I wish that I had one of those well-ordered lives. You know the kind -- no one is ever late for an appointment. No one misses a game or an event because of scheduling conflicts. Meals are on-time and healthy. Homework is never done at the last minute. Laundry and chores are completed in a timely manner, bedtimes are strictly adhered to, and Sunday School is well-attended. Heck, I am sure that sex is scheduled, too. Everything goes off like clockwork, without a hitch, every day.
This occurs to me because my life is pretty close to being the antithesis of that life. I am fairly organized in a lot of ways, simply because if I wasn't the wheels would fall off this train. But once you get away from the basic organization, man, there just ain't no tellin' what will happen. We plan in pencil, Chez Sarah. Yesterday, for example. We all got up on time, dressed and out the door on schedule. And by mid-morning, life at work was spinning out of control. 4 of 5 patients (and the families) had issues. And not minor issues, either. My preceptee and I just could not stay on task or stay on schedule. We were being pulled in so many directions that I am surprised neither of us lost a limb or at least a finger. It was bad enough that when Boarder Collie Surgeon (great guy -- look, a chicken!) showed up to check on my one patient who was behaving, I started talking fast and furiously, explaining the patient's condition and telling the doc what to do. He looked at me funny and said "Sarah, did you forget to take your ativan today or what? Lets just get the chart and you can tell me what to order". Doh! I don't usually get frazzled like that. Anyway, when the dust of the day settled, and I finally was on my way home, I realized that the Relay for Life thing that I had scheduled to do was out of my reach for the night. I was supposed to be there, was supposed to walk. But I wasn't and I didn't. I worried and fretted and waited for my mind to settle down, and when it did, I went to bed. You see, tomorrow's schedule included my first 20 mile run in 4 years.
The alarm went off at its appointed time. I dutifully sat up, turned the alarm off and went back to sleep, the rationale being that I had all day to run 20 miles, so why start now when I am still tired? The rational side of me knows better, and the rational side of me knows that I got lucky today. I intentionally went slowly and carefully, because, at 11:15 it was sunny, warm and windy. The run was fairly strong through the first 15 miles, but miles 16 - 18 were kind of ugly. I had to do some walking, but I kept moving. The last two miles were not as bad as they could have been, and actually, I had the legs to go farther, but only the fuel to gut out 20. All in all, this was a better long run than any of my previous ones. I was mentally tougher than previously, and that made a good bit of difference. 20 miles would have been easier with a running buddy, but I got through it by myself. It is fire season here, so dry and windy. I noticed that during my run, my shirt and shorts were barely wet, and by the end I looked like a powered sugar donut. I didn't smell like one, tho.
Total: 20 miles
Total for week: 44.5 miles
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