In September, I ran a half marathon and felt like I failed at running. During the last few weeks up to the race, I questioned whether I even loved running, anymore. Life has been a great challenge this school year. As I am an Elementary PE teacher at one school in a town and my husband is an assistant principal at another elementary school in another town. Not to mention, my kids changed school districts, too. This is a career change, Seamus and I were willing to take. However, it’s just been HARD.
As I continued to stress the past month, my running performance began to take a massive dip. During the summer, I was in a routine and had a schedule with kids that allowed flexibility and downtime. This no longer exists and I’m trying to figure out a routine that works best for my sanity. Picking up kids after school, dropping them off for practice and back home for dinner and house chores. Then, picking kids up and getting to bed at a decent hour. I’m a person who lives on consistency, structure and routines! This is not ME. But, it’s what I have to do for my family.
Learning to control what I can control has been my biggest challenge this year. I know change doesn’t happen overnight but my goal for the year is to take a step back and allow myself to handle daily “unexpected” situations in a healthier way. It’s slowly becoming a habit and I’m mentally feeling stronger.
