The more compassionate you are, the happier you are
— Dalai Lama
Well that’s food for thought, isn’t it? Be compassionate and feel happier.
How did September go? Let’s see!
Getting in scheduled runs
It wasn’t always easy — when is it ever? — even with just 3 runs a week, but I got it done. Not quite the weekly mileage I’d like, but it is what it is.
Grade Earned: A
Dynamic Warmup
Still no stationary bike warmups, but the dynamic stretch before a run gets done.
Grade Earned: A
Foam Rolling
I actually like foam rolling. Most of the time it’s just a few minutes — small price to pay for prehab and being properly warmed up.
Grade Earned: A
Nutrition
I made an effort to cook more in September. Weight is still high. Bummer. There weren’t that many indulgences, but some — that’s kind of what I mean by balance.
Grade Earned: B
Cross Training
Yoga, Strength Training, Pilates. Not bad, not great. I’d like to see more, but sometimes something’s gotta give.
What I did in September
- What I didn’t do? Visit my mom. Not at all. I’m not gonna lie — I felt fairly normal for the first time in a long time, getting some housework done finally, feeling more energetic. Right up until I got boosted.
- First Chiropractor visit in 3 years.
- Got the Pfizer Bivalent Booster.
- Ran 10 miles the week after my booster.
- We went to Thacher Park for some brief hikes. And we just squeaked in with that one day of light hiking before October!
September 2022 gets . . .
. . . an A. Do I feel guilty not visiting my mom? Yes, yes I do. Did it also feel really, really good to have a month at home? Yes, yes it did. I visited right before August turned into September, and again, just as September turned into October and I’ll be there this weekend, too. Fitness wise September was fairly decent.
September Goals:
- Run 3 x week. Y/N. Because of the booster and some life stuff, there was at least one (maybe two?) weeks with just two runs. I did my best to keep the mileage up with just those runs. Life happens.
- ST 3 x week. Y/N. Sort of. I did started doing Pilates more often, but after the booster I just needed more rest again.
- Figure when I need to get in longer runs Y. A solid yes! I put a schedule of long runs on my calendar. Of course I almost immediately changed it, but that’s ok.
- More hiking/short local trip. Y. We hiked in Thacher Park and then went to visit the falls by the pizza place I like.
- At least one real rest day a week. N. Well, my Garmin kept telling me after the booster that I didn’t rest enough to balance my activity, even when I would run and then rest a lot that day. Hopefully I’ve timed it right so my energy is more normal this month.
- Maybe a race N. I had one I thought about but I think there was a conflict between what I was doing and what Mr. Judy was doing.
- Book rest of hotels for Fall trip. Y/N. We’ve booked the most important ones, but we still need to book something at the beginning and end of our trip.
- Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. Y. Still eating intuitively but it’s been a long time since I’ve been this weight.
Which leads me to October Goals:
- Run 3 x week. Yom Kippur (I don’t run fasted!) and more visits to mom makes it more difficult to juggle everything but I’ll do my best.
- ST 3 x week. Although I’ll aim for 3 x, 2 x is good if there’s also Pilates.
- More hiking. The plan is to do some hiking on our trip — nothing too strenuous — so it’s good to also get a bit more time hiking beforehand too. Plus, Fall!
- At least one real rest day a week. The booster messed with rest days. Hopefully that will calm down by the end of the month.
- Finish booking hotels for trip. The time is now.
- Continue to try to eat intuitively — unless the weight starts to creep up. I do still feel intuitive eating is working.
Linking up with Zenaida Arroyo and Kim @ Kookyrunner
This week I am also joining up with the new Runners’ Roundup linkup.
Chocolaterunsjudy 
Thacher Park looks like a real treat – glad you managed to get some hikes done there. Well done on your A for September – some real consistency there. My September started full of promise but I think I’d score myself a C for most areas. I feel like I just need to press Reset on my whole system!
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Sometimes you do need to hit the reset button, for sure.
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You had a really great September. I love your goal of getting in more hikes in October. October is probably one of the prettiest months to go hiking. Hopefully all of the leaves will have changed colors by then.
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Well our anniversary falls in October. 😊
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Sounds like you had a much better month all around! You seem a lot happier. Hope October brings you lots of smiles as well
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Thanks, Deborah. October is going to be a lot busier than September. But looking forward to a vacation.
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Yes, I totally understand the conflict between wanting time for yourself and the guilt of not seeing your mom. It’s hard, especially since she’s not close by. But you’ll see her this weekend- you’re doing your best!
I’m looking forward to hearing more about this fall trip. And, I 100% agree with the Dalai Lama quote to start your post!
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Thanks, Jenny. Well I probably won’t talk much about the trip til it’s done. We will be spending time in a National park that has very little wifi so I’ll be partially out of touch.
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Another good month with mostly As.
I’d like to hike more. Without boating maybe I will. I’ve done most of my bucket list hikes during the Pandemic.
And there’s all those races.
You’ve done 10 miles. You’re on your way.
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You did a fair amount of Monday hiking. Hiking doesn’t always have to be climbing a mountain.
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Sounds like this was a great month for you. I’m sure you feel guilty about not seeing your mom but sounds like it did a world of good. Can I just say how I get that? Sigh. It’s hard to have aging parents. Keep on keeping on, my friend.
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Thanks, Wendy. Yup, it is definitely hard & it did help so much. If the aide could just stay put & I didn’t have to stay there so often it would be a lot better. Hopefully she gets this dental work done — soon!
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After several decades of either dieting or eliminating various things to try to help with some chronic health issues, I’ve been “intuitively eating” for 4+ months now. It has been a huge shift which I’d say has been 95% positive for me. At the same time, I stopped weighing myself (also a big change as I used to weigh in every day as part of my daily routine). I don’t think I’ve gained much, but there are definitely a few extra pounds hanging around. Sigh. It’s worth it for the mental and physical bandwidth that are freed up by eating what my body is asking for when it asks for it…but I’m not quite sure how to respond as I really don’t want to buy new clothes but a few items are feeling a wee bit snug.
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Great work, and glad you got your booster. I have mine booked for next Saturday (in case I have a reaction, as work’s quite busy at the moment: I’ve had one reaction and two no-reactions so far!). I agree it was good to not visit your mom for a bit, I know my husband gets so exhausted seeing his parents every other weekend, and that’s just a 90 minute each way bus journey and for a few hours. Compassion is a good thing to remember – I’ve been a bit vague on the pills I’ve been on for my back and lost control of some laundry schedules and beating myself up for it! Must stop!
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Definitely don’t beat yourself up! Sounds like your husband’s schedule with his mom is similar to mine, so yes, treat him kindly (and I’m sure you do). The big problem has been the never ending problems with the aides — which is happening yet again. 😦
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Ours is their blasted stair lift, which has gone wrong and the company that installed it less than a year ago has gone out of business! But Matthew’s found if he goes over every other weekend for a day, he can catch issues with the computers, light bulbs, cooker, etc., etc., before they take over. His brother does day-to-day shopping etc. so it works OK. I keep the house going and also have friends I have to keep an eye on, so we balance things and I make sure he’s supported.
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Your husband’s situation sounds much like mine — my sister is closer so visits more, but her visits are briefer than mine.
Oh no on the lift! I wish my parents had been open to that, but OTOH had they stayed in their home they would have been extremely isolated.
Tell Matthew he’s a great son!
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