So, let me set the stage for you - husband is out of town for a couple weeks, which means I've got the kids, work, activities, and running to sort through, schedule and get done with only one set of hands. No problem.
During the week, much of that is easily accomplished because the kids are in school/daycare. Come the weekend, however, scheduling the running workouts can be a little more challenging.
Usually, for me, weekends alone with the kids means getting in my miles on the treadmill in the garage. I loathe long runs on the treadmill, so I thought I'd be clever and do 5 miles on the treadmill yesterday and 5 miles on the treadmill today instead of all at once.
That plan flew out the window pretty quickly yesterday evening when I went into the garage to get started, only to find out something was wrong with the electrical outlets, so my treadmill had no power. Triple grrrr.
On to plan B. Luckily, the base has a nice, rubber-surface track around the pretty turf football field. And next to that track, even more luckily, is the super-duper playground. On the down side, though, there is only one thing I hate more than doing a long run on the treadmill - doing a long run on the track. So I had to cut my miles back today to 5 miles (though the kids wouldn't have allowed any more than that at any rate because they tire quickly on the big playground).
Off to the playground we go.
Now, as some of you other mama runners know, kids can be very needy at the playground, which ultimately makes track miles next to the playground look more like an interval workout. Run two laps, push the kids on the swings, run three laps, figure out why one is crying, run three laps, help one reach the monkey bars...you get the idea.
So many times today it would have been easy to just throw in the towel, because, well it was just easier to not do the run than to balance the run and the kids. Well screw that. Nothing in life worth having is easy, so this buttercup sucked it up and made it work.
And then, when you least expect it, your kids are standing in front of you on the track right before your last lap, ready to run it with you. And all you can do is smile and be happy you found the way to make it happen, because the kids are watching and learn more from you pushing through than quitting.
What creative ways do you use to get your workout in when life happens?
Here's to looking forward to the return of my husband next weekend, though I love having my kids to myself sometimes, to share in helping me find ways to keep getting it done. Happy trails!!!
2017 miles to date: 534.07 miles
Observations: Two more weekends of kickball, and then I can devote my muscles to running. The constant change back and forth has caused my training to suffer a bit, since they aren't like sports, but kickball has been a fun extra activity this spring.
BONUS - what exactly does 5 miles on the track, with a couple of trips to the playground throughout, look like? Here you go!
