2024 Personal Review and 2025 Goals

[Martynt74]

Since a few of you have been updating the 23/24 thread, i thought i'd create a new one for 24/25. Have copied over any responses into opening posts to save people re-typing, but feel free to add to them

For me

2024 Review - Overall not a huge success with the main goals being missed. Especially weight.

Weight
Goal - Get down to 90kg.
Result - My weight continued to climb through the year. Covid in August got me under 100kg, but then it's continued to climb and i'm at 103kg again. Needs to be a big focus in 2025

General Fitness
Goal - Record at least 5hrs a week of activity.
VO2 Max of 49.
Result - Probably not managed this in many weeks. Although on average Strava says 233hrs for the year which /52 gives me ~4.5hrs a week. The purpose of the goal was consistency though and this is definitely lacking with some big weeks balancing out the lows

Cycling
Goals - 3000km for the year.
Complete a 100mile ride
Result - Easily beat the 3000km goal, however i then upped the target to 5000km and i'm going to fall very short. Currently sat at 3620km
Signed up for a 100mile ride but then covid destroyed my fitness in the month before the event and i never recovered sufficiently. Have done multiple 100km rides though which i'd never done previously.


Running
Goal - 1000km for the year.
Marathon distance event.
Result - Abandoned. My foot just isn't in a place to make this reality. I tried to get a few big hikes in which doesn't irritate my foot nearly as much as running. Tried a few times throughout the year to ease into running only to realise it wasn't worth the pain and long term risk.


Strength
Goal - As above, i'm hoping to get consistency with strength work. I've got my home gym setup and have spent December doing the Knees Over Toes basic plan to try and bulletproof my body and mitigate injuries
Result - Didn't use the weights as much as i'd have liked. Did join a gym with a PT back in October though which i go to once a week. Plus side being injuries have been limited. Likely due to not running!


2025 Goals

Weight
Still aiming to get down to 90kg. Will likely fail as i did consistently in 2024!

General Fitness/Strength
Get VO2 Max to 50.
Continue with at least 1 strength session a week
Aim for 2x mobility sessions a week

Alcohol/Diet
Linked to the above two goals, but i've found i've drank a lot more this year. Rarely to excess but more consistently. This has impacted my weight and also ability to get out and exercise. Needs to be addressed if i have any expectations to hit all goals.

Cycling
5000km - Should be do-able. I've bought an indoor bike for the times i'm limited on time or in the evening so i can get a quick 30 minutes in when it's not worth getting ready for an outdoor ride. Already seeing some instances where i've got 30-40 minutes in when i otherwise wouldn't.
Have signed up for a 360km Gravel ride in April. Probably too soon to be able to be confident and will likely drop down to the 200km variant. Aim is to do longer rides to build up to an Ultra ride in 2026.

Hiking
Having given up on running. I want to spend more time in the mountains doing longer hikes. This is tricky to balance as only really possible at weekends and clashes with desires for long bike rides which isn't fair on my wife to be out on both Saturday and Sunday for long times. Hoping indoor bike might help here where i could get a 4-5hr hike in at weekends, but then use the indoor bike for 3-4hr rides in the midweek.

 

[Martynt74]

@Blackvault Results/Goals

2024 Goals

No mileage target for the year, as the main goal for me is to complete my first marathon at the Belfast Marathon on 5th May. I felt it was time to step up from doing halves and finally go for it. The plan is to stay injury-free for training and see what I can achieve on the day. I reckon that I'll be just over the 5 hours for the race and hopefully won't be too disappointed if I'm significantly slower.

Beyond the marathon, I've no other goals. No triathlons, no swimming or cycling, as I don't want to get distracted. I'll revisit my goals following the marathon and see what other targets/goals to aim for.

Mid-year review

I have completed my marathon (5:00:22) and therefore my goal for the year. I don't think I'll run another marathon this year but have turned my sights to improving my half marathon time.

My current half marathon is 2:11 set in London, so a nice flat course. However, the Belfast Half Marathon is a little hiller and hopefully, I can get close to the current PB or beat it.

Other than running, I aim to attend more pilates classes, as I felt my core was sore post-marathon. Maybe try and get on the bike more in the summer months as well.

**End-of-Year Review**

This year has had its ups and downs. My primary goal was to complete my first marathon, which I achieved, although I didn't finish in under 5:00 hours. After the marathon, I felt physically and mentally exhausted, running nearly 500 miles in the first quarter of the year. Most of my training was done alone, which was quite challenging since I work from home while my partner is in the office and often out in the evenings. This made my training feel rather lonely.

I took about a month off from running but didn't replace that time with any other form of exercise, which further diminished my motivation. In July, I developed pericarditis, which set me back even more and meant I couldn't start running again until August. Unfortunately, this also derailed my plan to participate in the Belfast Half Marathon.

Since then, my heart has been okay. I returned to the running club, and last month, we increased our Saturday mileage, culminating in a 10-mile run. We have an annual challenge to complete 1,000 miles, and while I was on track to achieve this earlier in the year, health issues and a lack of running will prevent me from reaching that goal. However, I still aim for 800 miles and am currently on track!

