Digging a hole instead of reaching for the stars

On the heels of being accepted into the graduate program at UWS, I realized as I was walking my pups the other morning that holy cow... I am going back to school.  For real, paying a lot of money for it, school.  

Immediately popping into my head is the following: 

Ahhh...  the infamous planner: color coded goodness!

This is how I have made it this far in my educational life.  My planner system has served me well through two degrees already and I honestly do not think that I would have been as on top of things if I did not schedule my time down to nearly a 'T' with the colors to help me see at a glance what is where.  NERD!

So while that worked great in undergrad when school was my J-O-B, and even when I was in my MBA when I had a full-time J-O-B in addition to full time schoolwork.  The only difference now is that I have an awesome full time J-O-B, travel to two states monthly, have two pups that require my attention morning and night and all spare minutes in between, as well as run a home solo while I am in training for an Ironman.

Pretty much my life is nothing like it was in undergrad or MBA school.  I also came to realize that for some odd reason there are still only 24 hours in a day and 7 days per week... so I am not allowed any bonus of time which is quite the bummer.  

If I add this program on top of all of that up there ^^^^^^ I am going to lose it.  As my sensei CBW told me - "there is no reason to dig a hole instead of reaching for the stars".   I am one person with a lot of goals.  I can accomplish them all, just not all at once.

This year I am going to give my all in my training for Ironman #2, and then afterwards, go down to Tennessee and volunteer at Ironman Chattanooga as planned and leave on Monday morning having not signed up to race in 2015.  

I am already taking 11 credits this fall and plan on keeping up around that level for the duration of the program.  I know what will happen to me if I allow myself to be in the negative place where I am studying but feeling guilty for not training, or where I am training and feeling guilty for not studying.  I will dig that hole and not be able to come out.  What is the saying?  Good Grades, social life, enough sleep... choose 2.   

I am choosing school, shorter races, and more social time while I finish this education.  I may even do a fall marathon in 2015 so that I am still active and have my "me' time, my down time from studying.  So much easier training in one sport than three. :-)

 I will do a few sprint series races, and maybe even go for an Olympic race or two.  However my focus needs to be on the real commitments in my life, and Ironman/ will always be there for me.  When I return.. it better watch out!

Reach for the stars, my friends!