Falling behind

I wanted to write everyday, but finding something to say that wouldn't be boring and entirely useless would have been very difficult. (That and 17 credit hours didn't help either).

So I would like to post today about time management. The way we do what we set out to do before our day, week or month is up. Start small scale and work our way up and maybe we'll be one of those few who actually manage to fulfill their New Year's resolution. Starting out day by day is a good way to accomplish long term goals. Like solving a puzzle get the edge pieces first then work your way to the bigger picture.

My way of getting everything done in a day is to make sure I don't pack in more than I have time for. I set aside time for eating, exercise, sleep and work. Then I add in the other things I need/want to do. The activities that are of the highest priority get planned first. If I have a lot to get done in a week I portion it out through out and get the highest priorities out of the way early in the week. Same applies to monthly goals.

Its easier to run if you start out walking- at least I think so.

Action phase

I've been in the action phase of my goal for years. I didn't just realize this but I've never put a label on it. Over the years I've researched tips for beginning runners and I've kept the ones that I've used and found useful. In collecting these tips, strength exercises and stretches to reduce risk of injuries I now have a large blue binder. All of the information I need form diets to 9 week training plans is one spot. I still collect information about reducing joint stress and how to heal from an injury without giving up fitness. Its been a life saver. I'm thinking I'll add my research and travel plans to it.I think if I see what I'm working for in addition to the different exercises I'll keep up my motivation.

Hassles

Living on the other side of the country without family and old friends is a hassle. Meeting new people and finding common interests isn't as much fun as it use to be. In high school it was easy of course, we could talk about preparations for college or lack there of, boyfriends/girlfriends, sport or complain about parents and rules (or lack there of). Now I have to worry about offending people, politics, and other peoples children (and the judgement of lacking any of my own). I think that's why running is starting to become such a big deal for me. I can run and focus on my form and me. When someone else that is interested in running at fitness we talk about health and goals, nothing personal. Just the way I like it.

the other side

The other side to my goal is saving up the  money to get to Ireland. I'm going to apply for a job on-campus. In my search I found the writing center is looking for a tech and have decided to apply. All I need are letters of recommendation from past teachers (preferably English teachers) and my transcripts. So with enough luck I'll have an interview by the end of the week if not then Monday. It's 20 hours a week and as I go to school four days a week anyway it works great with my schedule. Here's hoping....

A snag

I might need to find more people to help up my level of commitment. If I know my success or failure will affect more people than just myself then I'm more likely to succeed. Which means I need to find some travel companions. The problem with setting a goal so far away is that we don't know what our schedules will be like. But if we don't set it at a ways a away we wont have time to save up and plan accordingly. Blah. Why do people have to grow apart for?

Feed back

Finding motivation for everyday can be hard. There are consistent demands that are sometimes emotionally draining as well as mentally and physically. People are competent to figure out what they want  and need. People are also competent as to the best way to go about getting it. Thinking through what's best for you and developing your own working plan helps to further your confidence. But achieving a goal requires active participation and understanding.

I know I'm not likely to work out if I don't do it first thing in the morning. I understand some days I'm just going to be running late or have other commitments that will affect my routine from time to time. I also understand missing one running session wont bring an end to my goal. Regression is part of the process. Missing one day once in a while isn't regression. Taking a whole weekend is regression. But so long as you learn from it don't let it stop you from making more progress.

Any progress is success and past successes are important to motivation and empowerment. The more I focus on what I've accomplished the more positive I see myself and my goal.

First Miss

I want to become a runner because I feel it can take me places. I want to run marathons even if I'm not going to place in the winners circle. I feel running is going to put me in a healthy place. It has always been difficult for me. I start a lot of things and lose track a long the way that I have a habit of not finishing what I started. I'd like to do something that proves I have some degree of dedication.

Since I first started this blog I've done something every day. Either yoga or weight lifting, some times I go for a bike ride or play tennis with my husband. I wanted to do a run at least three times a week until I got the one mile down to 8 minutes. Once I could really one mile I'd add on another and repeat the process till I could run both miles in 15 minutes and so on. I didn't train yesterday. I missed the morning window I reserved for training and as I predicted I did nothing in the evening. I know there are some days I'm going to be to busy especially starting out. I was so sore I didn't really motivate or push myself. I know myself well enough to know I could plan to run all seven days of the week and still only run three. At this point I don't have confidence or dedication. I spend a lot of time researching. I research positive change. Researching running form and pacing strategies. Researching stretches for runners. I know going to hard to soon is a bad idea but I want to find a faster way rather than the walking/jogging they suggest for beginners.