The Ice Melts

It's been a good month, actually a better month than I expected at its beginning, but volatile at the same time.

Maybe I'll blame the weather.  For December, it really can't make up it's mind.  We had a terrific warm day when I went and ran comfortably in shorts, followed up quickly by a snow storm, an ice storm, and a multi-day deep freeze from which we are only now emerging.  Today, it was over 50 degrees, so I went running in shorts today, much less comfortably.

But the ice is melting now, and so, I fear, is my resolve.  After a few weeks of good nutrition discipline and many workouts, I am starting to slip as the Christmas holiday approaches.  It doesn't help that even my own house is filling with cookies and other seasonal treats, or that my stress level has increased at work a good bit.  I am hopeful, however, that this is *very* temporary - like December 26th type of temporary (it's the 23rd today). 

I need to get into January with some momentum to get beyond the yearend close and hold fast to my "New Year Goals" for a few weeks.   After that, Lent begins at the end of February, which is normally a good time for me to keep myself in check.  That will help me ride through the busy February - April timeframe, and if all goes well, I could drop another 10 pounds by my birthday.  That would be worth celebrating, but I've got to work at it to get there. 

New job is okay.  Same as the old job, only different people.  That's okay - I know how to run this type of show, even if the script and the cast are a bit different.  My outside 'obligations' are starting to fall away, with Scouting having taken a back seat, and my responsibilities at church coming to an end in a couple of months due to term limits.  I (as always) fear that Father Prince will have something else in store for me to do, but I'm also looking into town governance as a potential outlet.  I'm attending Board of Finance and Board of Selectmen meetings, and I plan to start going to my local political party meetings.   Yes, I'm a Republican, but not a Trump supporter, so don't hate me  :-).

The other thing on my mind is planning for 2020.  I really don't know how I want to approach this year.  Normally, I'd be all excited about races I want to do, or trips I want to take.  But with my running having changed the way it has (My stamina is weak and my speed is very slow), I'm less excited about this upcoming year.  Perhaps it's time to move from the racing scene into something more....zen?  Making running about just running for it's sake sounds like a good idea, but also sounds like it might be the beginning of the end of a running career for me.  I'm not ready to give up yet, and I'm hopeful that a little weight loss puts some swing into my step, but it's going to take time for that to happen.

I've been patient before, and managed to get really healthy and fast.  My body is 10 years older than it was then, however, and I'm not sure fast is in my future vocabulary, but healthy?  That sure can be.