The journey to the 5K

This weekend the kiddos and I went briefly up to my parents’ lakehouse while Sean was out of town.  I managed to get in a run thanks to my parents watching the kiddos after dinner.  While I was running by myself (for the first time in I don’t know how long), my ipod went dead and that left me to have some serious time with my own thoughts.

I started thinking about my own journey towards running (many moons ago) and how many of the aspects really mirror my journey into motherhood (this is why I should never be left alone with my own thoughts for very long).

I think it’s interesting that when I first started running, I could barely go a mile and really had to work up to a 5K.  I was so scared to enter an organized 5K race because I just didn’t know if I would have a good day or not and I hated to disappoint myself by not finishing strong or having to walk midway through.  But I finally got over that hump and in my final years of college and post graduation, i would do 2 or 3 races a month.  I did some 10K races and even trained and completed a marathon.   I was seemingly unstoppable.  I knew I would never be the fastest, but in my own estimation I was pretty good.  I could see improvement, I could train hard for a week, I could slack off for a week or two, I could run by myself or with people, I could do it after work or on vacation.  Running just fit into my life and we became great friends.  I felt better when I ran, I performed better when I ran, I looked better when I ran.  It was a necessary evil in my life.  Sometimes it would be hard to motivate myself to go…I would come up with a thousand excuses…I just ate, the wind is blowing too hard, I stayed up too late last night, my friend canceled on me, I’m hungry, I’m thirsty, I have to go into work early, my favorite tv show is on.  But I would still find the motivation most of the time to run and enjoyed it so much when I got myself out the door.

Fast forward about 5 years…I’m now married and have two kiddos.  When I first got married I could barely do laundry, grocery shop or fix a decent meal (remember the tofu, Sean?).  Then just when those things became second nature, I upped the anty…10Ks…Bree…marathons…Bauer….

Diapers, buying a house, bottles, 401Ks, solid food, painting a room, crawling, car repairs, walking, finding time for a date night, playgroups, career changes, meltdowns…there is always a new hill or speed workout to try.   But marriage and motherhood fit my life now…we are great friends.  While it’s hard to get out the door on some days, I’m super glad I did when I put those two kiddos to bed at night or make a great meal for my family.

It’s appropriate that now running has become almost like therapy for me.  I put the two kiddos in that AMAZING Bob stroller and hit the pavement…sometimes with the ipod, sometimes in silence, sometimes with Sean or a neighborhood mom.  Running is the easy part now…the excuses have faded….I need my run especially when I’m with the kiddos all day.  And I think they need that quiet time as well….we all have a moment to regroup and to get lost in our thoughts.   The hills are encouraged, the wind is a fun distraction, the misty rain keeps you wondering if a downpour is around the corner.  There are stops to give out fruitsnacks, retrieve blankets from the street and to see if the horses are out.  But the runs still happen and while not as easy logistically as it was a few years ago, it certainly never gets dull.

This morning getting out the door involved some choice words from me due to Bauer’s missing blanket, Bree shouting “No, No, No” as she was being strapped into the stroller, and the ever mounting list of things I need to pack to go for a 45 minute run, but we made it.  A run for mommy and a date with the swings at the park for Bree and Bauer.

This is my life and we are great friends!

About juco

The Murphy Clan is onto year 4 of this parenting adventure. We are happy to keep sharing some our proudest and silliest moments with all our family and friends. We hope you enjoy our new format!
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