Despite falling short of my writing and photo-taking goals, it’s been a very full, eventful year. I’m having a difficult time processing that 2019 is nearly over and that we’re moving on to the next decade very shortly. It’s felt like a good year in many ways and so I wanted to take a little time to relive some of the highlights.
As we started off 2019, the weather was quite good. Being able to ride through the majority of winter without struggles, too many layers, or loads of ice was really a beautiful gift. The cold may have lasted longer into spring than we’d have liked, but the trade-off was worth it.
In 2018, I was disappointed in my ability to maintain consistency throughout the year, so although I didn’t want to become bored with activities, I wanted to ensure that I stayed active in cycling, walking/jogging, and the gym. The early part of the year was much better in 2019 than in the year prior, so I believed that would keep me focused through the months to come.
In early April, we rode our first century of the year. It was the first 100-miler I’d done in about six years and it was our first ride of that distance together on the tandem. The lapping route created was something that we thought would be a bit boring, but actually turned into a fun adventure.
In June, we took on our first organized century on the tandem. I was nervous about the ride because it had a long, steep climb involved. Although the long climb was definitely slow for us, it was a great challenge (and the descent on the backside was incredibly fun). Having an opportunity to ride in areas that we don’t usually travel was a fantastic way to see new possibilities as well.
In July, we visited a more western spot in our state while attending a friend’s wedding. This allowed us to explore a Rails-to-Trails route from Glenwood Springs to Aspen, Colorado. Although our time was limited and we didn’t get to ride the entire distance, what we were able to experience had us wishing for more of these types of paths to ride throughout the country.
A sort of miniature goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year was to get in at least 1,050 minutes (17.5 hours) of moderate intensity movement each week. I arrived at this number because of the suggested time of 150 minutes per week and thought it would be interesting to see if I could instead average 150 minutes each day during each week over the course of the year. I am excited to say that I only missed my goal 4 weeks out of the year, I far surpassed this goal most weeks during the year, and the few weeks I fell short I missed the goal by only a short amount of time.
By early October, I’d reached my mileage goal for cycling and am ending the year about 1,600 miles beyond what I’d hoped to achieve, not including transportation miles, which would bump numbers up higher. Mileage on foot was more than I’d expected as well, and though I admit it’s a pittance compared to dedicated runners, I thought the nearly 1,200 miles was a good number for me, especially in combination with other activities.
Of course, there were still things I’d hoped to complete before year’s end that didn’t quite happen. I’d wanted to do a solo century, which I had planned to ride just prior to Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, this coincided with a large snow storm that dropped about a foot and a half of snow on us, which nixed that plan. We’d also wanted to attempt our first 200km ride, but time just got away from us and as the weather turned and days got shorter we knew it was unlikely to complete the goal in 2019.
I had also wanted to do some sort of race on my own this year, but that didn’t come to fruition. Sam, however, raced in Leadville at the Silver Rush 50 MTB and in Flagstaff for the Barn Burner 104.
There were some bicycle exchanges that took place as well. My road bike and mountain bike were sold off and replaced with a different road bike and a gravel bike. I’ve been happy with the change-outs for both bikes, but having only been able to ride them each for a couple of months, I’m reserving final judgement until I have more time. We also sold the Hubbuhubbuh tandem, deciding that because it was really too big for us, it didn’t make sense to keep it. The family who purchased the tandem is thoroughly enjoying it though from what we’ve heard, which made us happy.
Overall, I’m ending the year feeling much stronger than I did at the start. There’s always room for improvement, but it’s the first year in several that I’ve felt truly capable and strong. I’ve still had to deal with injuries and ailments throughout the year, but it seems as though I’ve been able to find a balance between caring for injuries and being able to maintain/meet goals.
Although I’ve experienced some burnout toward the end of the year, on the whole, I’m happy with the way the year has played out. I haven’t made any official plans for next year quite yet, but I’m sure there will be ideas forming before I know it.
I hope you’ve experienced a fantastic year and have been able to achieve many if not all of your goals. Please feel free to share how your year has gone and what you hope to achieve in 2020. Wishing you the very best in the coming year.
Happy New Year!!!!
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