August through December is without doubt, hands-down my favorite time of the year (even if it does include hurricane season). I'm pretty sure I say this every year on this blog, too. But really, it is.

The weather here in Charleston (minus those hurricanes) tends to improve a bit around October(ish) as summer's insane humidity and heat give way to more tolerable humidity and heat (because it never really goes away here). Plus all of the best holidays happen during this time (with the exception of my son's birthday, of course, which is in June).

The sky in the fall in is pretty impressive

And this fall, unlike the past two falls, I'm hoping to get in some solid races, and also not feel like garbage in general (in running or in life). Two years ago I was dealing with anemia, and last year I was dealing with the UTI that just wouldn't quit. Now, a year later (a full year later, people), I finally feel healed from that nuttery. Seriously. What a nightmare.

So of course, this year, I have fall races planned and training is ramping up. No more of this training reboot stuff. This is for real now. The first half of the year had its ups and downs, and I'm really hoping the ups keep on going for these last few months of 2018.

That said, I need to focus.

Specifically, I need to focus on things for me and things that will move me to where I want to be. That includes:

Allowing plenty of time to train properly for races (including a very likely winter marathon)
Putting some things in place and laying important groundwork for my side businesses that have been languishing while I work on freelance design projects for other people’s companies

All of that means I have to pull back on some other things. Life ebbs and flows, right?

I've been full-force with freelance work for a while now in addition to my day job, and it's time to pull back a little and do some other things. Like running. And taking some classes to level up my skills for some of those business plans I have, and gathering and buying supplies to make some of the things I want to make.

Basically, a bunch things that don't make any money (and in most cases, actually cost money - whoever said running was a cheap hobby clearly didn't do it for very long).

That's a hard one for me - the thing about using my free time to do something other than adding to my bank account. I struggle with guilt about passing up making money to do other things when I know I could be spending that time making money. I feel like literally all of my free time should be spent on something that makes me extra money. Ridiculous, I know. And not healthy for anyone. But I also feel like I worked so hard to get to where I am with a steady flow of freelance work, and that makes it hard to step back at all. Typical entrepreneurial mindset, I suppose.

But with the most wonderful time of the year upon us, I want to enjoy it!

Ghosts and pumpkins and dinosaurs, oh my! (From 2017)

I want to have time to make my son's Halloween costume (another dinosaur this year) and decorate our yard, to make Christmas cookies and sand angels (no snow angels for us here), to play board games and hang out with friends - basically, to do some of the things on my 40 Before 40 list. I also want to have time to run 8 miles on a Thursday (and fit in strength training).

What's your favorite time of the year? What's your favorite thing about this time of year?

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

That said, I need to focus.