i've waited tables for about 10 years, off and on. but it was only a couple days a week. for extra beer money. but this is the first time i've had to rely on it as my primary income. which means i'm on my feet 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week. i know people do it all the time, everyday. and i thought i was in pretty good shape. but let me tell you, it's kicking my ass.
or more specifically, the 300+ elderly women's choir group that came through the hotel this weekend kicked my ass. for people as frail and slow as they are, they were goddamned demanding and wanted everything NOW! add to my list of reasons i'm going hell: my annoyance with and desire to bitch-slap demanding elderly ladies. i swear to bob last night i had nightmares about them.
as i stated in a previous post, coming up with and following a training program around my new 6am-2pm work schedule is a challenge. i like running in the morning, but getting up at 4 am to run sounds ludicrous to me. but then again, at one point, getting up at 5:30 am to run sounded ludicrous. but getting up at 4 am means going to bed at like 8pm!
and yes, i do need 8 hours of sleep. 7 minumum.
and i'm finding the problem isn't so much the scheduling as it is that waitressing is seriously wiping me out. today was my day off and i got up at 7. after eating breakfast, reading blogs, going through some mail, i was still tired. so i went back to bed and didn't get up until about 1! and it wasn't until then that i didn't feel the achiness in my bones. oh and i went to bed at like 9 last night!
part of me knows my body will get used to it. and part of me knows that we won't always have annoying groups of octogenarians demanding 1001 things of me at once. but for now, i'm just a little old lady myself.
after missing santa cruz, i didn't know what i was gonna do about training. i was coming off an injury and dealing with a new work situation. i cut myself some slack, but i knew in order to get any running done i had to have a plan. and a plan is what i have.
my next race will be the sonoma jack 10k on june 3. that's in 5 weeks. and looking at my 3 day a week training plan, very do-able. after the race, i'll take a week off, then start my 18 week marathon training (oh shit!) somewhere in between those 2 races, i plan on running a half-marathon, most likely the run sfm half.
i'm planning on doing my long runs on tuesdays (my sunday), doing one easy run and one speed workout during the week. all the extra stuff? the weight training, crosstraining? we'll just have to see how my body holds up. to some extent, my job IS crosstraining.
and how i'm going to fit in freelancing AND looking for a full-time job? i don't know. i really don't know. somehow, it will all get done. it always does.
11 comments:
Waitressing is great cross-training but hell for running. More power to ya. And did you ever figure out what the white stuff package from an earlier post was all about? Freaky.
Working with the public can be a bitch, especially when you're dealing with folks who believe they are entitled to treat you poorly ... I really feel for you. I get paid big-bucks to sit on my butt and talk on the phone without a little old lady anywhere in sight. Good luck finding something less physically demanding. You're obviously smart (or somehow fake it very well) and the world needs more smart people, so I know you’ll find something else more aligned with your passions. Good luck.
you are correct. it will get done. YOU will do it.
in the meantime, can you get someone to give you foot massages?? :)
I get mad at old people every day and have the same worries about heading straight to hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200. I think you're entitled to a little crankiness for putting up with such a demanding job. Good job staying on track with everything up to this point. I'm sure you'll figure out the training schedule once your body adjusts!
I would definitely consider your job to be cross training! Your schedule looks great.
bus tours are the worst possible restaurant customers. I can't think of anyone that has ever waited tables that wouldn't be going to hell based on your standards...
Wow...smack one for me!:) No seriously great job keep up the good work!
I waited tables off and on for years, and I can so sympathize with your complaint. Waiting tables will make you hate humanity and it's tough work. I used to wear a pedometer soemtimes to see how far I walked, and I would do an average of 5 miles in a 5 hour shift -- that's a lot of back and forth!
I waited tables in college and can completely understand what your going through.
It is definately good cross-training so don't feel bad if you can't squeeze in additional workouts. Your schedule sounds great - I, too, run 3x week. Works for me! (not that I'm particularly fast or anything) :)
ditto afuntanilla - can you get a foot massage?
Waitressing is HARD work. I've done it. And almost bitch-slapped some old ladies myself (I'm not such a good waitress; my big mouth cost me some tips). Everything WILL come together, though. You just watch.
> i swear to bob last night
> i had nightmares about them.
I haven't waited tables in over 15 years but I STILL have nightmares about it!
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