1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Did a triathlon (actually, I did 3..). Rode a road bike. Carried the Olympic Torch. Was on radio AND TV (for auctioning my Olympic Torch for Mind). Submitted my first Professional Revalidation qualification. Went abroad by myself. Went to Tenerife. Went to first swimming camp. Went to the Paralympics.
2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Last year I resolved to do a bit better with fruit and vegetables, which I think I have. Getting a weekly veg box delivery helped. But I still think there is much room for improvement here!
I also resolved to balance out my life a bit better, I'm not sure that has really been achieved, or indeed if I can achieve it...
I have New Year's Goals which will focus some of my efforts for 2013, notably completing a 3.8k swim in under an hour (came so close in 2012!), and finishing an Ironman 70.3/half ironman.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
No.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Yes. My Gran died in July.
5. What countries did you visit?
Austria and Spain (Tenerife).
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Better health and a bit more zen. The same answer applies again this year! I'd also like to have an Ironman 70.3 Finishers Medal - ha!
7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
9th July - Olympic Torch carrying day.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Carrying the Olympic Torch, and raising over £5000 for Mind, the mental health charity.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Succumbing to depression for the fifth time in December.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not as bad as 2011 fortunately!
11. What was the best thing you bought?
My swimming camp trip to Tenerife.
12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
The amazing British Olympians, especially Rebecca Adlington, Keri-Anne Payne, Sarah Storey, Jessica Ennis, Ellie Simmonds.
13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Continued gun offenders in the US.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Mortgage and triathlon equipment. And food bills. Eat so much these days!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to the Paralympics.
16. What song will always remind you of 2011?
Take that - Greatest day of our lives - playing on the bus before I carried the Olympic Torch. APT.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
bit sadder
b) thinner or fatter?
bit thinner
c) richer or poorer?
probably poorer...
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Swimming
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worrying. Same answer applies as last year!
20. How did you spend Christmas?
Skiing in Austria.
21. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Carried on being in love.
22. How many one-night stands?
Absolutely none.
23. What was your favourite TV program?
Great British Bake Off
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Yes.
25. What was the best book you read?
For the first time in about 10 years, I failed to record the books that I read this year. Which is a big regret. So it's difficult to remember exactly what I enjoyed reading. Unusually I've read quite a lot of sport manuals/sports biographies this year, and would highlight those by Chrissie Wellington and Ian Thorpe as particularly worth reading if you share my interests.
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
The album "Now that's what I call running" - definitely helped me with my running this year!
27. What did you want and not get?
I've been pretty lucky and got lots of the things that I wanted this year; I'd still like one of those super duper Speedo Super elite wetsuits though please?
28. What did you want and get?
As I said above, I was pretty lucky this year :)
29. What was your favourite film of this year?
Again, I haven't seen many. Don't think I've seen any since The Artist, back in February.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 28 and we were in Cornwall again.
31.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Getting the last 17 seconds off my 3.8k swim time to come in under the hour.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Compression-chic. Or wetsuit-woman
33. What kept you sane?
Swimming. And my husband (when he wasn't compromising my sanity! [joke!])
34. What political issue stirred you the most?
NHS threats.
35. Whom did you miss?
As ever, I missed the wonderful Emily, especially on torch-bearing day as that wouldn't have happened without her.
36. Who was the best new person you met?
My lovely friends from the Tenerife Swimming Camp, and my new online friend Carrie from Fitness and Frozen Grapes.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
Not to take good mental health for granted, nor to expect everyone to understand mental health issues. You'd think I might have learnt these lessons previously, but it turns out that I hadn't. Hopefully they will stay with me a bit longer this time.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Struggling a bit with this one this time around, but I'm going to go with something that will be a mantra for the coming days and months, which I love - from Tubthumping by Chumbawumba - "I get knocked down, I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down...I get knocked down, I get up again..."
39. So in as few words as possible, how would you sum up your year?
Tuna to tri!
Right my lovely, I'm about to give you a kick up the arse!
ReplyDeleteYou haven't "failed" by succumbing to depression. Not a failure. Repeat after me "I am not a failure". Done that? Good!
Next, achieving a better balance in your life IS achievable. I grant you it may require difficult decisions and/or sacrifices of some sort but it can be done.
But never mind the kicks up the posterior. I am sooo proud of all you have achieved this year. You have been inspiring and the fighting spirit in you endures. You've been a brilliant friend and a lovely person. You haven't shied away from adversity but tackled it head on.
Here's to a healthier, happier 2013 :-)
xxx
Aw, I love recaps and surveys that are structured this way! Chrissie Wellington's biography is actually in my shopping chart on Amazon.com. ;)
ReplyDeleteI thought of you when the Thorpe bio was coming out. He was one of my fav parts of the Olympics (along with Clare Balding obvs)because h'd provide all the realisic eye rolling and common sense when the British commentators had pretend people who weren't expected to win could medal.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! All the best for 2013,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful summary of a year. You have done well. Hoping you find a little bit more balance in 2013, everything is achievable even in small chunks.
ReplyDeleteI hope so too!
DeleteGreat achievements.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious as to what turned you, seemingly all of a sudden, from someone who baked and read and was a homebody of your previous blog, to the striving, active, tri-athlon-er of this one?
Hi Helen, that's an interesting one, and one I should probably turn into a whole post! I think perhaps the extremes are a little less in real life than maybe they seem on the blogs. I am still very much a homebody, baking and reading, and cross stitching, when I can, and I was always a swimmer for a bit of exercise. I think the tri stuff is because I like a challenge, and because it's a bit of a change, and I like doing things which surprise people. The exercise is also really good for my mental health which I'm always striving desperately to improve!
DeleteI love this, Verity, it's so thoughtful. I can see how not recording your books read this year can be a bit sad when you've kept a record for so long as I did exactly the same thing with our meals this year (I'd kept all our shopping lists with meal plans on them in a folder up until now). Much as I would love to still have that record not having to keep it has been a liberation when life is all ready busy and cluttered enough.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I'm with Kell. Nothing more to add, but you've anything but failed in 2012. xx