This is going to be a very narrowly focused post and I am aware that for 90% of you, this does not apply. But it may someday. So just hang in there and maybe tuck this information away somewhere for later.

When the boys were small, they were adorable and fun and messy and we never slept and there was bodily fluids everywhere and I wouldn’t have traded it for the world, but figuring out my running schedule was a huge challenge. I mean, I couldn’t exactly tie them to a tree at 6, 3 and 3 and head out for a few miles. I mean, I could but I feel that would be frowned upon;). (that was me being sarcastic – I never even attempted to tie my children to a tree).

I thought once they were teenagers, it would be so easy! Once they can take care of themselves and I just run out the door whenever I want I will be living the running mom dream!

Um, not so fast . . .

Here are some things I didn’t take into consideration:

1. Teenagers stay up very late. Especially in the summer. Last night, for example, I was up until midnight waiting for one to get home from an evening with friends and the other two weren’t much better. It was well past 10:30 before they were out. In the summer, I need to be up no later than 6 to run before work. You see the dilemna.
2. Teenage boys want to eat. Like ALL THE TIME. So I spend an inordinate amount of time grocery shopping, cooking, and nagging them about cooking for themselves and then yelling at them because they did cook for themselves and didn’t clean up their mess. I’m training them to be adults and I know this part is important, but it’s exhausting.
3. They have to be lots of places. At lots of times. Every day. Their schedules are crazy. I mean, each individual child is only doing one or two things this summer and on paper, it seemed very reasonable back in May when we made these plans. In reality, I’m constantly unpacking them from a church trip, packing them for a trip, driving them to a day camp, picking them up from a day camp . . .you get the picture. Keep in mind I have a full time job outside the home so my days are, um, what’s the word?? NUTSY BO BO!
4. When they WANT to spend time with me, I truly drop everything (including my running) to make that happen. When they’re 4 they want to be with you all the time so “later, Honey” is a reasonable response. When they’re 14 and you’re ready to head out the door and they ask you to sit on the couch and watch Scandal with them (that’s our show this summer, don’t judge) you don’t say no. Because you can hear the clock ticking and you don’t know how many more of those moments you have. And you don’t want to miss a thing.
5. When I do go for a run and they’re left alone, they can fight. A LOT. And then they call you and all you hear on the other end of the phone at mile 3 or 7 or whatever is screaming you can’t make out and because they’re all huge and strong, you’re convinced someone is going to accidentally kill someone else and you spend the rest of the run worried (wait, maybe that one’s just me.)

So the teenage years aren’t exactly the running dream I thought they’d be. But this mother runner wouldn’t trade it for anything. Because pretty soon I’ll be an empty nester. And I’ll be able to run whenever I want. But I won’t have them hear to watch Scandal with me. And that will be sad.

Happy Running, no matter the stage you find yourself in!

Jen