As we roll into October, I’m reminded that this fall marks roughly one year since I dreamed up this insane plan to do an Ironman. I think it’s worth looking back to see some of the things I’ve accomplished, and what didn’t go quite as planned.

The Good

Some of these might not seem like big deals, but they have been for me.

  • Finished my first half marathon. It took as long as some people do a full marathon, but I finished none-the-less.
  • My resting heart rate is down by about 15bpm.
  • I’ve only lost about 30 pounds so far, but it’s made a difference.
  • I pay a lot more attention to how I’m eating. I don’t always make the right choices, but I’m making the right ones more often than the bad.

Even though the foot fracture this summer really set me back a couple months with my running, I still managed to hit most of my goals for the year, and most importantly finished my goal event. I really surprised myself with that one.

The Bad

Despite this year bringing about huge changes in my life, there are still things that didn’t work out quite as planned.

  • I haven’t started swimming or biking yet. The simplicity of running let’s it fit into my life. Swimming will require I adhere to the pool facility schedule, and the bike will require a bunch of costly equipment that I haven’t acquired yet.
  • I still have an issue with evening snacks. It’s a really bad habit, and I’m working on curbing it.

What’s next

Looking forward to the year ahead, here are a few things I’ve got planned:

  • Start swimming ASAP. There’s a pool by my house, I’ve gotten myself a swimsuit and goggles. No more excuses.
  • Get what I need to start biking in the spring.
  • Run outside when possible this winter. I made a comment in an earlier post that I wasn’t ready to be “one of those crazy people” running the snow, but I think I might be there now.

I’ll have a better idea of what 2012 has in store for me as we get closer to year end, but for now those seem like reasonable aims for the rest of 2011 and early 2012.