Goodbye August, Hello September!

Um, hello September? How is that even freaking possible?! I could have sworn summer just started. Maybe it's these 100-degree days that make me swear like it's still June and that our students just graduated last week. Wrong? Well, damn.

Through a text conversation yesterday with the superbly awesome Jacky (Iron[wo]man in training) and Monica (who's out for another marathon PR in Chicago), I was a little down on myself. August was not the training month I'd hoped for - July was terrible in terms of getting out there and getting my runs or anything fitness-related in, but with working 60+ hours in four days every week for five weeks, that's just bound to happen. And I need to learn that that's okay. In my head, it's not - I have goals to work for, things I want to get done and I feel behind. 

Really, for what it was, August wasn't terrible. Not awesome, but not terrible - a decent 60-mile showing for finishing up those 60+ hours weeks and getting it done mostly on Saturday mornings. In that regard, that's a win! But as Jacky said yesterday, it's a new month. New goals. It all starts now. So with that... bring it on, September. Bring. It. On.

• 110 miles: This is a stretch, andI know that, but right now it's 90% mental for me. Not hitting snooze, not convincing myself that I'll run when I get home in the evening. I wanna come back big, catch up on my 1,000-miles-this-year goal so I can earn my pin (as of August 31, I'm 424 miles short). I got this!
• Start Strength Training: Always a weakness. Always. But with a lot of halfs coming up in the fall, most of which I'm pacing, I need to make sure I'm at my best and I know a lot of that is to start working on my strength and muscle endurance. I don't have a plan, just an out-loud commitment to doing some core work, getting on some weights and getting to work.
• Cut Back on the Soda: I got through said 60+ hour weeks with a lot of Dr. Pepper. And Starbucks. I recognize it and with a new month, it's time to get back to being better - namely with the soda intake. I know I can't drop back down to zero and I'm being realistic about it, but I need to treat the Dr. P especially like a treat and not an every-day necessity. I'm jumping back onto Waterlogged to track my water intake and hold myself a little more accountable each day.
• Pay Off One Credit Card!: In line with my year goals, I'm thisclose to paying off a card this month and I want to make sure I get to it to working towards lowering the debt. It'll be a stretch this month as it'll be a slightly higher payoff than I'm used to each month, but the fact of paying off one more is a little more exciting than the stress is worth. 

I'm excited. I'm nervous. But I wanna get to work. Boom - let's go!

What are your September goals?