Happy National Running Day! I hadn't intended to run today, but when I realized the date I decided to go out for an easy 2.3 mile jaunt. You see, when I don't have a race on my schedule, I tend to be pretty lax about my mileage. It's easy for me to settle into a routine of thinking that 2-4 miles 2-3 times a week is just fine when there's nothing to train for and so much else to do. But whenever I start training again, I always regret that I have to rebuild my base and conditioning. So in order to prevent me from settling into a low mileage rut, I have added a 5 mile race in St. Peter, MN to my schedule for the 4th of July and am starting to look for a late summer 10K and a fall half-marathon. I was on the verge of asking a friend if I could visit her for a weekend in LA when I realized that the Rock&Roll LA Half wouldn't work for me because I will be at a conference back in the Midwest that same weekend. I have a couple of others that I'm considering, though.
Otherwise, I'm just trying to settle back into a routine here. I'm still struggling a bit with jet lag and start wanting to go to bed around 6pm. I've been able to force myself to stay up until 10:00, but I have yet to sleep through the night. Hopefully, I will get back on track before changing time zones yet again.... Mainly, I'm trying to get in a few hours of work every day in between looking at real estate listings and filling out applications to be pre-approved for mortgages and taking Bailey to the park with M.
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| Bailey explores the jungle |
It's good to be home, but I am feeling a little bit restless after all the activity of the past month in Madrid. Also it's rather strange to not have anywhere to go, as I'm technically unemployed until August and no longer have an office on campus here. I'm hoping that after the house hunting expedition I can truly get into a groove for a few weeks of quality work and quality running.
How do you deal with jet lag? What about a lack of an established routine? Did you celebrate National Running Day by lacing up your running shoes?
I'm not suffering from jet lag and still want to go to bed around 6 PM every night. :) I tend to be very lost if I don't have a standard routine so I certainly understand how you are feeling right now!
ReplyDeleteJet lag sucks! It's always harder coming back. I try to jump right back into life as fast as possible, so I go to work the day after I get home usually... but it's brutal and I really think it takes me about a month to get back to normal. I don't have much trouble when I go to Europe though, it's the coming home part!
ReplyDeleteAnd I crave routines. I don't do well when I don't have one. I love vacations, but when i get back, I am usually excited to get back on track with a regular routine (and healthy, normal meals!).
I will be lacing up my shoes in a bit to join my club for a run. :)
Jet lag takes a few days to get past. Just try as best you can to follow the time zone you are in now (get up, go to bed based on the clock, not what your body says).
ReplyDeleteI put in a hard effort at the track last night, not going to run today.
I got in an early morning run this morning and was back before the sun even came up. I go nuts when my routine is broken, really ruins my day. My husband always tells me I need to go with the flow more.
ReplyDeleteWow, welcome back! To try to combat jet lag, I usually try my hardest to get back into the schedule of whatever time zone I am in. Sometimes that it easier said than done. I am totally a creature of habit, so without a routine, I am lost. But, you create a new routine!
ReplyDeleteAfter any sort of trip, it generally takes me three days to find my normal rhythm again. You had a big change in time zones...so I'd say you were doing well. Even without an office, could you go to campus to work on your articles?
ReplyDeleteI probably could go do some work at the library, but I don't have the motivation to lug all my research materials and laptop around to work in a space that isn't that inspired or inspiring. I think I'll probably do some work at coffee shops later in the month, though, as I'll be in need of a change of scenery.
DeleteIt's so tough, isn't it! I find that getting out into the sunshine helps and as much physical activity as I can manage. And I let myself have a good nap in the afternoon, which helps me stay up a bit later and doesn't seem to affect my night's sleep. I've slept through the last two nights and managed to skip the naps, although I do get up a bit too early, 6-ish. Not bad though for a 9-hour time change -- took about 6 days to really feel normal again.
ReplyDeleteA week is what it usually takes for me to get to feeling normal again after such a drastic shift in time zones. Good thing I'm changing time zones again exactly one week after getting back....
DeleteI did my PhD in circadian biology, and I have two tidbits about jet lag. One is that in general, it seems to take a day per time zone crossed to entrain to your new location. If you crossed through eight time zones, it would take you about eight days to completely adjust to the new time zone. The second is that our digestive systems seem to take longer to entrain to time zones than our brains. More specifically, the cellular clocks in the brain can entrain pretty rapidly (and light is a potent stimulant for entrainment), but the cellular clocks in your liver take much longer. So that may explain the sluggish feelings we associate with jet lag--your body clocks are all out of whack with each other!
ReplyDeleteAnd happy (belated) National Running Day to you!
Aw Bailey is such a cutie! Good luck with the house hunting ... and finding a 10K and half. :)
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