Full
time working, full time mothering, full time cook and washerwoman, full
time tomato and chilli grower extraordinaire.... something had to give,
and my running has fallen
by the wayside this summer. Not that I've stopped completely - though
instead of 3-4 runs per week, covering 20 miles, I'm running 1-2 times
per week at the moment and covering around 5 miles.
I'm
not sleeping as well as I used to and I'm worrying more about the stuff
which shouldn't matter - confirming what I always suspected, that
running is good for my mental
health, running is good for my head. I don't really care too much that
it's probably good for my physical health, helping me to live longer
and have more energy - running helps me keep my stuff in order and all
the stuff I juggle is manageable when I am running
regularly...and if I can't quite manage to keep all the balls in the
air at once, then I can shrug it off, pick it up and start again.
So,
I've settled into full time working now and the mad summer school term
(not recommended for the faint hearted, full time working mother!) is
over and we're all chilling
out into summer time for a while.
I'm picking up my fitness with all the enthusiasm of a January 1st gym bunny.... I'm going for quantity, believing that quality will naturally follow. Frequent, regular and
(at first) short workouts, at times which fit in with my working schedule and my children not being at school (6.30am swim tomorrow anyone?) and where I can I am dragging my kids out with me. Two of them are probably fitter than me at the moment, so I've
been road cycling 10-15 mile routes with them and running sweaty, hilly 2-3 miles routes with them by my side.
I've
booked accommodation next to Lake Windermere for the weekend of The
Great North Swim next summer - and I fully intend to enter (with my
eldest daughter this time!) in the
next few weeks. I'm dragging a few very lovely swimmy friends with me
who I haven't seen in a while - it's all about the revivals at the
moment. Not been in a pool for over a year, meanwhile the daughter has
been swimming 3-4 times per week while chasing
Yorkshire times (not quite there yet).. so I suspect I'll be playing
catch up. First swimming session tomorrow - always the hardest, but looking forward to be back in the pool.
