Heaps of cool images in this post, even if you can't be bothered reading everything

![pic2.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmRFWq7JhYjJggAEaWkRG1NvGBhNqzyF29BCQW5SzFTKft/pic2.png) With 2018 almost over, its time for me to reflect on the year I've had and see how far I've come. It feels like the year has flown, so I am surprised with my progress and what I actually expected from the year. I actually had a slow start to the year as I was recovering from my second Ironman in late 2017. The one important thing to note was that I stumbled across Steemit and now my life has never been the same again. This is the main reason I wrote this post as I looked through my goals for 2018 that I posted in my "Introduce Yourself" post for Steemit. Funnily enough I had actually achieved most of what I set out to do for the year which was actually a surprise to me, on top of that I did a lot more and had some amazing adventures that followed. From my "Introduce Yourself" post, my goals for 2018 were: - I am working on finally getting my run coach certification(Not this time) - I am turning 40 this year so want to do something epic to celebrate(Cross that off the list) - Continue to advocate health and fitness(Always yes) - Going to run in Las Vegas and hopefully get a Boston Qualifier(Yes and Yes) - I am writing my second book, to hopefully be published mid way though the year.(A little later than planned) - Wanting to learn a lot more about block chain, crypto and Steem(Still learning)

Run Coach Certification

One of the main reasons, I was surprised that I achieved most of my goals for the year is because I didn't really start the year off as well as I had planned. Getting a run coaching certification was something I was working towards for a long time and as I usually choke when it comes to exam day, I did it again when I went to do my test for my Jack Daniels Run Coaching Certification. It didn't get me in the best frame of mind for the rest of the year, but from what you can see, it didn't slow me down. I learnt a lot from my first attempt and only blame myself for not getting receiving my certification, but will need to put it back on my list for 2019. ![revel2.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQ4nLjDoxkrYcvj8DLeoTEKnqgWCEvkGJnuQN7kqzqybq/revel2.jpg) A picture of me in Las Vegas, proving mustaches do make you run faster

Kicking Off My Marathons In Las Vegas

Even though all of my goals for 2018 were not fitness or running related, a lot of them were and in the lead up to my first marathon for the year, April saw my girlfriend and I heading to Las Vegas to try and catch a Boston Qualifying time. For my age I needed to run under 3 hours and 10 minutes, which meant I needed to take 7 minutes of my current marathon personal best. I felt like I needed to stop doing the same things I had always done and try something a little insane in my training to hopefully achieve something a little insane in my racing. This is where I ran into the "9 Mile Marathon Training Plan". I've written a bit about the training plan since I first found it and trained with it in the lead up to our race in Las Vegas(https://steemit.com/running/@run.vince.run/9-mile-marathon-training-plan-n-1-case-study-and-review). The cool thing is it worked really well for me and gave me a 3 hours and 8 minutes finishing time to easily make my Boston Qualification at the race. ![marathonimage.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXLWTHMkcfvsvJLUisFUAMYTtnVftqsFRSTjRujtLEGpg/marathonimage.jpg) My final marathon, in my 4x4x40. Glad to have that one over Coming back from Las Vegas saw me entering May and with close to half of the year almost gone, it was time to start looking towards my 40th birthday. I decided I wanted to do something epic and with my recent race in Las Vegas and trips away in May, June and July, some crafty planning allowed me to organise my 4 Marathons in 4 Months for my 40th Birthday(Which should always be known as 4x4x40th). Epic...a little, fun yes. Looking back the travel was fun, but I was a little more than happy when the 4th marathon was over with at the start of July. Even though it took 4 months with 9 flights through 3 countries, I was able to keep a smile on my face by the end of it, even with a bad 70's moustache.(https://steemit.com/running/@run.vince.run/4-marathons-in-4-months)

I Love My Stratos

Although not something I was planning on being on my review of 2018 but I had gone though a lot of watches to finally be in a stable relationship with what is sitting on my wrist. If they weren't breaking, they were getting lost in the mail, or companies were simply refusing to sell me goods because there was not real proof I was a real human being. In the end I found an obscure company producing a feature rich sports watch, which seemed to almost be too good to be true. I have seen a lot of converts out there enjoying their Amazfit Stratos watches, but people still criticise a lot of what is on offer even though they are paying some much less than other watches. I have had people continuously tell me to get "Insert Brand Here" and pay twice the amount, and you won't be able to use it for swimming, or running or riding more than 9 hours, and the GPS is pretty crap. I have had the Stratos for for over 8 months now and still love it...I hope it keeps going. (https://steemit.com/running/@run.vince.run/two-months-with-the-amazfit-stratos-product-review) ![vincerunning.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQ3rf4FryZxzH9rgKFHUeJWix1X9X4vS8i7BvxDEKkBEm/vincerunning.jpg) I wish I always looked this good in race photos

Ultra Marathons In 2018

When my extended 40th birthday celebrations finally came to an end, I needed to look towards my next challenge, which turned out to be a 50km ultra marathon in Lake Taupo in early October. As it seems to be the case, I went for some more unauthodox training methods, they seemed to pay off with an enjoyable lead up to the race and an even better run on the day. I'm not sure if I'll be doing more ultra runs in the future, but the slower pace of running, getting out in the wilderness and the spirit of adventure that they seem to bring, I would not be surprised if I didn't end up doing some more. October also saw my work focus more on programming that engineering with my look at learning Java, but as my "Month of Java" came to an end, November brought with it my very first bike race in the North of New Zealand. Even though we opted for a race that was not very well organised, we raced on quiet country side roads, while being able to see a new part of the country, that I had never seen before.

My Third Book Published...Just In Time

Finishing off the year, I left it to the last minute to get my book published. It had been almost 12 months in the making, but on the 21st of December my third book went live on Leanpub.com. I was hoping to have it finished and published half way through the year, but life got busy, as well as making sure that I didn't fall to copy write issues that my second book died an early death from. The extra couple of months let me finish off and edit the book hopefully better than I would have if it had been released earlier in the year. So if your interested in Ansible Configuration Management, you should really take a look at my third book, cause if may give you something interesting to read over the holiday season. ![Screen Shot 2018-12-28 at 4.11.44 PM.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUVk4V3MvZ4Au5oo63VSoYhwRTZsoQqvLpmpPk62u841v/Screen%20Shot%202018-12-28%20at%204.11.44%20PM.png) I know your probably not as excited as me, but if your into technology and looking to learn Ansible, check out the link: [https://leanpub.com/ansibleanswers](https://leanpub.com/ansibleanswers) Thanks to all the new friends I have made on Steemit, especially through the @runningproject, @exhaust @pal and @teamaustralia. I was going to say followers, but I have honestly made some good friends through some interesting channels and hope that many more come along in 2019. I would like to give a big shout out to everyone at @exhaust and @runningproject as they have allowed me continue to spread the work on word on health and fitness, which is something I am passionate about, but feel like its a loosing battle with the sky rocketing obesity and health issues the world is facing at the moment. I am still positive about it, and will continue to soldier on next year...Bring on 2019!

For more details on Exhaust and how to get involved, Look here: https://xhaust.me/

For details on the @runningproject and how to get involved, checkout the following post: https://steemit.com/runningproject/@runningproject/the-steem-running-project-10th-status-report-the-holidays-have-finished-back-to-run

If you need help translating your posts into English, check out the free service on the PAL discord channel under "english-spelling-grammer": https://discordapp.com/channels/319885228464406528/339520357587484672