A different sort of run: run down

I am out of it today! I had planned on getting up early for a 6:30-7:30 am yoga class but opted out when I woke up around 5:40 feeling absolutely drained. I went back to sleep and woke up a few hours later and haven't felt much better all day. I have a low-grade headache and a weird, lingering fatigue. It has sort of gotten in the way of my doing just about anything today.

I did manage to put air in my bike tires and I call that a win. I am going out for an early dinner to celebrate my new job and am hoping that if I take it easy this afternoon (and maybe even lie down for a while, although I really hate that idea) I will be able to hit the gym later tonight.

I'm not entirely sure why I am feeling so run down today, but I guess that's not really all that important. Some days are just like this. I just don't like the fact that it is sort of interfering with the things I would like to get done today. I'm also hoping it passes because I am running a 5k tomorrow with my sister and I don't want to feel like I am struggling through it!

Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes and support for me during my job search and its outcome. It means a lot to me to know that you are all so supportive!

Employment! And yoga!

After a long stint in the doldrums, I think I can now state with confidence that things are on the up and up! Yesterday I accepted a job at Columbia teaching French in the department and coordinating events and programs at the French house (also known as la Maison Française). This means a couple of things: 1) gainful employment!; 2) I'm moving back to New York after a stint at my parents' in the DC area; 3) an enormous source of stress in my life is gone! If, by any chance, any of you have connections to anyone (sane) who is looking for a roommate in New York, let me know. Or if you have suggestions about places to live in New York that are not too expensive (har, har, I know), let me know.

Running has taken a back seat for a while but now that I am participating in this virtual training group, I feel more motivated. Plus I will start training pretty soon for the Philadelphia marathon. Lets hope that this training period goes better than the last one. In spite of this extended period of difficulty with running, I've been doing a ton of yoga so I have not been entirely idle. I've been going to this studio not far from my parents' house and I have to say it can be somewhat hit or miss. It has taught me a lot about what I look for in a yoga teacher, and what I sort of never want to see from a yoga teacher. It has been an interesting learning experience, if nothing else. And I have toned up a bit in the process!

Is anyone else doing any yoga? I have always thought it was a good complement to running, since it counteracts a lot of the muscular tightness that running tends to encourage. If you do any yoga, what do you like or dislike in a teacher? I am sort of curious to hear about others' experiences.

I'm still a runner!

The last week has been insane--far busier and difficult than any other week that has given me trouble over the course of this past year. Because I left Columbia, I had to be out of my University-owned Manhattan apartment by the end of May, which, roughly translated, meant a Saturday move-out. This also meant that I spent the week leading up to this day packing, purging, and shuffling stuff around so that my move would go as smoothly as possible (as if that ever happens, no matter how hard we try). In all honesty, I hate moving. When I sat down and thought about it, I realized I had moved seven times in the past eight years (that is to say since moving out for college). That is a lot of moving. My dream right now is just to settle in somewhere for longer than two years. It is just such a stressful process. Anyway, like I said, the week involved a lot of work. Saturday I packed up a Uhaul truck and a minivan with the help of my parents and friend Mike; Sunday I unpacked the Uhaul truck and managed to somehow hurt my back (not significantly, but enough so that I was pretty uncomfortable); and yesterday I unpacked the minivan. Last night was my first good night of sleep and I still feel sort of beat up and run down. I am now living at my parents' house until I have found employment that is gainful enough to enable me to move out.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't run at all last week. There just wasn't time and with all the work I was doing getting ready for this move, I didn't have the energy. I'm disappointed about it but I am trying not to be too hard on myself about it. I have just had the hardest time getting into a solid routine. It's aggravating, really. Hopefully this week will be a bit quieter and will allow me to get back into the habit of running. I will keep you posted.

More than anything, I just wanted to post to let everyone know that I am still alive and that I am also still a runner; just in case you thought I had gotten so disillusioned that I had decided to give it all up!