363 – Goals

What stories will I have to tell at this time next year?

It’s no secret that I started planning for next season months ago. With how the last two seasons have gone, I can barely wait to write another chapter! I started off this year with some ambitious goals, and while I missed a few small ones, they all served to spur me forward.

For 2014, all I want is more of that. I plan to do my best Daft Punk impersonation, and go harder, do better, race faster, and get stronger.

• On the mountain bike, I want to become a regular contender for the podium in the Sport class in my local race series, and I want to hit 6 laps in the JB 6 hour race. I also want to expand my endurance racing outside the local area more, taking on at least one round of the TriState 6 Hour championship. I really want to complete a 100 mile mountain bike race, but we’ll have to see how things go early in the season, before I can commit to that as a goal. At the very least, I’ll be going for a few metric centuries.
• On the road bike, I want to do Calvin’s Challenge again, and have another go at my goal of over 100 miles in 6 hours. If I can do that, I should be in the mix for a class win! Other than Calvin’s, I just want to improve my hill climbing ability, tackle the Linden Road hill in Miamisburg, and log a few more centuries during the Tour de Cure, the Young’s Ice Cream Charity Bicycle Tour and others.
• I don’t have any real goals for the ‘Cross bike, other than to keep racing, improving my skills, and having fun. I may try out some gravel racing with it, if I can fit it in.
• On foot, I only want to add speed, and continue to work toward being able to run injury-free. I’d like to lower my half marathon time below 1:45, my 5k below 22 minutes, and my 1.5 mile TT under 10 minutes.
• In the weight room, my expectations are more modest. I need to develop some shoulder strength and scapular stability before my overhead movements can progress, but I would like my bench to get to 225. My squats need a lot of work as well, but I’d love to get 255. My deadlift is coming along nicely already, but I’d like to push the envelope and get over 400 for the first time. Outside of weight PRs, I want to continue to master more Olympic movements, and make my whole body more resistant to injury.
• I’ll keep working on swimming, and will set a whole bunch of little goals, starting with just one length of the pool. If it ever clicks, I’d love to try my hand at a small triathlon.
• I want to get the motorcycle back on track again, heading out a few weekends here and there to knock the cobwebs off. If I can get going well enough, I’d love to do a race weekend with MotoSeries at Putnam Park.
• While all of that is going on, I want to drop my “race weight” under 180. That’ll be tough, but with how I felt at 185 this year, I certainly think it’s doable.

When I write it all out, it sounds like a lot. It is a lot. But having all these goals keeps me engaged, interested, and most of all, training. I may hit all of them. I may fall short on some, or abandon a few for lack of time or funds. Heck, I may wad myself up in a bike crash at the beginning of the year and spend the rest of the season rehabbing. But I’ll always make sure to have something to shoot for. For me, to do less would be not to live.

Eyes up, friends. 2014 is going to be amazing.