I can’t recall the brilliant soul who passed on this tidbit of knowledge, but in my book, they are an intelligent human being. This insightful person once told me that personal investments must be maxed in threes. What exactly does that mean, you might ask? Well, to fully focus your time & effort upon something, & do that something quite well, you can only have a maximum of three BIG things going on in your life at any given time. For me currently, those three things are: 1) My family & friends, 2) My career as a Nurse Practitioner, 3) My running. Sure, you may have numerous other smaller commitments, but the human mind & body can only fully focus on three big things at any given time. I have no idea if this is deeply seeded in research, but it makes complete sense to me!
I began writing this well over a week ago, maybe even 2 weeks. My intention at that time was to offer, via my blog, an update on life & running. Specifically though, that update was going to be about my marathon training & the upcoming Fall Running Club. Life has been busy & I have neglected many postings—tips on running, race recaps, & other generally motivating posts. I can’t say I regret being unable to type up these things. No, not really. Instead, I have been busy being a mother to two very rambunctious 3-year-olds. Maybe it’s the summertime hustle & bustle, but free time is rare & it comes at a premium. In those downtime hours, I am busy being a wife & running coach to my amazing athletes.
But, life is still overwhelming busy at times & there are a few changes going on in my personal life presently.
Therein lies the shift in this blog post.
While trying to find the time to type, I had an “ah ha” moment. Something has to give. I definitely cannot give up my children or husband. I most certainly will not give up my career of taking care of some of the smallest humans. I don’t want to give up being a running coach, but it seems like the only logical choice at this crossroads of my life.
When I became a certified running coach nearly 2 years ago, my life was different. I had different priorities & wasn’t as busy as I am now. I didn’t log the miles I presently do, & I in general, had more help with the children. Fast forward 2 years, & instead of running 20-25 miles a week, I’m logging mostly 35-45 miles per weeks. At this point 2 years ago, I had a mother, mother-in-law, & sister to help with the twins. But due to health issues for the 2 moms & a new career for my sister, I have gone from 3 to 0 reliable childcare providers.
But those reasons alone aren’t the cause of my taking a break from coaching. While I LOVE helping others to achieve their running dreams & aspirations, it can be very time-consuming & daunting. There are nightly emails to send & weekly training plans to complete. I am not complaining, honestly. I am merely providing insight into the life of a running coach. It is an extremely rewarding job, but also a very time-consuming job. Some clients need zero motivation in completing their miles, whereas with others, I am constantly their “bartender” or “therapist” (it takes all kinds!). I spend many nights on the couch on the laptop catching up on clients & cheering them on virtually, after their amazing miles have been run. I am going to miss this more than I can explain. But I would be lying if I said this task is more important than catching up on books for my boys—such as their baby books, photo albums, & scrapbooks. I would be lying if I said I would rather type up a plan than cuddle with my hubby during my favorite reality TV show.
Life is not static, neither are our goals & dreams.
My primary goal when I became a running coach was to improve my personal running. My secondary goal was to help other mommas get back into running or begin running post-baby(s). I believe I have accomplished both of these goals over the past 2 years. I have had the pleasure to coach 44 athletes {yes, I counted!}—all of whom have helped me become a better coach. I am forever indebted to each of you for trusting in this little ‘ole Running Blonde to help you along your running journey.
I don’t know when or in what capacity I will resume my coaching business, but I know it will not be for some time. I never want my children to feel like I chose being a running coach over them or their activities. It has been nearly 2 years since I have updated their baby books & I can’t wait to jot down all the changes that have occurred & reminisce on the past almost 4 years since I became a mother. I will miss being a running coach, but in 20 years, I don’t want to regret missing any of the boys’ childhood.
So for all of those people who ask, “How the heck do you do it all”? Well, I answer with this. I could continue to do it “all”, but “all” of those things will not be done at my best. I have always been a quality over quantity kind of person, so I must invest my quality time into my family & main career path.
I will continue to run—and when time allows, type up random race recaps. You can’t get rid of my race recaps that easily!! You know I do have my 2nd marathon in less than 10 weeks!! But, I will no longer put the pressure upon myself that this or that HAS to be done, & in a timely manner. I will blog when I wish & I will take sabbaticals from blogging when I wish.
So when will all of this coaching cession occur? Well, I owe it to my current 1-on-1 clients to get them through their Fall races {which I wouldn’t miss for the world!}, as well as to my Fall Running Club {don’t worry guys, I will still give you all 150% of me through race day!}. Essentially, by the end of the year I will have hung up my coaching hat for some undetermined period of time.
This is not a decision I have come to lightly. I have pondered & pondered if there is an alternative way, but it really is the best option to have no future regrets in raising my children & living this life with my awesome Scott. I would never want to miss a swim team meet in the future because I have a training plan to write. Or miss a convo with hubby simply because I was preoccupied with a training schedule. Likewise, I would never want to do a half-a$$ job for my running clients, simply because I am a busy mom/wife. To my long-term clients, I can definitely still write a training plan here & there, but the weekly coaching, weekly recaps, & running clubs will end by the completion of this year. I am sorry to anyone I have disappointed. This post is as honest & raw as they come.
As everyone gears up to begin Fall training, or is trudging through training already, I wish you the best of luck on their journey!! Don’t worry—this isn’t the last you’ll see of me! 😉
HAPPY RUNNING!
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