sustainable pace

I have been thinking a lot lately about keeping a sustainable pace. The last few years, largely the time I've been absent in the blogosphere, I have been working in retail and networking and looking for opportunities that would help me get back on track in my geoscience career. Last fall I started graduate school and I absolutely love it. The period of waiting was difficult on numerous levels, but on this side of the waiting I can say that my program was worth the wait.

I found the pace of retail extremely difficult. I resented working different shifts throughout the week and different days of the week. I have a lot of respect for people who can find a healthy rhythm in the retail life; I did not.

My advisor's expectation for my schedule is that I am in my office from 9-5 daily, Monday-Friday. This is an ideal schedule, especially after years of retail. Apart from set class times, I choose how I structure my day. I can be flexible with this schedule, yet I respect my advisor's wisdom that keeping this structure protects time with my family in the evening.

I have been making excuses for years that the rhythm of life has not been conducive to a regular exercise and self-care routine. I could continue this excuse because the intensity of grad school is not conducive to such routines. I have watched plenty of grad students and professors burn out, so I have been thinking a lot about establishing a sustainable pace. There's always more to do, write, read, etc.

One week ago I added one more thing to my learning curve: running. I have never been a runner (well, there was that one summer...). I understand the paradox that running is one of the simplest sports, foundational to most every sport. Yet running in a Minnesota winter involves a learning curve, and running in any context requires more learning than I realized in the past.

I have a Delightful Neighbor who is a generation ahead of me who responded to her diabetes diagnosis by choosing to exercise and take care of herself. Now she runs marathons, half-marathons, 5K's, etc. She inspires me. I reached out to her for advice, accountability, and the chance to get to know my neighbors a little more. Little did I know that she was a part of a 100-day challenge that seems to be populated by folks from our 'hood. I told her my fears (notably omitting failure) and asked for her advice and if she had a free day in her running schedule to teach a novice (little did I know she would also have dissertation-writing wisdom to impart!). On Sunday, 5 runs into my new little training program, I ran 5K with her while I huffed and chatted and she imparted wisdom about things like pace.

Today on my run I surprised myself a little bit. I tried to go a little slower than usual and I found that I could keep going and going. I thought about my Delightful Neighbor and her fancy running watch and her discussion about pace. I thought about the other learning curves in my life: learning to be a scientist and an academic. I thought about this slower running pace and how it was more sustainable for my run, and of course I thought about the parallels with my academic life.

I thought about the training required to maintain higher paces, but there are limits to what the human body can do; some run twice a day, but no one can run all day, there must be breaks. I thought about how some must train to work up to a brisk walk, and how we can push ourselves and train to take on a faster pace. I thought about the things that challenge our pace and endurance, like running up hills and the exhaustion at the top of the hill (that string of grant proposals, perhaps). However, amidst the exhaustion there's momentum and if you are able to pace properly, you can keep going and enjoy the downhill for a block or two.

As I receive this amazing gift of the opportunity to go to grad school (with funding, nonetheless!), and the amazing gift of setting my pace and structuring my day, I have been taking very seriously that this pace be sustainable for me, my family, my advisor, and even my friends. I am extremely grateful to be among mentors who value their family lives and balancing work with things that nourish ones spirit.