Last month I decided to quit video games for a year. I wrote more about why I made this decision here. This post is about what I got up to during my first month, and what I want to do more of next month.
I Started Running
I downloaded Strava one Sunday night, a social network app for running and fitness, and woke up at 6am the next day to go running. It was such a random thought but one I committed to.
Since then I’ve ran 3-4 times each week for the last 3 weeks. I ran 2 miles last night at just under a 10 minute per mile pace. In January I ran almost 20 miles, more than I’ve ever run in my life.
Before running, I took up weightlifting as a way to get out of the house every day. I’ve been lifting for about 9 months at this point so I think that helped build up some cardiovascular endurance.
I still suck at running, but I don’t hate it like I thought I would. I’m loving the new viewpoint it gives me of my neighborhood, I can cover a remarkable amount of ground during my 30 minute run. I’ve ran through the neighborhood park and down streets I’ve never been to before. It’s amazing how you can live somewhere for years and never even explore your neighborhood.
I’ve quickly learned that the first mile during the run is the easiest. That’s the mile where I’m most pumped up, grooving to the music, and loving life. Then at some point my lungs decide they’ve had enough, so I start walking. Then I run some more, get tired, and the cycle repeats itself. Running becomes decidedly less fun towards the end, but the beginning is great!
I have a feeling that the beginning part will get longer and longer as I build up more endurance. I can already tell I’m running further and faster each time. Strava helps keep track of all the stats too, so I know my last run I paced just over 9 minutes for my first mile.
I’m Writing More
This was one major goal I outlined so I’m least surprised by this. I’ve been continually writing in my journal, doing my best to write there every day. I’ve also tried my hand at writing the occassional long form post. 2 have been published in The Ascent, and one was just published in Better Marketing.
Since joining Medium’s partner program I’ve made almost $5 in January. I remember when I checked the stats after my first published article: I yelled at my wife “honey I just made $5 writing on the internet”.
I think I hit a bit of beginners luck, because my most recent published articles, even with the same amount of views, did not make that much money. I think $1 per article is about right, so I lucked out with that first $5.
They say you’re a professional once you start making money doing it. I’m definitely not a writing professional and I would hesitate to even call myself a writer, but I’m freaking proud of that $5.
I’m writing a lot and loving it. I can’t wait to see how this skill develops over the rest of the year, and if I make a little money along the way then that’s even sweeter.
I just committed to writing and publishing new content every day in February. Read more about that here.
My wife and I go on little adventures
We’ve done more things over the weekends in January than we have in a long time. Just little adventures like trying a coffee place by our house that we’ve never been to in the 6 years we’ve lived here. There’s a fancy outdoor shopping area up north that we’ve been to twice in the last month, just for fun.
I’ve had so much fun with her. We left work early this past Friday and went to a local bar at 3 o’clock and just hung out for an hour talking. We don’t even like drinking, it’s just a fun place to go outside and relax for a bit. Even though we spend every day together since we both work from home, our time away from home is still special.
There’s no one else in the world I’d rather spend time with than my wife.
We can spend every waking moment together and not get sick of each other. At least I don’t think she get’s sick of me :)
What I want to do in February
Besides spending an absorbatant amount of time writing and publishing content on my website and Medium, I want to get back into music.
The music I listen to every day directly influences the music I want to make. For the past few years I was really into rock music. I even dove back into the same Emo bands I loved in high school, and listened to them maybe too much for a 30 year old adult.
Nah, screw that. I still love those bands. Underoath, Senses Fail, Thursday, Taking Back Sunday. My last.fm is here if you really want to see what I’ve been listening to.
Since I started running I got back into electronic music. Mostly house music. It made me nostalgic for Djing, which I started doing when I was 18. I’ve created 2 online radio stations, well before podcasts were a thing, where DJs from around the world would play music on for free.
In February I want to DJ and start making music again.