I just started a brand new, shiny, fantastic, fun and exciting job.
I truly love it. I’m part of something new and we’re working very hard to get everything in place so we can begin. And it’s AWESOME.
But I’m working a lot of hours. More hours than I ever have (yes, I’ve been vocationally spoiled). And what that means for my running is that if I want to also sleep, spend time with my husband and kids, and maybe do something fun every once in awhile I have very little time for running.
So here are 5 things I’m remembering during this crazy season that will hopefully keep me on track:
What You Can When You Can #WYCWYC
This is also the title of a great little book by a couple friends of mine that you should totally check out. The temptation is to give up and say, well, I guess I can’t do ANYTHING. Which is poppycock. I can do something, it may just not look like a 5 mile run in the middle of the week. It may look like
- taking the stairs, maybe twice
- doing squats while waiting for the water in the shower to heat up
- getting up from my desk to walk around every few minutes to stretch my legs and clear my mind
Running just Twice a Week will maintain my fitness
Jeff Galloway (whom I love) says twice a week is truly all you need to maintain. Will I get faster that way? Decidedly not. But I don’t need to give up running all together. I’ve mapped out a one mile route that’s very safe and in my neighborhood (even late at night and early in the morning) and if all I can do is that one mile I’m going to give myself a big woop woop and call it good.
Race Envy is Real but you don’t have to suffer in silence
This weekend, in fact, is the Walt Disney World Marathon. A race I haven’t missed in 5 years. I missed fun blogger events that I was invited to, meeting up with great friends, and fantastic pre and post race celebratory meals (and a few drinks:). I’m beyond bummed that I’m not there but marathon weekend isn’t likely to go away anytime soon, so I am going to cheer myself up by finishing this blog post and then going online and posting encouraging words to all my friends that went and ran well this weekend. Because I am SO PROUD of them all. And it will make me appreciate next year all the more!
I can’t wait to get back to my normal running and racing self but for now, while I wait, I’ll work hard to encourage others when I can and take really good care of myself so that when my time opens up (and it will) I’m ready to get back to it! Because that bling isn’t going to earn itself!
Are you in a tough season to fit in the training? Are you missing some races that you love? I would love to hear about it in the comments!! After all, sitting here talking to myself starts to feel weird;).
I can definitely relate to this. Haven’t missed any races (yet), but my training has been sporadic at best because of having a baby at home now. I even had to miss my last 6 mile run before Star Wars yesterday because of unexpected circumstances. Oh well, it is what it is. I’m sure in time I’ll be able to pick back up to where I should be in my training. For now, I’m just doing the best I can and giving myself some grace.
you’re a dad now. I think training always look different once we are parents. And for the best of reasons! You’ll be fantastic. You love this race and know the course. Can’t wait to see that medal pic! Wish I was running so we could run and chat a bit as we did last year!
Thank you for the encouragement! I wish we could do that like last year, too! I’ll be thinking of you during the races, but especially around that spot on Garden Grove Blvd.