I am officially my own worst enemy. Last night was the first
night I slept all through the night at home in my bed for quite a while. Pulling
myself together for swim practice I recognized I was dragging a bit. I just don’t
know how people do it but my days are jam packed. I do not know how people balance spouses, kids, chores, etc. I just have me to juggle and that is tough enough! Every minute I
commit to one thing, is a minute away from another. My coach wrote a pretty good blog post, one I reread often, about time and making choices. I struggle with time. Everyone knows it about me. The only place I excel at keeping time is in the pool. Go figure.
So my Sunday looked something like this:
5:00 AM awake – wide awake
I did not need to be up this early so for about an hour I
tossed and turned trying to sneak in a little more shut eye.
6:00 – 7:30 AM
I just could not get back to sleep so I got up and made a
cup of coffee and little breakfast for myself. I wrote a couple of letters and
flipped through a couple of cook books in an attempt to plan my meals for the
week. I updated my training logs from the day prior and put some laundry away. I fed the cats, scooped the litter boxes, and acted as their personal heater as I sat on the couch.
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| Professional cat heater |
7:30 – 8:30 AM
I took a trip to Harris Teeter to grab some of the ingredients I
would need for my meals. I wasn’t going to have a chance to go to the grocery
store the rest of the day so I had to get it done this morning. I should have left earlier but I needed to pull my shopping list together.
8:30 – 8:48 AM
Prepping myself and my bike to ride, layering clothes, filling water bottles, and pumping my tires.
8:48 AM
I left the house to meet some folks to ride at 9.
Unfortunately riding down the road my head felt really cold. I then realized I
forgot my helmet. D’oh.
8:52 AM
Attempt 2 at my departure
9:05 – 12:27 PM
Met a pretty hardy group at Inside Out Sports and we shipped
off to ride the Spencer-Crammer route which is a good 56+ mile route. Riding
from home I would get in at least 63 miles. The group did not dilly-dally but
we did make one extra stop for a pee break. At the store stop I had to put my
foot down a little bit to get us back on the road.
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| The pretty hardy group |
The throw down - This is where I rush in the house, throw down
my bike stuff, tear off my clothes, hop in the shower, and pack my bags for the
remaining events of the day. I probably stopped to pet a cat or two but they
may also have been running around the house slightly upset by the bulldozer
effect.
12:46 – 1:03 PM
Commute to Inside Out Sports with a brief stop at Noodles
and Company to pick up lunch. Noodles and Company has curbside service so I was
able to call in my order as I was leaving the house and it was ready in time for my
drive-by.
1:03 – 5:05 PM
My shift at Inside Out Sports.
5:05 – 5:10 PM
Packed up my stuff and changed quickly to run.
5:10 – 6:05 PM
50+ min run from the store. James graciously entertained me
for 30mins of the run and then I took off to run the remaining 20 minutes by
myself. I wanted to run as slow as possible so I would not have to run very far
in those 20 minutes but alas the momentum was still going and I ended up
having a very decent run.
6:05 – 6:20 PM
I jumped into the car and bee-lined to Trader Joes. I needed
to pick up some more groceries for my meals this week but I HAD to grab a bottle
of wine for the book club.
6:50 – 7:00 PM
Commute to book club. I snacked in the car on peanuts and
coconut water
7:00 – 9:30 PM
I was still in my running clothes so I had to change when I
got to my friend’s house. I would have loved to run home and shower but that
would have added at least 30 minutes and I was already an hour late. At least I
warned the ladies I was going to have a hard time making it there. We had a
good discussion on the book Gone Girl, among other things, and picked our next
book. I even got to watch a little bit of the Grammy’s, a rare treat for this
cable/digital/satellite-less gal. Unfortunately going to book club meant I
would not be able to make my meals for the week and I would not be able to make
muffins for my rehabbing friend and I would not have a chance to start the treats I am hoping to make for my friends for Valentine’s Day. I thought to myself there is
a good chance I could wake up at 2, 3, or 4 in the morning and I could get a
jump start on the cooking/baking. Who thinks like that? Me.
9:30 – 9:45 PM
Commute home.
9:45 – 10:15 PM
Groceries to put away, a clowder of hungry and attention
deprived cats, a pile of clothes, wet running clothes, partially empty water
bottles, and bags to pack were all waiting for me when I got home. I succeeded
in completed the minimum and maximum of what needed to be done before I prepped
to turn in for the night.
10:16
Out.
Looking back at my day I have to reflect on how I could have been more efficient. I have to stop and ask myself, did I make time for the important things? Or did I waste time on unimportant things? Looking at this time line I could have been more efficient in the morning. I could have gone to the grocery store earlier and I may have had time to make my lunch for the week. Instead I took the time to write two letters to friends of mine. Writing letters, the old fashioned kind, is my way of connecting to the people I care about. It is a connection I just cannot achieve via email. It is something I love doing and I will continue to make time to do it (when I can).
And then there is the book club. I know by all logic the correct choice should have been to take my groceries home and prepare my food for the week. If I do not fuel right everything seems to be 10x harder. It is harder to be in a good mood, it is harder to motivate myself to make it through my workouts, and it is harder to be productive when I am at home and work. Recently I have made fueling properly a priority. I am learning WHAT I eat is just as important as WHEN I eat. Recognizing this is one thing but finding the disciple to make it happen is another. The book club is something I committed to and I am excited about it. It is composed of several of the local lady triathletes as well as the spouses of several of the guys I train with. It has been difficult for me to create a connection with these ladies probably in part due to my personality but also in a small part of being seen as "one of the guys." I had a great time, the food was fantastic, and the discussion was . . . entertaining to say the least. It was a worthy deviation but the cost will be a full Monday of swimming, working, running, and cooking.
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| Fuel |
