A Reflection of 2013, Anticipation of 2014

Well it is January 1, 2014, and while my upstairs neighbors are presumably sleeping off the late night boozing they so graciously shared with the rest of the building via audio-havoc, I am enjoying a reasonable flute of chilled prosecco and feeling pensive about things.

There is much about the above statement that lends support to the notion that I am clearly an 86 year old woman trapped in a 33 year old dude's body, but let's not dwell on it.

I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year that was 2013, and also ponder what might be in store for 2014 and what I hope to achieve.  This could get deep, people.  I might use hashtags.

As an athlete, 2013 was disastrous in many ways, and yet extremely constructive in others.  As I've written up in a previous post, IronMan Mont Tremblant was primarily a hot, steamy pile of mess for me.  I wish there was a better way to describe my performance, but it was just plain ugly.  Sure there might be a correlation to my level of training and fitness at the time, but I've never had a solid grasp of correlations, or anything about statistics for that matter.  Good thing I'm not getting a PhD…

Despite the messy and steamy nature of it though, it was supremely motivating.  Since that race, I have had a fire under me that has launched my training into new places: namely existent!  I'm afraid I am overwhelming my poor coach with my compliance.  He never saw it coming.  Poor dear.

In that vein, I have been on my bike 3-4 times per week and killing the workouts.  I don't get a kickback on this endorsement (which my lawyer will soon be made aware of), but I started taking classes at this cool joint called Tailwind Endurance.  Check this out: you put your bike on a computrainer with 15 other idiots too delicate to ride in the cold, and you cycle like a maniac all while going absolutely nowhere.  Brilliant, right?  Here's the best part: on the giant screen in front of the group is a display of how you are performing.  You see not only your current wattage output, but also how you rank among the other morons sitting next to you.  It's like a video game, athletics, and a college binge-drinking night all rolled in to one.  I'm in love.

In the several weeks I have been taking these classes, I have seen my FTP (functional threshold power, AKA: the number that proves how manly you are) jump by huge margins.  That translates to me going faster on the bike.  This in turn means we have one happy cyclist sitting here in front of a computer screen with an almost empty glass of prosecco.

And since we are talking bikes, check out my new baby pictured below.  I got a fascinating email from my accountant a few weeks ago which went something like this: "Dear Chad, the IRS is going to rape you in a couple of months.  Hard.  You will cry.  So will your unborn children.  If you have any business expenses coming up, spend them now."  You know the best part of being a physical therapist practice owner and having a blog to help "advertise?"  Tri bikes that are categorized as Damn Sexy are considered a business expense.

Boy bike or girl bike?  What should I name him/her?

I also just completed a 45 day Paleolithic diet eating and fitness challenge.  My blog is chalk full of entries detailing this experience, but suffice it to say that I am a fan.  Not only did I see incredible changes in my own performance, recovery, and svelte physique, but my fellow participants went through pretty incredible changes as well.  The winner of the challenge, and subsequently my Mom, shocked her physician with her results and was able to discontinue the use of daily blood pressure medicine.  That's big, people.  I was honored to have led such a group and alarmingly inspired by their determination and fantastic results.  This was a rewarding experience, and one I hope to renew again soon.  

As for my personal life, 2013 has been more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.  My business, F Squared PT has been consistently and marvelously growing in reputation and productivity.  I was offered a part-time faculty position teaching in a doctorate program of physical therapy at Touro College, which I graciously and humbly accepted and begin in a couple of weeks.  I have a beautiful soul whom I am lucky enough to call my life partner, not to mention being proud of the fact I haven't murdered for the insurance money.  I have 2 of the most outstanding pups a dad could ask for with whom I share a love so sincere I can't imagine it bested by any other (see below for their picture and prepare yourself for a collective "ahhhhhh").  My life has been blessed in 2013, and not in the stereotypical Hallmark sort of way.  When I say blessed, I mean only to convey the most heartfelt and overwhelmed feelings of gratitude and fortune.  I know I have worked hard to be where I am, but I also appreciate the serendipity and sheer dumb luck that has brought me to where I stand.  

And speaking of standing, I may not be able to after this last glass of prosecco.  #whatsinthisstuff

Maggie: a princess in every sense of the word

Mick: the sweetest and most loyal dog in the history of furry companions

So after all of that alcohol-inspired rhetoric about the previous year, what can I say about my hopes and ambitions for 2014?

I have learned over the years to avoid making firm plans.  That just gives the Universe an opportunity to toy with you.  Instead, I hope to succeed in the following points for 2014:

• Remember to take time for myself.  With the intensity and veracity of my schedule and life, it is easy to forget that I am important too.  Having a morning or two at home with just me and my pups is something that I hope to embrace in the coming year.
• Remember to prioritize what is truly important.  For 2014, I have a great many goals.  These include becoming a better athlete, a better partner, a better puppy-daddy, a better human.  My goals do not include trivial daily occurrences that can seem so monumental at times.  My goals do not include petty competition or ego-driven triumphs.  My goals should not serve a superficial/selfish aim, but rather should enrich the very person who I hope to improve upon.
• Strive to be the best I can be at what I choose to devote my energy.  If something is worth doing, it is worth doing right.  
• Remember to do things that improve and enrich other peoples lives as mine has been enriched.  I do honestly believe that the best way to appreciate the blessings and opportunities one has in their life is to help another achieve the same success.  Seeing the satisfaction, gratitude, and triumph through another's eyes is truly the best way to experience your own good fortune.  I hope to remind myself of that and make efforts to create such opportunities.
• Find ways to show my gratitude.  For example, I am stupidly grateful to you all taking the time to read the rantings of such an one as I (I think that is a Gilbert and Sullivan line…#muststopdrinking).  That so many of you, a considerable number being strangers, read what I have to say is humbling.  I am grateful and wish I could show you that in some way.  Until I figure that out, I'll just keep writing and you just keep reading.  It's what we do.
• And lastly, I hope to eat more guacamole and plantain chips in 2014.  If there is a more delicious snack in this world, I dare you to introduce me to it.

I have nothing but optimism and excited anticipation to see how this coming year unfolds.  There will be success.  There will be heartbreak.  There will be achievements paired with failure.  We have all been given the precious gift that is this life.  I plan to live mine to the fullest, and what better time to recall such a motto than the beginning of a new year.

Much love, immense gratitude, and pinch-me-awake joy,

Chad