I'm going to finally note down in a secure location all of my personal bests*, in terms of physical performances, so I don't need to rely on my failing memory. This is both for posterity, but also so that I have an objective measure of performance for hobbies/habits I float in and out of. For example, I used to be a competitive swimmer in high school. I don't actually remember my best times exactly (although I have an idea, plus/minus a few seconds). Now, some fifteen years later, I would actually like to have a better idea of what they were so that if I get in the water and train for a few months, I have some kind of standard to measure progress or decrepitude against.
Hence, I'm going to note down a bunch of my personal bests. I think I will also note down empty spaces for things I don't know, but should find out - for example, how fast can I run 10 kms? If you were going to make a list, what would you put on it?
I'm just brainstorming here, please join in:
- 5km and 10km runs.
- 100m and 400m freestyle swimming.
- 1500m open water swimming (this is for convenience partly, because I have a record of it, but I guess 1500m in a pool is a more controlled environment)
- Best deadlift, bench press, and squat
- Max no. of pullups or chinups, ditto pushups
- Longest handstand held
- Highest vertical jump
I'd like to add in some kind of throwing for distance feat, but I've never done any throwing sport, and I'm not sure what would be a good household item to standardise on.
*Some people say personal records. Use whatever terminology you feel appropriate.
Extension: Outside of the realm of fitness, what's a list of personal bests you should keep for posterity?