Last week was a hard week. I was dealing with a couple of really stressful things, as well as just having a lot going on. And I responded poorly. I skipped a few workouts and I ate my feelings. (And then I went to Costco and bought ALL the carbs so I could continue eating my feelings. Lesson learned: don’t go to Costco when you are stressed.) By Friday evening, I was just done. Unfortunately, despite going to bed early, I had a rough night (Jones had the ACT on Saturday morning. I’ve discovered that if I have anything that makes me get up earlier than usual, that I don’t sleep well. I need to fix this.)
Saturday, after I dropped Jones at his test, I decided I needed to just stop. I needed to find a way to get my head on straight – I couldn’t continue to support the people in my life who needed me if the well was dry. So I made some purposeful choices this weekend to refill my own glass in order to help those around me.
- I got back on the Faster Way to Fat Loss plan, which means I did leg day on Saturday (ouch) and a long slow run on Sunday. “Long” right now was 6 miles, but my ankle did not hurt and I got it done. I know my running base will return, I just need to be patient.
- I scheduled an appointment with my acupuncturist. I haven’t had a headache in a while and I want it to stay that way.
- Beer Geek and I went on a day date on Saturday to Heritage Brewing. The beer was good and it was nice to be in a not overly loud bar and able to talk some things through.
- Shoo and I spent Sunday working on a puzzle and reading books. I introduced him to Stephen King by way of Cujo. What’s your favorite Stephen King book? Judging by my Facebook post, everyone has one.
- I started planning my race calendar. My biggest race is up to the whims of the internet – I want to run the MCM 50K. There are only 500 spots and it’s a “who has the fastest fingers” situation. If that doesn’t work out, I may skip MCM this year and just volunteer or cheer. Either way, I have some fun plans on the way to that event.
Do you ever find that you have to stop and just pause for a bit? I know that slowing down and making myself a priority will make my time a little tighter, but I also know that I accomplish things more efficiently if I am not drained and muddled. What’s your favorite form of self care?
Refilling your own glass is such a great metaphor. Best of luck with that.
ooh Stephen King — one of my favorite topics. I actually used to run a Stephen King Mailing List. #Nerd
Pet Sematary was my first – Houston airport in 1996 for a delayed flight. Hello gateway drug. My favorite is probably ‘Salem’s Lot, but I also loved the Green Mile. I really should reread the latter – it has been a while. Loved Wind Through the Keyhole and then similarly to ‘Salem’s Lot, Wolves of the Calla. I haven’t read too much of his new stuff, but should fix that.
I feel like I just wrote something similar yesterday. Kudos to you for knowing what you need to do to take care of yourself. Good luck getting into the 50k!!!
yes definitely! I often take on too much at once and find I just need to take a break. hope this week goes better for you