It's been a while

It’s been a while since I last posted. Almost a year, actually. But here I am again, back with the urge to keep writing. This time for real! Have I said that before? Probably. But this time I really mean it.

A new year calls for a new title, one that better reflects my current state of affairs.

When I started this blog last year, I was pretty miserable. I was struggling to get through grad school, uncertain of the future, and full of anger towards just about everything. Okay, not everything, but a LOT of things. The point is, I was grumpy and spent a lot of time complaining about my situation to whoever would listen, and I hated myself for doing this. I knew that my grumpiness made me unpleasant to be around, and I wanted to change that and get back in touch with the good-natured person I used to be.

I started this blog as an attempt to remind myself of the things that I still enjoyed in life. I wanted it to be a place where I could practice not complaining, because somewhere deep down I knew that things were not really so terrible. And that is why I chose the title “A Little Less Complaining.”

But a lot has changed since last year. I applied for and got accepted to med school, successfully defended my Ph.D., got engaged to the love of my life, ran my first marathon, and moved to a new place to start school (not entirely in that order). I’m no longer the miserable girl I was when I was in grad school. Of course there are new challenges, like going back to school in a class with people several years younger than me (who look confused when I make Saved by the Bell references), and living in a new place away from my friends and family.

So, now that I am no longer complaining all the time, I don’t have as much need for a forum to practice not complaining (although I still think it is a useful exercise). I think that what I do need is a creative outlet. Lately, I’ve been spending most of my time studying and then when I take a break from studying I feel restless. I want to do something relaxing and creative, like knitting, or photography, but I don’t seem to have the energy. So, I’m hoping this blog will help motivate me.

I’ve decided to go with the title “Stepping it Up” at least for now. Mostly because it’s the best thing that I can come up with at the moment. When I used to watch America’s Next Top Model one of my favourite reality show clichés was the phrase “step it up and take it to the next level.” As in “Your photo shoot was okay this week, but you really need to step it up and take it to the next level.” This always made me laugh, because I can’t imagine how infuriating that would be to hear as “constructive criticism”. I mean, how exactly do you go about “stepping it up” and where is the next level and how do you know when you’ve reached it? But the girls would nod diligently in agreement and then confess to the camera “I’m really going to have to take it to the next level now.”

So, for 2011 I am resolving to step it up and take it to the next level. I am going to be fiercer than ever and Make It Work!

Base Training: Weeks 3-5 Recap

Total Distance:
Week 3: 27.3km
Week 4: 22.7 km
Week 5: 28.0 km

Highlights:
This weekend I was reminded of the benefit of having a training plan to follow. The temperatures began to dip into the negative twenties on Sunday, and the streets were slippery with freshly fallen snow. Without a schedule, I would have had the following conversation with myself:
Running Self: Let's go for a run today!
Lazy Self: But it's cold and windy and icy. Can't we just stay home where it's warm and wear pajamas and curl up on the couch for the day?
Running Self: Did you say icy?
Lazy Self: Yes, ICY! You could fall and get injured.
Running Self: We should probably avoid injury.
Lazy Self: So it's decided then, we'll stay in.
Running Self: Fine. But we'll try again tomorrow.

Instead, it was already decided that I would run six miles on Sunday, so the only decision I had to make was whether to run outside or on the treadmill. I really do dread the treadmill, especially for longer runs, but I psyched myself up for it, and it was okay. It helped that I had the "A Very Sedaris Christmas" episode of This American Life to listen to. And I felt great afterward!

Base Training: Week 2 Recap

Total Distance: 15 miles

Highlights:

Winter has been late to arrive this year, and I'm definitely not complaining. However, when the temperatures did finally start to drop last week, I was caught a little off guard. So when the winds picked up, I figured it was time to make a trip to MEC and stock up on some winter running gear. I got an insulated vest to wear as a midlayer on moderately cold days, and an insulated but thin hooded jacket to wear as a midlayer on very cold days. And I figured that on VERY very cold days I can wear them both together. (Or more likely, just run indoors.) I almost bought a balaclava too, but I figured that if it's -40 degrees, I will need more than the excitement of looking like a bank robber to get me outside.

New running clothes definitely give me a little motivational boost. Of course, this can become an expensive strategy if you use it too often, but I really was in need of some items to help extend my running season into the winter. Plus, there is something very satisfying about creating your own little microclimate to combat the cold weather.

