schedule stories

May 26, 2009

punching the clock
i start my weird night-float schedule tonight. things have not started well: instead of sleeping in as planned, i woke up hungry and hot at 6:30 AM. i have a dentist appointment at 9:30 anyway, so it’s not like it was going to be a luxurious morning between the sheets, but despite ample vacation and relaxation time, i fear i will not be starting out the month feeling rested. oh well.

i have some apprehensions about what the next 3 weeks will be like. part of my anxiety concerns the sometimes scary cardiac/heme-onc kids that i will be covering each night. however, after 2 months of the PICU i feel better about my abilities to handle these patients and (even more importantly) knowing when to call for backup. the other half of my trepidation concerns the schedule, which does not contain 30 hours shifts, but is non-physiologic nonetheless.

see, i love my body’s rhythms. i almost never have insomnia. i like waking up each morning and going to bed each night. note how a senior resident’s ward schedule (the schedule i’ll have 3 weeks from now) allows one to do these things without too much of a problem.

green indictates work
blue indicates sleep

this week is meant to contain 66 hours of work even though i accidentally made the bars go to 7 pm at night — they were supposed to end at 6.

in contrast, this is what i think the next 3 weeks of night float are going to look like:
only 61 hours of work, but probably a lot more tiring.

oh well. it will be an interesting experience, to say the least.

5K training time
since i seem to be schedule-happy this morning, i will introduce my new running training plan — the Furman Institute 5K plan. my goal is to run a 5K in under 23 minutes (under 7:24/mi)! i think this will be challenging, as typically i come in closer to the 23:30 mark, even when i am in shape for longer races. here is a snapshot of what the first few weeks of running will look like:


i will use mcmillan running to help with goal paces. in order to prevent injury, i am going to limit running to 3-4 times/week and cross-train using the elliptical or cycling on other days (and of course, rest as well!). i will also continue yoga and strength training, including making use of the shred dvd which has been languishing without my attention for almost 2 weeks. while it isn’t jillian’s primary aim, i think that the plyometrics that are heavily emphasized in her shred exercises could really help with running speed.

the actual race? yeah, i haven’t figured that out yet. one step at a time! i know that i want something flat and local, about 2.5 to 3 months away. suggestions are welcome!

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5.26.09

workout: 5 miles easy (8:57/mi @ 0.5% incline on the treadmill) + 25 minutes yoga for runners. i think the next few weeks are going to be a bit treadmill-heavy because of the schedule and my refusal to run in the mid-day heat.

doin’ time: grocery list is prepped, plans are made. martha will be back today!

reading: 25 minutes on type 1 diabetes (the first half of a peds in review article).

flossing: check. here’s hoping that i will be cavity-free at my appointment this AM!

2 Comments

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

    I don’t know how people adjust to a night time schedule…Luckily my job doesn’t have me doing that, but sleeping during the day just boggles my mind. At least with working evenings (what I’ll be working), I can sleep at the same time as other people, even if the rest of the day is in reverse. Good luck, I’m glad it’s only for a short time.

    The best part about 5k’s is that there are multiple every weekend to choose from the in warmer months, so you should have lots of options!

  • Reply Sarah Hart-Unger March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    happy: i know it will pay off! i am glad i am not the only one to use the mcmillan paces — they seem reasonable to me!

    meredith: yes the hardest part is the inconsistency.

    susan: i like evenings! like 3 – 11 or even 6 pm – 2. i enjoyed those shifts in the ER.

    anonymous: here you go! just $7.50 on line: http://www.knockknock.biz/catalog/categories/pads/classic-pads/what-to-eat-pad/
    i definitely recommend it!

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