Monday, June 14, 2010

Mental Health Day

I woke up around 7 on Sunday morning.  The sun was streaming through the blinds and I could tell it was beautiful out.  A quick check of the temperature on my iPhone confirmed it.  It was already 10C out.  I shuffled downstairs and started to get rolling on making coffee.  I was almost out of ground coffee so I grabbed the coffee grinder and the beans in the freezer.  Peet’s CoffeeMajor Dickason’s Blend – best stuff ever that I picked up in Seattle.  As I shook some beans out of the bag and into the grinder a big clump came out, splattering beans on the countertop and on the floor.  Oh no, not my precious Peet’s coffee!!  I bent down to clean up the beans off the floor and then I saw it.  I saw it all. 

Salt, dust, itty bitty pieces of food.  Yuck.

Then I stood up and saw the mess on the countertop.

That was it.  I just couldn’t deal with it anymore.  The coffee spilling on the floor was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  Sure, originally I was planning on doing my 2 hour long run, but I felt like this took precedent.  I needed to clean for my sanity as I was tired of feeling overwhelmed by how dirty my place felt to me.  So instead of running I vacuumed, mopped, cleaned the carpet on the landing (thanks Finlay for making that polka dot for me!), dishes, shredded some of the piles of paper that were piling up on my desk, cleaned the bathroom.  And when it was done I had a moment to breathe a sigh of relief, then it was off to meet Kelly to see SATC2.

So was it a good training day?  No.  But at least it lifted a weight off my shoulders.  I came home from work today and knocked out that 2 hour run today instead.  It was actually about perfect out.  It was overcast and about 13C with a slight breeze.  Perfect for running long!  I took the run fairly slow – I am racing on Saturday after all!  That’s right, the Chinook Olympic Triathlon is almost here!

9 comments:

carla said...

I love that mental image of the weight being lifted off your shoulders via training.

THATS the mindset Im seeking with my running as well.


MizFit

J said...

Sometimes cleaning is just the right thing to do! I used to have a hard time sitting down in college and studying if the kitchen or my room was messy! Glad you got the long run in!

Julie said...

HAhahahahahaha -- Gad, I know how you feel. I am soooo lucky to have my parents helping me out....While I've been away, they've vacuumed, mowed the lawn, cleaned the kitty litter....

The worst is when I unroll my yoga mat and get down on the floor and see the bits of everything up close. Ugh!

I can let everything else go (when I am training a lot) except the dishes and the kitchen counter. If that area is clean, it is enough for me to *allow* the other things to slide.

And Finlay left you a nice l'il surprise? LOL!! I hate when one of my cats starts puking and they'll run to the carpet instead of the hardwood floor!?!?! Why do they do that? AARRGGHH!!

Marlene said...

AHHHHH, that must have felt so good. I gave my house an overhaul on Saturday and I feel SOO much better knowing that it's clean. And hey, you still got your 2h run done!

kristen said...

I always feel so much more relaxed when everything is clean and put away...

Lily on the Road said...

I consider cleaning the house a brick workout, between bending, kneeling, sweeping, up & down stairs....it is exhausting and thanks btw, I now need to clean my place......

Susi said...

it's amazing how the little stuff can pile up and take a huge emotional energy drain from us!! good on you for getting that off hour shoulders so you can feel more at ease and now focus on the other stuff to be done. :)

Wes said...

Great job with your training, especially the long ride! You have to beat yourself into submission before you are ready to take on longer distances! The mental aspect is the hardest part!

Lindsay said...

I have felt the same!! Usually when I am trying to do yoga and mid-pose look around and see all the JUNK and mess. And it stresses me out sometimes. Better to take the day and whip the house into shape than stress about it through another week of workouts.