Natural Habitat

Wow! It's March and I am still going strong! Okay, maybe not strong, but I'm still going. And March is one of my favorite months. March means that Spring and warm weather are not far behind! I figured it was about time to give an update on my resolutions. I'm not going to do this every month, but I'll update every once in a while.

First of all, let me just say that I am a creature of habit. Down to the core. I joke with my friends that I do better in my natural habitat. Every morning, I wake up, go to the bathroom, brush my teeth, make my bed, go downstairs and turn on the Keurig. I start cooking breakfast while making my coffee is brewing. Then I go back upstairs, read, drink coffee, and eat breakfast before I go out and conquer the world (or at least the day).

I am so much a creature of habit, that sometimes vacations stress me out because I don't like being off schedule. The last time I went to my sister's house to visit, I considered staying in a hotel so I could keep my routine better. That's a different story for another time. I didn't do it. But I did bring my own k-cups and creamer so I could have my coffee and I packed food for breakfast to help keep things as normal as possible. Natural habitat, people!

All that to say that I am usually pretty good at resolutions if I can somehow incorporate them into my routine and keep doing them consistently. So let's see how I'm doing:

Financial:
I have put exactly zero dollars in savings, but I did pay off a little more than usual one of my student loans to try and get that number down some. I didn't break these up into bite-sized monthly chunks so it is hard to tell exactly how I am progressing on them. I think it's going to be a balance between putting money in savings and paying off loans so this month's focus was on loans. I've decided to make some adjustments and try something a little different. Every month, I am going to leave $200 in my account. Anything over that amount will go towards loans or into savings. We'll see how it works out.

And the monthly cash budget went well. Except for one day after work when I didn't have my wallet with me and I had no cash so I had to use my card. And I bought a few things online (like my MRTC membership and registering for a 5k) so I am going to have to regroup and figure out how to budget for that...

Mental/Professional:
I've read 6 books so far, although I have been told that 1 of them does not count because I started it in December. I guess if you want to be technical, I have read 5 books in their entireties this year. Off to a good start!

I have not been to a conference yet, but I have picked one out. I need to go ahead and register. It's in June so I have a little time. I also haven't chosen a research topic. But it's coming. I have a lot of ideas floating around in my head. Need to get them onto paper so I can start crossing some off and narrowing them down.

Emotional/Personal:
Travel plans are in the works. The conference I'm planning on going to is in New Orleans and I'm also planning a trip for my golden birthday. Napa in July! I can't wait! I'm also planning to travel for the half but I'm still not set on where. And I'm starting a list of other ideas for travel in the future...

I still don't know how to describe it so these still sound odd, but I think I am getting better at being selfish AND being a better friend. I am learning how to say yes and how to say no. It's an art, people!

Physical:
So far, so good. I have been more consistently working out. January I worked out at least 4 times a week, every week. I slacked a little in February. I blame it on being sick a little and the weather. But I think I still made it 3 days each week. Because I have now built it into my routine so it's just what I do. It has become part of my day. The problem with the routine is that it makes spontaneity difficult and it's easy for me to get frustrated when I have to break it to, say, hang out with other people. See above.

Running has actually been going well. 53 miles so far, including a run in 23 degree weather and a few cold mud runs! 247 to go. Which means that I am ahead of pace right now. If I really keep this up, and train for a half, then I underestimated my mileage. Oh well!

I am still trying to figure out which half to do, but I think I have narrowed it down to the Chicago Half in September or the Wine and Dine Disney Half in November. I need to go ahead and decide so I can register as soon as it opens. I also need to come up with my training schedule and figure out when I actually need to start getting some long runs in.

Spiritual:
Prayer board. Is complete. I'll do an entire post on it on next week...
Memorize scripture. Better. I subscribed to the She Reads Truth email and they send out a "weekly truth" with scripture memory, so that is helping.

Finding a church is hard. And not something that I expected to do in a month or 2. But I have been visiting. I decided that I would give each church at least 3 weeks unless something was glaringly wrong. (Kind of like my 3 date rule) I am on my second church of the year, so I feel as if I am making progress...

How are you doing on your resolutions? Has anyone run either of these half marathons? Recommendations?