Being Needy



Lately I have been working quite a few morning shifts at work each week.  And by "morning" I mean that I have to arrive at 4:30am.  Kind of early, right?  I have not been getting nearly enough sleep and to be quite honest I am not a fan of getting out of my warm, cozy bed at 3:45am but that is just the way it goes sometimes. 

So I opened on Monday, which happened to also be President's Day and the staffing was for a typical Monday- too bad it was a holiday and it was actually really slow in the morning and then got REALLY busy once everyone got going for the day, around 9:30am.  Yes, I know I work in customer service and I truly enjoy helping people but on this particular day my customers were NEEDY.  Just a suggestion but if you are in a coffee shop and the line is going out the door please don't ask me to cut your sandwich or pastry in half or add 3 honey's to your tea.  I don't mind, but the 15 people in line behind you would probably appreciate if you did those things yourself!!   

After I finally got home all the neediness had rubbed off on me and I was a whiny mess.  My original plan was to head down to the local track for my run but it was raining and I just really wanted to push a button and run instead of having to focus on my pace.  That sounds terrible, but it is the truth.  Plus I was craving the sweaty mess that I become from a hard treadmill run. 

Happy again after my run!

On my agenda was a 1 mile warm up, 4x1200 meter repeats with 400 meter rest intervals, then a 1 mile cool down.  The first half of the run I set the treadmill to a 1% incline, then for the last 2 repeats and the cool down mile I bumped it to 2%- how is that for being needy???  My pace for the 1200's was at 7:35 which was a pretty challenging pace for me to hold.  The first one wasn't too bad, but that last one was really difficult.  I actually thought I may lose my lunch but refused to stop until I reached my goal. 

And you know what?  I was in such a better mood after I ran, it was like all the craziness from the day just sweat right out of me into a puddle on the floor.  And THAT, my friends, is why I love running.   It really is cheaper than therapy.  And rather satisfying as well. 

Total distance:  5 miles    Total time:  41 minutes     Average pace 8:08

As soon as my run was finished I popped in P90X2- Chest+Back+Balance (my goal this week is to complete ALL of my workouts).  This is seriously the most difficult dvd I have seen yet.  A ton of push ups and a ton of pull ups/chin ups.  I need to get the Chin up Assist so I can get more out of this workout, but I did what I could and did the modifications when I needed to.  The girl in this video is kind of annoying to me- she is just too sugary sweet.  And she can do way too many pull ups haha. 

Gotta love a good Peanuts comic once in a while

On Tuesday I opened at work again, squeezed in a short nap and then did P90X2-Plyocide and Ab Ripper after picking the kids up from school.  I really like the plyocide dvd and I feel it is quite beneficial for my running because it is basically a bunch of dynamic jumping movements.  One of my favorite moves is the Toe Tap 360.  You place a medicine ball on the floor and then quickly tap your toes on top as you move around it, switching direction as he calls it out. 

Toe Tap 360

The Ab ripper workout is growing on me- I have actually only done it about 4 or 5 times because I tend to skip it.  Oops.  It is only 15 minutes so I don't know what my problem is, but I am trying to fit it in more often now.  Actually I do know what the problem is- it is 15 minutes of pure torture and pain.  Ab ripper really does feel like your abs are being ripped apart.  I hope that means it is working.

Yesterday I had an early shift that started at 6:30am- not quite as early but still early.  I had a 5 mile run on my schedule with 3 of them being at my short tempo pace of 8:20.  It was very windy outside- close to 20 mph gusts of ice cold air and the thought of trying to meet that pace was enough to send me back to my treadmill again.  I fiddled around longer than I should have and my lunch of pho noodles had worn off by the time I started my run.  The handful of pretzel m&m's I ate did not give me the energy I needed and my run was hard from the get go.  I was also rather tired and my muscles were sore.  But I got it done and that is what matters.  Even if I was needy and whiny while I did it! 

Happy to be done with THAT run!

Total distance:  5 miles  Total time:  44 minutes   Average pace:  8:46

Do you have to get up early every day?  Do you get enough sleep every night?  I really prefer to get 8 hours and for the last several years my sleep schedule was 11:30pm-7:30am but now it is all over the place and it is really starting to affect me.  I have had about 5 colds this winter -which is about 4 more than I typically get.  Coincidence?  I think so.

What do you do when you are feeling tired and needy but still have a workout to fit in?  Do you modify it, skip it or workout harder?

Do you have a good story about being in line behind a "needy" customer while waiting to order?

Have an amazing weekend!  I am planning a long run in the morning so I need to get some much needed sleep!!