The year end is here and it is time to check in on my 2021 goals. I had aimed for a 5,000km cycling and 250km running mileage, build some strength and try to eat cleaner. I did slightly better than my 50% completion rate in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
2020
5,000km cycling and 250km running – all done. I built quite a lead for cycling at the start of the year but toned down significantly near the end of the year as my wife and I welcomed our little one.
I also had increased work responsibilities which meant less time outdoors and more time spinning. In fact, indoor rides now form a significant portion of my rides. 44% to be exact.
2020 notably marked my first metric century indoors. It was faster but tougher than outdoors. Not coasting for 3 hours is tough, but having a fridge just 3m away from the bike makes up for it!
I also did follow through on strength workouts. This was my most consistent year compared to others. My strength workouts did tail off after the little one arrived in October because getting used to carrying her resulted in a slight wrist sprain.
As for eating clean, well, it was off and on. I had a good period in March-May and also August-September. In the off periods, I also maintained largely balanced meals. But December was complete binge season with both stress induced eating due to tight work targets and of course the wonderful year end feasting.
There were other highlights too!
- Walks. My wife could not cycle for a year due to her pregnancy and her running was severely limited, so we went on walks. We visited many nice parks with our cat and also our little one. The peace and quiet of a relaxing Sunday morning walk adds to both family bonding and fitness.
- Capturing 27 local legends. I didn’t mean to do these but they came naturally after I went up and down Pepys and Jurong Hill countless times. I’ll probably lose them soon but it was a nice bonus for a good fitness boost.
2022
I really hope I can ride overseas in 2022. It has been two long years. I am rather optimistic that my Italy trip will go through (tickets booked!) but it really depends on how the Omicron variant develops and other variants that follow. Besides Italy, I hope to do a few short ones nearby such as Malaysia and Batam/Bintan with my wife, who now has a souped-up new bike.
Here are the more traditional targets.
- Reduce my annual cycling mileage from 5,000km to 4,000km. This is a significant 20% decrease. The little one will need more time from me and I will try to strike a balance.
- Balance comes from increasing my running mileage to 300km, a 20% increase from 2020. Running takes less time and its higher intensity (in my case) makes it more fitness efficient.
- Continue building strength. Keep the weekly regime going.
- Hit 68kg. I went close to 73kg in 2021 before bringing myself back down to 69-70kg. I would like to maintain a steady 68kg in 2022.
Wishing everyone the best in the coming year!
