2012 Game Plan

As I sit down to write my first blog post for 2012, also the first post that I have had in the past six months I ask that you go back and re-read my post from June 18th, 2011. That post will give you some insight to this post. That was the second to last post that I had on my blog from 2011. You may ask what happened. Did I fall off the path, did I stop my life changing journey, or was it something else? I can happily say that I did not fall off my path, I did reach my initial weight loss goal of 100 pounds in one year. With a heavy heart I have to say that I only succeeded in meeting two of my 2011 goals, one being the weight loss and the other being setting max weights on my lifts. With fight gone bad I only completed 202 reps, 48 reps short of my goal. I was not able to run the warrior dash due to my calf injury. The longest mountain bike ride I was able to complete was 20 miles and the longest run I was able to do was a 5k. Some might say that I should be proud of what I did accomplish and not focus on what I missed. I do have to admit that 2011 was a great year and I did see a lot of progress. What this does show me is that I am really bad at setting goals or maybe it is that I am bad at following through with goals and doing what is needed to see that I do succeed. The year 2011 is now in the past and now it is time to focus on 2012 and set forth the battle plan that will be the foundation for my success, 2012 is going to be a strong year!

I have been spending quite a bit of time lately thinking about setting goals and what is the best way to maintain my motivation and drive. In the initial stages of my weight loss journey my blog was a good way to keep me honest and help put a voice to my training frustrations. I think that it is a good place to start for the 2012 year of the gorilla. So my first tool I am going to use for setting my goals for 2012 is to update my blog regularly, maybe even once a week, but to what end and to what purpose. I think the main purpose is to have a record of my training and like I wrote before have a voice for my frustrations and successes. Another tool that I am going to use is a method that I am borrowing from Adam Farrah of SINS (Strong Is the New Skinny). That method is using index cards to record goals and motivational cues then to use these index cards for daily reflection and affirmation. I believe that this will be a good tool to use prior to my lifting sessions and whenever I feel my motivation faltering. Let me take this time to digress a little and give some insight into why I believe that I will need this tool.

This past year has taught me a great deal about myself, it has shown me the great man that I am capable of, but it has also shown me the pitiful slob that I could become if I succumb to my inner dark side. There are two things that threaten to derail me on a daily basis, they are the inner dialog that tells me to quit and my lack of healthy body image. Those two things I fight on a daily basis and have a feeling I will be fighting for a long time. I honestly believe that the daily affirmations from the index cards will help me fight my inner demons and keep them at bay.

The last tool that I want to discuss in this post is the tool of friendship and coaching. I have found an awesome family in CrossFit 5280. The coaches are amazing and very passionate about what they do. Also the other athletes are very inspirational, I have yet to walk into a WOD or lifting session where I am not inspired by those around me. More than once they have pushed me through a WOD and I am better for it. In 2012 I want to be the inspiration, I want to be the one pushing my fellow athletes. I know the type of man that I am, I know the mental fortitude that I have, and I want that to shine through my actions.

So now that I have discussed the basic tools that I will utilize in 2012 to reach my goals one would think that it is time to list my goals. Honestly I am not prepared at this moment in time to put specifics down on paper yet. What I do know is that the goals that I wrote back in June are no longer valid. I want to keep up with mountain biking, because it is really fun, but I don’t believe that hardcore endurance events are where my heart is. I have found a love for Olympic lifting and Power lifting and this is going to be my focus for 2012. The two main events I want to do in 2012 are the Tough Mudder and Xterra sprint Tri. I am going to sign up for the 2012 CrossFit game sectionals, I know that I am not fully trained for them but it will give me good insight for future years. The short of it is that 2012 is going to be a strength year, a year where I focus on nutrition, and a year where I focus on myself as a man.

In the next couple of days I will be putting some meat to my goals, so keep checking back!