The Anatomy of a Winter Family Run

It's getting c-c-c-c-c-cold out there!  My husband and I were both pretty exhausted yesterday after work and activities and whatnot, and the thought of going on a chilly dark evening run just sounded awful.  Not satisfying, not "connecting with each other", just plain awful.  But we said screw it and got ready anyway.  We've been doing so much better and can't let laziness win.  We would do repeats on the loop in front of our house because we could see our house the entire time.  Quick, easy, no reason to stir warm kids.  So, we get completely ready, and this happens:

Thomas: "Ooh, a walk, I wanna go on my scooter!"
Me:  "Well, no, buddy, we're actually running around the circle here, and sister and the dogs will keep you company.  It's cold and dark, and we're going pretty fast."
Thomas:  "Nope, gonna ride my scooter, I'll be fast."
Annalie:  "I'm gonna ride my scooter too!"
Don:  "........."
Me:  "Well, okay then.  But I'm serious about us going fast.  No stopping, it's too cold."
Kids:  "We got it, yay!"
Me:  "Are you gonna wear those shorts and t-shirts?  I said it's cold!!"
Kids:  "We'll put on light jackets, we like being cold."
Me:  "Great...."

About 10 minutes pass of us trying to herd two kids and two giant dogs out the door but failing, kind of like trying to eat noodles with a spoon.  But eventually we make it!  Off we go!

About three minutes into the run, on our first hill, we no longer see Thomas.  He has fallen way behind and doesn't want to go fast up the hill.  He "doesn't like hills."  I think well tough shit little buddy, you knew the hill was here beforehand.  So we encourage him to catch up.

Five minutes in, we get stopped by a neighbor, and he loses interest again.  The dogs are ecstatic though.  Off we go again after untangling some leashes.

Eight minutes in, we make it to the top of the last hill after losing both kids for a moment.  Then Thomas declares that we HAVE to go to the pool so they can do some circles.  Fine, if it keeps you moving.  One dog doesn't like that, she knows our normal route and damn well refuses to go.  She weighs 70lbs, so it takes a moment but we get her on track with the rest of us.

10 minutes in, we're at the pool doing circles and both kids are suddenly pissed.  Annalie wants to make designs with her scooter, and Thomas isn't guessing her designs.  He's instead following her and copying her to make her mad.  He doesn't know why she's so angry.  Screaming commences.  So we say goodbye to the pool.

15 minutes in, we're back to the previous intersection, where we continue our regular route.  All hell breaks loose.  Neither kid wants to go on, they need to go home that very moment.  Thomas suddenly gets an untied shoelace that he can't tie because his fingers are "frozen and can't move."  It's only 45 degrees, but whatever.  He probably heard it from Annalie, who was screaming at the top of her lungs about how numb she was.  I tie his shoelace and coerce him to come along, and I remind Annalie that we can still hear her and that her helmet muffles sound.

20 minutes in, we make it to the end of the neighborhood!  Another neighbor stops us, Thomas won't catch up because he knows he can skip that last 40 feet and turn around and he considers this a win.  I try to get one dog to poop (he's a walk-pooper, usually half mile in and this is much farther), but the neighbor has distracted him.  We turn around to go home.

23 minutes in, and the fucking dog has to poop now.  I start to run faster, because we tried so hard to get the kids out the door that we forgot the poo bags.  No way am I stopping at a yard and leaving dog poo there to come back for later!  Annalie tries tokeep up and does well.  She's attempting to yell-talk to me, but I can't even listen because the dog is miserable and trying not to shit himself, and he keeps weaving in front of me.  Thomas and Don stay behind with the other dog ,but Thomas is moving faster now fortunately for Don.

25 minutes in, and we make it back.  I rush to let the dog poo, Thomas collapses in the garage because everything hurts, Annalie just quietly goes back to her laptop, Don rushes to make dinner, and I resist the urge to have a drink.

But we ran.  Right??  Does that count?  It sure as hell better.  You can't win them all.

