Fitting It All In - Part 1

My kids and I at the Victoria 1/2 Marathon 2012

Today was one of those days when the daily puzzle needed to fit perfectly. My alarm went at 5:00 am and I was running up the road by 5:14.  Being a working mom and wife, and training for an ultra is not easy.  But it has been possible thus far.  Here are a few ways that I manage to fit it all in.  If you are a running mom, let me know if you have any other suggestions!

1) I always have a plan.  I ran 65 km this week (my most ever) and you can be sure that it didn't happen by accident.  Of course I have my spreadsheet on the fridge.  That's only the beginning.  If I know I'm running tomorrow after work I pack my bag the night before.  If I know I'm running in the morning I hydrate well the night before, get my pack ready and go to bed early.  I am mentally thinking about the next run at least 12 hours before so that when it's time to run, I'm ready!  I also plan meals for the week in advance whenever possible.  The crockpot is my savior, I double recipes we like when cooking so I have extra meals with less work, and my freezer is full of soup at all times.

2) Communication.  I coordinate all my runs with my husband and confirm that our family schedule will work that week. My kids know that as long as they remember Mom has gone running on Sunday mornings.  "My family knows my goal. I can't say they always agree but they know it and it has become the norm now." lifeasrunningmom.blogspot.ca  My running depends so much on my husband's support that there is more on this topic in Part 2 of this post.

3) Flexibility.  I develop workouts wherever I have time to run.  I prefer to run on trails, but sometimes getting to them wastes valuable minutes in my day.  The moment I am done work, I literally change into my running clothes and blast out the door.  I work in a variety of locations and utilize the geography of each area for variety in my runs.  Sometimes it's hill repeats, sometimes it's stair climbs, sometimes it's tempo runs on the flats...as long as I can get there quickly from work and pick up my kids after with a minimum of down time. Not a minute is wasted.

4) Be willing to get up early.  I prefer running after work, but Friday mornings I get up at 5:00 to get my run in before 7:00 when my husband leaves for work.  My Sunday long runs are also starting earlier and earlier because I have an agreement with by darling husband (DH) that I will be done by noon every Sunday and I will get up as early as needed to get that done.

5) Recognize that my running is a team effort.  It's not all about me.  In order for me to be able to run the volume that I am, my whole family needs to be on board.  The moment my husband or my kids start complaining about my running, I need to re-evaluate.  More on this in Part 2 of this post.

6) No excuses allowed. Barring illness or injury, runs are non-negotiable.  Our schedule is so tightly set that I really have no wiggle room.  When my schedule says run at 4:30 pm, I need to run that day because a make-up run simply cannot happen at any other time.  If it's raining, snowing, blowing, hot, humid, blah, blah, blah....it doesn't matter.  I simply cannot start giving myself excuses not to run or else it's all over.  That said, if I'm sick or injured, or my kids are sick...common sense and motherly instinct must prevail.  My family comes first.

7) No guilt allowed.  Running gives me so much more than it takes away that I simply cannot feel guilty for running.  It is my gift to myself, the way I fill my cup per se.  I come home from a run with my head clear of work stress, relaxed and ready to take on my motherly and wifely duties at home for the rest of the day.  The only time I feel a little guilty is when I don't plan supper well before my evening runs and feed my family late or with low quality food.  Reference #1.