The Real Deal

I still have much blogging to catch up on. I have something fresh in my head & wanted to get it out before I forgot (I am getting old, ya know).

I faced a delima this morning. First off, I really didn't want to get up & out of bed. I got to bed about 45 min. later than I should have (shopping on ebay). Then I didn't sleep good, kept waking up for no apparent reason & Andrew came down in the middle of the night which always makes sleeping more interesting (how many times can his foot end up in my face?!?!?!). When my alarm went off at it's usual 4:30 a.m., I was slightly reluctant to get moving. I purposely place my alarm clock across the room so I HAVE to get up to turn it off. Once I'm up I slowly shuffle to the kitchen to start the coffee.

I have a group of moms that I meet to run with most mornings. On this particular morning I'm pretty sure none of them are coming. There is always that what if person shows up and waits in the cold for me and I'm a no-show. So I continue to move and gather my clothing, which required me a stop down in the basement. Going down to the basement means I cruise past the back door. And I hear it.....that awful dreaded sound of RAIN! I stop & listen closely and even open the door to double confirm my findings. Yep, a nice steady stream of rain. I inwardly let out a little "yessssss" and realize I have the perfect excuse to not go out for my run.

Here comes my dilemma, the first part anyway. Do I get dressed and head to the Y which opens at 5:30 a.m. and still get a workout? On a non rain day I would run about 7 miles outside, then go into the Y and lift weights. The thought of 7 miles on a treadmill is torture, pure evil torture. Which is funny for me to say because until just a few months ago all I ever did was run on a treadmill. I used to say the opposite....running outside for that long was pure torture. Things have flipped. I want the real deal. Not some make shift, going through the motions while staring at my reflection in the window deal. Blech! And I don't even have to go to the Y to get this accomplished. I have a treadmill sitting right here in my own home! No thank you. (I do realize that I will eventually have to succumb to the machine once winter really kicks in and I really can't run outside, but I'll put that off for as long as I can).

The second part of my dilemma is not wanting to get out of my jammies & out into the drizzling, dark cold. 99.9% of the mornings I'm not home when Jim gets up & leaves for work or when the 2 oldest get up and get ready for school. I usually get home just in time to see them walk out the door for the day. It would be nice to just be here. Fix my husband a hot breakfast, greet the girls when they wake up, get the dishes done that I left in the sink last night, fold the laundry that I didn't finish yesterday....BLOG! So, yes, I stayed home and accomplished all of that AND got 3 batches of chocolate chip cookies made (the dough was made the other day, I just needed to get them baked).

It might seem like a win-lose situation. Really I see it as win-win. Sure I missed out on a little exercise this morning. If you know me, skipping only part of my workout, still makes most of you look like lazy bums. What I gained means so much more. Now I need to get out of these jammies & moving for the day. More kids need to rise for the day and I need to head out for some exercise! : )