THE FAST LANE

Life in the fast lane

Surely make you lose your mind

~ Eagles

Lately, I've been feeling like my long run days, actually, all my days, really, have been so crammed with stuff to do, stuff to remember, stuff in general, that I can barely keep up with myself.  Summer, winter, kids in school, kids not in school, working, not working, doesn't matter.  I find that I'm making task lists within my task lists.  I'm dealing with some form of organized chaos every single day.  Some days it's brutal.  Some days I thrive on it.  And some days it drives me totally nuts.  But, it's all part of the package.  I'm a working mom w/ really busy kids and I like to train for marathons in my free time.  That pretty much sums it up.  Take Sunday, for example.  In addition to the 20 miler I needed to get done, my daughter wanted to go to the beach; a sort of last hurrah before starting school this week.  Ok, cool.  Yeah, I think we can make that work, I said out loud and hoped to myself.  Fortunately, I have in-laws who live by the water and who are incredibly understanding and helpful when it comes to my marathon training.  So, off we went.  Here's how the morning unfolded....

 SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

Shoes in ready position

6:30AM
~ Wake up
~ Brush teeth
~ Check email (translation - procrastinate)
~ Make coffee
~ Feed dogs
7:00AM
~ Walk dogs (while drinking coffee)
~ Eat breakfast

PLEASE?

---> notice Clover (the younger dog) staring longingly at me and consider the fact that she probably won't get out again for a few hours. (translation - dog torture)
7:30AM
~ Grab leash and run the first 4.5 miles of my long run with Clover (yes, I'm a sucker)
~ Drop the dog back home
---> insert feelings of both relief (because I no longer have to run with her) and envy (because she's done and I'm not)
8:15AM
~ Grab water (unexpected bonus)
~ Run additional 15.5 miles of my long run doing my damndest to use the time on the road (2 hrs, 50 mins) to my advantage by:
1. composing an important email to a friend
2. putting this blog post together
3. planning out my next week of XC practices
4. making a list of items I need to deal with for my girls when I get home including things like school supplies, lunch stuff, sports equipment, and fall clothes.
---> all of these done in my head, of course

Done and done

10:20 AM
~ Finish run
~ Grab water & car keys
~ Drive to Monomy Coffee
~ Order Frozen Cappuccino

w/ Rachel at Monomy Coffee

~ Hug the owner, Rachel, because she has just made me the most delicious drink I've ever tasted.
~ Sit down and enjoy the fruits of my labor

BLISS

11:00AM 
~ Head back home
~ Throw on bathing suit and get ready to head to beach with Rosie.
~ Make lunch
~ Load car
~ Clean up dog vomit (because she's a puppy and she ate an entire apple the day before, including the core)
~ Throw in a load of laundry (because dog vomit ended up on towels and blankets)
~ Make another cup of coffee (clearly, I'm going to need it)
11:45AM
~ Head to beach

BEACH!

And now it's Wednesday.  I meant to post this on Sunday.  I did.  But, stuff, dogs, running, kids, coaching....life...got in the way.  So, yes, things are crazy and moving really damn fast.  It's just the way things are rolling right now.  And I'm trying really hard to make it all work.  Sometimes I rock it.  Sometimes I don't.  But, at the end of the day, even the longest and hardest of them, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Listen to this:
Mountain At My Gates - Foals or listen w/