It's Awfully Quiet Here!

Halloooo! (echo, echo, echo). Where is everybody? What's new in your lives? How are you doing with the whole lifestyle change and fitness routine? How did you do on Valentine's Day? What DID you do on Valentine's Day? Anybody?

Well, I have not been so good about working out. I've let my c25k training slide completely since losing the custody battle. And it sucks. And I've been beating myself up for it. I've been so hard on myself that I haven't been accepting my own excuses. "Flu? Flu-Schmoo! Ya shoulda got out there and run!"

Really, I know that running while sick isn't a good idea. In fact, working out while ill requires a self-check. Is it above the shoulders or below? If it's above, like a head cold, you're good to go. If it's below the shoulders, like a chest cold, wait until you feel better or you could set back your recovery greatly if not make the problem worse. Good, sound advice. No sense in prolonging your illness. But, I digress...

I've found that I'm not comfortable working out when Kitty is here. Do I fear her judgement? Why should I fear judgement from a snotty teenager? I dunno. But, it's something to ponder. I just don't work out when she is here. Unfortunately, she was here for a long weekend. So, I slacked.

Now that she's gone again, I'm still not running. The weather has been unseasonably warm and incredibly beautiful. Spring is here in the PNW. That means I've got a ton of stuff to do here on the farm. All that winter clean up stuff to get ready for spring. Crap! I thought I was still going to have a month or so to do all manner of stuff around here before spring. But, I was wrong.

I've been spending 4-6 hours a day doing chores outside in the sunshine. While it's great for the calorie burn, it's not getting me running for my upcoming race in April. By the time I walk home with Dude, I'm so exhausted the thought of running for 30 minutes leaves me worn out. This isn't getting me any closer to my goal of being able to run an entire 5k!

Finding balance for me is tricky. I tend to throw myself into whatever I'm doing whole-heartedly until I reach my goal. That was fine when it was pouring so hard outside you could grab a bar of soap and take a shower. But now? The farm calls to me. I've got a chance to get a garden in early. I still need to start my seeds. Honey and Beatrice are due to kid any time. The branches and trees that were knocked down during the winter storms need to be cleaned up. I've got roses to move out of a seriously overgrown flower bed so they can thrive somewhere instead of being choked out by weeds. And then, I need to re-dig that flower bed as it's been neglected for who-knows-how -ong before we moved here 6 months ago. And then there are spring bulbs to mark that will have to be dug and moved. The water trough needs scrubbing, driveway needs to be re-graveled, the mud pit needs to be seeded so I don't fall when I'm chasing escapee chickens, fencing needs to be re-done as soon as the ground dries enough to hold a post. The list just goes on and on!

So, how do you find balance?

Oh, and by the way, my Valentine's Day was great! We bought a used bowflex and joined the Y (if only I had the time and energy to use the membership now). I got my hair cut, took off about a foot of hair and easily lost a pound from that alone. We also saw "When In Rome" and so the husband and I are pondering moving to Italy and buying a villa when the kids are grown. Nice dream, huh?