Author: mrsartis

Revamping my routine

We’re all creatures of habit, but I seem to be especially so. I like structure and routine. I like planning and checking things off the list. I’m an early riser, not sure if that’s by nature from years of not having a choice as a kid, but at any rate I get up far earlier than most would deem normal or necessary. I also go to bed far earlier than most would find normal. But that’s my life and I like it. Though lately I’ve been feeling stuck in my routine and like it’s just not serving me.

I’m big into listening to podcasts on my commutes, I find them more stimulating than music and far more appealing than talk radio because I control the subject matter. One of my regular podcasts is the 5 AM Miracle podcast with Jeff Sanders. It’s all about productivity and geared toward getting the most out of your day by getting up early and hitting the ground running. He talks a lot about routines and your ‘ideal’ morning. Although frequently I’m not into the actual advice given, the spirit of the show is motivating to me. And this week in particular he was discussing 7 things to do before 7 AM. The big one for him is to exercise in the morning, and that resonated with me.

I’m an early riser, but I don’t always use my morning time well. I’m not an early morning exerciser. I’m just not. I wish I could be, but when I’ve tried I don’t get a good workout because I am literally just going through the motions. And while I can get up and go when the situation calls for it, I much prefer a more gradual wake up–I like my coffee and kitty snuggles. Still, I want to use my time well, I want to be productive and go into my day feeling accomplished. So I’ve realized morning is a good time for me to write, to get focused on the day and what I really want before I head to what pays the bills. I can do that with a cup of coffee on one side and a cat on the other.

That said, I’m also an avid exerciser. I love fitness. But even my habits in that realm have slipped. When I was single and my time was purely my own I had a regular routine that I was very diligent about. Flash forward to new marriage with a husband to work around, new day job, new home in a different area (with a substantial commute), and I’ve struggled to create a new routine–in part because I’ve tried unsuccessfully to make it happen in the morning. I take a kettlebell class twice a week after work and most of the time that seems to be an ideal time for me to work out, I have energy, I can get out frustration from the day, and I feel good when I’m done. While many will say the best time to work out is in the morning, and I hear their points, I’m a firm believer that the best time to work out is when you will do it (and the best workout is the one you will do). Doing beats not doing. So for now, post-work workouts will be the plan.

I’m working to accomplish two goals–to write more and to work out more consistently–by flipping my schedule and being intentional. I’m hoping that making my goals and plans public will also encourage consistency by keeping me accountable. Let’s see how this works, shall we?

Hello again…

It’s been awhile since I blogged. What started as my running blog fell apart a bit when running started to fall apart for me. I’ve struggled with IT band issues for the past couple of years which has put a huge damper on my running. Then I met the love of my life, and got married, and changed jobs, and tried new things. Along the way I’ve noticed a couple of things…(1) this whole idea of ‘running with it’ was never just about the literal running, its about running with what life throws at you, so shying away because I haven’t been running as much in the literal sense was silly, and (2) I’ve missed blogging and putting it out there and connecting with people. So I’m starting fresh with a new website, and a new outlook. This will still be about running, yes, but also about the other ‘stuff’ of life. Running, kettlebell, food, married life, planning (I’m obsessed with my Erin Condren Life Planner), balance, and whatever else comes my way. I’m looking forward to sharing my life hacks, tips, tricks, mistakes, trials, flat out failures, etc. and figuring it out.

Currently the Race Schedule page is up. I’ll be working on moving Archives over (when I can figure out how to do it). Until then old posts can still be found at emmerunswithit.tumblr.com.

Down with the sickness…

Got a wicked cold that knocked me on my ass for a few days. Wednesday morning I was fine. By the time I left work on Wednesday I was miserable. I called off Thursday AND Friday and finally today I started feeling like myself again. But it’s all good. Ultimately I’ve been so stressed out lately that I desperately needed some recovery time that I clearly was not allowing myself to have. So my body forced me to do it. And I’ll be better off for it.

Spent some time re-evaluating things and (mentally) moving things around this weekend while I was otherwise out of commission. Making some changes, making some plans, making some progress. Slowly working towards my big career change. Putting as much in perspective for our future as possible. Lots of financial planning and such going on in the house these days.

Oh yeah, OUR future. Have I mentioned that I’m engaged? That happened last month. We’re getting married in September. So adding more to my never ending list of stuff to do, but at least its happy and somewhat fun stuff. 

My own training has stalled somewhat, and I have yet to do my race schedule for the year. In part because I’m really only sure of a few races that I even want to do. I’m sure about the Pittsburgh full, Columbus full, the Run Between the Suns endurance event, the Penguins 6.6k, and the EQT 10 miler. Everything else I’m kind of winging and playing by ear. Which at the moment, given everything else going on in my life, feels like the right way to handle it.

Things are starting to come together, though, and that makes me happy. The next few months are going to take a ton of work, focus, and dedication to make everything come together, but I have no doubts that in the end it will be worth it.

Longest week ever. Winter finally hit PA and I’m freezing. I’m behind on everything, at work and in my real life. A friend from high school died unexpectedly and FB is teeming with pictures of him, which makes my heart ache a little more each time. And I had an amazing dream that my love and I were actually engaged–and woke up without a ring. Can today be over? Can it be Friday? #overit

2015 Goals

I’m sure there will be others along the way, things that I want to accomplish and such, but these are the big 5 that I’m gonna strive for. They might be a stretch, but they are attainable. And they will take focus and effort. My big word for this year is ACCOUNTABILITY. I need to be held accountable for my actions, how I use my time, basically everything. 

