Best Laid Plans

Just when I had my whole month of December mapped out....

....I got a call for a second interview!

The second interview last Tuesday turned out to be a job offer, and I started last Wednesday.  I'm trying to keep my excitement in check because at the moment it is only a one month contract (but there is a possibility that it could extend for a full year depending on a few things).  For now, I'm just trying to enjoy it, learn as much as I can, and hope for the best.  The work is right up my alley and without giving too much away, I'm very excited about the project I'm working on.

As I get used to a new job, I'm also getting used to a new routine.  Starting things off on the right foot, I ran Wednesday and Thursday morning last week and this morning before the sun was up.  Today I also went for a post-work walk with the Cookie.  I've been packing healthy lunches, planning ahead for dinner and getting to bed early. It is a big change from my old job where I worked from home and set my own schedule, but I'm a person that thrives on structure so I think it will work well for me if I can keep a positive attitude about it.  It will get easier to get up when the alarm goes off in the dark, right?

The Barely Plan Plan

I know that when I don't have a plan at all, I don't run as much as I would like.  I also know that when I have a very detailed plan, I lose my love for running, though an upcoming race keeps me motivated.  Without a race on the horizon, still working with pretty short runs, snow on the ground making speed work a challenge, I've come up with a sorta-plan.

(I gave up rotating this one!)

No set mileage, no set times, no set workouts, no days assigned.  I know that each run will be at least 5K, and I know that I'll push myself harder on some runs to try to get faster.  I know that I will do some kind of race in the spring, but I haven't decided on distance.  For now, if I feel like doing more, I will, and snowshoeing and skiing are inter-changeable depending on what I feel like doing.  As long as I do some strength training of some sort each week, I'll be happy.  It's about building a habit this month, not getting a six pack.

How much do you plan when you're not training for a race?

November In Review

Time is flying by!  I really don't know where it goes, but I can't believe it's already December.  This week I'm trying to figure out what happens to my day(s).  I'm not working, so surely I should be done my Christmas shopping/have a sparkling clean house/be keeping up on correspondence, right?!  Oh, if only that were true!  Despite setting out to complete at least a project a day in order to feel somewhat productive, I'm behind on all of the above.  More on this soon, as I am tracking my time this week to figure out how to get the most out of December!

Before we get to that, I need to take a look back at November.  I started November with my longest no-rest streak ever.  I didn't run every day, but I did SOMETHING active every day for 21 days.  Usually, I went out for a full hour of walking or running and walking combined, though I did have to cut it short a couple of days due to some job prospects. This started at the end of October and took me into mid-November.  Then I took a rest day, for no good reason, and then kinda lost my steam.  I had an interview and was a pile of nerves that should have run, but didn't, and there was a day spent baking...  After an off week I got back into things this week and finished off the month with three snowy 5K runs with Cookie.  It is getting too cold to walk in the same clothes that I run in, so we're either going to have to run longer, or go out twice in two outfits if we're going to keep aiming for an hour a day.

Time spent running:   6 hours 32 minutes

Time spent walking:  14 hours 57 minutes

Time spent yoga-ing: 2 hours 50 minutes
Homemade Christmas gifts completed:  2

Christmas cookies in the freezer:  102

Christmas cookies in my tummy:  I've lost count.

What I'm looking forward to in December:  Night-skiing and a weekend away with the girls!