Negative splits and motherhood

A negative split means running the second half of the distance of your choice faster than the first half. It's a way to preserve your strength and finish your run without crying and moaning. It's also a way to prevent you from peeling off whilst schouting to other runners 'Eat my dust!', only to end up calling a cab because you couldn't take another step if it killed you. Which it very well might.

As a runner I do negative splits all the time through no fault of my own. Because when I start running, my body gets all huffy and sulky, saying things like: 'Whatcha doing?! I don't wanna!' So I stumble along until, in spite of itself, my body starts to feel more supple and my feet lighter. Without effort I run my second halves much faster than my firsts.

Now I'm wondering: can you do negative splits as a mom too? They are very much recommended when running long distances and marathons, which motherhood is often compared too. So I think the answer is a resounding yes.

In days gone by, when my kids got up around four at night, one unpleasant morning I looked at the time and saw it was only seven in the morning. Already I had crafted the universe with the kids, baked muffins and played monopoly. I didn't have anything left for the rest of the day. An obvious case of a so called positive split, where you just let rip, and hold nothing back. Which as a mom I do not recommend.

So in conclusion: I think negative splits are beneficial as a runner and as a mom!

5 comments

Sarah said...

Very interesting post. :) I can clearly remember days when I realized how early it still was and wondered what the heck we were going to do with the rest of the day too. :) Usually I would stick them in the car and we would go to Starbucks at that point. :)

Relentless Forward Commotion said...

haha this is funny! I need to remember this, as my kids seem to have negative splits everyday. Actually, I don't know if it's considered a negative split if they go 150% all day long! But at 9 pm without a doubt they are both wired and I'm trying to muster every ounce of energy I can just to coax them to bed!

Reluctant Runner said...

What a great comparison! How about negative splits over the course of a parenting year ... are those possible? For example, caring more at the end of the school year if your kids school books are organized as at the beginning of the year. Or packing even more nutritious lunches in May than in September. Or ensuring the kids go to school looking even tidier and more put together on the last day than they did on the first day. Not sure I've ever achieved that kind of negative split.

Thanks ... thought-provoking, as always!

ihaverun said...

I loved this post; it made me grateful for my 6 am mornings!

Wendy said...

Love your blog and all the comparisons of running and motherhood!

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