In the confusion of dawn light: Is it nerves? Do I have a race today?
The coffee maker is set to brew at 6 so it's ready when I stop hitting "snooze."
I rush to get out the door on time.
Do I have my notes? My textbook? My roster?
Where's my coffee?
Spring semester has started!
And oh what a semester it will be...
Two days a week I'm scheduled for 12-hour days. I start office hours before 9am. My last class ends at 9pm. I work the "day job" in the middle. I have exactly 30 minutes for lunch. Only.
This is not a complaint, it's a statement of the situation. I am happy to be teaching, despite the long hours.
But half an hour break for lunch is not enough time for a workout. (Or is it? Maybe if I eat at my desk, I can sneak in a quick run around the block? Maybe I can get in a round of strength training before I leave in the morning?) Dinner waits until I get home (sometimes 10pm). I will have just enough energy to shovel food into my mouth and put on my pajamas. Working out after class is an unlikely option.
Is it bad that my biggest concern about this semester is what havoc it will wreak on my training schedule? Is it weird that I'm already postering my home office with signs like this:
I know I will make it through the next 16 weeks. I have done more difficult things than teach morning and night. But I want to keep my sanity and health intact during these 12-hour days.
I will find a way to adjust my schedule to make this work.
How do you stay fit when your schedule gets crunched?
