On Not Running

I'm going to write about not running. That is what I've been doing lately. I can't really complain, because, you know, life happens. It does. Shin splints happen at the beginning of the year, during your first race of the year, when you're a moron who wears new shoes to your 50 miler. You have to take time off running to heal properly. Dogs happen. You adopt a rescue dog who needs a lot of love to keep from coming home to a ripped apart home. Work happens. You get an amazing promotion at work, and wind up working 10 hour days. You love it, but all this "life" may not love you back, at least not physically. Shin splints healed, I love my dog, and I am really excited for and love what I do. However, I realized the last two weeks, coming home and falling asleep on the couch during Jeopardy, I need to start taking better care of myself. I thought I was burnt out on running, but really I'm burnt out on me.

Life happens.

Reasons, not excuses, don't matter. For whatever reason you're running late to run club, you miss the group and don't know the route. You have to do X at Y and meet Z at A. You stay at X too late to make it to yoga, swimming, running, you name it. You're too tired from doing F, G, and H to wake up early enough in the morning to do the fun things with your friends you want to do. You decide to plow through anyway. How bad can it be? You try to run a 100k on little training, lack of sleep, and random stress wearing you down. It takes FOREVER and you feel like it was a really bad idea.  You finish, but never admit to anyone how exhausting it was. Recovery takes FOREVER. You never admit how exhausted you are trying to plow through.

Life happens. So, what am I doing about life?

I am taking the weekend to re-evaluate the fact that Life happens isn't just a thing that makes me miss a yoga class here or there, but something that perpetually occurs. If I keep waiting for things to slow down, I'll never do the things I want to do.

Here's what I'm going to start doing about it:

AT WORK:

• Stop only drinking coffee at work, cut back on the plethora of coffee cups, and make sure I drink water before I go to work and during the day. 
• Make sure I meet with my staff early enough in the day that I don't have to stay late.
• On days I know I'll be staying later at work, I will budget either time to come in later or take a good lunch, so I am not wiped out.
• Take a break at work to go outside once a day. (amazingly, this hardly happens)
• Be proud of the work I do, get amazing things done, but respect when I need to stop for the day and go home.
• Stop taking work home with me.

ON THE MAT:

• Ensure I make it to yoga at least twice, but ideally 3 to 4 times a week.
• Try meditation.
• Try to go to one restorative yoga class each month.
• Finish out my 100 yoga classes for the year at One Down Dog.

ON MY FEET:

• Resume running at least 20 miles a week, but ideally 30+
• Roll Out
• Incorporate Speed drills and hill repeats once a week into my runs.

IN MY STOMACH:

• Drink my kefir every morning
• Resume meatless mondays and pescatarian eating Wednesday through Saturday.
• Eat to fuel my body with good foods and less junk from the diner at work.

FOR ME:

• Resume reading books. Aim for one a month, and throw some fiction in there for this nerd.
• Start going to bed at a decent time, taking melatonin, and getting enough sleep!
• Tell myself it's okay to need to sleep in sometimes.
• Get a massage once every other month.
• Ask for help sometimes.

THINGS I'M GOING TO STOP DOING:

• Taking work stress home.
• Stressing out about things that are beyond my control.
• Thinking it is too late to do anything.

Anything else?