The goals expressed here have no deadline, I just want to achieve them over time.
This page is subject to change, with goals changing/added/removed when they make sense to be.
Running
Do a 5k in less than 25 minutes
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
Current fastest time: 25m 53s (Strava link)
Couch to 5k is what started me on my current fitness journey, so the 5k distance is always going have a little more meaning to me than most others.
Run a race
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
I have never ran an official race. Likely candidate is the York 10k.
Run 13.626km without stopping
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
This is the length of the Circuit De La Sarthe. My longest distance so far is 10km, so I will need to bump this by a few kilometres to reach it.
The eventual goal is then to run it at the Circuit De La Sarthe, but running the distance is enough of a goal for now.
Cycling
Cycle 100km in one ride
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
Current longest ride: 21.6km (Strava link)
I’ve not done as much cycling as I would like in the past year. Time, illnesses, focussing on running, and then huge life changes have all contributed.
I’m hoping in future to have a new bike (one where ALL the gears work) and more motivation to complete bigger distances.
Strength training
Do at least one pull up
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
I’ve never been able to do a pull up. I would like to be able to do more than one, but setting a single pull up as a goal is enough for now.
Bench press my weight
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
This is a variable goal, as it will depend on my weight at the time.
Squat my weight
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
This is a variable goal, as it will depend on my weight at the time.
Deadlift my weight
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
This is a variable goal, as it will depend on my weight at the time.
Body/weight
Reduce body fat below 20%
Date Set: 21/09/25
Last Update: 21/09/25
Current body fat: 24.7%
While I have lost a lot of weight recently (current 13st 7.4lbs, or 86kg), my body fat is only just in the average range. I’m going to be starting up at a gym again soon, so I’m hoping to go through body recomposition.
I’m not unhappy with my weight, but I’m unhappy with the fat levels still, and I can see this when looking in a mirror. Reducing this below 20% and gaining muscles again will hopefully go some way to improve this.
Life goals
Be able to play one of my more difficult songs at full tempo
Date Set: 21/09/25
Last Update: 21/09/25
I write a lot of music without an instrument, or at least using it as a guide. Sometimes I can play certain sections in isolation, sometimes I make music that is a little beyond my capabilities. Blame Guitar Pro for making it easy to write something unplayable 😂.
A few years ago I went through a period of writing a lot of music. My aim is to be able to play at least one of them (and by then probably most, given they are all of similar difficulty) all the way through, at full tempo, without many/any mistakes.
Form a band
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
I’d like to be in a band again. Ideally, one that I’ve formed, and one that plays music I’ve written (not only my music, but some of it at least).
I’ve dabbled in a couple of bands in the past decade, but I haven’t been in a band playing my own music since 2015.
I’d like a covers band too, and this may happen quicker than an originals band, but having both would be nice!
Play gigs again
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
Between 2004 (my first band’s first gig) and 2015 (the last gig I played), the longest I ever went without playing a gig was 2 and a half years. By the end of 2025, it will have been 10 years since the last one.
Gigs are my favourite part about playing music, so I’d like to do some again!
Other life goals
Date Set: 20/09/25
Last Update: 20/09/25
I also have other goals that won’t be shared here, as they are very personal. They revolve around what I want my life to become in future, and what I need to do to get there.
Tech
Rebuild the home network
Date Set: 21/09/25
Last Update: 21/09/25
I self host a lot of services (Plex/Jellyfin, Paperless, Netbox, DNS and DHCP, Prometheus/Grafana, and many more). My home network hasn’t changed significantly/at all since 2019 (which I documented here). My two main servers are a 10-year old Intel NUC, and a nearly 14-year old Mac Mini (running Debian).
Some parts of the network are still fine (my primary network switch, my router), but I’d like to overhaul most of it entirely. Elements I’d like to change: -
- Run Kubernetes - I have a lot of experience with it, and I find it easier than managing lots of different Docker Compose/VMs/native services. There will be some services I want to run natively, or at least not reliant on the cluster(s) being up, but I would like most things to run as Kubernetes Deployments
- Homogenise hardware - I’d like to have a single kind of server (possibly these) for running the clusters, to make everything a bit more predictable
- More 10Gb (or at least multi-gig) - I have a few things running 10Gb (my Linux desktop, the link between my switch and router), but most still runs at 1Gb. Running all the servers on 10Gb, and all desktop machines (where possible) and wireless access points at 10Gb or 2.5Gb minimum will be nice
- Dedicated NAS/storage - Storage has been haphazard, with external USB drives attached to the servers for larger stuff. A dedicated NAS is preferable
I may also run Proxmox on the servers, and run Kubernetes on top of that, to give flexibility for running VMs where it makes sense. However this may not be necessary.