Caffeinated.

I got through four weeks of summer school without caffeine.

Judging by the number of coffee cups I've seen walk in with my classmates, not to mention the assessment of Smart Guy, who sits next to me, I'd say I'm way behind everyone else in the caffeine department.

The anxiety of turning in my second paper, then being nervous about our group project, then wishing our group project had gone better, ruined three nights of sleep in a row. So, in lieu of sleep I turned to my tea kettle and PG Tips to get me through the day, and a new gum-chewing strategy to keep me awake in class. Both worked, but caffeine takes an unpleasant toll on my body, including (but not limited to) keeping me awake again the following night.

By Wednesday night I was tired of this unamusing cycle, so I went to bed on time and set my alarm for 5:30 AM. On Thursday morning I had to promise myself the whole world with sugar on top to get out of bed, but I made it up by 5:40 and went out to run two miles.

It's amazing how many benefits come from running in the morning, not the least of which is the wave of energy that comes over me by class time. No caffeine required. I imagine that had I gotten up on time on Tuesday and gone running before our group project, my day would have been much better: It's impossible to maintain butterflies in the stomach while running. And I would have turned up in a much better frame of mind for my day.

Lesson learned, I suppose: I will certainly keep up the AM running throughout the fall semester.