I started my Saturday morning with a slight feeling of FOMO (fear of missing out). The popular Crazylegs Classic 8K was scheduled to start in downtown Madison this morning. I haven't ran the race in the past couple of years. However, it is "the" race to do in town for runners and "non runners". I knew that my Facebook feed would be flooded with selfies and bib photos from the annual event. However, I wasn't participating again.
I've really been trying to focus my time, energy and funds on longer distances instead of doing every race that pops up on an event calendar. I really want to focus on quality - not quantity of events. Sometimes I get just as much enjoyment out of meeting a friend for a run, running long with my husband on a local trail or scheduling a multi-hour training run all alone with my running tunes and a few energy gels.
And then I'm coaching. So fitting in my training runs along with helping others achieve their goals has become quite the balancing act. Throw housework, errands, shuttling the kids around town - and valued family time - it requires a lot of planning and communication with everyone at home. Communication includes discussing my plans with both my husband and my children. I'm very thankful that my family understands how important running is to me. And they either honor that alone time on my schedule, help me achieve the juggling act, or join me for a couple of miles.
Today, the alarm went off at 5:45. I pumped and ate a light breakfast. The most beautiful pink and orange sunrise lit the sky while I enjoyed my morning coffee. I took the dog for a quick run around our neighborhood. I then headed to the Glacial Drumlin with a group of women that are training for a 10K. We ran thirty scenic minutes out on the trail together. We spoke of everything from races, garage sales and church. After heading back home, I visited quickly with my husband and Baby Girl before he headed off to work with her for a bit. I headed out for three solo miles on my own with my running tunes. Then I headed out for a couple more miles with a group of children that I am coaching this spring. After picking up Baby Girl so that daddy could finish up his work, we headed out for an errand. I came home and fed her, changed her, pumped and then finally showered while she went down for her nap.
Fitting in time for yourself isn't always easy. But, it's always worth it. I got in about 8 miles this morning. In those three hours, I would typically get in about 18 miles by myself. But, I got in what I could. When I could. Life is certainly a juggling act some days. I earned each mile this morning. And I earned that shower that I finally took at noon.