This Saturday, we will run around Whitehead, our local town known for its lack of streets. The route is 13.6 miles long and has an elevation of 1,000 feet. I'm not particularly looking forward to this, but the big fry-up afterwards will help motivate me!

Another goal I set for myself was to attend more Pilates classes. Unfortunately, I haven't participated in any, but I have been going to the gym at least once a week and have done the occasional swim. Sadly, I haven't been on the bike at all this year.

2024 Goals

Looking ahead, I'm excited about the challenges that await me. I had hoped to compete in the Belfast Marathon, but life had other plans. I proposed to my girlfriend, and we have scheduled our wedding for the day before the marathon! As a compromise, I've decided to enter the Omagh Half Marathon a few weeks before the wedding. This race, known for its significant elevation, is a thrilling challenge.

My running club is also considering starting the Super Six Half Marathon series. However, since many races in 2025 are already sold out, we may have to wait until 2026 to participate.
If anyone has any suggestions for my 2024 goals, I'd be interested to hear them.

 

[Martynt74]

@mid_gen Results/Goals

2024
Do another week in Norway, get a WI4 lead

Didn't do this trip, sad face

Tick The Velvet Pelmet, a D7 dry tooling route at Masson Lees.

This i did get done

Tick a bunch more E3/4. Go for an E5, probably The Snivelling ***** at Millstone, or Strapadictomy at Froggatt.

Did some E2s and E3s. Didn't do much trad until later in the year, but I got loads of HVS mileage in and started to enjoy crack climbing.

Keep training hard! Less antagonist, more pullups!

This I did, pretty regular, either climbing or at the gym every weekday.

Get a 7a+ boulder

Done, alright it was a bit soft, but a tick's a tick.

Tick a 7a sport route.

Simply did not do much sport climbing this year.

Go back to Morocco and do some E1/E2 multipitch

Did go back to Morocco, but got distracted by teh single pitch granite crack climbs

Do some big mountain soloing in Snowdonia.

Didn't make it to Wales all year, apart from one winter climbing day during the January cold snap!

2025 Goals

I'm gonna try and do the Eastern Grit Top50 list.

UKC Logbook - ROCKFAX Eastern Grit: Top 50​

www.ukclimbing.com

Pretty confident about most of it, but the E5 and E5 are going to need some serious. Fortunately I am going to be out of a job in March

Probably not going to have any bouldering goals, it's too much hard work at my age.

Will try and do some bolt clipping, be good to get that 7A tick.

 

[Martynt74]

@AndyCr15 Results/Goals

2024

I think I'll keep the 7,000 miles and staying under 15st 7. I need a climbing goal, maybe just in Ft. 350k Ft would be good (339,600ft in 2023) and maybe 35 100km rides in the year (29 in 2023)

Additionally, I'd like to run a 5k at least each month. (But would be happy with 12 in total if I miss a month, or maybe a 40 miles total run would be fine)

There's still a few rides left in 2024, but right now -

Mileage - 7,130m (Covid and poor weather really slowed this through Nov and early Dec)
Weight - My monthly averages are all below 15st 7, although yesterday I weighed in at 15st 8, due to various Christmas meals
Elevation - 394,734ft, so should pass 400ft by the year end
100km Rides - As said at the half way, the weather really messed with this one and I'm on 25 right now
5k Runs - Basically abandoned, but I've walked plenty on lunch breaks at least...

 

[Martynt74]

@wonko Results/Goals

2023 - managed to maintain my level of fitness through doing a fairly stupid amount of Zwifting (18296km according to Strava). The 2023 power curve and VO2max are pretty identical to 2022. Kept the weight down and lost a couple more kg later in the year - not been this weight since probably my 20s.
2024 - more of the same really, but it would be good if I could eat a bit healthier and maybe do a bit of swimming again to mix things up a bit. The main aim is to avoid injury/illness or losing motivation (and if I stop I'll struggle to keep the weight down). At 58, age isn't working in my favour, so if I can end 2024 at the same fitness level I'll be happy!

Still going at the Zwifting (and walking), and I've done a slightly crazy 17131km and 127288m elevation in 594 hours on the trainer this year. With a succession of interruptions due to holidays, a couple of viruses and joint twinges, the power curve has dipped a bit and FTP is currently around 340W. Same weight at 78kg, and still feeling fitter and healthier than I ever did through my 30s or 40s.
2025? More of the same I guess.

Good luck everyone for achieving your goals for next year!

 

[Martynt74]

@mrthingyx Results/Goals

2023 was a transition year, recovering from redundancy...

2024 is the year I get massive. Honest. Currently around 96kg (empty) and around 15%BF-ish. Up from around 92kg at the start of the year (thank you, creatine) and the only one of my lifts I am remotely proud of is 60kg for 8 reps on OHP.

Well, this didn't age well! Am currently hovering back around 92kg but have spent the past few months leaning out slowly. I have even bought a pair of running shoes...

