Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Crankypants

I am 32 years old and Monday night I wanted to throw a tantrum.

Every year, we hold an evening meeting for parents of 5th graders to give them all the pertinent information regarding transitioning to 6th grade - middle school. This year we also linked this meeting to the informational sessions on the DC and Tallahassee trips. Basically, I was at school until 8pm. That's 13 hours at work, for those counting.

Monday nights are for running. Lately, I haven't been running on weekends because things have been busy, so by the time Monday rolls around I am ready. Monday runs are a nice way to start the week. This Monday, I realized they are an important way to start the week.

My last run was Thursday. Missing my Monday run meant I hadn't run in four days. I was cranky! At first I couldn't figure out why I was in such a foul mood, why I felt antsy and why I wanted to kick something. I just knew I was revved up and peeved.
Real-live footage of me on Monday night.
I tossed and turned in bed all night, and when I woke up Tuesday morning from my fitful sleep I put two-and-two together. Sleeplessness and irrational anger? Running withdrawal.

It's funny how quickly that sets in! Apparently a couple weeks of running three days a week is enough to form the running habit, and four days off is enough time to feel the effects of missing it.

Luckily, Elizabeth and I had planned a run for Tuesday (as the Spanish teacher, she had to be at the meeting to talk about middle school electives) ahead of time. I think she was feeling as antsy as I was; we were both frustrated over missing a Monday run. When we made up for it on Tuesday, it felt SO good.
The funniest part was when I was telling her about my "running withdrawal" symptoms. It made us both realize that we're truly back into a normal running pattern. It's one more step on the recovery staircase. These days, extra rest isn't welcome or necessary. It's just annoying.

I plan to continue to run three runs a week for a little while longer; it's not a perfect habit yet and sometimes I still feel I'm testing the water, but I'm feeling more consistent every week! And apparently, I'm at the point where I'm feeling it when I miss a run.

ABK


4 comments:

  1. Omg On Sunday I got ENRAGED because I went to Lowes before working out. I didn't end up running, I did a deck of cards workout, but I got my heart rate up endorphins going, etc, which is basically what I needed. I had to go HARD before I simmered a bit and didn't want to kill someone. That's a long work day! When we have nights we have to come back, I usually go home first since I live close by. Sometimes it's literally go home, shower, drive right back, but I like that tiny little break. BUt's it's over soon! Sooner for you, I believe. Our last student day is June 1 (super early for us) and we have two in-service days after that.

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    1. I am sometimes able to make a trip home but going back out again is the WORST. I live about 15-20 minutes from school depending on traffic.

      Our final day is May 30 for the kids. The entirety of May feels like the last 3 miles of a marathon - the closer the end gets, the farther away it feels!

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  2. Ok- this is SO me today! I slept like absolute crap last night and waking up at 4am for my workout wasn't even an option since tonight is a late night with my daughter's track meet. I was feeling SO cranky and like sludge, so I took my 4 year old for a quick walk. It worked wonders and I can not wait to work out tomorrow morning, I didn't realize how much my body needs this until this morning when it didn't happen!

    Jen
    jpabstfitness.com

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    1. Sometimes even a little movement can help take the edge off!

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