Learning to be Selfish...

As a stay-at-home mom, the majority of my days are determined by routine. A schedule that has fallen into place as a result of trial and error. Meals. Naps. And lately, the NIGHTMARE that is potty training. I realized very early on in the parenting game that I don't control nearly as much as I thought.

After having Ty, I struggled to find the balance between being a Mommy...and everything else. Right when I found a groove, Jacob made his appearance on the scene. It was at this point that Rachel announced her desire to run a half marathon. Having run two to three miles pretty consistently since my wedding, I was up for the challenge.

We ran. We trained. We finished our first. And our second. And here we are, weeks away from our third. The training hasn't got any easier. We haven't managed to find extra hours in our days. From her post below, you can see that it takes a lot of planning to get our longer runs in these days...especially as there are MORE of them. For our first Half, we ran 9 miles ONCE. 10 miles ONCE. And raced. Now, we've already logged in the longer mileage and have weeks to go.

Running has taught me a lot. It has given me an outlet to find peace. And quiet. There is no one chasing after me asking for juice. Or snacks. Or in need of a diaper change. Or sibling squabbles to break up. It's just me. And my music. Twice a week I run with mini-bit in the jogger or wake up early to squeeze in the miles. For the long runs on the weekend I sneak away for a bigger chunk of time. If the stars align and schedules open up, I meet my running homies for a run. And coffee. The husband whines. And hims and haws. I understand that my training is a family affair. I understand that it calls on him to watch the boys solo after a LONG week of work. But I no longer feel guilty. Call it a lesson in selfishness but I do it for ME. One day a week. For a few hours.

I think EVERY mom needs the chance to miss her kids. The chance to step out of the house and away from her daily routine. The chance to regain her groove and rejuvenate her well of patience. While a FULL marathon seems truly impossible and is nowhere near my radar of things to do, the lure of FOUR to FIVE hours of uninterrupted time makes me wonder...maybe one day.