Ups and Downs

Literally…life has them, great things can happen one day and you can be on top of the world and the next day a crash…but of course those aren’t the ups and downs I’m really talking about right now. The ups and downs I’m referencing have to do with my run last night with my training group at Hyland Park (oh and in response to a few queries, no I’m not doing a TNT thing, no way I’d be able to raise that kind of money, I’m training with the Minnesota Distance Runner’s Association fall marathon program). The plan called for 10 miles, but last time we ran there we were short with only 7.5, so I decided since I get there early anyway, I’d run 2 miles to warm up before the others got there…I was done with that almost an hour before the rest of the group was there and we were going to run but oh well. I got a good stretch in so that helped too. Group showed up and we were off…over hills upon hills…ups and downs, although nice thing is this is trails and some of that just feels so good. Weather didn’t feel too bad, was a threat of rain, but unfortunately it didn’t come, and by the end we were all drenched because the humidity was up enough. The end of the main run is over the top of the ski hill (yes, MN does have some skiing) and that at the end does kind of suck…it’s an up, slight down, more up, slight down and more and more up. But nice views when you run across the top. We got to the start, saw that we were at 7.5 again (but I was at 9.5 remember) and everyone said hey, let’s do a cool down lap around the lake (same lake I had warmed up on) and off we went…so I ended with 11.5 miles. I think it was a good workout. I got home too exhausted to eve think about eating. Ended up having some grapes and Trader Joe’s brand honey nut o’s so I would have something in me and crashed…I couldn’t even stay up to watch the swimming. Ah well.

On another note, my order from Amazon showed up. I paid $26 for a book called “The Plantar Fasciitis 5 Minute Solution”. It’s larger, large print and about 100 pages…2 of which go over the stretch for the PF that is supposed to help in 5 minutes a day (you do it 3 times a day and holds for 10 seconds 10 times so it takes 5 minutes total). I wish I could’ve spent half that and gotten just the stretch…of course if it helps I’ll say it was well worth it, and it got good reviews. The rest of the book talks about what PF is and how it comes on, studies etc…we’ll see. I also ordered a night splint. I’m not sure this one is going to do enough or not, I slept part of the night in it, and it was fine to sleep in, just not sure it was holding my foot enough, but I’ll try it a bit more and see if it works or not. I did take it off halfway through the night when I was trying really hard to get back to sleep after having woken up…and was of course exhausted this morning, but got up and went to the gym, only managed 20 minutes of strength though and the 30 on the bike were tough. I’m not running tonight, Wednesday has become my day off, but I might need to take another day off this week and have it be totally off. It’s been over 3 weeks since I had a total rest day I’ve realized (I don’t consider the strength training as tough and the biking is light too) and I think my body is rebelling, even though it doesn’t seem like it’s been that much as I certainly haven’t dropped any weight…next week is a fall back week and I’ll definitely go for the rest then, just hope I can get through the rest of this week. I’m so exhausted feeling and I think it might be some lack of sleep…wish I kept better records on my past sleep habits. I’m still freaking over my training a bit.

I think I'm going to go to bed shortly tonight to let my body relax...and tomorrow I'm only doing my afternoon run too. Hopefully that gives me some recovery.

Tired...

Almost in a way that is to the core...would it be awful if I went to bed at oh...7??? I didn't sleep well last night (might be because of the 10 hours the night before).

I was just reminded (due to watching diving right now for the Olympics). When I went to lay by the lake on Saturday that there was a car wash going on. They have them all summer. Fund raisers for high school teams...I'm assuming the swim team was doing it on Saturday...they were wearing board shorts (boys) all except one that is...one was in a Speedo...as in a banana hammock Speedo. Standing by the side of a busy intersection. And he was so young...I mean we're talking 14 (OK, all high schoolers look so young to me...seriously, no idea about the women that are molesting the high school students because they look soooo incredibly young, why would anyone not that age be interested in that?? Even when I was that age I wasn't interested!!). There is just something so wrong about a 14, OK, maybe 16 year old boy standing by the side of the road in a Speedo...

Tired

For the last few months I’ve been having no problems sleeping. In fact, some people would say I’m abnormal, considering the sleeping habits of Americans (and part of the reason for more weight gain!). I like 9 hours of sleep…my body needs at least 8-8.5 and it prefers 9 or more…particularly when I’m training hard. For the last week and a half I’ve been getting up between 5 and 5:15 and at the gym by 5:30/5:45 to workout before work. And some days I’ve also been getting a workout in after work. I get to work and am a little sleepy, but soon manage to wake up and feel good and energy is up all day. By the time I get home, I’m getting tired and have been in bed some nights by 8/8:30, some nights I’m up till 9…but that’s only if I really force myself!! Anyway, last night was unusual. A friend and I had decided to see a movie, basically it came about because from a long time ago, he kind of owed me, so decided we could go this week, Tuesday kind of worked best, so I was up early, did my run, skipped after work workout to favor being able to get to the movie in time, depending on what time we went. By the time he called, it was obvious I could’ve gone for a workout, but that’s OK, I really didn’t NEED to (did a run of 6 miles and that was all I was supposed to considering the limits to my mileage so as to slowly build up and not get injured) but that’s fine. We met at the theater for an 8:05 showing of Juno. Excellent movie!! If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth it for the dialog. Very well written by Diablo Cody, who is from MN and I’ve been meaning to read her book forever so am finally on the list for it at the library. Anyway, the movie was great and after C suggested getting a beer so we got one and then was home to bed around 11…I read for a bit and then turned off the light, with alarm set for later wake up (haven’t gotten ready at home and driven right to work in a LONG time) and I just could not get to sleep. I have no idea what my problem was, but my mind wouldn’t shut down and I was awake off and on through the night. My guess is maybe the change in weather? It warmed up and is now cooling down again? I don’t know, I just know I feel tired today…I might need a nap for lunch. Still wish I could figure out what it was that kept my mind moving and didn’t let me sleep…I didn’t do much different yesterday except go to the movie, which, OK, it’s rare for me to do something during the week these days, but it does happen on occasion. I’m so lame…

Tired...Oh So Tired...

I think today is a wash. I have no motivation and I can’t seem to focus. It could be the lack of sleep over the last few days…week…whatever I suppose!! Last Friday I couldn’t sleep, dreams and such, fight with friend, C, everything…got up and went through the day. Saturday night crashed at a friends, pretty much slept there, but I had had a few drinks so it wasn’t a refreshing sleep. Sunday night, I took a nap in the afternoon and then that evening went to work and came home, tired, COULD NOT SLEEP. Went to bed at 10 or so, was still awake after midnight. Monday, more of the same. Tuesday I went out, got home around midnight and was not asleep except dozing but still awake around 1. Last night, went out till a little after midnight, did eventually get to sleep (had intended on a nap after work, that only last about 30 minutes if that) and slept OK, but not enough. Tonight I’m heading home right after work for a nap. I’m hoping an hour, then I have to get up, get ready and meet a friend for a drink and/or food or something. I’m not really feeling up to it, but we’ll see what happens. I had another friend call and suggest meeting him and others for happy hour as he hadn’t talked to me in a while, he was hoping I wasn’t mad at him, that he hadn’t been reading emails etc, really…well, the phone works both ways. I wasn’t mad, I just hadn’t found time to call him and he hadn’t called me. I might try to meet up with him after meeting up with the other friend, depends on a few things, like if my roommate comes with me, how tired I am, where other friend is once I’m done with first friend (unless of course I end up meeting up with the happy hour group BEFORE going to meet the other friend as there would be time, but THAT depends on the nap, if it happens and how long it goes). I probably shouldn’t nap. Ah well. On the C front though, it might be getting better. I was out with girlfriends last night, having fun and talked to a few people and one kind of intrigued me, except he smokes and that’s too bad because other than that, he seemed cool…anyway, I figure if I’m feeling a bit of interest/intrigue over another guy, C must not be as deeply entrenched as I thought…Oh, and the friend that I had the fight with…she has sent me a couple of emails this week…just dealing with the weather. What a load of crap.

Runningwise is good. I haven’t posted last weeks yet and it was only 32 miles, not great, but this week so far I’m at 25 miles and that doesn’t include anything for the weekend in which I hope to get at least an 18 if not a 20 miler in, we’ll see though. My work schedule doesn’t look good for that. I ran a 10 miler after work on Monday though, it was kind of slow, but the cold has returned and I’m running about the same paces as I had been in the cold with all the clothes on (we freaking got snow on Tuesday, yes, 81 degrees last Monday and on Tuesday, a week later, we have snow, gotta love MN right?). I haven’t run today and it looks like today is going to be a wash just because I’m so tired. Instead of running at lunch, didn’t want to use the tmill and I so didn’t want to go out in the cold (sick of it) I went with a friend to Subway which I then ate at my desk while in a stupor. I find it interesting though that the food that gets me by most days isn’t enough on days when I’m extremely tired or hung over. Wonder why that is. Tired to me feels about the same as a night I went out drank enough for a buzz and feel tired but a bit crappy the next day. I find this strange. If I get a good nights sleep, I’m not nearly as hungry…

Thursday Recap and Friday Night...

Ok, I know what I really need to do. Stop complaining and just quit…but it’s not quite that easy as the little bit I do make actually is used toward a couple of expenses that were unexpected in the last year and I’m trying to get paid off and a little bit of “fun” money…my budget is just too tight right now…then there is the brief thought I’ve had of buying a house and the fact that I’ve been at B&N for over 2 years and the income provides something would be a plus in approval on a mortgage, but it so just doesn’t seem worth it. For one thing I thought I was working 6-11 last night, bad enough as it’s just late when I have a million things I have to be focused on right now at my day job, and then get there to find that I was wrong, I actually worked 6:30-11:30, so almost midnight before I got to bed and then I was up hitting snooze till 6 before trying to get to work at 7, I was here just after…Anyway, annoyance from last night and please, tell me if anyone sees anything wrong with this picture and/or phrasing (remember, I work part-time, 10 hours a week, that’s 2 5 hour shifts a week and no more unless absolutely necessary!)…I need March 9-18 off. I might be going to my parents during part of that time, I have friends coming into town, there’s, of course, St. Patrick’s day (and I worked the darn thing last year, this year I am going out wearing my clover lei and shamrock glasses damnit!) etc…so I told the store manager (there are 3 of the managers we can have write down that we need off on the calendar and she was the one available, and this is almost a month away that I need this time) that I needed those dates off. She right away says, the 10th isn’t going to work, we have too many already off that day (I think there is some event of some sort that day as there were only 4 written down for off that I could see), and I said well, I’m going out of town…she asks when I work again, and I said Monday, she tells me she’ll put it down with a question mark that Lynn will have to take a look and decide…umm…still going out of town (probably, might go that Friday night and come back yet on Saturday, just figuring that out), then she actually tells me “well, next time talk to us before you make plans to leave town”…ummm…yeah, I’m part time. So, that’s when I threw out the bomb “my mom is turning 60…and my dad is retiring” she says, “oh, well, guess that can’t be controlled.” Hmm…you think. OK, technically my mom’s birthday is the 16th, but I was going to go home at least part of the weekend before cause a friend is in town the next weekend and I haven’t seen him in a couple of years. I’m pretty sure I will be giving my notice on Monday when I go in. This will cover in case they try to schedule me the 10th. Even if I don’t give notice, I will not be working the 10th. I can guarantee that.

On a little better note, hell project is getting close to being done I hope. I’m tired from work last night, exhausted from the stress of the week, ready to kill all of my boss’, might have to blog on that at another time…let’s get this straight, I do like them usually, but right now it’s just too much!! But anyway, I did get an 8 miler in at lunch yesterday, and today I did 30 minutes of strength training and tried to convince myself the treadmill is my friend, but unfortunately it just wasn’t happening…I skipped elliptical too. I might go for a 3-4 miler tonight, AFTER I take a nap that is. The temps are warming up, I’ve watched it go from 9 to 11 to 13 and now it’s 16…it might hit the 20s they were predicting yet today. And next week a heat wave!! We are supposed to get into the 30s!! I won’t know how to dress for that.

Today on a debate with myself, but I think I’ve found the answer. I have a friend that wants to have people meet up for a happy hour, I’m just too darn tired. If I do the happy hour I pretty much have to be out for the evening, and that just doesn’t seem appealing. I need a little recovery and some down time before I head there, just because I’m so tired from no sleep last night. I could run there for a drink, go back home, attempt a quick nap and then get out for the evening, but that wastes an hour in the driving to the happy hour and back (30 minutes each way figuring parking and all that). I’m bummed cause it’s at a place I haven’t been in ages and I’d like to go, but I’m just so tired I don’t see it happening. I think instead I’ll head home, take a nap, go for a 3-4 mile run, have a little dinner, drink a daiquiri and then go to my regular place when my friend gets to my place around 9 (which I told her to do!). And she has very strict orders to keep me away from C...long, long story on that one and I'm still confused...maybe something will end up here on it, but I don't know that I want to bore everyone. Sounds so much less stressful though just starting from home later…I feel bad though as I’d like to talk to the friend at the happy hour anyway, as I haven’t seen him in a while…this would be J2…