Monthly Summary – February 2017
February was a busy month, with two big life events: Chase turned one and I started my new job.
We – well, really Elizabeth – threw Chase an amazing birthday party. It was a camping theme, complete with a tent, campfire, lots of forest animals and other decorations, s’mores deserts (thanks mom!) and a ‘coon skin cap and cub scouts neckerchief for Chase. It was a big production, but it was great to see so many friends and celebrate the fact that all three of us made it through the first year!
I started my new job at GBH Insights at the beginning of February. A lot the month was spent adjusting to a new company and a new role. I was doing that while bouncing between working from home, from various work spaces in Santa Monica and Culver and libraries and coffee shops all over LA. We moved into an office last week, which is really nice. Thankfully, I’m really happy with the job change so far. I like our small team and have really been enjoying learning more about the process of research and pushing myself as a manager.
Running was fine in February. Just fine. I ran a bit less than I’d planned, but my running goal is more of an annual one than a monthly one, so it’s not like I missed a goal this month and I can easily make it up over the next 10 months. I got out to the Santa Monica’s a couple times each week. The rain we’ve been getting has made the mountains more green and lush than I can ever remember. Sullivan Canyon had a little river running through it and there was a nice waterfall at Los Liones. The varying weather has been fun – “weather” is something pretty rare in LA. Billy took this one on Dirt Mulholland above Sullivan Canyon on a fogged in morning:
This morning the views from Parker Mesa were amazing – the sky and the ocean were different shades of equally crystal clear bright blue. I think that I could use a running goal – not the mileage or climbing goals that I have for the year and I’m not sure if I really want to do a race. Maybe another adventure run like last year’s Mulholland 85k? Or maybe I should just sign up for a race. I’m not ready to train for a 100, but I bet I could get fit for a late spring or early summer 50 miler. Maybe I’ll see what I can find.
Another month without much reading. I was reading more when Chase was younger, which seems counter-intuitive to me because I feel like we were getting less sleep and things were more stressful. But the last couple months, there has been pretty much zero down-time during the day and by the time I actually get in bed at night, I’m exhausted. Most nights I read just a couple pages before I fall asleep. And often I have to read those same pages the next night too! I finished The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson. It was good, but I have to say that since finishing the book about three weeks ago, very little of it has stuck with me. Like I wrote last month, I do think there are good lessons in the book and I should probably read it again with a bit more of a thoughtful approach. I started Time and Again, by Jack Finney. I’ve really enjoyed some time travel books (especially love stories like The Time Traveler’s Wife and Replay) and this one gets good reviews. I’m about one-third of the way into it and while I’m enjoying it, I don’t love it. Yet. I’m hopeful that the best is yet to come. Follow me on Goodreads!
Here’s February by the numbers:
Swim: 5,307 meters (it’s a start)
Cycling (outdoors): 0 miles (I should just stop tracking this, but still remain hopeful that I’ll ride again someday…)
Run: 149.4 miles
Total Run Elevation Gain: 20,227 feet
Strength Training/Yoga: 1 (ugh, again)
Approximate monthly total training time: 24.5 hours
Weight: high 150s?