Heavy heart and hard decisions

Something has been weighing on my mind for a few weeks now and I just can't shake it. I'm having to make a decision that I don't want to have to make. My husband is in the military (for those that don't know) and is going to be deploying to the Middle East for the month of October. As far as deployments go - it's a cinch...just a month. Nothing to really even notice. It isn't 6 months, it isn't a year. But it is in the middle of training for the Savannah Marathon.

I haven't been training....my 16 week program started 4 weeks ago. And I've run about 16 miles in the 4 weeks. The heat has really been burning me out and making it hard for me to find my motivation. While I was on vacation last week I was deciding whether or not to start a 12 week training program (beginning today). I looked at the schedule and it is possible (as long as the weather cools by 25 degrees in the next 2 days). The problem is the three 20 mile training runs are all scheduled for October.

I'm a stay at home mom of a 5 year old and 2 year old. Thankfully school starts up soon and my 2 year old will be in preschool two days a week. I will have 4 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work out and run. I just don't think it is possible to run 20 miles between the time I drop off and pick up the kids. I could squeeze in the actual mileage - 20 miles would be about 3 hours and 20 minutes. But I just don't think the logistics are possible. Not to mention being totally fried after a 20 mile run and having to go straight to the elementary school to get my kindergartener. I don't want to ask my parents to keep the kids on Saturdays for 1/2 of the day (or longer) for 3 weeks, plus the 4 days they are keeping them for the actual trip to Savannah.

I'm going to train for the next week or two like I'm still training for the marathon, but I suspect that very soon I will have to decide to change my registration for Savannah to the half marathon. My heart is broken, but I just do not think it is possible to do it all.

Fell off the wagon

Trying to get back to blogging. I started a site on Facebook with the same name as the blog - Mom and Running It. Going to try to use each of the sites to cover all of my bases. I'm not sure what I'm doing.....I just know I want to do this. Some how, talking about running and encouraging/motivating others has become like a calling to me. Hopefully this calling will eventually earn me something other than praise - though I LURVE getting the praise! Somehow there is a business opportunity in this.....I just know it.

Anyway...........training for the Savannah Marathon is underway - this is week 3 - I just completed a 4 mile tempo run this morning. 3 miles at pace - approx 8:30. The more I think about trying to run 13.1 miles that fast in Philadelphia in September, the more I feel a panic attack looming. It's just so hot, that training in this heat is bringing me down. After mondo success at the Secret City 1/2 last November, I think I'm going to save the big guns for then. Philly is still favorable for a PR, but I suspect it will be in the 1-2 minute range, not 5-7. Doesn't matter, though - every second off of a PR is a victory.

Somehow I managed to drop the ball and between procrastination, our trip to the beach coming up, and the Philly 1/2, I've missed the dates for every single triathlon this summer. The thought was to do 1-2 sprints this year to get ready for an Oly in June and a 1/2 Ironman next fall. Thinking about a 1/2 Ironman in just over a year makes me sweat kittens. Funny thing about a HiM, my husband, who has no interest in triathlons or in tattoos announced today that he had a vision of himself getting an M dot tattoo.

It will be interesting to see where to road to triathlon leads each of us in the next year or two.