It's almost October, which means we're three quarters into 2025 already. Time dilation is real when you're getting older and a year becomes an increasingly smaller portion of your life.
For 2025 I set some goals for myself, which you can read about in this post. Those goals are mostly related to running, health, photography and work. I think with just another three months to go it's good to look back and see how I'm doing. The goal is to reevaluate and adjust if necessary, to finish strong and set myself up for 2026.
Let's start with running. I set out to run a half marathon and even an ultra, but due to various factors I didn't get to that, yet (more on that later). I did really pick up the pace from June onwards, putting in about 100 kilometers a month, increasing my Vo2Max by 6 points and running a 24 minute 5k and a 53 minute 10k. Running started to become a habit rather than a chore, something I'm eager to do. Lacing up my shoes became something to look forward to and that's a win in and of itself. Not bad at all considering all the curveballs life threw at me.
Health wise I feel like I'm doing pretty well. I haven't been sick in a long while, or at least not as much as previously. I've also been working on my mental health, things I'd rather keep private for obvious reasons. I do feel more balanced and in control which is something I really needed. All good on this front!
Photography, again a bit of a mixed bag. I did take my camera out a few times, and every time I really did enjoy it, way more than using my iPhone. As I said earlier, I don't like the overprocessed computational photography stuff. I did however not take it out as much as I wanted to. I think it's a matter of building the habit, making sure the camera is always charged and ready (it's micro USB which is a pain) and keeping the phone in my pocket more often. Baby steps.
Work has been going very well. I set out to take more of a leadership role within the company and earlier this year I got promoted to lead platform engineer. Everyone's really happy with my performance as a lead and things are looking bright.
I think my running goals have been the biggest miss as I didn't get to complete the goals I set out for myself. I did however make huge progress in terms of speed and endurance. Currently I'm battling a major injury so I'll have to see how that plays out. I know that this too will pass and I'll be back on the road soon enough. I signed up for a half marathon in March so I have a goal to work towards. Sustainability is key, so I'll be taking it a bit easier for the rest of the year to prevent further injuries.
Overall I think I got sidetracked by old habits and patterns, like consuming way too much news and social media. I try to be more mindful of that, so I can actually focus on the things that bring me joy. The theme for the last 3 months of 2025 is going to be about consuming less, creating more and a sustainable approach to running.
Onwards and upwards!