Light feet

I noticed it immediately when I ran out the door this morning: I was light footed! Instead of my usual slogging across the street, my steps were light and airy. What a wonderful feeling!

I almost couldn't believe my luck, and it made me realize that most of my runs are quite hard work. With my mind egging my body on: 'Go on then, lazybones! You can do it!' and my body angrily going: 'Yeah, yeah, hold your horses. I'm doing it, aren't I, but I don't have to like it!'

But now my body was enthusiastically carrying me along, and I almost felt as if I had to reign it in a little. After all I had many miles to go before I could sleep.

Why can't motherhood be like that? Sometimes I find it hard going indeed, especially now, after weeks and weeks off summer vacation.

But today's run has given me hope!
If it can happen during a run, it can happen during parenting.

Light feet

Feedback

Seduced by the promise of voices in my head telling me how I'm doing, I bought a nikechip and iPod. Unfortunately my iPod and I are having some communication issues: it has way too much buttons. I miss my old mp3-player which only had two. Now I understand how men feel about women.

Luckily communications between my iPod and nikechip are much better, and so I'm kept up to speed on my speed, distance and the one and all question: have I run enough to eat a Big Mac without facing the consequences?

I can't wait till they introduce this system for motherhood. Imagine going about your day, parenting your heart out, and a voice saying: 'You've just spoiled your children forever. Better start saving for a therapist, because it's going to cost you.'

Or maybe not.

Feedback

Running mom, or Mom runner?

Am I a mom who happens to run, or am I a runner who happens to be a mom? The answer is easy: I'm a mom who runs. If only because I became a mom first, a runner second, after six years in the motherhood.

At first the mom in me didn't want anything to do with the runner. She thought the runner was out of her mind, and quite frankly: a bit scary. But the runner has turned out to be the best friend I ever had. She's always just a run away, and never fails to make me feel better. Without her, I would have run too, but only for the hills.

Both as a mom and a runner I try to improve myself, but I avoid competing. Competing just makes me nervous. Because then I start worrying I'm not good enough and what others will think of me. I fret that I'm not fast enough, and I start pushing myself too hard until all the joy is gone.

And I end up a lonely, quivering mess of a mom and runner.

I strive to be content being the mom and runner that I am, and rejoice in other moms and runners. To not feel threatened or intimated by the way they do things.

Yes, I am a mom who runs.
And I love it!

Running mom, or Mom runner?

Running on music

The urge to move to music is as old as ehm... dancing! People have been dancing to music since the days men wore bear skins and took their women home by their hair.

Unfortunately for those who are step-challenged many dances involve intricate patterns. You can easily identify the challenged ones because they're always juuust a little too late doing a step. I'm sorry to admit I'm one of those sad people.

Enter running! The only step you have to know is one foot in front of the other and there you go! Running to music brings me joy and a big smile on my face when I listen to the lyrics. Sometimes I have to laugh outloud, like with the song 'Grandma got run over by a reindeer'.

Running is a fabulous, not to mention cheap, way to move to music.

Running on music

You can run, but you cannot hide!

Both mothering and running, you can do on your own and in the company of others.

As a mom I love to seek out other moms. To hear how they are doing, and to know that I'm not crazy when I feel like I'm going crazy.

Running however, I prefer to do all by my self. Because running helps me find myself. And I know if I run with someone else I'll start worrying if I'm going too slow, and holding her back. Or I'll start talking, and talking and get all sidetracked and lost.

Admittedly there are times when I wish I hadn't found myself, and I feel like running far, far away from me, but hey, that's when I run the fastest!

As a mom it's important to go out and look for yourself. Because your Self is a colleague you'll never outrun.

No matter how fast you run.

You can run, but you cannot hide!

Who's the Real runner?

I'd finished my run and was walking home, letting my body know the exercise part was over. And let me tell you, my body sure appreciated the message!

So there I was, strolling along in my running skirt and shoes, still sweating like a pig and red faced, when this man on a bike saw me.

'Breathe through the nose! That way you'll lose 96% less fluids!' he shouted.

And even though I was the one in the running gear and he was dressed like casual friday I felt as if hé was the Real runner.

So I said to myself: 'Don't you worry! He's just running off the mouth, you're really running!'

Who's the Real runner?