Yoga Pants Life

Sometimes I feel like there’s a subway train flying through my brain (look at me, rhyming and stuff.) It’s not always a bad thing, but sometimes it becomes a bit overwhelming and I can’t always shut it off. It also makes it difficult to sit and write a coherent blog post…which is probably why I avoid blogging so much. It’s not that I don’t like it, but half the time I feel so overwhelmed by my thoughts that I don’t really know what to write once I actually sit down and open my blog (also, is it just me, or do I start every. single. mofo-ing post like this?)

Anyway, January flew by in the blink of an eye. I normally dread January because of the anniversary of my dad’s death, but this year was actually ok. Sometimes I feel really guilty about feeling sad because it’s been so long since it’s happened – I mean, I’ve gone almost half my life without my dad…that’s just insane to me. I know that grief doesn’t have an expiration date (unfortunately) so it’s likely something I’ll be dealing with in some capacity for the rest of my life. While I always dread January 16th, I always wake up on the 17th, relieved that I don’t have to think about the date for another 364 days (obviously, I think about what happened all the time, every day…but there’s something about the actual date that’s crushing.)

In keeping with the spirit of my ‘shut up and get it done’ theme for 2017, I did a lot of ‘adulting’ this past month. I focused on getting my fitness back on track and I’m happy to report that I was very consistent with cardio and running. Less so with strength training and swimming, but I’m happy with my progress. Between running and being more careful about what I’m eating, I managed to lose 6.5 pounds this month and 2 inches from my midsection. I’m sure much of it was water weight/bloat thanks to my ‘all champagne all the time’ diet at the end of December, but still. I’m really happy with how everything is going. I’d be thrilled if I lost another 15-30 pounds and I hope to accomplish that by May or June. It’s partly a vanity thing, but it’s very much a ‘I want to improve my speed’ thing as well.

While losing weight is awesome, my heart rate also seems to consistently be going down. I’m not sure Fitbits are super accurate in that department, but it’s nice to see a downward trend, especially since I started training for my next (and possibly final) marathon. To my knowledge, my heart rate has never been an issue, but it’s awesome to have ‘internal’ confirmation that all the gym time is paying off.

Hmmm…what else is going on in my boring corner of the interwebs? I signed up for a half marathon in May – it’s a local race, but the terrain and weather should closely mimic the San Diego Rock n’ Roll Marathon in June. It’s actually a brutal half (I’ve done it once before and corkscrew hill is a real doozy…especially in 85 degree weather.) I’m hoping that I can redeem myself with this race and that it will be good practice and encouragement for the marathon.

I’m also super-happy to report that my financial life seems to keep getting better and better. My emergency fund is up to 3 months and while I’d like to keep beefing it up, it’s probably time to put that on hold and save for a down payment on a new-to-me car I will be purchasing this year (yeah, yeah, I know – personal finance 101, never make payments on a vehicle – always buy something in cash…but my commute is really long and moving close to work isn’t an option on my current salary, so a reliable car that will last 5-10 years is a MUST for me.) I’m thinking somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-3k will put my mind at ease for when I actually do need to replace my current vehicle. After that, it’s all about paying down the debt. I realized this morning on my way to work that when I go to get my next ‘new’ car in 6-8 years, I will no longer have student loans which means an extra $400 a month in my pocket  (probably something super exciting, like an IRA) I’m not wealthy and I’m still nowhere near where I want to be, but when I think about how bad things were 5-6 years ago, I’m so grateful for where I am now.

I’m not really sure what February will bring, other than my birthday, which, I’d rather not have in the first place (yes, this whole closer to 40 than 30 thing is killing me, by the way) Hopefully it will bring a smaller pants size, a bigger bank account, and more peace and quiet in my brain. If nothing else, it will bring more light in the evening and I can start safely running after work again. I’m actually pretty pumped about that.

So, I guess that’s all for now…hope you didn’t lose too many brain cells reading this.