This was probably the biggest weekend of racing on Long Island–the Long Island Marathon festival of races. Every year since we began running we’ve either participated in either the half or full marathon, so to not be involved this year felt a tad deflating.
Until Sunday morning…
I wished everyone well on Facebook and truly looked forward to hearing stories of PRs (or no PRs) and seeing pics of happy runners drinking beer reveling in their finish.
Then I packed up the kids and the double jogging stroller and set out.
And this happened.
Not to be repetitive–last weeks Monday post talked about being OK with not PRing right now and focusing on family–but today was different, maybe since it wasn’t a race. Today was more about accepting that when you live a fit lifestyle, there will inevitably be ebbs and flows. We’ve had seasons of infinite 5ks, seasons of marathons, every triathlon we could find, half Ironman and Ironman races. Now just isn’t that time.
But it also doesn’t mean that time is over.
I even envision things being different just a few months from now, when we are settled in a new house training for Tough Mudder.
Life is ever changing, and being able to adapt a fit lifestyle to your current circumstances is crucial–because what’s the alternative?
So that moment–running free with a baby in the stroller and watching my little big girl just go, really just made me thankful more than anything. Thankful for being fit and enjoying this lifestyle with my family.
She completed the almost 3/4 mile loop with some short walking breaks before heading in to play on the swing set. I went for another loop and absorbed all the beauty of the quiet morning.
You might see the question “What’s your fruition?” around here, and it’s because we truly believe you should always be asking yourself that question, hopefully finding an answer, and then trying to get there.
And suddenly I was completely fine about not running the races that day, just at peace knowing that our ‘flow’ will soon return.
