Dog Tired

It's unusual for me to feel tired. I don't mean physically fatigued. Of course I feel fatigued after physical exertion, but today I feel tired. How I got to this point is obvious when I look back at the events of the week.

• Monday through Friday, I got up at 5:30a every day and ran my normal 3 mile loop. I took Wednesday off, but still got up early to go into work to meet with an employee. 5:30a isn't that early, except...
• Lately I've been crawling into bed around 11p. Then I read for a few minutes. I'm probably asleep by 11:30p. 6 hours sleep is not enough for me. I need about 7 hours. A little more or a little less is okay, but I notice the deficit if I'm only getting 6 hours. The late hours are a function of living with family. They stay up later, we stay up later. I think I'll need to break the cycle.
  
• This week was my first week "on my own" at the office. My trainer left to go back to his normal assignment, and the facility is now mine to manage. It has added significant stress, although I don't find myself during the day thinking "wow, this is stressful". It's just a constant buzz, and I know from experience it will subside as time goes on and improvements are made.
• On Saturday, I woke up early and went for a 3o mile ride through Buescher and Bastrop State Parks. I didn't feel tired or even that fatigued, but I'm sure it contributed.
• Saturday night was the Longhorns' home opener. We went to the game, then got back to the home base in Smithville around 10:30p. I set an alarm for 7:00a, with intentions of riding in Bastrop State Park again. I laid my head on the pillow thinking I would be getting up with a full 7 hours of sleep, and would have another great ride. I felt sleepy...

My daughter woke us up around 8:00a. My alarm hadn't gone off as planned. Apparently I set it for "weekdays only". I wasn't frustrated; instead, I was happy to be resting. My head felt fuzzy, my eyes puffy, and my body seemed glad to be resting. Only then did I realize I had been truly tired.

I'm taking Sunday off for a much needed day of rest. As I type, I already feel better. I'll ride Monday morning, and I know I won't be tired as I start.