I started running 9 months ago. It only took about two to three weeks for me to realize that I could really love running. Very quickly I realized that challenging my body and mind in this new way was important to me. My family started to pick up on this, and they have supported me every step of the way. Having the support of my husband and kids has been the foundation of my running progress. The rest is up to ME.
I have learned to let things go. The laundry is not always folded, every dish is not always done. My house is not always spotless. There is LIVING and LOVE going on in my home though, and where once I would agonize over every speck of dust, I now see right past it to the more important things. I am more relaxed, I take time to chat with my kids in the kitchen. We all work together to take care of the responsibilities of keeping house....it works for us! So, running makes me relaxed and therefore less obsessive about the clutter in my home, and more tuned in to the 'people' in my home. Finding time to run has meant letting things go...and it has paid off well for me!
Finding time and balance for running requires FLEXIBILITY too. This is challenging for me - because when I follow a training plan, I want to follow it to the letter. Things happen, life happens, and sometimes runs have to be skipped, or swapped to another day. It is easy, at least for me, to get a little bent out of shape over The Running Schedule, but I am learning that it is OKAY to change things around when needed, and I am not going to lose any fitness because I missed a day, or did something differently then The Schedule noted. This is an area I continue to work on...
I am hard pressed to find a runner that doesn't take it seriously and work their lives around their running schedule. I'm not even a fast runner...I've only ran one 5K race in 9 months, I am still considered a 'newbie' runner....and yet it is VERY important to me to get those runs in! I have found a life long passion in running. And so, I rearrange social committments to fit my running schedule. Every time I add something to my day planner, I look at the training schedule to see if it all fits. My runs are marked in my day planner as 'appointments' that are just as important as a meeting at my son's school, or a dental appointment.
The bottom line is, if it's is important to us - and that is a given for sure - we manage to find the time and balance to "git'er done". After all, we all know that for us....running is the thread that holds the fabric of our lives together. If that thread breaks, everything else will surely fall apart.
Run on ~
9 comments:
This is a great post! I agree with everything you said.
Some people are casual runners--a couple of miles a few times a week, usually on the treadmill.
But to the rest of us--running is something else. It is a way of life. It is something we need, we crave. It makes us better people. It gives us goals to work toward. It challenges us to become stronger and work harder.
Yes, you can run a marathon someday, Cyndi! When I was where you are last year and would read a race report, something would happen in my heart. Just a twinkling of HOPE that maybe someday that could be me. I'd find myself tearing up. I knew it was something I needed to do for myself someday. Maybe just once, maybe lots of times.
If you find a good novice training plan, like on Runners World Smart Coach, put in the training, make it a priority for four months of your life, you can do it. Your 1/2 will give you confidence. The difference between training for a half-marathon and a full marathon is FOUR RUNS!! The 14, the 16, the 18, and the 20. That's it.
A Boston-qualifying, multiple marathoner friend of mine told me if I could run a half-marathon, I could complete a full. He was right.
I couldn't agree more. I do get bent out of shape if something comes up and i can't run. I need to work on NOT getting so upset about it :)
Great post Cyndi. You are way ahead of others with your insight and understanding of the balance involved. Enjoy your running, enjoy your family, enjoy everything around you. The rest is small stuff.....don't sweat it.
Nice post and so true! Running has changed my life and I to have found that things can wait a little bit, dishes will always come and go, laundry will always pile up....etc...
Nice post. Yes, scheudling runs in my Blackberry worked up until I got injured. I will schedule them again once I can get back to running. Finding balance is difficult but its all about what's important to you.
Hi Cyndi,
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Cheers,
Geoff
Thanks for checking out my blog, and commenting on my son's post today. Brought me to tears... (happy ones). Your post also hit close to home for me, as my dad is very compulsive about cleanliness, every speck, etc, and has completely lost sight of health, happiness and family. I had moved in with him last year to help him out, but it got to the point that i had to go back to being on my own, because like you, I'd rather have more time with my son that panic over a few dishes in the sink. Looking forward to watching you continue your journey :)
I so relate about the dishes and the laundry. Thanks for stopping by my blog, and I LOVE your pic on this post.
What a great post. We do have to give up some time to run, but we discover so much more. You captured that in describing yourself talking to your kids in the kitchen.
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