We traded the hills of Appalachia for the flat land of the East Coast back in April. We are surrounded by farms and greenhouses. 

Beside our new home is a field of corn that’s now about as tall as I am. The silk on the ears are turning black, showing that it’s about time for the harvest.

A tractor came through the farm this morning, before most of the house was awake. It cut a 10-feet wide path through the corn, putting the edible ears in the trailer behind it.

This is the first harvest, a test if you will, of whether the corn is ready to be sold at area produce stands.

It reminds me a bit of the current state of my running. When we first moved here, I was happy but depressed. I didn’t have a job and had to make decisions based on a small budget. I also had to admit that something we’ve worked on for a long time — our small business of almost nine years — had come to an end.

In closing the business, there is a kind of relief, but also dread as we tie up all the loose ends and close that chapter of our life. Still, it was depressing.

It hit me hard in the waistline. I didn’t eat like I should and often squandered chances to exercise because I was “too busy” keeping the household in line, as it was my new self-appointed job.

Once I did get a job, I still had issues with adjusting my exercise schedule. I work a later schedule, like I did when I first started this blog. The family schedule didn’t leave a lot of time for sleep, which is a very important factor of my fitness routine. 

And because of the work-related stress, I often slipped into old eating habits, skipping meals during my shift but binged when I got home. All in all, things weren’t going well on the fitness front.

But in the past few weeks, things have changed. Mountain Kid 1 is going to start her school sports career in the fall. I will be getting her ready.

In restarting our training, I’m reminded of today’s harvest in the field next door. Will we put in “crap” miles, ones we struggle through and don’t put in our best effort? Or will we plant and cultivate quality workouts in order to have a successful season?

I’m hoping for the later. Part of my strategy comes with the knowledge I’ve built up for the past five years and what I remember from high school and middle school.

A recent harvest from our vegetable garden. We grilled the zucchini and turned the rest into salad.

Also, I have to get the food issue sorted out again. There is only one grocery store here. And its healthy food selection is limited. We have a garden and produce stands from which to get fresh vegetables. But finding quality meat, seafood in particular (We live near the beach. Why can’t I find decent seafood?!), means a 40-minute drive. It’s something we can’t do all the time.

Mountain Kid 1 and I have a virtual race in a few weeks. That’s when we’ll have our first harvest and see whether we’re setting  ourselves up for success.

What kind of workouts are you doing? Will they set you up for success later on? Feel free to share in the comments.