AKA – my 40th year.

If – on my 4oth birthday –  you’d asked me what big changes I expected for the coming year I would have answered, “none.”  I had absolutely no intentions towards any big life changes.  I expected to turn 41, but beyond that I had no plans.  Maybe that’s a little sad and I guess it’s fair enough to say I was in a rut, but I’d settled into that rut and thought I was content to stay there.  Then, two months into the year, I figured out that I did want to change something.  I wanted to be strong.  I had no idea how I was going to get strong, but that’s what I wanted.  Then one morning I was having breakfast at the local diner – probably eating a cinnamon roll – and noticed a business card for CrossFit Chiang Mai.  It had the word strength on it and that was enough for me.  (I blogged about my start here.)

Walking into the CrossFit Chiang Mai box I had no idea what I was in for and how much I would love it!  And I certainly had no idea I would go from this…

to this…

Tomorrow I turn 41 and I’m feeling like I should set some goals.  I want to be realistic, you know, things I can actually accomplish.  But at the same time I don’t want to be limiting.  I’m pretty sure I never would have set the goals of lose 70+ pounds, dead lift my body weight, or run a 10k last year and I’ve managed each of them.  I’ve also gotten my CrossFit Level 1 cert.  There’s no way that could have been on my radar this time last year.

I’ve never been much of a goal setter and I’m finding the task challenging.  I’ve identified what I think are some easy goals – run a 1/2 marathon (do I dare set the goal of running a whole??), deadlift 1.5 times my body weight (too much to hope for?) and maintain my current body weight.  I’m going to keep working on my list.  I want to include things that aren’t just physical, like read a certain number of books. maintain this blog, and improve my thai, but I need to come up with quantifiable measurements for these things or I’ll never know if I’ve accomplished them.  I’m also trying to get away from thinking I’ve got to top last year – I’m not at all sure how I would even begin to do that.  40 was a good year, but here’s to turning 41.  Bring it on!