I've been reading the same book for 3 months. 3 months! I'd like to finish it tomorrow but I doubt that will happen with the morning walk, watching stuff with Maggie, football, and other stuff around the house. It will be done in the next few days. The Once and Future King will be crossed off a couple of lists. No regrets reading it. I'm not sure if the long reading time is more about me or the book. I'm not particularly enamored with the book, but it's well written with a legendary story and characters. The fault must be mine. I'm going to pass that blame off to the circumstances of my life. I started reading this book right before the family joined me down here in Florida. I was unpacking boxes, getting the house ready, and carrying on everything else that I've had going on. We got back together in July. It's been all kinds of work. COVID took a couple of weeks away too. Yeah, reading hasn't been a top priority for a few months.
Add running to that list. And eating well. And lifting weights. Rowing. My various side quests that are really my main quests have been sidelined by responsible adult stuff. Work isn't the warm peaceful water that I swam in 10 years ago. I don't have all this extra energy to channel into side projects. Important life things are much more demanding. That's not to say I will abandon or neglect these other things. No, those other things are a key element of my mental health. I need them to operate and maintain a sense of myself. I just need to get more creative with fitting them into the space allowed by a more challenging job and other elements of my Florida life.
Getting out from under The Once and Future King will be a big step to reclaiming my reading life. I just don't relish picking up this book. It's not a book I crave getting back to once I'm done with my life stuff. The wife goes to sleep and I turn to my phone or the TV. I've been reading a few pages as much I can to just get through it. The next few books I read need to be books that I want to read. Nothing too heavy or demanding for the next few weeks. They don't have to be frivolous. They just have to be something that I want to read. My emotional and mental energy is too tapped in the evening to read something that takes effort. Short books won't hurt. Long books, no matter how pleasant, are their own challenge.
I've embraced walking during my marathon training runs. That's how I run a marathon anyway. I might as well train that way. Pounding away with my pulse up at 170 isn't going to get me ready for the long distances. Doing 10 miles of a 12 mile run isn't getting it done. Better to take small breaks and finish the entire distance than cut runs short. I will use my shorter runs to not walk. No issue including some walking periods while I'm out for 10 or 12 miles. The walk I added to the end of today's run is another nice touch. My heart rate was already elevated. Might as well take advantage of that work and stretch it out a bit. Extra time on my feet won't hurt either.
