It's been a while since I've written anything on the blog. Life, it seems, has taken over. Summer is really busy...not so much for me, but for my 2 teenage sons. My oldest has a part time job, and my youngest, who will be a freshman in high school this fall, has daily football camp. Which he needs a ride to and from--twice weekly. I'm carpooling with another mom on the days that I work in the morning. So basically on the days that I have to drive, I get up early, go running, drive him and his friend to camp, come home to get myself ready for work, pick them up, bring them home, and head off to work. When I get home from work at night, they're gone with their friends. It's a new phenomena for my husband and I, and I'm not sure I like all this newfound alone time. As I write this, my husband is snoring on the couch. Living the dream, I am.
I miss my down time. But most of all, I miss my boys and all the fun times we used to have together.
But last weekend, we went off to the north woods of Wisconsin, as a family, and had a fabulous time.
We went to my parents' summer home. We ate. And we sunned. We boated. And ate some more. But we were also really active.
We kayaked:
And we did this: Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP):
So what does this have to do with running, you ask? And what does this have to do with motivation?
Would I be able to do all this with my teenage boys if I didn't run? Running, cycling, yoga, and lifting weights gives me the energy to keep up with them; to be able to spend time with them doing things all of us enjoy. I've always said I don't want to be that mom who is sitting on the sidelines. I want to be able to keep up with them.
Truthfully, I don't run just so I can keep up with them. I run because I want to run, because it makes me feel good. I took in a couple of beautiful runs while we were in this amazing place. I love to run. I run for me. But as my sons grow older and want to spend more time away with their friends instead of me, I need to find things we can all enjoy together. And keeping physically active allows me to do these things.
While we were paddleboarding out on Green Bay, the wind shifted. I struggled to paddle back to shore. the wind kept blowing me back and at times, I felt a little panicky. I used my mental strength, honed from years of running long distances and pushed through to get myself to the pier. Later, I asked my boys if they got a little nervous that they weren't going to make it in. My oldest just kind of rolled his eyes at me. But my youngest nodded.
"That was tough," he said. We smiled at each other.
Yep.
Who motivates you? Or what motivates you?