Someday I will not have to do their dishes or laundry or nag them to pick up their
Right now, we're busy, and our children don't even really do any organized activities.
We're busy because they're little and quite dependent on us. Particularly as a Mom, I am mostly responsible for myself and three little people.
For a gal who is pretty far from a type A personality, which roughly translates to disorganized and forgetful, this is totally out of my comfort zone.
The beauty of a type Z personality? I'm not stressed out too often.
I try not to "sweat the small stuff", because I could get so wrapped up in the details that I miss out on the memory making.
I've got a mock-race weekend and then peak weekend the next and then I taper for the big day(s)!
That means, less than a month from now - in fact, by January 12, 2015, I will be a Goofy Race finisher and second time marathoner.
C-RA-ZY!!
I've been running a half marathon or longer every Sunday for a couple of months now, which gives me lots of time to think.
I almost always come back around to how the hell I ended up here.
Married, three kids, and yet still living my dreams.
Truth be told, it's not easy.
There are loads of obstacles, challenges, and we meet them as a family.
And at this point in our lives, by family, I mean my husband and I.
And by husband, I mean the super cute fella who lives in my house and has never doubted my wild and crazy ambitions for a minute.
(Love ya babe.)
What are some things that have reared their ugly head on my path to 63.3km in 2 days?
Injury. Chronic illness. Childcare. Jobs.
Have I missed a few training runs? Yup.
Is that going to stop me from finishing? Nope.
A very clever lady told me something about failure recently.
Had a bad day? Ate everything in sight, so long as it didn't have nutritional value?
Missed an important workout? Waited in traffic just to turn around and go home?
She said, just because you have a flat tire doesn't mean you slash the other three.
I. LOOOOOOOVE. This.
I've never considered such a thing because I am very stubborn, which can work against me because once I've eaten the
Don't give up on yourself because of one, or two or ten slips.
Deciding that you're worth the effort is something you must do everyday. Again and again.
I'm down 40+lbs since baby number last was born, and that's a month post partum, so all the weight that was going to "fall off", had already done so.
I have worked really friggin' hard for this and I'm excited, for a month from now, when I will celebrate my victory with several slushy, alcoholic beverages, and likely, registering for another race.
Hypo half, anyone?
Which one are you doing?
Another issue that I haven't just dealt with this time around, but every time I train for a race, and really, it's something I deal with round the clock, is disease.
I am the proud owner of not one, but two chronic ones that I will have to medicate for indefinitely.
I'm an asthmatic and I have Grave's disease.
My lungs are shotty and my metabolism works at a snails pace on it's own.
I take drugs. Good ones. And they keep my diseases under control.
So that I can do the things I want to do.
Why is this important?
Are there people who have a perfectly clean bill of health?
Sure.
Are there people who don't have weight struggles?
Absolutely.
Am I exempt from being my best self because I do have health and weight issues?
Hell. To the. No.
I sat in front of a gal one day in a stadium who proceeded to tell her friend why she couldn't do, basically, any form of exercise.
Then the two of them went out for a smoke.
But I digress.
She said that squats/lunges/any-bending-of-any-sort, hurt her knees.
She said she was too out of shape to run.
There were no fitness classes that fit her schedule because her kids were too busy.
Excuses are fine.
But own your life.
You are not a victim and the world does not owe you anything.
It's a hard truth, but all it means is that whatever choices you make, they're fine.
But don't bitch about the consequences.
Don't want to eat well?
Cool. Don't care.
But I don't want to hear about your heartburn, or exhaustion.
Won't make time to get some fitness in?
That's ok too.
Please, please don't tell me about how a flight of stairs winds you.
When you drop some pounds, a lot of people ask how you did it.
How did I do it?
The hard way.
The don't-eat-trash-everyday-and-get-off-your-rear-and-move way.
Trust the process and be patient.
It'll come.
It'll come in spite of your health ailments.
It'll come in spite of the negatrons who doubt you.
It'll come.
Next time I post will likely be post-run, so send me good vibes on January 10 & 11!!
And Merry Christmas!
