Motivation

I started writing this post earlier this week and it started getting long. I looked at from afar and thought "if someone else posted this to read I wouldn't read it because it's too long" so I scrapped it. I was attempting to compared how running (which I love doing) is like being a dad (which I love being). I had 5 reasons listed with explanations to boot.

It was too much. Fun to write, tedious to read. However, I realized something as I was laying with Coop in bed tonight watching him silently drift off to sleep thinking about the run I wasn't going to do tonight. Those 5 lengthy (yet true) reasons running and daddy-ing are alike can be boiled down, concentrated and simplified to just one.

MOTIVATION

Sometimes I can't wait to get out for my run: time to myself, being healthy, endorphins. Sometimes I can't wait to be with my kids: take them to the library, go geocaching, build snowman or igloo or play with toys in the basement. Sometimes I'd be just as happy to have my shoes bronzed and never go again. I'd regret that though, because that feeling only last a day or two. Sometimes I just want my kids bronzed to go quietly entertain themselves, leave me alone so I can do something mundane like today's crossword puzzle or read my book or watch last night's Tonight Show, or eat in peace without being summoned a hundred times. And like the lack of motivation to run, the lack of motivation to be a dad only lasts a couple days hours, max.

My usual runs are 8 miles and take me about an hour. Sometimes I'll do a 10k as fast as I can. I was down to 44:03 the last time I did that. When I'm motivated I can watch my times drop over a period of a few weeks.

When I'm being a dad things seem to go much smoother. The kids don't bicker and argue over who's looking at who. Coop learns to read while Rhy learns to comprehend. There's less sitting and more doing. Today they asked to go to the "parking lot". There, Rhy can ride his scooter and Coop can ride his tricycle without getting squished by a car (ironic, eh?). I didn't want to go. But I knew if we didn't, we'd be back inside watching tv or eating or annoying mom each other. So we went. And while they rode I threw snowballs at them. They laughed when I missed (which was most of the time). I'd laugh if I actually got them. We had fun. Running is like that. Most times when I'm not MOTIVATED to go I'll lace up and go anyway because I know after the first 2-3 miles I'll be feeling good and after the 6th I'll be great. 

But sometimes I just need a vacation; a place to hide to eat my ice cream without sharing and a few days to give my tired shoes a rest. 



Lastly, this was a song for Nanny Sharon, but I give it to you... enjoy! http://youtu.be/i0yF_ycK-sY