One Way to Guarantee You’ll Run More
I was checking my email on Sunday night when I noticed one of those discount emails for the Brooklyn Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon for the fall. Somehow, an alien took over my body, got out my credit card and registered for it. Not only did I register for it, but I signed my husband up as well. (He’s a good sport; he shrugged and said, “Sure.”) The race happens to fall on our anniversary, so I figured, what better way to celebrate, right?
I haven’t done an event since my husband and I completed the Tough Mudder. So in some crazy way, a half marathon seems challenging but doable; at least there won’t be mud or electrical shocks. Never mind the fact that my workouts haven’t involved much distance running. I’ve got months to train! Thankfully, six months.
As I was signing up, I knew we’d have to figure out childcare for the kiddos. Not an easy task when it’s going to involve a practically middle-of-the-night wakeup call. But it was one of those instances where you say “yes” and figure out the details later. And after just speaking to my mom, it looks like we’ll be taken care of in that department.
Committing to a big goal like this will encourage consistency and challenging myself. My hand hovered over the submit order button and I could have backed down and registered later. I didn’t even purchase the injury/pregnancy (haha, no)/emergency cancellation insurance. I knew that I had to commit in that moment or it wouldn’t happen.
Luckily, life has gotten slightly easier around here, too, as my youngest has hit 19 months. Or at least more consistent and predictable. I’ve been hitting the gym consistently, and the kids have been great with childcare there. They’ve even requested heading to the gym, which was unheard of back when they would give me a solid 10 minutes to work out. My youngest has been a champ there, too. Whether it’s because she’s used to a daycare setting daily or because the other two kids are there with her, she’s felt comfortable and I’ve been able to complete my workouts, no problem. So while it’s not ideal to log all my running miles on the treadmill, at least I know I have that option.
Even in the light of day, this half marathon still seems like a good idea. I’ll let you know how it goes!
How do you balance distance running with juggling kids? It would help if I was a morning person. Darn. —Erin