Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Exhaustion

I haven't written anything for a few days (to the extent that I'm starting to get prodded by people who check in regularly!) Sorry for that... I did promise this as a space where I'd stay in touch, didn't I? Must remember that.

Last night I was working on campus with a prof until almost 11:30 p.m. Went home and apart from saying hello to Leah, fell into bed, almost forgetting to feed the cats. (Don't worry... they ran around, crashed into things, jumped on me and fought until I dragged myself out of bed and fed them....)

This morning I was scheduled for my usual Wednesday 5 K run, plus workout. And yes... the workout is again "new and improved", having moved into the realm of free weights. (a., I know you'll be pleased about that!)

As my alarm went off, I thought to myself, "Uuuuggggffffff! I can't... I need sleep."

Then, the other voice in my head said, "Oh no you don't! You started working out so that when you got stressed, you'd already be in the habit. Now get your sorry ass out of bed and go! Go!"

I fumbled around, so tired I was nauseous and got ready. I'm not really a breakfast person (unless it's going out for breakfast, which is then a social event and so, entirely different). Eating breakfast on a tired/nauseous stomach was really not an appealing idea.

But I remembered that running on empty doesn't work out so well for me. And I also remembered the words of my doctor last summer, "Eating breakfast is not negotiable. You must eat in the morning!"

So, I choked down (literally... choked... took me damn near 15 minutes to eat it...) a piece of bread and butter, and headed out the door.

I was feeling that kind of exhaustion that causes car accidents, so I blasted my music on the way to work and felt barely awake by the time I got to school.

The run was pathetically, hideously slow (I appear to have not simply plateaued, but actually regressed...) Whatever... I tried to focus on technique and efficiency... Didn't do so well with that either though, today.

My attempt at the new and improved workout also left much to be desired. I went through the whole thing so slowly I was almost late to teach my Spanish class!

Oh well... tomorrow is another day...

I've missed two Skype dates with Cindy this week (Sorry, amiga! You're at the top of my list for tonight!) and I did a report for work yesterday and forgot a simple little thing that I should have known better about.

My balancing act is teetering these days... work, school, teaching, working out, friends, general life ... and one more factor that's been added into the equation that I'll reserve comment on for the moment.

So, tonight, after class (which ends at 7:30 p.m.) and after going to the grocery store (because I didn't make it yesterday and I'm running out of everything), I plan to have a blissful date with my pillow.

3 comments:

zouzou said...

ooh.. A NEW DEVELOPMENT?! That can only mean ONE thing! Dish, girlfriend!

and hang in there! this too will pass. Ommmm.(Buddhist invocation of peace and bliss)

hugs
z

Anonymous said...

Okay, I commend you, fully and heartily, for your most excellent dedication to your workouts and your entire life schedule these days. But there are times, and I do not want to disrupt your "habit," but there are times when one really must listen to one's body. When you are burning the candle at both ends, in the middle, and several other places besides, sometimes getting a good sleep is just as important (if not more so) than getting a good workout. This is not an excuse to be bandied about whenever one so chooses, but it really sounds like you needed more sleep this time. Driving when you feel that kind of exhaustion just isn't safe either. The thing is, there is a point at which exercise (and everything else on your plate) will start to have negative impact, like reducing immunity thus increasing likelihood of catching nasty colds or flu that will sideline you for potentially weeks instead of days. Just wanting to make sure you stay healthy. I know the whole point of the exercise is to keep you healthy, but one can go too far. I learned this many years ago when I ended up with 32 canker sores in my mouth from the stress of too much of everything going on in my life, which included a lot of exercise.

And as for the new development....ditto on ZouZou...DISH!!

Sarah Elaine said...

Yes, yes, you're right... it's all about health and balance, isn't it?

Well, you'll be happy to know that I feel much better today!

32 canker sores? I didn't know one mouth could have that many. Ouch!