One of my favorite books is Run Like A Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Family, Job or Sanity, by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Bowen Shea. For me, a mom new to running, it is great comic relief, inspiration and motivation all rolled up into one. A book that told me I can be a middle-aged, slow, athletically challenged, slightly overweight mother and still call myself a runner.
Well, today I ran like a mother alright.
I like to run alone. It's my escape from the kids, I mean reality, I mean I like the quiet - other than Eminem blaring in my ears, that is. Sometimes I end up at the park and meet up with hubby and kids and get offered an air conditioned ride home that I'm usually all too eager to take.
But this week, I screwed up on my schedule. I ate waaaay too much three cheese ravioli with homemade pesto and lots and lots of garlic one night. The night when I was supposed to run 7 miles. Needless to say, the 7 miles dwindled to 4 and I had to figure out when to fit the 7 in.
That happened to be today.
With the kids.
All 3 of them.
On their bikes at the park.
I had visions of me running the path while they rode their bikes beside me, cheering me on in my marathon training.
Yeah right.
Mom! My handle bars are loose!
Mom! My bike is broken!
Mom! I don't want to bike any more!
Mom! I want to go on the play set!
Mom! I want your gatorade!
Mom! Mom! MOM!!
This was at mile marker 1.3. 13 minutes in to what should have been a 70 minute run.
What on earth was I thinking?
I managed to squeak out a couple more miles after I sent Collin to the playset with little brother Iain, but of course felt like a horrible mother for letting two of my three boys play without direct supervision. Even though they are perfectly fine doing that. I think I got bad looks from other mommies, even though I was never far away from them.
Mile 4. My BFF Beth and her three boys show up to run / play with us. Great! I think. The boys can all amuse themselves while Beth and I run my last 3 miles. Her littlest one promptly does a face plant on the path and scrapes up his knee. Screams and tears.
Mom! I want a snack!
By this time, I'd spent almost 2 hours at the park trying to do a 70 minute run, and I was barely half way through.
So we parked the little guys under the pavilion, surrounded them with snacks, and ran the short track that is maybe, perhaps, a quarter of a mile around the picnic tables. I can't remember how many times.
So I think I ran about 7 miles. Maybe. It took over 3 hours. In April I ran a half marathon in less time than that! But at least I kept moving the entire time. You know, from kid to kid to kid.
Hopefully that makes up for the chocolate I ate for breakfast.
Running like a mother. Gotta love it.
(Check out their website - www.runlikeamotherbook.com )
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hey deborah--finally got around to reading this (you know that drill) and love that you perservered and got it done. and I'm glad to know I'm not the only mom who has kids who have a request every 60 seconds. thanks for the plug--and a belated happy birthday!
ReplyDeletexo--
dimity
Love it- I can totally relate!!! With having 4 kids, trying to schedule/ get runs in can get very tricky. Today, I just opted for the "you guys are going to sit here and watch this movie while I run on the treadmill". Yep, I planted them in front of the TV. Did that work? Not really, as I am running I see my youngest run past the basement window one direction and then turn around and come back. ARG. Sometimes why cant they just do what we say. Overall, the run went fairly smooth, just one child (the one that escaped outside) kept coming to ask me how much longer. Is it really to much to ask for 35 min? Ironically, as I sit here now and type this , not a single one of them even wants to be around me. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteWay to dig deep and get your run done!!!!