Eek.

I will be honest, school hasn’t been my number one priority my whole life. It hasn’t been until the last couple years that I have taken it more seriously and have wanted to not just finish but do well and good get grades while finishing. That being said, this quarter I have been going to school 3 days a week. I didn’t realize how much this consumed my schedule until my running has practically diminished. I have only been running twice a week, if I am lucky. The last time I ran was Saturday and it was a fantastic run but it was 5 days ago. Not being able to run is starting to stress me out. I have noticed that I am slowly getting a little more depressed not exercising because that was my only stress outlet. I literally am gone all day- I go to work from 7-3:30 every day and then Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays I have school until at least 8 at night. The time in between (Mondays, typically), I have to spend doing homework or getting anything I need to do, done. Forget having time to myself during the week- that is strictly for the weekends, it’s the week that I have to squeeze more into my schedule.

The question is: How do I fix this problem? How do I make more time so that I don’t end up going crazy? The only solution I can think of is to start waking up at the butt crack of dawn and running before work. Although I did buy an alarm clock, I still am horrible at the whole waking up early thing. On to something a little more positive…

What I should mention is that so far my best time for 3 miles is 37 minutes and 50 seconds. I am very proud of this and have also been able to run a mile straight multiple times on the treadmill. I still need to be able to do a mile straight on the street because that is what really matters when it comes to doing the 5k. For now, I will forge on and try my damndest to get my butt up in the morning so I can run.

I like to move it, move it

I got my butt up early this morning to go running. I was too busy/exhausted on Monday and Tuesday so I wasn’t able to go then. This morning, however, was awesome. Other than the fact that I did not get up quite as early as I should have, it felt really good to get my running done in the morning. I feel energized and happy today and I will need that for a long day of work and school. Since I have school 3 days a week this quarter, I think running in the morning will be better for me in regards to managing my time. Anyone who knows me knows that I love sleep and if it were up to me, all adults would be allowed naps at work. Sleep is fantastic and I am really good at it. This is going to be my challenge in getting up early to run. In order to remedy that, I plan on buying an alarm clock since my phone just does not do the trick. What I also like about running in the morning, is that I still have the option to work-out at night or on my days off so I can remain active throughout the day!

Last Thursday, my roommate and I did a pilates/yoga work-out video that was streaming on Netflix. It kicked our tushes (literally)! I wasn’t too sore the day after but by the night after and the next day, I was definitely feeling the pain in that tush I previously mentioned, along with my legs, arms and stomach. I want to try and do this video every Thursday, as it not only mixes up my work-out routine but gives my roommate and I something fun to do together. I have not activated my gym membership yet but I plan on doing so on Friday. Once that is done, I will be able to go to the gym at nights so I can start doing some weight training.

Hmm, what else… I subscribed to a runners magazine! I had a nice, long chat with my friend’s mom who does marathons and she recommended this magazine. She says it has great tips for new runners, along with some exercises and stretches and good snacks for runners to have. I mailed my subscription card in, so I hope to get that within the next couple weeks. I have also been thinking about looking into new running shoes. I like the Nikes I have now but they seem a little heavy for running. SO! … lots of things to get done and, knowing me, they may take some time but I love lists, so let’s compile one:

o   Activate Gym Membership

o   Get magazine and start taking advantage of the great tips they have to offer

o   Continue to do my work-out video on Thursdays and find new ones

o   Lose 30 pounds (I am stuck at 24 right now)

o   Look at getting new running shoes

o   Buy an alarm clock

I think that is all for now. I will work on these bullet points and I think once I get some of them achieved, it will only motivate me to keep going.