Triathlon season is over and as the winter solstice nears, it is time to make some goals for the off-season. I find myself now with some extra time on my hands since I don’t have the 15-18+ hours a week of training for an Ironman.

1.) I’m learning Hindi. India (where Hindi is spoken)  has always been a place I’d like to travel to since I was a kid. I have read that one of the best ways to stay mentally active and fit is to learn foreign languages.  Hindi seemed like the most difficult to learn since the alphabet is so different. I enjoy a challenge. The truth is that it is fairly easy to pick up once you get the hang of the Devanagari Script. I found a great online language community called Live Mocha.  www.livemocha.com

It uses a very similar method as Rosetta Stone with the advantage of matching you up with native speakers of the language.  I as a native English speaker I am matched up with Hindi speakers who are learning English.  I submit written and spoken lessons for feedback and receive lessons from people wanting to learn English. So far it has been very enjoyable. Peebs, Avashi, Sundar9kr, Pradhyumna, Rinku, Ayush and I are having a smashingly good time. As the lessons progress we will go to online chatting in our chosen language.  My kids are getting into learning Hindi and this is a natural time to introduce them to a foreign language.

2.) Get lean and mean.  I went to the personal trainer the other day and got a plan for some strength training.  While training for Ironman Florida I had no time for any strength training.  I’m also hoping to shed 15 pounds of useless flab in the process.

3.) Get the basement fixed up. We have about 1,200 sq. ft. of basement space that could be put to better use. I plan on taking up the carpeting and replacing it with laminate that is more kid-friendly.

4.) Read the stack of books that I have been meaning to read.

5.) Do more swimming. I would absolutely love to find another venue other than the 5:00AM swim at the high school. If not, I’ll make that work.

6.)  Solve the world’s problems.