WELL RESTED?

The spirit is willing but…

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. Genesis 2:2

Today is Sunday May 9th, 2021. In the USA it is Mother’s Day. It is also this first day in weeks that I have not had a race, so I slept in, and boy did I ever sleep! Unless I am burning  vacation days , Sunday has been my ONLY day off this entire year, and for the foreseeable future. Worse than the lack of time off is that fact that due to a shortage of personnel at my day job, I’m straddled with mandatory, forced overtime. The abundance of 12-hour work days is great for greedy individuals who never seem to have enough money, but it is hard on the body. If you add commute time to and from work, I am DEFINITELY not getting enough sleep. Every day I get home from work exhausted, and each morning I wake up tired. My co-workers are in the same situation, as are many workers across the US who are likewise being impacted by a shortage of employees in the workplace.

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Another downside of constant work is that I can no longer find time to train for my races, so my performance has returned to where it was when I began running and this is very depressing. Training requires both time and commitment, but the training effect runs both ways. When you are training, you get faster and build muscle along with stamina and endurance. When you stop training you lose all the benefits of training as your body naturally reverts to its normal state.  Training must be consistent, and scheduled.

My day job is a physically demanding one, I’m outside all day long, running up and down stairs carrying packages and making deliveries. It’s not uncommon for me to walk 7-10 miles every workday.  The only thing I can control right now is my level of nutrition as I hope for a return to a normal 40-hour work week NEXT YEAR. This year however is completely shot. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak so I’m just going to have to face facts that my performance times at races this year are going to just plain suck.  It’s demoralizing knowing that you are capable of running a 10-minute mile, and now you are barely capable of running a 15-minute mile. I just don’t know what else to do at this point, and I am frustrated and I am running on empty .

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You can find me at these upcoming races:

May 2021

Chobot Challenge 15k Trail Run May 16 @ 9:00 am Rustic Park, Birdsboro, PA 19508

Third Thirsty Thursday   5K Race Series – Race 2/7 May 20 @7:00 pm Reading PA

Be sure to check back  on May 30th for another article.

As always, I wish you success and happiness!