Monthly Summary – March 2016
Well, we survived month #2 with baby.
It hasn’t been easy and there have been times when one or both of us just wanted to throw our hands in the air and leave him for Charlie and Gus to raise (Charlie would at least try), but Chase has also been a lot of fun. He’s smiling now and reacting and doing a little cooing, which is just so damn cute.
He’s also sleeping better, which means that most nights, we’re able to get at least enough sleep to get through the next day.
This was also my first month back at a full time job since last August. Getting back into the swing of things, especially at a new job has added to the struggle. But I really like the company and the people are great. More on the job at some point in the future I’m sure.
Somewhat surprisingly, I’ve been able to do a fair amount of running. I’ve learned to be very flexible, both with timing of my runs and whether or not I’m actually able to get one in on any given day. My goal for the time being is to just maintain some semblance of fitness so that once he’s a little older and his sleeping is somewhat more predictable I’m not too fat or out of shape. I decided last month that my running goal for 2016 is to run at least 100 miles every month. That was tough in February because I took a full week off for Chase’s birth and our hospital stay, but even with the new job, it was much easier in March. I’ve been able to run about four times per week. Two of those runs are usually at 5am before work, I’ve been running home from the office once a week (5-6 miles) and then I run once or twice over the weekend. My 5am runs have been 7 or 8 miles, with a decent amount of climbing in the Hollywood hills. My primary weekend run is my long run (9-12 miles) and the last few weekends, I’ve run from home to Griffith Park to do some of that run on dirt.
Swimming on the other hand is a massive struggle. I try to help Elizabeth in the early morning so going to the pool before work isn’t possible right now. I did manage a few swims, but those felt rushed and pretty lame. I’ll continue to try to get to the pool when I can, but I knew this year I wouldn’t be swimming much.
I’ve been doing sorta consistent basic strength work. On most days when I don’t run, I try to do a few simple and easy body-weight strength exercises at home; mostly just to wake up and get my heart moving. Near the end of least one run each week, I stop by the park and do sets of pull-ups and push-ups during laps around the park. I also did a couple “full” strength workouts. It’s not much, but it’s something. For April, I’m going to set a pushup, plank and bicycle crunch goal. I’d like to do the three exercises most days (and add a few other exercises – especially lower body stuff – on days that I’m not running). I love doing pull-ups too, but since I have to go to the park for that, I’m not ready to set a monthly goal. I think that it’s reasonable for me to shoot to average 50 pushups, 4 minutes of planks and 100 bicycles every day. That’s not much and really shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. For the month, I’m going to shoot for 1,500 pushups, 120 minutes of planks and 3,000 bicycles.
I read two books this month. I don’t have a ton of time for reading and by the time I usually open the book I’m exhausted, so I chose easy fiction that I don’t have to think too much about. I really liked Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits, by David Wong. It’s fun and outrageous and fit the bill for an easy read. I liked this better than most action/spy/ thriller/cop stories I’ve read recently. I could see it making a great movie. I also enjoyed The Kind Worth Killing, by Peter Swanson. This one is another fun, easy read. It’s not as fresh or as shocking as Gone Girl felt, but it kept my interest and kept me mostly in suspense throughout. Follow me on Goodreads!
Here’s March by the numbers:
Swim: 5,307 meters
Cycling (outdoors): 0 miles
Run: 135.3 miles
Total Run Elevation Gain: 15,032 feet
Strength Training/Yoga: 2 sessions
Approximate monthly total training time: 20.75 hours
Weight: ?? pounds – I haven’t been on a scale recently. I’m pretty sure I’ve put on a little weight this month. Less training but the same amount of eating (or more) will do that!