Yes, I do realize that we still have another month until 2013. My running year, though, ended in November. Not only was it the end of my race season, it was the end of my first year of running with the Toronto Olympic Club.
Just over 12 months ago, I took my injured running partner’s advice to run with them – just to check them out. I remember being incredibly nervous the first time out – and the second, and the third, and so on – because I knew that the others (and I didn’t even really know who “the others” were) would be so much faster. The first night I got home from what I now know is considered one of the toughest workouts they do and thought “What was I thinking? There is no way I’ll ever be able to keep up with them.”
But like a puppy who isn’t quite sure about the game rules, I went back the following week for more. That night, I got home feeling certain that I was crazy. Each time I ran with them, I felt so much older and so much slower, but I was quickly welcomed into the group. It was what I wanted and what I needed if I wanted to stay competitive with running. By late spring, I felt that I belonged.
Since January, 2012, I have run over 1600 injury-free miles – my highest annual mileage ever. I trained for Boston (not my best moment but, looking back, my best choice), pb’ed at 5K, 10 mile and half-marathon distances, and ran my first cross-country season ever. Along the way, I’ve made some great running friends.
While juggling running between my family and work committments, my writing has dropped and, this past month especially, I realize how much I’ve missed it; the ideas flow but the time to put them down has seemed elusive. In the past year, I’ve done a really good job of juggling the 3 balls – family, work and running. Now it’s time to toss up the fourth with them – the blogging ball.
Moving forward, blogging is like running. I have to make time for it. Otherwise, it just isn’t going to happen.
Balls in the air: family, work, running, blogging.
What do you find hard to juggle?
