2024 review
I love year reviews because they give me a chance to take a snapshot and capture where I am and what I did over the past 12 months. I don’t believe in New Year's resolutions. Reflecting on what matters helps me figure out how to push myself in the next year. Habits are always evolving—if they stick. Listing out what worked helps drive that evolution.
From a running perspective, I covered 2,192 km, a 29% increase over last year's 1,700 km. I ran one half-marathon and participated in two marathons, finishing only one. Although I didn't finish the Midnight Sun Marathon, it was one of the most beautiful runs of my life (see the amazing stats here). The scenery was incredible, and running through the night without the sun setting was a special experience. I truly appreciated my wife's presence, especially since our return trip to Zurich the following day was a complete shit show, and I was incredibly grateful not to have been dealing with that ordeal alone. The second marathon I attempted (and finished!) was the JungfrauJoch Marathon, with an elevation of 1,975 meters, which requires about 15 km of hiking. It went better than expected (more stats here), considering I'm quite lazy and never train for significant elevation. I really enjoyed it; it was an amazing day with a great finish, and I felt surprisingly good afterward. Finally, the highlight of my sports year was the Zurich half-marathon, which I ran in 1 hour and 32 minutes, setting a new personal record (see stats). It was an annoyingly cold day with hail and everything else that makes you want to stay inside. However, I had an amazing support crew, which made the event extra special, and we finished the day with delicious fried chicken and pizza! Running events are better when shared with others. It's great to tackle a challenge with a group of friends.
Aside from running, I became more interested in cycling. After watching the Tour de France documentary on Netflix, I felt the urge to go on longer bike rides. So, one day, with some free time, I went on a 160 km bike ride (part 1, part 2) around the lakes near Zurich. Needless to say, I was completely exhausted afterward (I drank cola and ate all the junk food I could find), but I still felt a strong sense of accomplishment and continued to bike a lot indoors. Cycling is difficult to evaluate for me; it's less about the kilometers and more about the time spent doing it, in my opinion. This year, I spent 43 hours and 47 minutes cycling, surprisingly close to last year's 44 hours and 34 minutes (but nowhere near the 203 hours and 47 minutes I spent running).
I pushed myself with reading, especially at the beginning of the year, when I was steadily working through books, aiming for 48. I missed my goal by nine books, finishing the year with 39 (8 of those were audiobooks), a 69% increase from last year's 23. Among these books were several amazing and eye-opening pieces, some were highly entertaining, and others were just incredibly long. Ironically, I read "How to Read a Book," which essentially argues that linear reading is ineffective. However, for me, reading a book linearly is like listening to an album from beginning to end, in the order the artist intended. Reading, for me, isn't about extracting knowledge from a book; rather, I see it as an exercise for my brain, helping me to focus better. Linear reading helps me follow a story and a train of thought without constantly searching for the most useful insight. If I need specific knowledge and have direct questions, I can just use Google and ChatGPT.
I posted 12 blog posts—4 fewer than in 2023—mostly about the books I read. Posting gives me an outlet to share my thoughts, even if it's just one-way communication. I'm always happy when someone reads what I wrote and finds it helpful. My best post in 2024 was about my pizza oven, where I felt like I shared useful, reproducible information. I also wrote 141 pages (79k words) in my personal journal, compared to 61 pages last year. I spent more time reflecting on concerns and my mental well-being.
Regarding trips and experiences, I had an amazing trip to Jordan, loved traveling to Brazil twice this year, and also had great times with friends in Portugal, Amsterdam, and Lausanne.