All Or Nothing

I often think that having a seven day week is rather inconvenient.

Especially when you have to (or want to) do something every second day.

Having an odd number of days in the week means that what you did on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday last week you will now be doing on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday this week.

Example:

I swim Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.  Those days never change and I like the predictability of that schedule.

Currently, my back to running program has me running every second day.  Last week, I ran Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  It worked beautifully.  I got out of bed every morning and did something.  I showered, dressed, had breakfast and felt energized and ready to tackle the day.

Even if the day was spent reading on the couch.

This week, thanks to our seven day cycle, I have to run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I am not going to give up my swimming on those days so now I am faced with a dilemma.

Do I swim, shower, come home and eat breakfast and then run later on in the day - only to have to shower a second time?

Do I swim, pull on running clothes, drive home, run, stretch, shower then have breakfast?

Do I drive my car to the pool at 5:45am, run for 17 minutes, stretch, then swim for an hour?

Two showers in one day makes for a lot of wet hair.  Swimming for an hour + running and stretching means that breakfast won't be happening until 9am (even though I got up at 5:30).

None of these options are particularly appealing.

Neither is the idea of not doing anything on Tuesday and Thursday.  I am under strict instructions to take rest days for running.  I can't swim those days since the pool hours don't work for me. It's getting pretty cold out so cycling is not happening unless I want to get on my trainer in the spider infested, kinda musty basement.  Even power walking needs to be limited because it's too much too soon for my recently healed stress fracture.

Only a few more weeks of tightly scheduled runs and then things lighten up a bit - in terms of schedule strictness.

Then I can happily swim Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  Run Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.  And luxuriate in bed on Sunday morning with a good book.

Speaking of books, I am in the middle of reading Tina Fey's book Bossypants and have put myself on restricted reading access.  No reading in public.  No reading when someone else is in the room.  Most importantly, no reading when someone is lying in bed beside me.

This book is so ridiculously funny that I break into frequent bouts of hysteria (complete with tears running down my face and no-so-ladylike snorts).  I put the book down, giggle like mad, finally gain some semblance of control, pick up the book and dissolve into hysteria again.  And again.  And again.

Gentlemen, I'm not sure how entertaining you'll find the book.  Not because it's anti-men in any way - just because her stories are often about the craziness of being a woman (brick-sized maxi pads, trips to Korean-owned mani/pedi shops that are apparently the same anywhere you go etc etc).  It is however a fascinating story to follow as Tina Fey learns improv, joins SNL and then goes on to 30 Rock.

Just don't read it alone on the subway.