Four weeks before the beginning of the 30th Olympics my sister, Yolanda, and I in a fit of Olympic angst decided to embark on a month-long I wanna be an Olympian plan. We officially titled it "Train Like an Olympian."
Well, I quickly realized that all of my responsibilities were not going to graciously sit by and watch any wild training sessions. No sponsors came knocking down my door with money and gear. In fact, the last four weeks have been more of a reminding force that I am already on a journey of Olympic proportions requiring fierce determination, clear focus like a laser cut diamond, and tear-inspiring sacrifice. For the last 859 days my regiment has been eat, sleep, motherhood. At any moment, mother-moments become synonymous with an Olympic sport. The last 28 days have felt like upward killer hills of a cycling road race. With three under 3 and an adolescent daughter, I'm thrown into daily competitions of self-centeredness. I also feel like the under-dog country up against the power-house team.
Where and how does running fit into all of this? Honestly, I've had a hard time fitting any run into an exhausting day, let alone a run worthy of any Olympic heart. For the first half of July things went well with a few solo runs between the majority of runs with my husband. Then husband went on a six-day work week spree. Between a hectic schedule, exhaustion, and heat, running took a week of rest.
Additionally, I was registered for the July 28 Run for Blood quarter marathon. If I was going to beat my officially timed 10k of 1:07:53, I had to get my legs out of the door before the morning of the 28th. That meant that Olympic-mom had to sit down six days before the race so I could remember what 6 miles felt like. Better said than done. I managed eight hard fought miles within the week before race day.
The night before the Run for Blood all I could think of was how ready I was for the peace and quiet of a race. I couldn't wait to talk to myself for an entire hour about any and everything outside of motherhood.
Despite "Train Like an Olympian" being more like "Live Like a Mom-lympian," I still reached a personal best at the Run for Blood. I shaved more than 7 minutes from my time blasting past the shadow of my 1:07:53. That means the month-long journey of "Mom-lympics" still pushed me to beat my best for this race.
As a mom, I still have a space to put my best to the test. Sometimes the space is significant like training for a half marathon. Other times, the space is small where I'm barely able to squeeze in a run. With motherhood at the forefront, I'm hugely grateful for the space, no matter what size to run and test the limits of what I perceive as my best. It's worth noting for future tests of any undertaking that the intensity, dedication, and labor of love that motherhood is greatly impacts other areas of my potential bests.
Nicely said..."As a mom, I still have a space to put my best to the test."
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