Feeling Burnt Out

I didn't go out for a run last night when I got home. It wasn't that I was too tired. I simply didn't feel like it.

I think that I've simply been trying to do too much for the past few months and it's really starting to catch up to me. As much as I love skiing and teaching skiing, I have to admit that I've been counting down the weekends until I'm done teaching for the season. The end of my teaching season is now 4 days away.

I've been working 4 days per week at my "regular" job, and I've been working about 25 hours per week at my second job recently. I think that something will change here soon and I'll be working fewer hours per week between those two jobs. But, last week, every single night of the week, after either working my day job or teaching skiing, I went home and fired up my laptop to work at the second job.

Over the past few weeks, I have just felt like I'm drowning in work. I'm still doing my workouts and I'm enjoying them. However, I haven't been eating very well, I've been drinking more alcohol, and some of my motivation is waning.

And yes, I understand that having a job is a good thing these days. Between the 3 jobs, I make enough money for my family to live fairly comfortably, and I can afford to travel to ultras. I can afford to ski all winter. I know that could all change at any time. Even though the hospital where I work is very financially stable, they recently deferred annual raises for employees to help make their budgets for the current fiscal year.

I don't think it's a coincidence that I got sick a few weeks ago. I was simply trying to do too much and my body had had enough. I'm mostly recovered now, but the stress is still out there.

So, this weekend, I'll enjoy my last weekend skiing with the kids. I really like spending the days with them and going skiing, and I'll miss it as soon as it's over. I think I'm about done with the stretch of long hours at my part-time job. Our grant application is due the end of next week. I'm going to run long the next day, on April 4th. And then, a week from Sunday, on April 5th, I'm planning to turn off my alarm clock when I go to bed. I'll sleep as late as I want that day. I haven't been able to do that since mid-November or so. My only non-working days since mid-November still required me to get up early and be somewhere or do something.

On the positive side, I'm in pretty good shape. My 22 miler last week went very well. My 9 miler on Monday went well. I'm having fun in the gym. I'm going to run 9 tonight and 12 tomorrow.

But, I need some mental downtime, and I need to do better with my diet as Western States gets closer.