They ride I chase...

It is spring break. This year the kids have had a week off in September --we went to the Gulf.  A week off at Thanksgiving-we went luxamping in north Georgia.  2 weeks at Christmas and a week off in February. So for spring break we aren't going anywhere.

 I am jealous of these people that can afford 6 vacations a year but we can't. So we are staying home. It stinks but at least we have awesome weather today-cloud of pollen notwithstanding. It is a little hot though. At 10 am it was 70 degrees. But I am getting use to the heat with all these warm days we've been having. I always feel cheated --like I didn't get enought 50 degree days. It seems it is either 30 degrees or 70+ degrees.

Problem of course with all these school breaks for me is I have no childcare as a stay at home mom. So it can make training for a marathon  (and doing everything else I need to do) a challenge when you have 2 school age kids home for a week every 6 weeks. It just disrupts everyone's schedule. And me? I like my schedule.

I am allowed 2 hours of gym nursery time a day but most days that really isn't enough. I mean yoga is 90 minutes and I need to run an hour. Never mind that my 10 year old daughter does not want to go to the gym nursery.
 

But I am lucky.

My kids have bikes and they can ride the heck out of them. Teaching them when Beau was 4 and Carmella 6 to ride them without training wheels was the best thing I ever did. Opened up whole new training possibilities. But there is a limit to how long a kid is willing to ride their bike. Most I have gotten out of them was 14 miles. Still dreaming of the day when they can ride along side me for 20 + miles and carry my gu and water.  . .

Today I needed to run 8-10 miles. I let them pick gym or bike. Tomorrow is yoga so they will have to go to the gym. And I would like to not have to run on the treadmill everyday this week but I will if I have to and  I was willing to suck it up for a medium run on the treadmill today if that was their preference.  I was glad when they picked riding their bikes instead of gym though. Even if it meant I was probably going to have to run a little faster than I wanted to keep up with them. I don't run with a watch anymore but in the past they always kept the pace sub 8 min miles.

I have a few choices where they can safely ride. We can do the sidewalk but there are too many street and driveway crossovers. I am in panic mode the whole run. And  running with a higher heart rate just cause you're worried your kid is going to get squashed isn't exactly ideal. I run to relax and that, that just is not relaxing. But I have done it.


I rarely drive anywhere to run. So it is treat for me when the kids and I go somewhere new to run. Today we picked the path at Azalea Rd and Riverside Dr in Roswell. There is an off road dirt path that they love. They also drop the hammer on the dirt path and I panic a little about losing them in the woods because they will get so far ahead I can't see them. They always wait on me though. It really is so fun winding around the trees that we did the wood loop twice.

Well,okay, Carmella really didn't want to it again. That's how it is with my kids. What ever one wants the other wants the opposite. We are in constant negotiation mode to try to apease everyone. But yeah, for the most part, we have to do what I want to do because I am the one with the checking account and driver's license. Carmella won't complain but she will ride faster and wear Beau and I out. She is so passive aggressive. It is cute, sometimes. 

Friday though, if I don't get childcare I will have to suck it up for 13 on the concrete Greenway path. Yucko.

Today  was great though! I don't have a GPS but we were gone an hour twenty. So even with our Gu stop I think we got in at least 9.

.

 Yes, nothing like the promise of Chocolate Outrage at the mid point to motivate the kids. Well, Beau didn't like it so I will have to figure something else out for him. He tried to muscle it down twice but both times gagged and spit it out. Then he wondered, out loud, "What animals are gonna eat Gu?"

So no excuses. Getting it done; any way I can.