30 in 48

January 9, 2009

aaaaaaaaand it’s friday. all right! i’m already starting to get used to the slightly ridiculous PICU lifestyle. many have wondered how survival (and some semblance of routine) is possible with the evil 30 hour shift coming around every 4 days like a sea monster arising from the deep. since routine is pretty much my middle name, i’ll share mine:

call day: work starts at 5:45 am and ends anywhere between 10 am and noon the next day. i always try to get out as soon as possible because i am usually feeling essentially intoxicated/worthless at that point and am not doing anyone any favors by staying extra.

post-call: i either sing loudly in the car or call someone to avoid snoozing on the way home. upon my arrival in one piece, the first thing i do is eat some kind of breakfast/lunch because i’m usually starving (another strategy to stay awake on the drive!). then, after downing my toaster waffles or whatever, it’s pretty much straight to bed. i sometimes catch up on some blogs on my google reader in bed for a few minutes until the first wave of sleep hits me HARD — this usually takes no longer than 5 minutes! i set my alarm for around 5 pm, or 5-ish hours from when i laid down.

later that day: after about 5 hours of sleep, it sort of feels like a new day. almost. i usually eat something again and then head to the gym. the only way to get in 5 workouts a week on months with every-fourth-night call is to commit to running post-call, and in actuality it definitely makes me feel much better and more awake. typically i schedule an easy workout for these days — yesterday was 5 miles with a few hill intervals built in. i felt about nine thousand times better after a sweaty dose of cardio.

it’s almost over: usually once i’m back from this run, josh is home (unless he is on call, like he was last night). i make dinner (leftovers are the BEST on a post day!) and try to get to bed by 9. it sometimes takes a tiny bit longer to fall asleep (probably a combined effect of the run and the fact that i just got several REM cycles just hours earlier) but luckily insomnia has never been a problem of mine and i’m usually out within minutes.

and that’s how i survive working 30 hours in a 48-hour period.

today is just a normal day at work, and tomorrow i’m off! sunday, of course, is call again, but i will try not to think about that until it’s time!

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j. crew love

on another note, i got the january j. crew category in the mail yesterday and i totally want this trench coat (pics from their website).

in khaki

or navy! i think i might actually like it better in this shade

i’ve been looking for a light spring/fall jacket forever and this just might fit the bill. it might just have to be my post-PICU reward. we’ll see!

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1.8.09

workout: 5 miles easy @ 8:57/mi, 4 3-4 minute hill intervals at 2-3% incline. this felt oddly easy for a post-call run!

flossing: check!

reading: even though i was post, i managed 15 minutes of reading for work, finsihing up an article on head trauma and moving on to sepsis.

postcall gourmet: or, not. but seriously? in a pinch, the amy’s brand always seems to save the day for me. i had the ‘southern meal’ pictured below, and it was actually really good. especially the corn bread. notice martha’s book mocking me in the background!

2 Comments

  • Reply Anonymous March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    I’ve never seen that Amy’s meal in the stores!

    I’m always so impressed by your ability to stick to your workout schedule during these crazy weeks. I’m also so relieved to find someone else who realizes that sometimes running is as important as an extra hour of sleep.

  • Reply HangryPants March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    I definitely like the navy!

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