The Half Dead Workout

I am at least half dead, both literally and figuratively, if you count the fact that I'm halfway to 97 years old. I really don't have any ambition to make it to 97, either, knowing what happens to most human bodies after about age 85.

This work hangover is lasting way longer than it should. I got 8 hours of sleep uninterrupted last night, but I still feel like a turd. I only got 8 miles in yesterday and this morning I forced myself, dragged my ass over to the track to attempt a speed workout. What I wanted to do was 8 x 800, but I got out there feeling half dead and bargained with myself, if I could just get through half the workout, I'd be off the hook.

I actually didn't do too bad as far as pace, they were all consistent at 3:24-3:26, but it was only 4 of them, and in between I was dying, and I felt like I wanted to lie down and take a nap on the track. I just feel exhausted.

After the beautiful fall day we had yesterday, this morning it looked like we were in for a repeat, but by 10 am the wind was picking up, the clouds were moving in, and the temperature stopped rising. I am hoping that after a nap I can go out this evening and put a few more miles in. Wheaties Boy is off at a photo shoot, so we won't do our tempo run, that's why I did the speed this morning.

My hands are freezing. I need to turn on the heat! I also need to drink a lot of fluids, I feel dehydrated, I keep getting annoying little foot cramps.

After the half track session, I got the oil changed in my car, I need to get ready for my trip next week. Got the instant Starbucks packets, some peach-apricot bars, and found my race table out in the garage. I won't have much time to pack next week so I'll have to start this weekend. The extended forecast for OKC looks decent, some chance of rain, but the temperatures look to be cooling down into the 70s from where they've been lately, in the mid to high 80s.

Somehow I need to get some fast runs in this week. I go back to work tomorrow for another 12 hour shift and then I work at least an 8 hour shift on Thursday evening. Dreading it, only because I feel so tired now. I feel like there isn't enough time to recover.

Hoping that Wednesday we will have enough staff, which we should given it's a weekday, so I'm not in a whirlwind of every 15 or 30 minute vital signs and cleaning chairs for 12 hours in between taking care of 4 to 5 patients at a time and dealing with the pharmacy and doctors, getting warm blankets and pouring coffee, fetching crackers and soda, which is what goes along with 5 patients having two chemos going at the same time along with a blood transfusion, biotherapy, and antibiotics. And by the time they all get done, you have new patients. Fun!

This is the problem with cutting back on nursing staff. The remaining nurses get fried. And it doesn't take long until they are completely burned out. But we are expendable, just replace us with new ones. Really they aren't saving any money by doing this, because of the cost to train nurses. The way we work in this country is stupid. All the money still being funneled to the top...how quickly they forget once they promote themselves out of the trenches...

This weekend I'm going to Denver to hang out with Steph, we're going to have some girl time together. Karen Pate is putting on an informal 50K run on Saturday with a party afterwards and Steph and I will help out a bit in getting things set up and we'll walk for a while, and catch up on our lives. It's been too long.