personal quest, n. An activity or related set of activities undertaken by an individual with the primary objective of personal development and fulfillment.

Social context: Undertaken primarily by individuals in their 40s and 50s as a healthy and productive alternative to a mid-life crisis.

Term coined and defined by Jeff

June 12, 2011

Jeff’s Personal Quest

December 2011 – December 2012

PQ 2012 began on December 3, 2011, my 50th birthday, with the Holiday Hustle 5K run, and ended on December 2, 2012. During that year, I celebrated being 50 with a series of activities and events that stretched me physically and mentally in challenging but healthy ways. Some were natural continuations of things I am doing already, while others were entirely new experiences. As expected, I emerged from PQ 2012 with a lot of stories, lessons learned, and new friends gained.

Here is the list of planned activities, and the result. Those marked “ACCOMPLISHED” were accomplished. Some goals didn’t have specific dates, but happened before December 31, 2012.

• August: (main event) Ride my bike from “Arbor to Arbor” – Ann Arbor, MI to Glen Arbor, MI and back. Planned total length: 500 miles. ACCOMPLISHED. Actual total length: 610 miles.
• January: One month of at least 50 pushups per day. ACCOMPLISHED.
• February/March: Cook at least 50 new recipes. Not accomplished. Don’t ask.
• April: Attend 50 Aikido classes in one month. ACCOMPLISHED. Total classes attended: 55.
• March: Have others walk/run/bike at least 50 miles in support of a good cause. ACCOMPLISHED.  Total: 31 participants, 95 miles.
• May: Visit at least 50 towns on bike trips in one month. ACCOMPLISHED.
• July: Test for pre-1st Kyu in Aikido. ACCOMPLISHED.
• September: Run a 50 kilometer ultramarathon. ACCOMPLISHED. Run Woodstock 50K.
• November: Write a novel of at least 50,000 words in one month (National Novel Writing Month). ACCOMPLISHED. Total words: 51,700.
• December: Test for 1st Kyu in Aikido. ACCOMPLISHED.

Annual goals:

• Run and bike a total of at least 2,500 miles (50 x 50). ACCOMPLISHED.
• Learn 50 things I never knew before – then write an article of 1,000 words about each one (another 50,000 words total). Did not attempt.
• Reconnect with and/or visit at least 50 friends and/or blogs (thanks, Leora, for this suggestion!). Got to about 30.
• Run a 5K in under 20:00. ACCOMPLISHED. Holiday Hustle 5K, December 1, 2012. Time 19:48.

You may have noticed that they were related in some way to the number 50, or multiples of 50, and within reasonable physical and budgetary limits. For example, I never intended to circumnavigate the world in a bike and a rowboat (see Outside magazine, January 2013). That would be stealing someone else’s PQ.

(Anticipated) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. So, Jeff, you’ve got stats since 2008, but you’ve been doing this your whole life, right? Like you probably ran home from the hospital after you were born. What makes you think someone like me can keep up with you?

A: Au contraire, mon ami! Despite my collection of tights and high-visibility shirts, I do not claim to be a superman. I gave up organized sports after Little League, and didn’t begin my current activities until 2005, when I was 43. But with just these few years of training, I am able to do things I today that I never thought I’d be able to do. And so can you!

Q. What inspired you (or possessed you) to do this?

A: It began with the idea several years ago, as I was working my bike mileage up, that one day I would ride my bike from home to our campground and back. Since the total distance would be about 500 miles, what better target date than 2012, the summer in which I would be 50 years old?

From there it just kind of snowballed as I thought of more things I could also do that year, to where it became a year-long celebration and demonstration of what people can do at age 50, even if they haven’t been active their entire lives.

Q. Isn’t PQ just another term for a ‘bucket list’?

A: No way. What I have planned is more than just some random checklist of stuff to get done ‘before I kick the bucket.’ And besides, ‘bucket list’ sounds crude and shallow, something done only for self-gratification. PQ 2012 is intended to be an example of what folks my age can do, as well as a marker of my own growth and improvement as a person. If I can inspire some other people to grow and improve along the way with me, the effort will be worth that much more to me!

Q. What exactly are you trying to prove with this Personal Quest thing?

A: Two things, mainly – continuing to improve myself by setting ambitious goals and doing my best to achieve them, and trying to set an example for other people, primarily those near my age. My hope is that at least a few people will be motivated by my example to set a goal and improve themselves in a way they would not have done otherwise. Whether they call it a PQ, or whether what they choose to do is large or small, doesn’t matter to me. I’d just like to hear about it and share it.

Q. You know, none of the activities you’ve got listed are particularly extraordinary. Seems like anyone could do them.

A: That’s precisely my point. I’m not going to climb Mt. Everest barefoot or anything like that. What I’m setting out to do are things anyone ought to be able to do at my age. But how many people my age actually do any of them, let alone all of them? I’m hoping some folks out there will at least try one of my planned activities and let me know about it.

Q. You’re crazy.

A: Please phrase that in the form of a question.

Q. You’re crazy, you know that?

A: Quite possibly. Why don’t you come join me on a run and try to talk me out of it. Or better yet, set up your own PQ, and then tell me about it. If this is crazy, perhaps the present world is too sane. Get up and get out here with me!