Stepping Back?

Things feel pretty crazy right now.  Our big twice-a-year audit is happening at work this week, so besides the stress with that, it also means a work dinner one night and a work lunch one day, and probably coming into the office on Friday, my usual work-from-home day. 

And I can tell I'm stressed.  For one of the first times in my life, I'm having some major insomnia.  I woke up last night at 1:45 and was awake for about 2 hours before dozing off again.  Just working -- in my head.  Thinking about emails and cases.  Ugh.

But the good news is that yesterday was a kick @ss kind of work out.  I think I've mentioned that somehow I gained some weight this spring.  I think it was probably because I was running so slowly when I ran wearing the weight vest, so I wasn't getting as much cardio.  I was actually running fewer miles as well. 

So I've been trying to clean up my eating a bit and be pretty serious about working out.

I realized that in a typical week, I work out at least 8 times, plus usually about 2 yoga classes. 

And it has FINALLY paid off! 

I think I'm back to the weight where I usually spend most of the year (about 5 pounds above my racing weight, and still higher than I'd like to be, but just where my body seems to settle).  And yesterday at boot camp, suddenly I felt like I was BACK! 

I felt like I was bringing it.  Working hard and doing well.  At the top of my game. 

Geez, it took long enough!  It has seriously been over a month that I've been running back at my "normal" pace -- and my heart rate was through the roof.  I wouldn't say my heart rate has lowered much yet, and I actually kind of felt like I was dying this morning during the run, but there's been some progress. 

It's really just in time because, based on external scheduling, I am about to step back my workouts a little.  I think I am dropping about one per week.  Right now I'm doing boot camp 3 mornings a week, and running 3 mornings a week, plus doing a track meet one night per week and a social run one night per week.  And then about 2 yoga classes. 

Tonight is the last of the track meets, and as much as I love them (it really is one of the highlights of my week), I am so ready for a little down time. 

It must be the summer scheduling, as mentioned before in the comments, but there is just so much going on at night lately.  I miss having some lazy dinners at home, getting to go to bed early. 

Oh, and since it's going to be 104 degrees tonight at the track meet, it's probably best that they end now before the summer gets any worse.  And now the good news is that with the track meets ending, I've gotten  to where I want to be.  I've gotten some speed back, I've lost some of the weight I gained, I feel better about myself, etc.  I think working out 7  times a week plus a couple yoga classes will work well for me going forward -- and that's still with one rest day from working out.  Seems like I have a reasonable plan now, and I like that feeling.  And I'm so happy I don't have the extra weight telling me I should fill my soon-to-be-unoccupied Tuesday nights with a replacement workout for the track meets!