Day 191: Bleary, Blurry

Out of balance. It only took two days and three nights, and I feel lost, disconnected from the intention to train for and complete this triathlon. My husband was away for the weekend and I wasn't able to get out to do anything on my own. Instead, with kids in tow, I shovelled very heavy snow yesterday afternoon, soaked to the bone with sweat by the time I was done, about an hour later ... and that was it.

Set my alarm to get up for the early yoga class this morning, and instead was woken through the night every twenty to forty minutes by my youngest, who has a bad cough but no other visible symptoms. He kept screaming for me; almost like night terrors. I would calm him down, and go back to my bed, and be woken less than an hour later. Finally at one a.m., I turned off the alarm and brought him to our bed where we slept very restlessly for a couple of hours, till he asked to go back to his bed. He slept soundly from 5 a.m. till 7:30. That was his longest stretch ... and mine. And I said to my husband, I'm remembering why I used to be unable to get up early. The desire to hop out of bed pretty much disappears when one has already been up half the night. Years of my life were spent like that, but I'm not used to it anymore. My head feels fuzzy. I feel incapable of planning or thinking in an organized way.

I did go to a yoga class at noon. It felt imperative. It was that--get myself back on track--or give up on the project (ridiculous, I know, but my momentum feels really off). Yoga class was a good reminder that two days off hasn't ruined the training. Good grief. If it takes this little to throw me off ...

Well, at least I bounce back.

Tomorrow, I'm getting up early whether or not the kid sleeps through the night: I've signed up for the next three spin classes in the session, and expect I'll sign up for more after that, too. I'm already dreading it. It isn't really much fun to put yourself through intense exercise. But it feels good afterward. I must stop dreading it. Note to self.

Sleepy ...

Here's what I accomplished last week (Monday to Friday): three hot yoga classes; one run; one spin class; one swim. For a total of six exercise slots.

Hm. Doesn't sound like much. Or am I just being negative? I wasn't able to exercise last weekend either, so that cuts out some serious exercise times at either end. Hopefully this weekend will be more giving. I need to run at least three times a week, and four would be ideal, and for that, I need the weekends. It's not realistic to aim for more than one dose of structured exercise per day; already the juggling is demanding. And just wait till spring when the kids start their soccer season in all seriousness; and swim lessons. Right now, the kids are doing soccer three times a week, total, and we also do piano, drum, guitar, and music lessons (for a total of three hours per week, but that doesn't include transportation time). My older daughter also does a theatre class once a week. With four kids, scheduling time for everyone to pursue their interests is a real challenge, especially as I ramp up my own interests, and we go down to one vehicle (in March). Hm.

Here's what I hope to accomplish this week: five yoga classes (I'm doing a 30-day challenge, so I'm hoping to do a few extra classes); three runs (two on the weekend); one spin; one swim. For a total of ten exercise slots. Yikes. We'll see whether it's remotely feasible. This month I'm going a little heavy on the yoga; next month will have to back off the yoga and go heavier on the run/swim/spin.