Finding the Mental Space

original post: http://community.runnersworld.com/blog/finding-the-mental-space

Honestly, I don't know how parents do it - take care of their family, run all these errands and then still get tons and tons of training in. I realize less sleep is probably a part of the formula for "getting stuff done", but my goodness, that is just a difficult sacrifice for me to willingly  make. 

For the past month or so, I've been waking up early and walking Jeff with my neighbor, whose two dogs were attacked by another neighborhood dog while she was walking by herself. That whole issue hasn't been resolved, and she was really upset, so I offered to walk with her. It's not been a huge disruption, but one change that I'm just struggling and struggling to adjust to.  Also, I hate to admit it, but hitting my head I think has taken longer to recover to than I anticipated. I just feel .... off. 

All of that basically has meant I haven't been running as much, and it also means I'm relieved my application to be the ambassador for a local triathlon didn't win. I still would like to have a reason to use my bike more, but right now I just don't have the mental capacity to train for a race. 

So, this summer will focus on maintenance, getting back to basics, and finding a group that I can bike with on the weekends. 

In other news, I'm thinking about getting Jeff a kitten. He needs a buddy and two dogs is more work than I'm willing to put in.