Journey to 13.1… Mom Life

I’m not sure I realized how crazy I was when I decided to sign up for a half marathon while Baby D was still an infant! In my head, I thought he’d be sleeping through the night, completely cooperative when I needed to run, and most importantly, I never dreamed pushing a jogging stroller would intensify a run like it does. I know. I know. Feel free to laugh hysterically at my naivety. 

Rookie mom mistakes. All rookie mistakes. 


I’ve come to learn that a great night’s sleep for me is 6 – 7 hours with some sporadic middle of the night cries from Baby D. I’ve found that an 11 month old has a personality of his own and sometimes, sitting in the stroller isn’t on his agenda. And more importantly, I’ve gained a new respect for all the parents I’ve passed through the years pushing their toddlers (sometimes in a double stroller)!

While finding the time to run hasn’t been as easy as I hoped it would, I have no doubt that the minor ups and downs I’ve experienced so far in my training will help in the long run. My fitness level continues to improve (we just did a 4 mile stroller run on Sunday) and most importantly, with every day that I push myself a little more to make training work, I get stronger. I feel my mental toughness grow, which I hope will help me during the 13.1 miles in October and for the rest of my life. 

Have you ever pushed yourself to do more than you thought you could? Did it make you stronger? I love to hear about!

Life’s a balancing act!

Time for a reality check.  Recently, I’ve felt like I’ve been struggling to keep my head above water.  Without fail, the end of April and beginning of May are always busy…sometimes relentlessly so.  Work, family parties, just everyday day-to-day stuff.  For some reason, it just seems to balloon when the weather gets nice.  There are nights I sit lounge on my couch after giving Baby D a bath while my husband puts him to bed and I feel as though I’m a hamster in its wheel.  I’m working so hard but achieving nothing.  Is Baby D growing and thriving?  Yes.  Are we incredibly happy as a family of three?  Most definitely.  And they are the most important things.  But as I lay there, all I think about are the things I could or should be doing.  It’s still daylight; I should go for a quick run.  (That half marathon will be here before I know it.)  It’s only 7:30; I should write.  (That second book isn’t going to write itself.)

On a long run this past Saturday, I had a realization.  Life is a balancing act.  Yes, I did know that before now, but I realized that while I have goals for this year, and I have this grand plan about how I should go about achieving them, sometimes, life gets busy.  That’s just a fact of life – especially with a little one.  So if I don’t have a chance to go for that run or if I don’t open my laptop up for a couple nights in a row, it’s okay.  Part of balancing is compensating and readjusting; it’s not just being able to tackle everything all at once.

When Baby D gives me his big smile, I know I must be doing something right!

I know life will continue to get busier as the onset of summer is quickly arriving.  (Who else is excited for Memorial Day Weekend?!)  I hope to work on my outlook and share my journey about life – work – writing balance with you along the way!

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