I run in Vibram Five Fingers
At the beginning of 2009, I set myself a challenge. Get fit this year and stay that way.
You can call it mid life crisis if you like (you jaded cynic you!) but for me it’s actually a combination of things:
- I am getting towards the stage in life when things don’t stay trim… automatically any more. A little maintenance is probably a good idea.
- The last year or two I have definitely turned around my personal life, and am enjoying life a lot these days. So I would like it to go on like this for as long as possible…
- I have always been motivated the most by a sense of achievement. I used to write software in my spare time to do this, then for a few years I focused on achievements at work – which is still my primary driver (I am competitive and career-minded). But recently I’ve been in a more difficult work position where achievements are coming harder and slower. So I am focusing on personal achievements instead to keep my motivation and drive up.
- I am really enjoying being outdoors and doing physical activity.
- I am finding that I really enjoy being physically fit and want to stay that way.
My Garmin 405 GPS watch
My immediate goals are:
- Get back to the 32 inch waist I last had when I was 25 (early last year I hit a peak of 35″) (currently 33!)
- Get down to around 10% body fat (early last year I hit a peak of 23%) (currently 12!)
- Be able to run 10 miles (done) / cycle 50 miles (done) / lift my own weight at least 20 times (pull-ups)
Longer term goals include:
Run a marathon. Done! London, April 2010 (4:31:35)!- Do a long distance active holiday next year. Either a long distance cycle ride (for example. Lands End to John O’Groats), or hike (e.g. trekking the GR20).
My Garmin Edge 705
In September I shared my 3 month gym weigh-in. More updates on that to follow. I’ll do another one at some point.
I track my fitness in a couple of ways, one is using garmin connect – you can see from my profile what exercise I am doing (at least the outdoor stuff, which I track using my Garmin 405 watch or 705 bike computer).
The other way is using my Withings scales. I love these things – they are electronic weight and body fat scales. You step on, and it shows your vital stats, then it uploads them to the net so you can keep track. If you are very brave, or foolish, you can even share them with the world, as I do below:
