I really like my new job, but at the wage I'm currently receiving, the bills are going to become exceedingly hard to pay; I hate to do it, but I’m either going to have to ask for more hours or a raise (or both) barely a month into my tenure. School is school. I’ve never been a big fan of college, and now I’m struggling (in relation to time and general mentality, not grades—I’m still doing quite well in the “good marks” department) through obtaining a degree that will certify me to pursue a career path I’m not sure I want to follow. Running, which used to be my release, has become more of an assignment than anything else, as what used to be time spent pondering whatever I wanted (as a sort of detoxifying measure) is now spent entirely on the listing of things I need to get done upon my arrival at home (including this blog entry, which was written in its entirety on a 6-mile run today); for the first time in a long time (perhaps ever), I’m starting to feel guilty when I take time out of my overly-busy day to get in a run. And my runs are suffering because of it, both in terms of quality and length (that’s what she said?).
And because of these time constraints, I’m not taking care of myself—I’ll look up at the clock and realize it’s 5:00 PM and all I’ve had to eat and drink all day was a bowl of cereal, an energy bar, a glass or orange juice, and perhaps two glasses of water (which is entirely too little for a person that is burning as much as I am, not even taking into consideration the unseemly amount of humidity we’re now experiencing). I’ve dropped 5-8 pounds (depending on the day and time) in the past couple of weeks, and though I’m not unhappy about losing the little bit of beer gut I had, I went about losing it in entirely the wrong way and worry I’m walking a very fine line between losing fat and losing muscle. And to add insult to injury (well, I’m setting myself up for injury, anyways), no matter what time I’ve gotten to bed within the last month—9:30 PM or 11:30 PM—I am still up at midnight (if not 2:00 AM), list-making mind aflutter. I’m starting to think that, because I’m taking so little time throughout the day to simply “breathe,” my body is trying to take that time then…which is, of course, compounding the issue.
Within the last month, I’ve seen one set of friends once (for a mid-week dinner, approximately four weeks ago) and another a single time as well (approximately two weeks ago, also for a mid-week dinner). Otherwise, I’ve been a recluse, as has been mandated by my schedule (last weekend, I worked 13.5 hours, wrote three separate papers, responses to two other people’s papers, created a time-consuming Venn Diagram, and ran 28.5 miles in right around 4 hours; I only left the house to go to work or run, except when sternly requested to do so for a Sunday afternoon lunch). I expect this weekend to be more of the same, with approximately 14.5 hours spent at work, a 5-10 page paper (on a topic I have yet to establish) and a handful of questions tallying what will likely be another 2-3 pages of writing due, and another 5 hours of running on the horizon (33 miles sound about right?). Weekdays aren't nearly as bad: I only work 4 or 5 hours each day and generally only have a discussion posting (ranging from 1-2 paragraphs to 2 pages) and response (only a single paragraph) due a few times each week, with class itself taking place for 2.5 hours the other two nights (presentation tonight--wish me luck!). Running slots in when and where I can find the time.
I’m sure, once I can get a little bit ahead of the game and can put this all into perspective I’ll be back to my happy-go-lucky self, but I’m thinking I won’t have that kind of perspective-basking time until the culmination of the Summer Semester in late July.
Oh, and here’s a handful of pictures from the 2011 Boston Marathon, as promised (click on the photos to enlarge):
A "real shave" two days before the race should make me more aerodynamic, right? Well, that was my thinking. Hey, the hot towel felt good, at least.
In Boston Common.
Man, marathon mornings come entirely too early in the AM. I've found that dunking a bagel into a jar of peanut butter helps to remedy that:
Artsy shot of the trip: Mom on the over-filled Metro:
Ryan Hall, still not winning but still coming darn close:
Me running #1:
Me running #2:
Tired...:
...but happy (two down, more to go?):
P.S. I just realized that, in spending the time to write this post, I’ve missed my window to stretch. Guess I’ll be running with tight legs tomorrow….
Oh, and last month's mileage total: 207.76 miles
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