Here we are nearing the end of January, 2023. By this time, on average, two of three people who made New Year's resolutions abandon them. We all start off with the best of intentions, but forming a new habit or making changes in our lives often proves difficult. If you've made one, I hope you've surrounded yourself with positive influences to keep you going ... and that you prove successful in making the change you desire ... but it's tough, isn't it?
Anyone who knows me knows I like working with numbers. My moniker at work is Data Dave. I once spent 10,000 hours (as a hobby) working on a high powered investment spreadsheet with all kinds of macros and formulas incorporating value investing principles (Phil Town book Rule 1) into an algorithmic way to select optimal companies to invest in. And as a runner it is only natural that numbers are a key ingredient in my feedback mechanism and influence how I feel about where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going. If you've been following along with my RUNNH234 quest then you're likely response is ... "Duh".
I love to keep an eye on the numbers: Heartrate, VO2 Max, Times, Distances, Elevation, Sleep, Stock Market and the list goes on and on. Numbers are great feedback and not subjective. By day I spend my time focused on pulling data together from diverse sources and making sense of it for the company I work for to leverage and gain added business intelligence.
No secret I'm very goal oriented and numbers give me the feedback I crave to feel I'm on track, making progress and influencing what comes next. I expect you've heard of SMART goals which are touted as ways to improve likelihood of success. You can't set up a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely) goal without numbers. If you want to lose weight, for example, you should have a target amount and time to be SMART. You know what?
While this may be a good framework, I think a couple of missing ingredients are flexible and adjustable. It takes about 67 days for a change to become a habit. That's a long time and if you set the bar too high and can't change it then that's a recipe for abandoning a well intentioned change. I see no harm in tweaking, and even taking time off, with goals. The older I get the more set in my ways I become and the harder it is to make changes to everyday life.
So back to an earlier statement I made about myself: "numbers give me the feedback I crave to feel I'm on track and making progress". For me the key word I want to emphasize is FEEL. While numbers are a key component for any goal, never underestimate feeling. Numbers provide framework and give some great insight, but I find that the missing ingredient is my gut feel about things. Many of my decisions are based on how I feel as opposed to just what the numbers say.
As a RUNNH234 example, while I have done a lot of planning and logistics research there are still a lot of open questions related to the "Achievable" part of SMART.
There are legs uncharted (especially up in Coos and Grafton counties). I have a good handle up through leg 100, but there's quite a lot of research and logistical recognizance still to come. Planning the course is part of my enjoyment.
Time marches on - each year brings new running challenges with age and health. I set out on 11/14/2021 and I estimate it'll be 7 years overall to complete -- that's likely 2028 and I'll be nearing 70. None of us have a crystal ball on what the future holds.
No ones ever done this before, uncharted waters -- thus part of the allure
Will my desire continue to burn strong? It has for the past year, I hope it continues.
Up on my study wall I have a bulletin board with the starting picture of every leg I've run. One of the great things is I can look at each picture and it brings back a memory of the place and the experience and helps me feel good about progress made and the achievability of what's ahead.
Next to the board of pictures is a set of pieced together Atlas
map pages where I can see the route taken so far and add to with each run completed. There's a white hat hanging upper right with the name of each town connected so far. It's hard to see in the picture but there is an Orange line that weaves it's way through Cheshire, Sullivan and now Merrimack showing the exact route taken so far.
There are all kinds of numbers involved that I track in this quest to connect all 234 incorporated towns in New Hampshire by running from town hall to town hall, but ultimately I do this for how it makes me FEEL and not how fast (or slow :)) I go, how high I climb or how far I go. We've seen all kinds of wonderful off the beaten path places on our travels so far. I have no problem adjusting the route or the amount of time it takes - that is half the fun trying to figure this out like a puzzle and seeing it through one step at a time to what I hope is it's successful finish back in Dublin - hopefully ahead of my 70th, but that's flexible.
There's a long unknown road ahead and it calls with sights and adventure to come. It's great to have so much to (hopefully) look forward to. Numbers are the guidepost, but it's the experience I will treasure -- thank you Nancy for indulging me, encouraging me and being there.
May you all have a successful 2023 no matter how you measure it!
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