20 workouts in 11 days: Can Catherine do it? Yes she can!

Yes, folks, it’s that time of year. No, I’m not talking about

The onslaught of Christmas holiday season
The obligatory end of year reflection time
Winter solstice
Fake sales of stuff we definitely don’t need
Frantic gift-purchasing or party-attending flurry we sometimes get ourselves into

Nope. I’m talking about the time of year where I’m trying to finish my (in this case) 222 workouts in 2022, and I’m way behind. And I start planning my holiday vacation plans around workouts or workout-like activities (dog walks, family walks, short yoga sessions with sister or niece or aunt) to try to make it across the finish line before January 1.

Finishing and I have a complicated relationship. I’m not a good or happy finisher. I always imagine that finishing something big will feel like this:

This woman finished something big-- she's on top of a high rocky outcropping. — This woman finished something big– she’s on top of a high rocky outcropping. Yay!

Instead, I often finish at the last second (or even after the last second, which is to say late), all hurried and embarrassed and feeling more like this:

Two kids, chasing after a possibly speeding bus. I actually did this once, in New York, but that's another story. — Two kids, chasing after a possibly speeding bus. I actually did this once, in New York City, but that’s another story.

Each year I’ve done the 2XX challenges in 20XX (with many fine Facebook friends), I’ve finished on Dec 29–31. I could cite reasons, but in fact my workout intensity and consistency wax and wane throughout the year. I would like for this not to be true. However, several years’ worth of 2XX challenges in 20XX participation show a consistent pattern of ebb and flow of activity on my part. Is this bad?

here is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare, from Hamlet. — There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. William Shakespeare.

What I have seen lately in my logged workouts is that I’ve been counting a small amount of physical activity (like 15 minutes of yoga or stretching or balance/strength exercises) plus meditation as a workout. This has been easier to do more consistently. I credit meditation for carrying me through to doing something physically active; after sitting still for 10+ minutes, I want to move. And, I feel calm enough to be able to devote the next little chunk of time to some kind of movement, rather than returning to my laptop or chores or something else.

What I’d like is to apply this more to walking and cycling and swimming in 2023. Doing small workouts seems to work fine for me. What relationship these small activities will have to longer or bigger or harder workouts, I don’t know. We’ll see. Will doing these get me across the finish line sooner? Who knows. But, I’ll get across that finish line this year. Again.

So, I’m ending 2022 feeling a bit less embarrassed and a bit more like Bob The Builder. Remember him? Can we finish it? Yes we can!