Back from the abyss

I can see the finish line in what has been a marathon at work. My last day off was Jan. 29, I had plenty of 14- to 16-hour days. Emotionally i've been a wreck. I told my staff the other night I didn't know whether to cry or throw up or both. I haven't run since about the 27th. Just no time. In the early going, I took my running stuff to work and thought seriously about going out for a run at 1 or 2 a.m. (I usually finish work, producing the newspaper, about midnight). Unfortunately, the crush of work often kept me until 2 or 3 in the morning, and the prospect of running then (and having to get up the next morning at 7:30 or 8 a.m., well, it just didn't seem smart.

But the good news is the crush is off. I'm working my usual 9 or 10 hours a day and it seems somehow sane. And today I got to the gym for a little treadmill work and weight lifting. This is the best I've felt for at least a week. I'm ready to get back into it now, charged up by some e-mails I've been getting from other runners who have conquered their "Hurricane Points."