Finding Harmony in Uncertain Times

I have done my best to maintain harmony in my life through some pretty difficult times. It is easy these days to be discouraged and see things in a negative light given the economic news. This is more so as I came to work one day and was simply laid off once I left work for the day. I sensed the end was coming but when it came I was still a little taken a back. I just got a phone call on the train ride home informing me that my services would no longer be required, after two and a half years I thought I deserved better. In the end we can only be responsible for our own actions.

Keeping positive was difficult. I had sent out a ton of resumes but no response. I was getting discouraged and my attitude was starting to falter. I did find a temporary job but my skills were not really being used and I knew at the end of February or early March I was out of work.

I had to really look at myself. There are three parts of a person, I think: the mind, body and spirit. In the past, I had exercised my mind with much vigor but had ignored the body and my harmony was all out of whack. I find for myself that being balanced in my life requires that all three be exercised. When I keep healthy through exercise it helps to keep my spirit in check.
I find that for myself, I get pent up aggression. I need to work this out of my system. This has been the way for as long as I can remember. When frustration and anger would build if I could work it out of my system I would feel better. Martial arts became my release early in my life and more recently running has become part of this as well.

The anger and frustration that I harbored for whatever reason could be melted away. I merely had to focus my energies toward the physical and the spirit could come back to balance. This has always been the lynch pin for me ... the physical. The physical seems to have always held the key to the other two. When I find my moment of zen in my physical the rest of my life seems to up tick no matter what the other circumstances.

Today, while I was going through my techniques this morning I found perfection. It was elation, like hitting a runners high or hitting the perfect golf shot. It is when everything comes together into a single perfect moment. My speed, power and execution were dead on. It was simply stated ... Perfection, my moment of Zen. Perfection happens so infrequently that to find it seems in many ways a miracle. What follows?, harmony in my life. Now I feel great, hours later and usually when this happens it sparks weeks of progress and positive feelings that spill into every aspect of my life.

I think the next month is going to be pretty good.

Getting a Bit Burned Out

I am currently working a temporary job and have been since early January when I was laid off. The hours are starting to get to me. I have been investing 70+ hours a week to this job since I started and have not had a proper day off in that time. I am feeling a bit worn down. I have been trying to keep up on my exercise so that I can fight off being sick. Today, I am tired.

Thursday is a down day so I can relax tonight. I will need it. It feels like someone has really taken the wind out of my sails.

For the mid week I have done two Martial Arts work outs for at total of 2.5 hours and ran 3.4 miles yesterday. I feel healthy but just a bit tired. I think a good deal of my trouble is that I started a stricter diet and I am taking in less calories. I don't feel hungry but I think the reduction in calories is making me feel more tired. I think once my body adjusts I will be fine.

I do apologize for not checking in on everyone's blog this last month. I hope to be better about it once this job ends.

Career wise things look tight. I am sure I will be able to land another temporary job but long terms looks very uncertain. I think I may have to start my own practice on the side. Anyone looking for Immigration, Family Law or Personal Injury representation let me know. :)

Week in Review

Work: 73 hours
Martial Arts: 3 hours
Running: 15.51 miles

I did not get up to the 16 miles I wanted to. My long run on Sunday only made it up to 4.25 miles. I was just worn out by the time Sunday rolled around. This 70+ hours a week is taking its toll. The good news/ bad news is that this job will be over in a few weeks. The bad news being that I have nothing else on the horizon. These are lean times to be sure.

The running and martial arts are keeping me sane and I hope that I can manage 16 miles this week. There is a good deal of chaos in my life right now. All we can do is keep at it and hope things turn around.

Long Time No Post

Well the week that was seemed pretty decent sitting from where I am. End Results:

Running: 14.75 hours
Martial Arts: 5 hours
Work (including commute time): 72 hours

The last number shocks me a bit and makes me wonder how it was that I got 4 runs in. They weren't great runs and 3 out of 4 were on the treadmill but given the amount of time I dedicated to work, not bad.

The nice thing was that I finally was able to get a long run in. Not a real long run but longer than normal: 5.6 miles. That was nice. On top of all this now I have to think about getting ready for a Kenpo test. I try to stay on top of material so that I don't have to rush like a madman at the last minute trying to hone my craft. But I still like to be ready. Given all this and the job market which is non-existent right now. My stress levels are pretty high. My temp job ends in about three weeks and then who knows what will happen. So I do need to keep the exercise up to keep my worry factor down. These are trying times to say the least.

This next week I will try to top 16 miles and put in 6 to 10 hours of martial arts practice. The unfortunate part is that I will have to put in an equal number of hours at work (and try to find a permanent job while I am at it.) Well there is a fat guy chasing me and I have to stay vigilant. It would be dreadful if he caught me.

