FINDING BALANCE–Writing, Working Out & Managing My Events
One of the challenges I knew I would face once I dove back into “serious” writing was finding a balance between writing and other things that are important in my life–my family, my workouts and my Endeavor Racing/Life’s A Beach Triathlon events.
On Monday, July 31, I committed to finishing and self-publishing Wendall’s Lullaby. For most of the next week I did little for my event planning and got in almost no workouts. I wasn’t heartbroken about the workouts–I had just finished a rigorous mountain bike race in North Carolina the previous weekend–but, my event planning definitely suffered just a little. Still, I was okay with the temporary binge-focus on writing, editing and formatting–managing to get an eBook version for Kindle and a paperback version up on Amazon within eight days.
Since that time, I’ve been inspired (by notes I found stashed in a box) to start my follow-up to Wendall’s Lullaby AND have been spreading the word out about the book. I’ve spent a little more time working on my trail running and Life’s A Beach Triathlon events–especially since my Sarasota Life’s A Beach is coming up fast. I’ve even managed to get in a few more sporadic workouts.
The BIG challenge I face–especially with workouts vs. writing–is the mornings. I’ve typically been a morning workout person. I love to start the day with my workouts–it’s a beautiful time of day (sunrise), it’s when I seem to have the most energy and focus and it “guarantees” I’ll get something in before the other activities/needs of the day can interfere or derail.
I’ve been drawn to writing in the mornings for much the same reasons–the refreshed focus, mental clarity, high energy and quiet beauty of the morning. Of course, this puts me directly at odds with getting in my workouts/training.
The added challenge is that writing (for me) can be very much a “flow experience.” Once I get started, if I’m “inspired,” I may continue to write past the time I had allotted for writing for that day. Or, I may have all intentions of starting a workout first thing in the morning (or even trying to squeeze one in during the afternoon) but have an idea I want to write out that preempts the workout (because I don’t want to risk losing the thought forever or because the thought prompts a longer bout of writing). In some ways, as a writer, that’s a good problem to have.
In other ways, it messes with the head of the Kip who likes to feel fit and healthy. So, as I move forward trying to balance these elements of my life, I’m especially working on fine-tuning my morning workouts so that they are more efficient–in the amount of time I put in and the results that I get. It means more use of the Concept2 Rower and the local streets for rowing and running intervals. It means more circuit-style workouts that incorporate full-body movements. And, it means putting in more efficient time on the water–more intervals in the surfski and less of the long, steady grinds (except with my OC6 crew) I love.
What was this morning’s workout?
4x through this circuit:
- Concept2 Rower: 2 minutes
- Kettlebell Thrusters
- Web Mountain Climbers
Then, 4x through this circuit:
- Concept2 Rower: 1 minute
- Sissy Squats with Side Lateral Raise
- Low Back Extension w/”Row”
- Crossover Rows on Ball
Kip Koelsch Author 