What actually happened is quite the opposite. I'm the type of person that when I set my mind to do something, it's all I can see. I go ALL IN no matter what. This can be positive or negative. It's part of the reason I've made it to so many finish lines, but it also keeps me from seeing the 'bigger picture' at times.
As the exhilaration of actually finishing LA marathon faded away and the freedom of not having to go for a run lost it's novelty... I found myself looking around at my not-so-clean house, evaluating where I should really be at with school, and calculating how much money I've spent on running over the last year and a half, and I've got to be honest, it's not a pretty picture.
I'm not saying that I have regrets, because I don't. I'm just grateful for the chance to step back and look at things from a different perspective. Does that mean when Monday rolls around and my doctor-imposed moratorium on running is over, you won't find me out there hitting the pavement with a smile on my face? Absolutely not. Well at least, I hope not (fingers crossed for a happy pain-free foot).
I'm still a runner, its part of who I am now. But it's not all I am. I'm a mother and a wife too and I have other non-running goals that haven't seen as much commitment as they should have. So instead of worrying about what race to sign up for next, I'm just going to focus on what I've got on my plate right now and making sure all of my priorities are in order.
What does that mean for my race schedule? So far, nothing changes, yet. The Chiro has recommended focusing on my next half marathon, which is on Easter weekend and then evaluating which distance to take on at BMO, although he was suggesting dropping to the half. Calgary full marathon is my next BIG goal race on June 1st which I'm confident I have time to train for, assuming my foot cooperates. However, it may mean dropping Run for Water and putting my quest for Marathon Maniac status on hold for this year. Only time will tell at this point.
Balance is a struggle for everyone I think. How do you balance running with the rest of your life? Do you find it to be a challenge?
Balance is definitely a difficult thing and something that I struggle with a lot, especially during Ironman training. Right now I'm averaging 11 hours a week of training, plus my 40+ hour/week job, plus being a wife and looking after Peat. Things are only going to get worse as my training goes to 20 hours per week in the build up to IM Boulder.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel like I can do this all the time or else Neil won't be very happy with me, but he understands my drive to race this year and is very supportive of it. To make sure I'm not short changing us I try to do as many workouts at lunch as possible. On the weekends I get up early. I do have to let some things go (one of which is keeping a clean house). Neil has a much higher tolerance for dirt than I do and I just have to let it go. The big difference is we don't have kids...that definitely helps with the balance...
Neil asked me the other day if I felt like I would always need to have some big race to train for and I do think that is true for me. I need to have that thing on my calendar to work towards because otherwise fitness and health will not be a priority for me. I will always be cognizant of what that goal race is though. Maybe next year I'll choose to run a half marathon really well instead...therefore fewer training hours required compared to this year.
I hope your foot is healing up well Krista. If you have to drop some things from your schedule to keep yourself healthy it is well worth it. Those races and the Marathon Maniac status will always be there in future years.
I've decided balance doesn't exist. I don't think there's any way to "do it all" or "have it all" there are always sacrifies to be made. Sometimes it's running, sometimes it's a clean house, sometimes it's sleep, but something always needs to give a little bit.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I'd love to be in a relationship right now, I know my running and training would suffer if I was, so I'm working on enjoying the free time I have an running with it (pun not intended) because I know if/when I'm in a relationship I won't be able to put in crazy training hours.
I've also re-evaluted some of my racations because I REALLY want to pay off all my debt. I LOVE traveling for races, but I've decided to cut back to save money. It sucks, but I know I'll be better for it in the long run.
Oh yes, balancing life & running is a tough one. How do people do it? Even I find it a challenge & I am single with no children. It's always great to step back and take a look at the bigger picture. I wish you a speedy recovery & deep breaths!
ReplyDeleteThe quest for balance is eternal, isn't it? It feels like it because I'm still questing. I do my weekday runs either at lunch or during the time it would take me to get home on the bus for the least impact on my hubby. When I start feeling stressed about time management, I stop and remember there are people like you who do everything I do and so much more with kids.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are making the most of your current situation and making realistic choices around your priorities. It's no fun to be unable to complete goals you set and races you signed up for but those are short-term goals. Once your foot is better, you will be able to do all these things and so much more another time. All the best! :)
I've been dating a runner the last few years and many of my friends are runners, so fitting running into life was easy! Being injured means we take a different look at what we can do, and maybe we adjust the mix of other activities with the running. Have you looked at changing your shoes, or orthotics? That's my next quest.
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