The end of the year is a time to take stock, to look back, blah, blah, yadda. We’ve heard it all before. But seriously, how often do we take an inventory of any aspect of our lives? I admire folks who actually do vision boards and check of achieved goals. Some of us are wired a little differently and tend not so much to pursue goals as to go on quests. Most racers I know fall into the former camp, while most recreational cyclists I’ve known fall into the latter.
Which is to say this post won’t be aimed so much at those still racing.
No matter what sort of a rider you are, there is real utility to looking back at your previous year of riding and considering what worked, what didn’t, what made riding more fun, what made it feel like work, who you enjoyed riding with, who made you suffer like a newborn at an Anthrax concert (bless their infernal legs).
This is where Strava really does come in handy. Granted Strava isn’t the only platform for this, but I do like the interface better than Wahoo’s or Garmin’s. What I find useful about Strava, beyond the statistical breakdown it offers, is the opportunity to look back and compare year-over-year trends. Did you record more PRs? Fewer? Any?
Scanning back through the calendar is a fun way to see at a glance just how many big days you had. When were the heavy months? How many times were you sick? Those gaps in the calendar are telling.
I’m not big on the idea of a resolution, but I do like the idea of deciding to make a change in lifestyle, be it not drinking or riding at least four days a week.
There is a school of thought that says the bigger the resolution, the bigger the change, the less likely we are to stick with it. I know from experience that the real factor is just how much the rest of your life conflicts with that change. The more support you have, the more likely you are to follow through.
Here’s a question worth mulling: What’s one thing you didn’t do as a cyclist this year that you want to do next year?