I am a few weeks behind in posting about the half marathon training process. In February, we had terrible weather, which caused significant damage throughout the area. I was already “snowed under” at work as it was, and this certainly did not help. My contract work also picked up, and things at home began to feel a little more chaotic. When it snows, it blizzards. I don’t really believe in the concept of work/life balance. Different aspects of our lives need more attention at different times. However, I do try to have appropriate boundaries and limit how much my work interferes with my personal life. For weeks 4-6, work required most of my attention and the boundaries were completely eroded. These three weeks felt like a circus. Everything was loud, chaotic, and I felt like I was constantly hoisting myself onto a tight rope, trying to maintain some balance, and I would fall right off.
I struggled with anxiety and stress. Everything was due at once and everything was a priority. The pace was dizzying, but monotonous -like those awful teacup rides my children love. It was tough keeping my running and cross-training schedule. In yoga, I found myself wobbling through even the simplest poses. Following over on my yoga mat really challenges the image of the graceful swan I become when I do yoga. Our state of being permeates throughout all aspects of our lives. I was so off balance that the it was even seeping through to the standard Warrior 2 pose. I could forget about a tree pose or anything more challenging! I decided early on in this training and fitness process that I could not let work be an excuse for not working out. This mindset had gotten me in trouble before as I allowed the personal and professional demands on my time to become more important than my own health. Somehow, I managed to stay on track. For week 4, I got very little running in due to the weather, but I tried to find other ways to workout inside. For weeks 5 and 6, I was able to get back outside. Despite an almost 10 day hiatus from running, I reduced my average pace per mile by 30 seconds. At the end of week 6, I completed a nine mile run with an average pace of 11′ 57”/ mile. This was a huge accomplishment for me as well as a confidence boost. In my attempt at 10 miles two months prior, my pace had been 14’12”/ mile. Taking two minutes off of my average pace per mile given all the disruption was a victory.
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I tried to maintain some perspective. Circuses can be fun and exciting. There are adrenaline rushes and crazy rides to look back on. There is a ton of great junk food along the way. I knew the circus that was my life for a few weeks would come to an end. The competing deadlines, frantic emailers, and voices of doubt would pack up and move along their way. Life would go back to our version of normal. In the meantime, the ferris wheel would continue to rise and set. Thankfully, like the elephant to the right, I am once again perched on a disco ball feeling some semblance of balance again, however precarious. I plan to return to weekly updates going forward.
While I was achieving all of this running and professional glory, my house began to look like a fun house from a horror film. My kids basically had three weeks of all-you-can play video games. Who knows how many hours of the day Disney+ was playing. I don’t function well in a messy environment. It adds to my sense of overwhelm and frustration. And, I hate missing so much time with my kids. This made keeping up with the running schedule even more important. I needed the endorphins.
In Medias Race 
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