trying to recover

I'm trying to recover. It's challenging, and I'm concerned. But this blog post is not a complaint. I'm just recording the way things are so that I can figure it out if possible later.

Yesterday I felt very fatigued. For a good part of the day I had "brain fog" like you do when you are jet-lagged. I didn't have time to take a nap, but I wished I could have. I didn't exercise, other than walking kids and dog to and from school, and walking from the VA to the U (I had Loren drive me to his work, and I walked about 1 mile to my work from there, at a casual pace).

I slept OK, but didn't feel very rested when I woke up. My legs felt pretty good, though, so I thought I'd try for 6K. When I started to walk it was clear after about 1K that I'd have to stop. I made it 2K at 6:35/km and called it quits, because my leg muscles were sore and tired. I wanted to keep going - they weren't THAT sore! I knew I could make it 5K! But I decided that sometimes quitting is smarter. I want to get better, not worse. I walked slowly home with my happy dog in tow, though I was crying.

I don't know what to do now.

I talked to my boss, who is a neurologist, and he had no particular insights. He just said that I could work a bit less for a few weeks if I thought it would help. I may just do that, as I have some sick time. We'll see. I want to get better!

I had lost about 4 pounds, but I have definitely gained a couple back. It's challenging to stay on track enough when I can't exercise as much as I am accustomed to. I will have to get more rest so that I have more willpower to fight off food temptations.