This is not my forte, but I am working on it.

Example: I am running the Tar Heel 10-Miler in April. I don’t train by running 10 miles every day. In fact, the most I’ve run in one outing is four miles, though I have run that with additional walking mileage.

I’m building a base, creating a plan, laying the foundation.  In days of yore, I would have tried for the 10 miles in a day and given myself a mental and physical beating for not reaching it. See? I can learn.

I thought I’d be able to bang out a blog post a week. I was incorrect. I also thought I’d be able to write 5,000 words a month specific to a personal writing goal. And, I really thought I’d have a literary agent by now.

Breakdown:

• Last month, I hit 3,000 words of new content (fiction) and I’m good with that count. It’s short, but it’s more than I did in January.
• I made it through two school closings with a very active preschooler, a neurotic Labrador retriever, a geriatric cat and a Northern-raised husband who questioned how a state could “shut down” because of snow. His disbelief was so cute.
• I am beginning to query agents. I have a pitch template (much like a cover letter) and up to the first 30 pages of the manuscript. Research for the first 10 agents is done.
• I joined (and blogged about one) two clean-eating challenges and jump-started my actual battle of the numbers. I’ve hit the lowest numbers I’ve seen in a few years. I will maintain this: I have no goal to see my lowest weight ever. Why? I don’t think it’s advisable for me to hit 7 pounds. Ha, ha. Birth weight.
• I found a training plan (Hal Higden, thanks, man) for the 15K plan.
• And today, with my mom’s help, I made 14 capes for my son’s superhero-themed birthday party (in late March).  I’m addicted to reading blogs written by crafty moms (and still haven’t joined Pinterest because that’d be all shades of bad), but I’m getting loads of fun ideas on the games and menu. Woot!

So what have I learned?

Setting smaller goals helps me stay focused and gives me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

I learned I can rock snow storms “Little House” style by preparing for the situation ahead of time. I mean, we know when snow is coming, thanks to the weather folks. If you’re in the South, you know what I mean: weather becomes reality television.  By “Little House” style, I mean, I plan ahead – cook food that doesn’t require heating if we lose power.

I can run four miles straight. And it doesn’t totally suck. And I can do intervals, which do suck. Intervals give me a Pavlovian mentality  — “when’s my walk break?”

Oh, and that I tend to go insanely overboard with birthday plans. I don’t think the little ones (mine turns 4) are going to care if I opt for Avengers ring cupcake toppers or toothpicks with superhero phrases (BAM! POW!).

And hey, look at that, I’ve hit 530 words. KA-BOOM!