Strength is in the toilet for everything but pressing it seems, but slowly edging back into the 1.* BW for squats and deadlifts...

 

[Blackvault]

Are we going to turn this into the yearly goals thread?

 

[Martynt74]

Are we going to turn this into the yearly goals thread?

My thinking was it made sense to try and keep it a yearly thread, although i'm certainly not an authority here

 

[Blackvault]

My thinking was it made sense to try and keep it a yearly thread, although i'm certainly not an authority here

Sounds good

 

[AndyCr15]

Ooooh, 2025 thread, nice. I'll have a proper think later, but the Mallorca 312 (225km version) is my current big target for 2025.

Not as much fun, but I could do with a goal based around stretching or yoga or something. I turn 50 very soon and the body is starting to feel old

 

[mrthingyx]

My thinking was it made sense to try and keep it a yearly thread, although i'm certainly not an authority here

Your thread... your authority.

Being consistent would be nice. I am currently at:

BENCH: 90*3
SQUAT: 105*3
DEADLIFT: 135*3
STRICT PRESS: 60*3 (yeah, I know... ratios make no sense)

I would like to lift more than this and not tear my hamstring when sprinting!

 

[Martynt74]

Ooooh, 2025 thread, nice. I'll have a proper think later, but the Mallorca 312 (225km version) is my current big target for 2025.

Not as much fun, but I could do with a goal based around stretching or yoga or something. I turn 50 very soon and the body is starting to feel old

Yeah i always aim for flexibility goals but never do. The Dynamic Cyclist program has some decent stuff, but nothing you probably couldn't just grab from Youtube

 

[AndyCr15]

The Dynamic Cyclist program has some decent stuff, but nothing you probably couldn't just grab from Youtube

I wasn't aware of this, it looks interesting, although it looks like it might be a subscription type? A few stretching apps seem to use this, but what are you paying for? What am I paying them for monthly? I get it for a computer game where they've constantly working on new content, but what do you pay for in a stretching app?!

 

[Martynt74]

I wasn't aware of this, it looks interesting, although it looks like it might be a subscription type? A few stretching apps seem to use this, but what are you paying for? What am I paying them for monthly? I get it for a computer game where they've constantly working on new content, but what do you pay for in a stretching app?!

Yeah, it's difficult to justify beyond the initial free month, they seem to be preloaded programmes and i don't see much beyond that. They do have some for strength/cycling training plans too, but it's not much more than you can get on youtube.

Guess for some people it's just nice to click on a scheduled workout and have a bit of variation each time and at a relatively low price it's cheap enough not to overly worry about the cost if you compare it to say a monthly yoga class at a gym (albeit without any feedback on form etc)

 

[tom_nieto]

Main goal is to keep in the normal BMI range for the year. If I can do that whilst getting a bit leaner then that would be great. Cycling in the gym seems to be the most efficient way for me to achieve this and has the added benefit of helping outdoor cycling.

Adding some strength training would be a bonus, but that’s a secondary aim.

 

[Martynt74]

Strength is another for me, but it always fails. In my new house the gym is the same room as my desk, so hoping it's easy to just throw in some weights throughout the day, rather than a specific session.

Just noticed Strava now lets you set a weekly time goal across all activities. It's new for this year and a great one for my 5hrs a week activity goal.

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

2024: Weight - Stopped lifting completely at the end of 2019 and converted most of my muscle to fat. Wanted to lose some weight in 2024 so challenged a colleague to a weight loss/gain competition. I weighed 106.7Kg and he weighed 75KG so the goal was to meet in the middle at 91KG.

Sorted my diet in January, bought a treadmill in February, and started walking 10,000 steps a day, then introduced intermittent fasting for a few months. Took around 5 months to get down to 91KG and I whooped his ass. Took a picture at the start of every month and probably ended the year in the best shape of my life.



2024: Strength - First session back in the gym in January and started with a strength test. My previous PBs were 210 x 3 squat, 170 x 1 bench and 220 x 10 deadlift, all done in my late 20s to early 30s, and when I was bouncing between 18 to 19 stone, so I knew I would be a lifting peasant in comparison. Squatted 60 x 7, benched 50 x 4 and deadlifted 100 x 3.

Fast forward to the end of 2024 with many 5x5 routines and gym sessions complete and I squatted 185 x 1, benched 145 x 1 and deadlifted 210 x 1. Squat and bench were easy, so I know I have more in me, but I failed a 220 deadlift at the knee so I know what to work on over the next few months.

Probably the strongest I've ever been pound for pound and at 45 years old I still feel I haven't hit my natural limit so my goal for 2025 is to smash **** up and set some new PBs.

 

[Martynt74]

Awesome work, although a bit cruel to try and get him to gain 16kg of muscle

 

[AndyCr15]

Ha ha, yeah, how did you swing that!? Honestly, a fair point might have been around 83kg perhaps? Well done all the same.

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

Thanks, I think he doubted my will to win but he basically gave up around March and committed himself to training for the London marathon this year instead. Pretty sure he ended the year lighter than he started