Body weight

Our body weight does not define us.

Three years ago, I was a distance runner.  I ran half marathons for shits and giggles and trained for fulls.  I did a little strength training also, but not consistently.  I did very minimal towards toning and flexibility.  I ate at restaurants 2-5 times a week, snacked late, and ate healthy at times.  I rarely had breakfast.  My processed food intake was moderate.  I was in better than average health and what many would consider fairly fit.  I weighed myself daily and focused on it often.  I wasn't very happy with my body.

Today, three years later.  I don't run often, but I'm still getting the same amount of cardio through spinning and HIIT.  I strength train regularly with heavier weights, as well as tone with lighter and body weight.  I focus on flexibility daily.  I sometimes eat out once a week, but it's pretty rare now.  I stopped my nighttime snacking and also eat much healthier through the day.  I always have breakfast.  I'm in very good health and consider myself extremely fit.  I weigh myself about once a month, just for the hell of it, and forget the number instantly.  I (mostly) love the way I look.

Today, three years later, I weigh 15 pounds more than I did when I was less fit and ate worse.  I have much more muscle yet less fat.  And I'm totally fine with that.  

Our body weight does not define us.

So many people, particularly women, fixate on that number on the scale.  It's easy to do--it's one number and it's simple to measure.  I've been there, I get it!!  I challenge those of you who fixate on this one pointless number--I challenge you to stop weighing yourself completely, at least for a month.  Instead of stepping on that scale, look at how your clothes are fitting and how your body image is improving as you make healthier life choices.  The freedom you will feel is amazing, and your results will be much more visible to both you and the rest of the world.  You'll actually appreciate what you've done for yourself!  I'll start writing more posts about how to go through with these little changes, but first I simply want you to step the fuck away from your scale, right now, today.

Our body weight does NOT define us.

New Year, New(er) Me

Happy 2016, woohoo!  My 2015 was pretty decent, I can't really complain about it.  I bettered myself, tried out a new business idea, and found gyms/studios that I'm really happy with.  The kids are happy and healthy and my marriage is in great shape.  No one close to me died. That in itself made 2015 way better than its predecessor.

But as every new year goes, I feel mildly inclined to set some new goals. I'm not usually the biggest fan of the traditional "New Year's Resolutions" because I tend to think that the real goals people feel inclined to set and keep tend to come about when the need arises.  That being said, I've felt the need for a few changes for a while now, and I'm going to try to make them now.  So there!

Change number 1:  Run more!  Don and I love to run together, but we've been horrible about making time for it.  Which is a bummer, because it's a wonderful way to spend time together as a couple while bettering ourselves.  So we woke up on 1/1 and decided to start a run streak.  No, we're not running naked (sorry neighbors), but we're aiming to run every single day, even if just for a mile.  Generally it will be a longer distance, but the mile minimum forces us to at least get out there for a few minutes, even on the longest of days.  No pressure, just fun!

Change number 2:  Less alcohol.  With the holidays come the holiday parties, the staying up late, and the wine.  Mmmmmm, wiiiiine.  But it's time to back down a bit, whether I like it or not.

Change number 3:  Find my place.  While I absolutely love the places I work, I'm really feeling the need to make my mark and do something more stable and/or full-time.  I have a hard time believing in myself quite honestly, so having my own small business is scary to me.  A full time job is also scary, as it puts me out of the house more than I have been since pre-kids.  I need to get past it all.  I need to hunker down, determine what it is exactly that I want, and make a plan to move towards it.  I don't need to be there by next year, but I do need to know where it is I'm going and how I'll get there.

Change number 4:  Maintain a cleaner and less cluttered home.  I've let this slip since working more, and it's obvious now.  I have to organize and declutter my drawers and closets, and keep a cleaning schedule for the high use areas.  

Of course I'll be happy to be in even better shape, eat even healthier, unplug more, but those are my big 2016 goals.  I'll try to keep you all updated on them, as it'll provide some accountability on my part.

Until then, Happy New Year, and tell me what your big goals are!