Starting Over, Yet Again

There is an episode of Sex and the City in which one of the characters, Charlotte, is looking to start over after the failure of her first marriage. She goes to the self-help section of a book store in order to purchase a book that she believes will help her in this quest.  The book is called Starting Over, Yet Again. After being freaked out by the kind of customers who inhabit the self-help aisle, Charlotte decides it's better to purchase this book from amazon so that she can shield her pain and shame from public view and potential judgment.

Having a blog and trying to blog honestly about goals can make it difficult to hide feeling like you are starting over, yet again. These days I am struggling a little bit in my running and far more than I would like to be in my research and writing. While I feel pretty good about having mostly rebuilt my basic fitness in November, I am not quite running the mileage that I would like to be at this point. I try to be grateful that I am able to run without ITB pain, but there are times when I'm frustrated that my speed and endurance are nowhere near what they were during the summer months. I'm also beyond irritated that I have to return my new Forerunner 405 because it will not work. So, for the time being, I am back to running without a watch when I venture outside. Garmin tech support, while friendly, could not ultimately do anything more for me than offer an exchange under warranty. So I'm boxing up my Forerunner 405 and sending it back to amazon.

I'm perhaps even more frustrated by how slow and plodding my progress on some research projects feels these days. After getting myself stuck in the equivalent of grading quicksand in November, the first couple of weeks of December have also brought a deluge of final exams and papers. Admittedly, this grading goes a bit faster because I put a lot fewer comments on them, but it is still time consuming and at times depressing. By far, grading is the least enjoyable part of my job and it feels like it has been the thing that I've been doing the most for weeks. All of the marking has left me feeling burnt out and mentally sluggish.

This past week I returned to an article manuscript that I need to do some additional research for and then revise before submitting it to an academic journal. I have been devoting time, but it feels like I have made  little substantial progress. It is because I am starting over yet again. After several weeks of extremely limited research and writing, I feel out of practice and like my senses are dull. I know that, just like with running, it will get easier, and that's why carving out regular (daily is best) time for working on the scholarly component of my career is so crucial. But while I work to rebuild some momentum, I feel like my wheels are spinning.

So I'm stopping the engine for a day and refilling my tank with gas. I finished grading the last batch of finals yesterday afternoon. Today I'm reporting grades to the registrar and then taking the rest of the day off from all work. I'll go for a run, go to the post office to return my Forerunner, have lunch with my spouse, and go to a movie matinee. Maybe I'll paint my fingernails and read Jane Slayre or start The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Tomorrow I begin a writing workshop at my institution, and I really hope that it is useful for making progress on my writing goals. I plan to devote 8 hours a day to revising and working on my book manuscript proposal until I head for Louisiana later in the month.

How do you approach having to start over, yet again? What are some of your strategies for dealing with burn out and frustration?

Snowy Running Attempt

Last December I ordered a pair of Yak Trax. After they arrived, I promptly put them away somewhere and never used them. Out of sight, they were out of mind. This winter I have promised myself that I will continue to try to train outside about half the time and, after purchasing winter appropriate running pants and a running jacket, I ran outside in cold temperatures early last week and stayed comfortable the whole time. I did not have to contend with any snow or ice, though.

On Saturday it snowed off and on during the afternoon and into the night, and we probably got around 5 inches of the white stuff. Because I had been out with girlfriends listening to a bluegrass band and drinking beers on Friday night, I didn't make it out for my Saturday morning run with my running group, so I hopped on the treadmill that afternoon. I knew that I wanted to run outside on Sunday, though. As the snow came down, I initiated a search for my Yak Trax and eventually found them in a random shoe box under a box where my spouse stores CDs in the living room.... (WTF? Storage system and organizational fail.) I decided that I would test them out on a little 2-3 miler the next day.

Yesterday, after brunch and talking on skype with one of my amigas for a while, I pulled on my new running pants and jacket, strapped on my Garmin, put the Yak Trax on my shoes, and headed outside. It was cold and some areas of the sidewalks had been cleared relatively well and some not at all. I kept the pace slow, especially the first few minutes, because I wasn't sure how truly effective the Yak Trax would be at keeping me from slipping and sliding. I also was slow because of the resistance, and I could feel how much harder it was to try to run at the pace that has been my default normal over the past month or so. Since my Garmin battery was low, I decided to turn around after a mile.

It was hard, but it was fun! Previous times when I've tempted to run in the snow, I've ended up skidding and almost falling or actually falling on my ass and losing my temper. I think the Yak Trax will work just fine on snow, although I admit that I'm still pretty hesitant to try them on ice.

Do you have Yak Trax or do you put some screws on the bottom of your shoes to help make for safer footing during winter runs? Do people shovel their sidewalks when it snows where you live?

Product Review: Schwinn 840 Treadmill*

I used to have a Merit Fitness 725T Treadmill, but when we moved, we realized that it was going to take up way too much space in our moving truck.  We posted it on craigslist and sold it within a few hours.  On the other side of the move, I realized that I probably desperately want a treadmill during the upper Midwestern winter.  

I began to research treadmills and shipping and delivery costs, and after a week of hemming and hawing, I purchased a Schwinn 840 Treadmill on amazon.com for $749.99.  I chose to go with the free shipping option, which turned out to be a good decision.  Instead of paying $134 for shipping I just waited five more days for my treadmill to arrive via ABF.

It came on Wednesday, and my hubs and I put it together.  Between the two of us, it only took about 20 or 30 minutes to put together.  It was a relatively simple task.  The instructions were easy to follow, although the manual is for both the 840 and the 860 models and we did spend some time looking for parts that the 840 doesn't actually have before we realized our mistake.  The most difficult part was getting the extremely bulky box into the workout/Bailey dog room from the garage.

The treadmill folds up really easily.  It is also about 8,000,000 quieter and feels significantly stabler than my Merit treadmill was.  Although I far prefer running outside to running on a treadmill, after two runs on it, I'm very pleased with my purchase.

I love the flexibility that having a treadmill adds to my schedule.  If you are looking to invest in a treadmill, I would recommend this one, especially at its current price on amazon.com.

Do you run on a treadmill?  Do you own one that you are happy with?


*I was not compensated in any way by Schwinn or amazon.com for this review.  However, if they see this review and want to send me a Schwinn women's hybrid bike, I won't complain....  :)