What it's all about

I often have the urge to start a blog. Actually, I have followed through with this urge on several occasions. Once in my early twenties where I used my newfound internet voice to express my outrage at things like mesh trucker caps and ironic T-shirts. I kept this one up for quite a while. The well of my anti-hipster rage runs deep, apparently. More recently, a friend and I decided to start a blog that documents awkward situations. This one was a little more popular, but for one reason or another, we just stopped updating it. We still talk about resurrecting it, in fact, I’m thinking about it right now. (People keep asking about it, and it’s getting awkward.)

One thing I’ve learned from that experience is that I really do like writing and having a theme to adhere to did help me to be more disciplined about it. But having a theme can also be a little too rigid, especially when it comes to something that is essentially a hobby for me.

Since then I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a new blog with a different theme. (“This one will be different! I’ll choose a theme with endless possibilities. I’ll update frequently and keep it going, and achieve internet fame! I’ll get a book deal and finally be able to escape from my meager student lifestyle. I will drink fancy wines!”)

But, in all seriousness, my goal is not to become Internet Famous and get a book deal. My real motivation comes from the fact that I find writing to serve an important purpose for me – it helps me work through my thoughts and understand things better. I suppose I could get these benefits from a paper journal (and I do), but I also find that the internet can be a wonderful source of positive and inspiring people. I want to be more than a passive reader (and very occasional commenter) and become an active participant.

I’ve been gravitating towards two types of themed blogs lately: knitting/sewing/crafting blogs and running/healthy living blogs. I often get inspired and think “I want to be just like this person and knit beautiful things and then write about them in a sweet and endearing manner on my blog!” Or “I want to cook delicious and healthy meals and then share them with others!” However, I’ve come to realize that as much as I love knitting, I am not consistent enough to have an interesting knitting blog. And as much as I love running, I can’t see myself writing about it on a regular basis (at least not in a way that would be interesting to read).

All of this is a long-winded introduction to what I hope will be a unifying theme in this, my very latest and sincere attempt at having a blog. I will try to write about the following:
1. Things that make me happy/things I enjoy
2. Things I knit
3. Things I love about running
4. Things that help to keep me running
5. Things I learn along the way
6. Things I want to learn (projects!)
7. Things that don’t fit into the above categories

I’m hoping that this gives me enough structure to be disciplined about writing, but also enough flexibility so that I can keep it going.

Base Training: Week 1 Recap

Distance: 10 miles

Highlights: On Thursday I did my four miles in the rain. I actually really love running in the rain (within reason of course). During this run I was reminded of a nice thing that happened recently. I was in Boston for a conference and my roommate and I really wanted to run along the river at least once while we were there. The one morning we woke up to run, it was pouring. We decided to go out anyway. On the way back to our hotel, a passing car honked at us and the driver gave us a thumbs up. This little gesture actually made my day.

I don't drive often, but if I ever happen to be driving in the rain and see a runner, I'm going to do this. Sometimes a little "good for you" from a complete stranger is all the encouragement I need.

Not Yet New Year's Resolutions

Running
I want to run a marathon in the fall of 2010. Here’s my plan:
1. Start base training and work up to 35 miles per week over the next 20
weeks.
2. Maintain mileage (cycling between 20-30 miles per week).
3. Start Hal Higdon’s marathon training plan.
4. Post weekly training updates. I’ll try to find at least one thing I love about
running, or one strategy that helps me run each week.

Eating
I tend to fall into a routine and eat the same thing every day just because it is easy. Even if I choose the same healthy things every day, I think it’s safe to say that I could benefit from some increased variety. So, my plan:
1. Try at least two new recipes each month.
2. I’ll post recaps on the recipes I try (ideally with photos) and reviews of how I
like them.

Things That Work

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about “things that work” - those little habits or behaviours that can make your day run a little smoother and help you reach your goals. One thing that really works for me is checking things off of a list. I am bizarrely motivated to do almost anything that I’ve written down as part of some sort of To Do List. I also like to track things, like the number of kilometers I’ve put on my running shoes. Yes, really. I used to wonder what was behind all this neuroticism, but recently I’ve come around to the fact that it doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that it works. So, with that in mind, I’ve decided to use my list-making/tracking compulsion to my advantage. I’ve realized that if I combine my love of list-making with some sort of internet-based accountability (i.e. this blog) I could truly take on the world. Or at very least accomplish a lot of the things I always talk about, but never quite get around to doing.

Next: I will list (!) all those things that I want to do with subsets (!!) detailing how I will do them. Then I will track my progress here. It could be terribly boring, but more importantly, it may actually be effective.