February Update on 2026 Fitness Goals

I'm actually pretty active for an decrepit old couch potato. 

With all the BBQ I make and eat, and all the beer I brew and drink, cardio exercise helps keep me somewhat in shape.

In the past, this has been mostly cycling, but starting this year, I've started running as well.

If you're interested, I always track these workouts on Strava. 

Last month, I shared my 2026 Fitness Goals, and although no one else really cares, it is time for me to post an update.

My 2026 Fitness / Activity Goals are:

1. #MetricCenturyEveryMonth
   As of July 2021, I've cycled at least one Metric Century every month. This is 55 straight months I've done this. This month will be 56.
   
   
2. #7000MilesIn2026
   This is significantly lower than my #8200MilesIn2025 goal, but I figure with the running, 7000 miles is still a big cycling number. As of the end of February, I have logged 955 miles for the year.
   
   
3. #13EverestsIn2026
   Also significantly lower than the #16EverestsIn2025 because of the added running goals. My goal is to climb 13 x 29,032 = 377,416 feet on the bike. At the end of last month, I've logged 51,991 feet climbed on my bikes. 1.8 "Everests".
   
   
4. #Run700Miles2026
   700 miles is just under 100km per month. With my Half Marathon (see #5) training, I'm ahead of this pace with 143 miles so far this year.
   
   
5. Run a Half Marathon
   I'm doing a Runna Half Marathon plan and have signed up for the Platte River Half Marathon in mid-April. I'll give myself extra points to finish under 2:20, but honestly my main goal is simply to finish the whole thing. My plan actually calls for my "long run" this week to be 13.1 miles, so I appear to be on track to finish the Platte River Half.
   
   
6. VO₂ Max > 44 ml/kg/min
   As measured by my Garmin Watch, I started the year as 42 ml/kg/min. Right now, I'm at 44. For a few weeks, I've bounced between 42 and 44. Every time I do my "long run", it falls to 42, but as soon as I do a tempo run, it jumps back up to 44.  
   
   
7. 15 Stone
   At my heaviest, I was over 260lbs. I've been as low as 214 last year and this month, I got to just over 216lbs. 15 Stone is 210 lbs, which would be lighter than I've been since my early college days. With all the BBQ I eat and Beer I drink, it may be tough, but I would like to hit that 210 number before the end of the year.

Of course, it has only been a month, but I'm on track for all these goals. None of them are overly easy, and none of them are overly difficult. I should be able to hit all these goals.

But stay tuned on any of the labels below to keep up with my progress.

Month		Miles		YTD			Elevation		YTD
January		500		500	-94		28,741		28,741		-3,235
February		454		955	-177		23,250		51,991		-9,015
March		...		...	.		...		...		.
April		...		...	.		...		...		.
May		...		...	.		...		...		.
June		...		...	.		...		...		.
July		...		...	.		...		...		.
August		...		...	.		...		...		.
September		...		...	.		...		...		.
October		...		...	.		...		...		.
November		...		...	.		...		...		.
December		...		...	.		...		...		.

As always, stay tuned on the regular SheppyBrew Channels to see what is happening with beer, barbeque, biking and other things in my life: SheppyBrew's Facebook Page; Sheppy's Twitter Feed; SheppyBrew's Instagram Page; and SheppyBrew's Website.