Sad News

I had intended to run in the American Odyessey Relay from Gettysburg, PA to D.C. Unfortunately, it looks like I am going to have to step down from the race. I am currently working a temp job that has demands of as much as 70 hours per week. This leaves little time to train and I am lucky these days to get in 1o to 15 miles a week. This just won't get me ready in time. The other consideration is financial.

I would feel a bit selfish to commit to the race when things are so chaotic on the job front. I have hardly had a nibble in terms of jobs beyond a temporary one. The horizon does not look very bright right now. My attitude is fine but I have to realisitic. Until I find a job with more permanence than the one I have now, I can't really be commit to much in terms of racing. I feel bad for my team mates but replacing one person in early February seemed a lesser offense than saying the same thing 6 or 7 weeks from now when things didn't turn out right on the job front. These are trying times.

Good Intentions and all that...

I had intended to update a lot sooner than twelve days but you know how things can go. I am a new job, it is a temporary thing but the hours are demanding right now. I am singing to the tune of 65 hours a week right now. The good news is that I can put together a bank roll while I try to find something permanent.I have been trying to keep up on my exercise, the point of this blog after all. I managed three runs and 3 martial arts workouts last week and and 2 runs and two martial arts workouts so far this week. As this is the last day of the month I will be going out to do at least enough to get me to 50 for the month or 4.08 miles. I think 4.12 sounds good.

It is cold out there and I have been retreating to the gym in the cold but it is closed. So I have no choice tonight. There is always an excuse if you look for one, always. I say don't give in. It is always easy to seek comfort and difficult to force yourself to choose pain. That is in fact what we all do us "exercise people" as one coworker labeled us. We choose pain over comfort. It is the right choice. Here is my nugget of wisdom of the day. We are all choosing pain all the time those who do and those who don't. If you choose the couch over the road, you will pay for it. It won't be today or even tomorrow but it will catch you and the payment when it does will have a good deal of accumulated interest to deal with. So I say run and exercise now the payment plan is much more reasonable today.

Back Outdoors, at last

I have had to run inside since early December. This was started by an injury to my left calf and continued due to some bitter cold and ice. So today, when it was seasonably warm, I finally got to get outside and run a little. My conditioning is sub par. I really struggled with the little three mile jaunt. But no need to get down on one's self, you just draw a baseline and know that you will keep at it and you will get better.

When I started out I felt fine but my lungs started to scream a bit after a half mile. I think that this was just some rust. After a few weeks out of doors I am sure I will be better. But it was a good start and I still managed more than 14 miles for the week which was good. Next week I will need to get outside more.

Happy running.

The Week That Was

I managed 3 times at the gym and did treadmill time each day. It was not the way I prefer to run but while nursing a bit of a leg injury and the bitter cold it seems to be the order of the day. Today I managed to run almost five and a half miles. This was 60 minutes straight running, not too fast but steady throughout. After almost no running in December it was nice to know that my endurance was still decent. 13+ miles for the week, I will take it.

I also managed to make it to my martial arts class 3 times and log about 10 hours of practice time at home. It was a good week on the fitness front. If I was a man of leisure I would do this every week. I hope to get to 15 miles for the coming week.

Keep running.

Oh Treadmill, how I hate thee ...

Treadmill, oh treadmill, how I hate thee let me count the way. This week I have been stuck with the treadmill. Mostly because of a little nervousness related to my left calf. The good news is that I have progressed from the elliptical machine. I have to say that treadmills have progressed a bit and it was not as horrid as I recall. That may be because I had some foo fighters and linkin park to keep me pumped up.

Wednesday I was able to put in 3.75 miles and today I put in 4.55. It is not the best running I have done in my life but any time on the treadmill is like 1.5 times what you would do on the roads. That is my story and I sticking to it. So it is really like 5.6 miles and 6.8 miles.

For anyone interested I did have an interview today that went pretty well. It is only a short term job but it will take the heat off for a bit.

Dealing with a Lay Off

I was laid off on Monday, I knew that it was coming sooner rather than later. It was still a bit of a shock when it came. I hold no ill will against my now former firm. They have been much more than fair with me over the time I was there. I have nothing but good things to say.

Now I find myself in the midst of a job search. The economy is sobering at best. I have submitted numerous resumes and have had a few face to face discussions and quite a few phone calls. It seems I might have something within a week, but there are no guarantees. I was able to put my student loans on hold so that was good.

Here is my checklist for keeping positive during this stressful time:

1. Take a breath - being laid off is not a reflection of your abilities, it is a reflection of the economy.
2. Remain energetic and vigilant toward your goals. Put in as much time finding a job as you would working. As this is your job right now.
3. Exercise - this will help to keep the frustration at bay.
4. Get your rest - losing sleep does no one any good. You have to be rested to be effective in your job search.
5. Take a breath (again) - be relaxed and execute your plan for finding a new position.

I know that I will have things worked out shortly.