Thursday, September 9, 2010

Turning Back Time?

Two choices tonight really - blog or read. I might do both. I exercised at 9 pm. Not very smart because I am wide awake and it is now past 11. Anyway, I haven't blogged about Daily Mile or running yet. So I think I will now.

K. you challenged me to the Music City Half in May. I said cool, mostly because I was sad that you worry about my health and you are always inviting me to walk or do something at the rec. I started moving in June, talked with a serious runner friend, E., about a feasable plan to get ready for the Half in April, and discovered Daily Mile through the Grantian blog.

Many of my friends on DailyMile (DM) are moms, like me, several share my experience. They got busy raising and loving their families and just let "me" time things get pushed out because they enjoyed them to a lesser degree. I know and agree with the rhetoric of taking care of yourself helps you better care for your family, but it takes commitment at a time when you are infinitely overcommitted. So here I am, on the other side of raising our daughter, mostly, I have a lot more time, now that she is so independent - no more car pool for me (very sad indeed), she spends hours doing homework, does side jobs to make a little $ and has a bit of a social life. I hang around to wait for those magical moments to appear for her to unload all of her life stuff, and still - I have more time. So I've picked up running again.

I was a runner in college, and enjoyed running when E. and I were first married, we live out in the Santa Cruz Hills, it was perfect for running. We lived by a Monastic Retreat Center, E. would walk with a cup of coffee and I'd run down the road to loop my 5 miles then we'd walk home together. This last week, I walked/jogged 5 miles for the first time in 18 years. I'd stopped running when I went on bedrest with my pregnancy. I tried it again when K. was 3 or 4 but it didn't have enough appeal to actually make me want to leave K. or E. since I worked outside our home. I guess I just forgot I like to run.

Today, K. did half of my strength training with me. It was fun. She is such a cool kid. This age is really fun, it might even top preschooler, which is an amazing admission for me. She and I are going to run our first 5K the end of this month and I have another one scheduled with a friend in October. I am excited and a bit scared, I don't know if I will enjoy running around other people. It's only ever been something I've enjoyed doing alone. I guess I will find out.

So there it is, the reason for the little orange widget at the bottom of this blog. My daughter made me do it, and I'm very glad she did. AND if you want to start doing something you love like cycling,running,walking,swimming, or other fitness stuff I would recommend Daily Mile. It rocks! I have 4 or 5 ladies on there that I message with privately back and forth. We have become friends and training partners. We not only encourage eachother in fitness goals but discuss the joy of families,and also some of the hard things in life.

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