The end of 2010 and the XTERRA Chubsmas Challenge powered by H20 Audio

Here we are the end of another year. Actually, that's only partially true. This isn't just another year. It was the year I went to Europe, it was the year I finished Timberman. It was the year we settled in and lived our life on the east coast. Our first anniversary and our first Christmas on our own. It wasn't perfect, and with my current memory problems, it doesn't end on a completely positive note. But it was great, and it was amazing, and it's over.

I got stronger, I got faster, I got smarter, and I got lighter. Last year on New Years morning, I was 337 pounds. I weighed in this morning at 313.8 pounds. That's over 20 pounds I've lost this year. It's not enough, but it's progress none the less. I've dug deeper inside and found a strength I didn't know I had on more than one occasion. I've also come up short at times, like in the MA State Triathlon.

There are a lot of things I learned about myself this year, and while I've changed a lot this year, some of that change was really just me becoming even more the person I already was. I did a lot less underachieving this year, even when I came in last. I still have a lot more learning and growing to do in the year ahead, and I'll be pushing myself further and harder than even what I did this year.

I've got a lot of goals for this year, most of them I've already laid out in the blog, but the most important ones are to be healthier physically and fiscally next year. Rach and I are lucky to live the life we do and I want to ensure we continue to live that life. Rach graduates in a few months, and will enter the working world. That might entail a move to another city, but we hope to get to stay right where we are. To help take the stress out of our move, I want to sock away some money, and be as healthy as I possibly can by that time. 

Our big athletic goals are looming a bit, but they're still plenty of time to prepare for them. Mooseman is 6 months out, and Rev3 is 9 months out. We're going to have our hands full with that, but it's going to be an awesome ride. I've dreamt several times of crossing the finish line at Cedar Point with my parents waiting for me on the other side. 

So as the last piece of business for the year of 2010, I leave you with the results of the Chubsmas Challenge:

Chuck: 255- 249.5 = 5.5 pounds lost

Ben: 321.5 - 313.8 = 7.7 pounds lost

So, I won by 2.2 pounds. It took a really strong week to do so, and I think Chuck really kicked ass. We're going to do a longer challenge next year, but in the meantime Chuck will be warming up his pipes for the Lady Gaga video we're all excited to see.