Well, that went fast

It feels like January 2025 wasn’t all that long ago. Here we sit though looking at the dawn of 2026 just a week away. It was a good year, not a great year. I had some goals set, and some were checked off, some will fall short. Life isn’t about perfection though and I often pride myself on “going with the flow” or “rolling with the punches” or whatever cliche you wish to insert.

I tend to do best when I have a target. This applies to both work and my life in general. I had worked this past year on training my boss to give me specific date(s) when something was asked for. If it was a “when you have time” request it often got shoved to the back burner. I also like to set annual mileage goals for cycling and running. I am only going to hit 75% of my intended target on both those goals this year. It frustrates me, but I know what I need to work on going into 2026.

I had a goal to camp at least one night a month, every month, for twelve consecutive months in the van. I started that in November of 2024 and finished up in October of 2025. I really enjoy being outdoors and I also really like to explore. 2026 will be less about the van specifically. I do want to do some more bikepacking/touring. Only managed one night in a tent this year. That is one of the big targets for 2026….more nights in a tent and specifically at least a 300-400 mile bike tour.

2025 was the first year I considered myself “retired” from bike racing. It was a little mentally tough to adjust. Without specific goals I definitely found my riding was all over the place in terms of consistency. I think I only did a handful of rides over 50 miles all year. Most of my weekend rides where in the two-two and half hour range. I really enjoy a four or five hour day now and again. I think a longer bike tour and then hitting up the Portland Velo Saturday rides will help, especially if I bike to/from the start of the PV rides from home.

Getting out on the XC skis this year a few times was super nice. Mia and I had a good streak back in the late aughts and early 201X before moving to Oregon. Since then, we’ve only skied a few times in the past twelve years. I’d like a bit more of this in 2026.

Mia and I hiked more in 2025. Codi is too old for the adventures he used to be able to do. Mia and I focused on hikes that where within an hour of home and 2-3 hours of hike time. We don’t feel right leaving Codi at home all day on a weekend. If we could bang something out in 4-5 hours total it felt about right. Mia works from home 2-3 days a week and I do one day a week, so Codi has at least one of us home quite a bit, which alleviates leaving him at home on a Saturday or Sunday for a bit.

For Christmas 2023 Mia gave me a sourdough bread class. It has now been almost two full years since we have bought mass produced bread from the store. This is one I am proud of. There is a nice feeling knowing that I made these loaves and exactly what is put in it.

Work…….

This year was also the year that I feel like I, unfortunately, became important at my job. Call it experience, skill, whatever…..I feel like I had more dumped on my plate. Mid fall they fired my director. It threw our whole office off kilter. I had far too many moments of waking up at 2AM thinking about a project that needed completion. I would sometimes lie in bed thinking about the best way to query data and build a spreadsheet for some request from the executive team. I pride myself on doing a good job while at work and knowing what I am doing. What I personally do not like is when work becomes an all-consuming thought in my mind. I don’t function well like that. I don’t wish to “climb the ladder” any further than I have. I have built a pretty good understanding of my profession over 24+ years. 2026 will focus more on delegating, I think.

Goodbye 2025

I will probably remember this year as a bit of a transition year. It has not been horrible, but it also didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I look forward to a bit of a mental “turning of the page”.

Thanks for reading,
-Pete