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Monthly Summary – September 2015

September was a weird month.

Life has been chock full of changes recently. And that’s putting it very mildly.

This is the first time in a long time that I haven’t had a full-time job. I’m slowly adapting to managing my day and being productive without a fixed schedule. There are some things I really like about it, but it doesn’t always make for the smoothest day and I actually feel busier (read: “more hectic”) than when I used to go to the office all day every day. I’m also still recovering from surgery; I’m going to physical therapy regularly and last week, I started a six week course of radiation therapy (five sessions down, 23 to go = 18% done). Add to that the fact that Elizabeth is 23 weeks along now (23 weeks and a day, actually), which means that we have to start getting serious about being prepared for this baby to come in late January.

So yes, life can feel pretty chaotic sometimes.

But instead of focusing on the hectic small picture, I’m making efforts to look at the big picture. My recovery from surgery has continued to go really well and I’m back running some, swimming a fair amount and doing strength work and core exercises. Going to UCLA every day for radiation is a hassle, but so far, at least, the side effects have been minimal (a little upset stomach and a little fatigue). I imagine those things will get worse as time goes on, but any side effects I do have will be temporary. Leaving my job happened more abruptly than I would have liked, but it does give me the opportunity to find a new job or new career. The best thing by far though is that Elizabeth is doing great and everything looks fantastic with our son growing in her belly.

After a two month break from checking in on my goals, I’m back at it for September. As before, the red is my evaluation of how I feel I did this month. I think this month shows generally good effort given everything else that’s been going on…

1. Eat better. Ugh. I’ve been eating like crap. Actually, breakfast and dinner have usually been fine. It’s the day in between that’s been a problem. The lack of a set schedule means that I rarely have a real lunch. I’m either working from home and snack all day or I’m out working somewhere else and I skip lunch and rely on snacks those days too. I’ve got to start concentrating better on what I eat during the day and planning out an actual lunch.   
2. Focus on getting better sleep. Nope. Been sleeping about as badly as I’m eating. Staying up too late, waking up in the middle of the night nearly every night. I’m exhausted at night and I’m spending a decent number of hours in bed (or on the couch when the bed isn’t working), but it hasn’t been particularly good sleep.  
3. Continue swimming, yoga and strength training on a regular basis. I swam a fair amount and did PT or a strength workout at least 3 times every week. No yoga. 
4. Run easy. Maybe hit the trails for some easy training. I’ve been easing my way back into running and feeling pretty good. For now, I’m trying to run 3-4 times per week. My first run this month was 2.1 miles and now I’m usually running around four miles each run. I even hit Sullivan Ridge the other evening with Billy for my first trail run since surgery. Coaching Team NutriBullet is keeping me involved in running and coaching the Saturday morning runs is a ton of fun. Those runs will generally get longer every week and that will both get me to increase my run distance and also keep me from doing it too quickly!
5. Be positive.  I’m a bit surprised to say it, but I actually think I’ve done a good job with this recently. 
6. Read at least one book, hopefully two. This was not much of a month for reading. I didn’t make a ton of time for it and many nights when I got into bed, I fell asleep after reading just a couple pages. I did read one book, and it was a great one. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I really liked The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. It’s about a boy’s struggle to find his way in a world in which he often feels pretty lost. I loved the main character and narrator, Peekay, and his voice really hit a chord with me. Highly recommended. I started Armada, by Ernest Cline, the other day. It’s no Ready Player One, but so far, it’s a pretty fun read. Connect with me on Goodreads!

Update on #100FewerThings to come soon.

Here’s September by the numbers:

Swim: 39,487 meters
Cycling (outdoors): 0 miles
Run: 44 miles
Total Run Elevation Gain: 3,567 feet
Strength Training/Yoga: 8 sessions (not including PT)
Approximate monthly total training time: 32.75 hours
Weight: 159