hard this year and began a beneficial transformation of my body. I don’t have the body I want, but I’m getting there. I don’t want to be jacked or look like Thor, but I would like to slim down and have some muscle. I made strides in achieving that in 2019.

3. Run. Run well.
I did this! I started running again on June 29 and have run well since. I trained for and ran the Run for the Schools 10K on October 27—my first organized race. I ran at least a half mile every day in December, except Sundays, as part of the December Project. I strained my calf in November, so that was my only big setback.

4. Keep cycling.
I did this! I cycled a lot in 2019. I trained for and rode five days of RAGBRAI. I admit that I have not cycled much since moving to a new house in August, and may not have ridden my road bike since reaching Fairfield on the fifth day of RAGRBRAI (I need to get Leigh some new pedals), but I cycled a lot this year. I did not get involved in the local cycling community, but that is something I hope to do going forward.

5. Visit a state I’ve never visited.
I did not do this. I expected to visit Virginia and Washington, DC, a few months ago, but that trip did not happen. My tour along the West Coast, Pacific Northwest, and northern Rockies also did not happen, so I end 2019 still stuck at 29 states.

6. Watch more sunsets.
I watched more sunsets in 2019. I did not watch many, but I watched a few.

7. Write more.
I think I did this. I have written a lot in 2019, probably more than 2018. I’ve written a lot of emails at the end of the year, so that probably takes me over the top.

8. Prepare to take the next step professionally.
I did this! I decided to leave one journal at the end of the year (though I was convinced to stay through June 2020) and freelanced for the CRG this fall. I added another journal, though, and will likely stay with another until 2021, but I’m in the process of taking the next step.

9. Say no.
I did not do this. I did not accommodate myself before accommodating others.

10. Continue getting the Led out.
I continued getting the Led out, but stopped at Led Zeppelin III once again. I plan to pick up where I left off soon, though.

11. Promote myself more.
I did this, though it was contained to tweeting links to new blog posts on Twitter. It’s a start!

12. Continue to purge.
I continued to purge in 2019. I recycled my dead iMac, sold my ancient Schwinn Exerciser, and recycled a ton of old papers that were taking up space. I still have too much stuff, but I have less after the purging I did in 2019.