Time of Day: 7:20 AM

Weather: 75*, humidity is back, but not full force

Duration:  57 minutes 9 seconds

Distance: 7 miles

Average Pace: 8:10/mile

Notes: This was a very uneventful recovery run. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because I would describe some of the worst runs of my life as “eventful.” Still, I’m looking forward to the end of my reduced mileage week come Monday.

Luckily for the blog, I have other things to discuss besides running. A few days ago I reflected upon my new life in Houston, and now it’s time for me to write about my first month at my new job as a personal trainer.

If you’ve been reading for long, you know I was a technical writer until mid-July, so this job is completely different for me (thank goodness).

I work in a big, chain gym, probably considered an entry level personal training position. It’s a “signature” club and I know they pay us more, so it may be slightly higher than entry level. Here’s what I like about it:

• I get to talk about exercise all day.
• I feel like I’m actually helping people.
• I am not at a desk. Ever.
• My clients are interesting and I like getting to know them.
• I care about what I’m doing.
• The work day goes by very quickly because my job is fast-paced.
• I love working evenings, which is a surprise. This is because it frees up the mornings for running and doing whatever I want. 
• I am mostly in charge of my own schedule.
• My co-workers are healthy and athletic.
• I am learning and know that I will continue learning.

The cons:

• I still don’t quite fit in with my co-workers. They are athletes, but not runners. They are worthy of discussion in another post, but I’m afraid of getting fired. I do like most of them.
• My income is not steady. I only get paid when I train, so there is no set salary. I am not making as much as at my old job and while I knew this would be the case, it is still scary.
• It is very tiring. Unless I have a time slot with no client in it (and thus no money attached), I don’t have a break. I leave work hungry, exhausted, and about to pee my pants.
• I’ve decided to work a few hours on most Saturdays to make more money, so I’ll be working 6 days on most weeks.
• It’s more stressful than my old job because I feel like I have to please people all the time.
• We only get 30 minutes with each client and it’s not enough time to discuss their goals, nutrition, and answer questions without cutting into their valuable workout time.

Is it my dream job? No, but I do know that I’m on the right track. The pros outweigh the cons and I didn’t expect to be in my dream job at age 25 anyway. Hell, I don’t even know what my dream job is yet.

If I had to work on a Saturday at my old job I would probably throw a fit. It’s not a problem for me at this job. In fact, I think I would train people even if I didn’t need a job, I would just do so at a slower pace and build in more time to get to know a client’s needs. It would be so much more helpful for them and less exhausting for me.

I’ll call this a very good start. My life definitely has more purpose now, which is a major step.

Related posts:

1. Daily Run: Nicest Time of Day Time of Day: 5:25 AM Weather: 41* with a very cold wind...
2. Daily Run: When Did You Love It? Time of Day: 12:45 PM Weather: Upper 60s, cloudy, humid Duration: 1...
3. Another Taper Pain Yesterday I ran another slow 5.5 miles–the last real run...
4. Daily Run: Encouragement Time of Day: 7:25 AM Weather: 43* (hooray!), 38* windchill Duration: 50...
5. Daily Run: Self Preservation Time of Day: 5:40 AM Weather: 77*, 84% humidity, clear Duration: 59...

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