A really long day. I realized that I have so much on my plate this fall: updating my thesis committee, somehow submitting a paper that feels unrealistic at the moment, presenting at a conference, taking a class (what a drag), writing a policy article, potentially participating in a policy program, maybe applying for a policy fellowship, probably attending a wedding because my dad is getting remarried, volunteering again to help another client pass their citizenship test, and, well, surviving. At least some shows are on my list. I’m supposed to go on a small trip in a couple of weeks, but I haven’t booked anything yet, so at this rate I probably am not going. It’s going to be a very long several months.
Pull-ups 3x5
Push-ups 3x10
BPA
Five-mile run in 43:39
Then ran with the dog for a little over a mile; I had to break it up several times because he is out of shape but mostly due to the onset of the worst heat wave of the summer.
8/22
Four-mile run in 34:10
That was a bad idea. Shortly after I came home, the heat index read the highest temperature I have ever experienced in my life: 125 degrees.
8/23
Pull-ups 2x5
Push-ups 2x10
BPA 2x20
Kneeling ab wheel 1x25
Worked up to 70x1 press and and 130x1 SSB. Did some extra squats at 110 and also threw in some SSB BSS because apparently I want to be really sore for several days during a deload.
I have the dog until the 31st. It’s been hard to run him because the heat is too dangerous. He has debilitating separation anxiety, and I feel awful for my neighbors when I have to leave to work in person. At the very least he does not cry at night anymore. However, his whining is so excruciatingly loud and painful to hear that I am willing to pay my friend for him to see an expert. It honestly seems like it’s gotten worse even though he isn’t a puppy anymore.
Anyway, I have been working all day, every day for a while, so I am exhausted from that as well as from the miserable heat. I also have to cancel an upcoming short trip that I had planned. On the bright side, I ordered a hydration vest yesterday, so I am excited for that to arrive.
I ordered the Patagonia Slope Runner vest. Of course there are bigger players in the hydration vest game, but I like the profile of this vest compared to others I’ve seen, and the durability seems promising. It arrived yesterday. I haven’t tried it on yet but might use it tomorrow, though the heat wave is finally gone here.
At the track: 4x600m (2:35,2:26,2:29,2:28) + 1x300m (1:11) before torrential downpour. Very slow today, but I always perform worse after time off and haven’t been sleeping well lately.
I ran a little over two miles with the dog now that the temperature finally dropped – by nearly 40 degrees.
Ran 10.5 miles in 1:29:00 and then ran the dog for another mile. He’s so mellow now; I’m glad I can tire him out.
I wore my new vest Despite the cold front tanking the temperature to a very pleasant 70 degrees, it was nice to not have to plan water breaks according to where water fountains are, which also limits my route to parks anyway. Still, I drank all of the water I brought within 10 miles. The vest is maybe a touch too big but doesn’t jostle around badly, so I will keep it, especially because it will be good when I wear more layers as if the weather cools down. My eyes were nowhere near as bloodshot afterwards compared to my previous longer runs this summer.
I also realized that I prefer carrying things in a vest rather than in a hip pack. Not that I bring a huge amount of things with me, but yeah. This would be really helpful to use for hiking or even biking too, so I will probably bring this with me on a work trip in the fall when I have a chance to do some fun nature activities.
It feels good to lift again too! I underestimated the effect of push pressing and strict pressing back-to-back. It kinda felt like DW in that way though of course nowhere near as bad. It’s been a long time since I’ve lifted at even a moderate volume, so it is good to get back to that and change things up a bit. I’m planning to lift three times per week.
AM
Pull-ups 9x4 (three sets normal grip + three sets close-grip + three sets wide-grip; 60s rest)
Front squat 95x5x5+ (10)
SA KB press 12kgx5x5+ (10)
Kneeling ab wheel 1x32
Push-ups 14,15
BPA 3x20
PM
Six-mile run in 52:17. Ran another 1.5 miles with the dog in the evening.
Three-mile run in 26:33, then ran another mile with the dog.
I am a zombie. The deadlifts felt so heavy at a weight I’ve pulled DW-style in the past, but I guess that’s what happens after not deadlifting for a while and being sleep deprived. So, I didn’t do the AMRAP. Then I ran slowly. I don’t remember the last time I’ve gotten a decent quality or quantity of sleep thanks to the dogs in my building waking me up. And also stress. This is my last night with My Dog, so I can only hope I manage to catch up on sleep this weekend. So it goes.
Pull-ups 1,2,3,4,5,6,4,4 (pyramid until one set is missed + one more max effort set; 10s rest per repetition in the previous set)
Ran 4 km to the hill, slogged up and down the hill for almost 1.5 miles, and ran another 4 km afterwards.
I’m still not getting any sleep. I am livid. Anyway, I was not feeling up for speed work today, so I went to The Hill. It bothered my ankle a bit – yeah, it’s still not fully healed – but not too bad overall.
Ran 11 miles in just under 1:40:00… it’s 100 degrees outside again. That was so rough. I also rolled the same foot again after about three miles I managed to shake it off, but I’ll probably feel it tomorrow.
Thankfully I finally Slept (10.5 hours!) for the first time in I don’t know how long because the annoying dog wasn’t here last night. Still tired though.
Okay, so I figured I’d pop back in here and post an update. I appreciate everyone’s concern!
I had been training consistently up until yesterday. I was under so much stress that I couldn’t even bear the thought of simply logging my workouts anymore. I’ve survived, but I decided that I need to take at least a week off from the barbell and running. Although the past few weeks have been especially bad, I’ve been pushing myself too much for months on end. Last weekend I spent a good chunk of the weekend feeling like I wanted to just collapse. What makes me even more sad is that all this stress has made me lose a lot of hair, more on one side than the other, which confused the hairstylist a bit today when I got a haircut. She evened it out, but now it means that my hair is much shorter than I would like. I almost want to cry when I think about how many months it will probably take to grow back. That was a big wake-up call for me.
Fortunately, one of my several big tasks is behind me. My annual thesis update went very well. I still have some big things to do that I cannot avoid, so I have to cut other stressors from my life. I am going out of town for mostly work next Sunday and plan to be active at my destination, not to mention other events and travel going on in October. So, it could very well be that I take longer than a week off from Training besides some pull-ups and push-ups. I’ve also decided to start meditating. Generally, I think I also need to learn to not treat all of my hobbies like part-time jobs. I don’t know how to rest physically or mentally. I am really hard on myself.
I’ve also had periods of feeling very down in the past couple of months to the point where my best friend asked if I think I am depressed. Honestly, I don’t know. But I suspect that my exhaustion and chronic stress are the primary culprits. I realize that what I wrote is concerning. I am considering getting bloodwork done in a few weeks to see if anything else may be wrong, but more than anything I want to just Relax for a bit, eliminate any unnecessary stress from my life, and see if things improve. If not, then I will see a doctor.
So, this is all to say that I won’t be logging for the time being. Sorry to everyone whose logs I haven’t caught up on!
Despite the cold front tanking the temperature to a very pleasant 70 degrees, it was nice to not have to plan water breaks according to where water fountains are, which also limits my route to parks anyway. Still, I drank all of the water I brought within 10 miles. The vest is maybe a touch too big but doesn’t jostle around badly, so I will keep it, especially because it will be good when I wear more layers 
I managed to shake it off, but I’ll probably feel it tomorrow.