Priorities

In the last year, I've found a love for running that I never thought possible. While my priorities are, first and foremost, my husband and the Weasel, followed closely by other family and friends, running nears the top of the list for me. I've skipped playgroups or other functions to get my run in for the day. I've deserted my husband on Saturday mornings to do long runs with my Stroller Warriors. 

Source

Blogging falls somewhere in the middle of the pack. While I love meeting new virtual friends and following their blogs, I typically only write when I have something to say. I write to keep a journal of sorts about what running means to me. Sure, I've fallen victim to the "I must post every week day or people will stop following me!" mentality, but overall, I try to keep it real. No one will think differently of me if I can't write a post once in a while. 


Well, Jessica is super busy in Afghanistan and not really able to contribute right now. And we are in the midst of fixing up our house to either put on the market for sale or for rent, so blogging will be taking a back seat for the rest of this month. Yesterday was focused on taking down personal stuff around the house in an effort to start the "staging" process. Today I spent the morning split between playing with Weasel and stripping/priming a section of our front porch. Needless to say, we're super busy. And while I could keep up the writing and skip the running, I'm not about to do that:) 

So for now, thanks for keeping up with our blog. Hope you'll visit again soon when we get back to posting. And for anyone who has tips about prepping a house for sale, please share them!! Or, if you'd like to have us post one of your blogs to promote you, email me at jennifer.ryu@gmail.com!

All Runs Should Be So Good

I've posted a fair amount of times about bad runs. Runs that make me feel like turning in my Saucony's and calling it quits. But today is different. Today I'm going to tell you about the most awesome run I've had in a LONG time.

I decided to hit a local paved trail last Thursday for a mid-length run. The Weasel fell asleep on our drive and as I pulled into the parking lot of McDonald's, I wasn't paying attention. I unloaded the stroller, placing our water bottles in their holders, grabbing a snack for Weasel, and getting my RunKeeper App ready to go. Then I did my best to get her out of the car and into the Bob still asleep. SUCCESS! It was an incredible 70 degrees at 9:15 and I just had a feeling it was going to be a good run. Then I looked up and quickly realized I was parked at the WRONG McDonald's. One that was no where near the trail I was aiming for.

The "never wake a sleeping baby" rule definitely applied in this case, so I decided to make the best of it and just run along some crappy sidewalks and into the "downtown" heart of Jacksonville, NC. (I have to add the NC because I wouldn't want anyone getting jealous of me actually living in the GOOD Jacksonville!) We took off and about 1/2 mile into it, lost the sidewalk and had to share the road with traffic and a group of inmates collecting trash...and boy did THAT make me run faster!

I've driven on a bridge over the New River about a million times and always said, that place over there looks kinda neat. I need to check it out. Well this run was the perfect opportunity, so I cruised along some unfamiliar streets and saw amazing houses on the waterfront, a great park at the marina, and ended up back in a place I recognized. That was at about the 3.3 mile mark. My sister had asked for some microwave vegetarian lentil soup, so I popped into the New Bridge Organic Market and grabbed several items. This loaded down the stroller a bit more, but it meant I didn't have to make an extra stop on the drive home, so it was totally worth it:

Huge score! Hoping she will like some of these random picks!

Shopping trip complete, we headed back out and ran back toward the water where I had seen some great wooden bridges that I wanted to check out. It was a solid decision as this is where we ended up:

Seriously, perfect running day!

I can't believe I've lived in Jacksonville for over 2 1/2 years and didn't know about this place! We will definitely be going back. I was maintaining slightly over an 8 minute pace and feeling pretty good, but Weasel was starting to get antsy as she had been awake since about the 2 mile mark and we were close to 5.5 at this point. Perfect time to happen upon yet another park:

Weasel in her element!

After about 20 minutes of playtime and a not-so-terrible slide incident (she was going down the big winding slide in the back and decided to forget to sit down first!), Weasel climbed back in the Bob and we finished the last 1.2 miles to return to the car. 

This was such a relaxing way to run. Sure I used my RunKeeper App to log miles and keep time, but I wasn't glued to it (thank goodness for the pause button!). I wish all runs could be this grand!

Am I being selfish?

Do you ever ask yourself this question when you're in the midst of some serious training? If you do, you're not alone. Training sucks up a lot of "free" time - that's time away from family and friends, work, and other hobbies. Not to mention that you also have to stretch, do core work, and cross train. It adds up, and sometimes makes us feel selfish.

Family time or training? Which one wins out?

As a self-proclaimed work-a-holic, my sister, Jessica, spends on average 12 hours a day at work. About half of the time, she can squeeze in a run during working hours, but what about those other days? Is it fair to her husband that she gets home and immediately dons running attire to log a few miles?

And I have a 1-year old who doesn't really love being strapped into a stroller for 30 minutes to an hour and a half 6 days a week! Should we just give it up?

NO! If you're feeling selfish, just imagine how much worse you would feel if you didn't get those runs in. My mind would be racing with self-criticism about why I was such a slacker. For me, escaping for a 30 minute run is so much more beneficial to me AND to those around me. We are happier and healthier when we run.

Ever look at your clock and think there just aren't enough hours in the day?!

Are there times when it's important to recognize when running should take a backseat? Absolutely! No one knows better than you if your family and friends are feeling neglected and just need that extra attention from you. Perhaps they are upset because your training seems more important to you then they do. Do your best to realize these instances and make a judgment call. One extra rest day can do wonders, not only for sore muscles, but also for relationships!

And if possible, you can always try to combine the two! Ask your partner to join you for a run and explain why keeping a schedule is so important to your goals.

How do you keep life/training in balance?