April Commitments

It’s time to make some promises to myself.

I sit down at the beginning of every month to look at what I’m doing, what I want to keep doing, and what I want to change. Monthly is about the right interval for this, as weeks are too short for patterns to emerge and quarters are just long enough for them to disappear. I started noodling on this last week, and yesterday I put together some commitments for April. Here are the big ones.

Fitness

I’ve been slacking recently. I’d told myself that this was because I was letting my knee heal. The knee is fine now, so it’s time to get back on track. April last year was when I got serious about running — with results I was exceptionally pleased with — so I know that it’s a time of year that works well for me. I’m about fifteen pounds lighter than I was last April¹ and I can run four miles without really thinking about it. It’s time to build on that base. I know that I’m most likely to stick with a program if I have a specific goal, i.e. a race, in mind. There are one or two coming up in early July that I’m thinking about. At this point, training for any of them is about the same, so it’s time to get started.

Writing

I’ve been writing a lot about writing recently. It’s time to stop doing that. This story has enough juice with me that I want to see where it goes. I’m setting aside thirty minutes a day to work on it. At the end of the month, we’ll see what I’ve got.

To keep myself honest, each post this month will include a brief update on what I’ve done since the last one. There’s nothing like making promises to myself in public to hold up the mirror of accountability.

Updates

Fitness: 30 minute workout from my Strength and Toning Deck
Writing: 439 words

¹ My historical data doesn’t start until May, but I’m pretty close on this one.

Comments

[Rob Donoghue]

I can't remember, do you use the Nike/ipod widget for running? On my mind since a friend just started using one and has been heaping praise upon it.

-Rob D.

[Paul]

I don't, though my friend Becky does and quite likes it. I use an iPhone app called MapMyFitness, which integrates with their website.