Weekend?

Where did it go???!!!!  I remember Friday, and then suddenly it is Monday and I'm back at work again. WTH. At any rate, here comes the recap! Friday night entailed a trip to Rite Aid and the grocery store, then home for the night. Ate half a frozen pizza for dinner (just because I wanted to and then pretended it was carboloading for the long run in the morning). Watched a little TV and in bed by nine.  Alarm goes off at 4:30, snoozed until 5 and then rolled out of bed.  Tried to ignore the anxiousness about the run I had in front of me.  Dressed, grabbed all my gear, including the iPod for the first time, and headed out.  The iPod lasted about 20 minutes before it became just one more thing to carry.  The headphones just wouldn't stay put and I was fed up with adjusting them in my ear every 5 seconds.  If anyone has suggestions for headphones that do not SUCK, I would love to know.   I did finish the full 14 miles.  So, hurray!  I felt every one of them, but I had company the whole time.  She was really sweet and kept asking how my hips were doing, did I need to stop and stretch, etc.  I know if it hadn't been for her I would have walked so much more and probably stopped to cry. The weather was actually beautiful and I didn't really notice the sun until the last couple miles.  If we had run much farther it would have started to get hot but I think it stayed in the 70's for the duration. I'm pretty sure getting my hips checked out is a good idea at this juncture, but it isn't going to happen before the next long run.  This week is just too ridiculous.  Work every day, class M W Th, band Tuesday, and a gig Friday night.

Once the run was over there was a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts to refuel and caffeinate, then home to shower, pack, and hit the library. No naps this weekend. I met up with a classmate, Claire, and we quickly got down to business.  Between the two of  us, this was our stack of reading.

She's tackling two research projects, one a client assessment of Bipolar Disorder and another on prison reentry.  I'm going a client assessment on Anorexia Nervosa.  We've both got 2 other essays and 2 tests this week as well, so there was much hair pulling and weeping to be had.  Actually, that was mostly me.  Claire was calm.  Maybe a little too calm.  We stayed until they kicked us out to close, but let us leave all our books out since we swore we'd be back the following day.  I headed home where I kept working until it was time to meet up with a friend to do the interview I needed for my assessment.  Two glasses of wine and a slice of chocolate mousse cake later I had all the relevant info I needed plus some QT with a dear friend.  Went home and straight to bed.

My legs were pretty achy for most of the day and bed was a great relief.  I didn't sleep very well but somehow manager to linger there until 1 pm, the exact time the library reopened.  My bag was still mostly packed from the day before so I threw clothes on and was out the door before 1:15.  Claire and I rocked the book stacks again until about 7 pm.  Headed home and continued to work.  I made some flash cards for the test today but I don't know when I'll get the chance to review them without blatantly doing so during work. I hadn't seen Joe since Wednesday so he swung by around 9:30 last night to pick me up.  One beer and an extremely overdue shower later, I was zonked out.  This morning came really fast and here I am at work, pondering how I am going to get it all done.  I guess the first step would be to STEP AWAY FROM THE BLOG.  

Before getting down to business for the day I did make one quick purchase online.

Just a little something extra for my runs.  I've been having serious hydration issues, especially in the heat, so I'm hoping that this little guy will take care of that.  I liked the curve of the bottle and the size.  I really dislike running with anything in my hand but I'm willing to try this out.  It is supposed to ship within 2-4 days so I might be able to try it out at work before taking it out for a long run.  Anyhoo, I'm going to be a good employee now and try to get something done without dissolving into a weepy mess about my test tonight. I can do this.  As mom my told me this week, I am doing OUTSTANDING juggling my schedule and I need to keep reminding myself of that.  Work, school, band, marathon training.  I OWN IT.

How was your weekend? Did you run or race? What is one thing you do to calm yourself down when you are feeling overwhelmed or stressed?  I'm always looking for new healthy coping skills.  Leave it in the comments, kids!