maybe it's time to get back to walking

I crashed after the 16th, and I've fattened back up again using the final two weeks of the year as an excuse to let myself go. Frankly, I don't regret this. This has been a tough year, and I've often felt as if I've been holding my breath for weeks or even months at a time, allowing myself to breathe only on cheat days. I probably shouldn't give in too much to a sense of entitlement at the end of the year—the struggle goes on—but yeah, I'm feeling a bit entitled to some rest and relaxation. My next doctor's appointment isn't until March 31, so I have another whole three months to get back on track and then to continue losing weight while also working on body recomposition (a major goal for 2022). One thing's for sure: I'm not going to let a frozen shoulder stop me from working on strength. I'm just going to work around the problem, for the most part, while doing therapy to regain range of motion and minimize pain.

This weekend, Christmas and Boxing Day, the weather forecast says it's going to be bright and sunny but below freezing during the day (on Saturday, at least). Sounds like the perfect time for a walk out to Hanam City! That's a fairly short walk at 25 or 26K, and except for a hill or two, it's largely flat. I'll bundle up, bring plenty of tissue for my runny nose, then honk my way east out of Seoul to Hanam. The following week is New Year's, and I'm thinking of doing a hike along part of the Saejae path. This will require me to take a bus and then a taxi, but it might prove to be worth the effort. The Saejae path is about 100 kilometers long, so it has only a few segments. Not much to choose from. There are other paths along the Four Rivers route that I might try instead; we'll see. Nothing's been decided, and I have another week to think about the route to walk. Stay tuned.

Right now, I'm going to head over to a local bakery and pick up some Stollen. It's Christmas, after all, and I prefer German Stollen to Italian panettone. (Sorry, Italians.)