  1. Master Macros. I’m very much learning, and as much as I thought I knew, I have a long way to go. But I will get the hang of this.
  2. 5:30 Marathon. I have a lot of work to do, but I can and will get there. If not by Pittsburgh (and probably not Pittsburgh) but by Columbus in the fall. 
  3. Run 2015 miles. This is lofty. It might not happen. But I won’t know if I don’t try. 
  4. Finish my personal training certification. This WILL happen. I’m halfway through my course. Then I study and take the test. Then I put myself out there and find a job I actually like. 
  5. Find a job I actually like. I know I have potential in the health & wellness field. It’s something I’m passionate about and genuinely interested in. Now I need to put in the work to make a living at it.

I will update my race list soon, I’m still debating strategy and what races I want to tackle. 

Bittersweet Reflections…

I’ve been having a week. It’s been a rough and unproductive couple of weeks at work, ended the month so far off goal it was laughable. Glad I’ll get to start over on Friday. 

Spending the evening in. By myself as the boyfriend is at work. Needed some time for myself to come to grips with 2014 and figure out what I want from 2015. 2014 was a great year, don’t get me wrong. It was fun. A lot of good and cool things happened. Overall not catastrophic. But I didn’t achieve almost anything I set out for. Marathon Maniacs–that was the thing I did. Nothing else from the list. And that’s okay…but it’s disappointing when I think about it. I’m not where I want to be personally, physically, etc. And I’m really struggling with that. So I kind of decided to give myself to the end of the year to be mopey about it, and then I have to move on. Start over. Start fresh.

I started working with a nutrition coach so I can make progress and get over the biggest hurdle. So I’ve had my macros figured and I’m doing it properly. Or at least trying very hard to do it. I’m learning. It’s a delicate balancing act, and lots of math. This route will help me focus on my athletic prowess and reaching those goals instead of focusing so much on the aesthetics, as I’m ashamed to admit I still do. 

I’ll post my 2015 goals tomorrow. I’m still deciding what all I want to do and what format I want that to take. Right now, however, I’m finishing out this year on a bittersweet note. More soon.

BIG NEWS!!

Okay, so this has been a long time coming. A very long time coming. It’s an idea I’ve toyed with for YEARS, something that I thought I’d like to do someday. Well…someday has arrived. This is happening…

National Academy of Sports Medicine–one of the best personal training certification programs in the country. And I’m starting my online classes on Monday. I’m super amped about the “school” portion–I love learning, I’ve always been a good student, and this is an area I’m so interested in that no doubt it will be a breeze. I think this is something I have potential with–while I’m not physically where I’d like to be I’m working on it and making progress, I have a story, a history, I want to help people, and I’m constantly working towards bettering myself. I’m excited about the possibilities. And if not now, when? So I bit the bullet. For the next few months, when I’m not working or training I will be spending a lot of quality time with my new friend:

So that’s my big news of the moment. Expect more as I go along, I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with people. And I’m always open for suggestions from those currently in the business, so feel free to message me any advice, tips or tricks. 🙂

Ch…ch…ch…changes!

Lots of stuff going on. Revamping the blog’s appearance (not that any tumblr followers will notice). Working on some new content because quite frankly this has felt a little stale to me and there’s some big stuff and new adventures coming up in my life to share. 

Running has been rough for me this year. I’ve tried some new things and stepped out of my comfort zone. Some worked out, some didn’t. I’ve had a rough time mentally breaking through on a lot of runs. Today was my last race of the ‘season’ and I’m ready for a break before my next round of marathon training starts. Now through the end of the year I’m basically only running if and when I want to. No pressure. I do enough other activities that I won’t sacrifice my overall fitness. I really tried to focus on longer races this year. Next year I think I’m going to primarily stick to half marathons with some full marathons peppered in, one trail/endurance event because, quite frankly one of the things I learned is that I really REALLY dislike trail running. I want to like it. Believe me, if sheer desire and will to like trail running was enough then I would be trail running’s biggest fan. But in practice I just don’t like it. And that’s okay. There was one event I participated in that I really really liked, and that I will continue to do. 

Today’s race was not a PR. Not by a long shot. No PRs to be seen this season, in fact. But it was enjoyable. I had a good time. My head was in a good place. I finished in a time frame I could be happy with, and felt good enough after to do the grocery shopping, some cooking and some laundry. The work week is starting again too soon. Too much I want to do, too few hours to do it. But big things are coming…more details soon. 

Moving into the boyfriend’s house…slowly but surely. And I’m feeling like ahead of schedule. Like I should be fully out by mid-March, which would make me happy. Planning to move the cat in a couple of weeks. He’ll be happier there once he adjusts. And I’m taking a solo weekend trip home soon and would rather he be moved before that so he’s not spending the weekend alone. So that’s happening.

Training is going okay. Winter running is frustrating. It’s kind of killing me to have obstacles to getting the distance I want, but I’ll get there. Boyfriend spoiled me with not one but TWO new pairs of running shoes (another pair of road shoes and a pair of road/trail runners) so I’ll be able to rotate and have options. Kettlebells are awesome. Bought kettle guards so I don’t beat and bruise myself to hell. Noticing strength gains and LOVE being challenged by new things. Once I move I shall be adding P90X3 to the mix 2-3 times per week (obviously a modified schedule) for some additional challenge. I’m ready for more and different. 

Birthday is this week, and we’re supposed to have gorgeous weather for it. Taking the day after my birthday off so I can spend it with my love, go for a long run and out for a nice dinner. And I get to DJ for my KB class on my birthday, so I’m pretty pumped about that.