all writing

weekly write up: week of september 23

What did you do this week?

While last week was all about the day to day stuff and how much I love a trip to Costco, this week, particularly the weekend was a highlight reel. I got to meet the sweetest new baby who has the luck of having one of my best friends as her mom. (They’re perfect, both of them!) My daughter and I spent some girl time at the hotel pool, and going on walks on Balboa Island. The whole family ate tacos on a beautiful patio with a gas fire pit- which my daughter has referred to as ‘when we had dinner with the squirrels’- a good reminder that we don’t get to choose our kids' memories. We saw some friends who have boys a year older and a year younger than my daughter. Now with my best friend's daughter we’ve got a kid in that group every year from 0 to 3! Our family is feeling refreshed and relaxed, thankful and I am feeling ready to get back to our regular routines too!

Last Week’s Goals

✅ Package for myself all of the hypotheses and theories I’ve started to formulate from chats about nutrition habits, and conversations with RD’s and other health and wellness professionals.

I won't be sharing my list (yet?) but one thing that’s really stuck out to me here is how far things can drift from what you originally think needs to be done when you really listen. Always. Start. With People. The stuff they say matters!

✅ Make some meal plans and recipes to try together for these last few weeks before the Chicago Marathon.

I posted our taper fueling principles and did something that made me feel a little uncomfortable! You’ll have to keep reading or click on that link to figure out what though 😉

✅ Share another piece of writing- a few things in progress right now!

We’re counting that fueling principles article as piece one, but now have two more in progress, I’m happy to see that regular writing is getting easier and easier. Practice makes progress.

This Week’s Goals

  • ☑️ Post a few meals on Instagram.
  • ☑️ Build out a couple of fun ideas I’ve had for projects this week.
  • ☑️ A few more calls and outreach to RDs and coaches!

Have you changed your mind about anything? What have you learned?

If you clicked over to my taper fueling writing, you saw a bunch of orange headers, and a footnote that admitted I let AI creep into my writing. Specifically, I used Gemini to write SEO focused headers. I’m not sure this counts as a big “changed my mind” thing. I still am not using AI to do the actual writing, but for now, I feel okay using AI to create headers that may get me more traffic. That feels uncomfortable- a theme this week…

I’m also trying to post a little more on Instagram. I got a chance to chat with Stevie last week, and she shared how she feels like her social media is a mix of personal and professional, and I thought that was true and that it felt authentic. I also have put a fair bit of thought into how many food influencers I follow and like, but also feel pretty gaslit by. I mean, I’ve already pre-ordered a cookbook from one of my favorite food blogger/influencers, even though I tried an orzo chicken bake recipe from them a few weeks ago that was as mid as they come, and frankly, looked like barf. I have raged about how what we see online is not real, how algorithms are meant to suck us in to make money for someone else. I don’t love any of it. I also want people to know there’s other options out there besides the typical content. I am torn between this being an opportunity to “be the change you want to see in the world” (posting more authentic content) and “if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em” (please people, someone must want to read my ramblings about running, food, and technology, right?)

I guess I’m okay with this discomfort, because I also know I’m trying to learn something, which is both how to show up in a way that feels good online, and how to pitch something. Getting people to pay attention to your ideas and what you create is a skill that I want to be good at. If we use the attention economy analogy, I shouldn’t be keeping my cash stuffed in a mattress. I don’t really know how or if that analogy works out, but just stick with me.

I think being uncomfortable is not just okay, but good. If you’re not uncomfortable, you probably won't ever change your mind. You probably won't learn as much. Let’s see what I learn and how I feel in a few weeks of putting myself out there a little more. I’ll either double down on no AI at all, and log back off of IG, or I’ll get some more readers and more feedback and learn something else.

What went well? What didn’t go well? What could be improved?

WWW: Fairlife protein is so damn good- and it's mostly milk?! It does have monk fruit and stevia, so if you despise the taste of either of those this might not be for you, but I consider myself majorly grossed out by artificial sweeteners and don't notice them all in this stuff. Amaze.

WWW: Traveled with just my small kid and her carseat and two carryons and a checked bag, and crushed it. Not putting the damn carseat in a bag was a miss- so when I saw a dad in the airport with an actually functional looking backpack for a carseat, I literally followed him close enough to read the brand name and ordered one myself. Influenced in the wild.

WWW: I got to do a longer run with a group of girlfriends last week, and I felt so good about it. The day after a workout my legs were a little tired, but catching up with friends made it more than manageable.

WCBI: I haven’t been honest with myself about what I can squeeze into a day, and what feels good to squeeze into a day. I’m trying to remedy this by keeping a to do list, and a done list, so I can reflect on how much I am doing and then pivot easily if I notice less fulfilling or less necessary things filling my time.

WDGW: I can’t think of anything super specific here, other than having to wait more than 2 hours for a rental car, with my hangry and nap ready 2 year old… Thanks Hertz… At least the customer service person was super nice and helpful when we FINALLY got to the front of the line?