"My running buddy..."

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Shared by Breanne Smedley

Over the past 7+ weeks of quarantine, my workout routine has changed slightly.
No necessarily in what I’m doing.
 
GRIT mainly, with a little CrossFit, Peloton, and Yoga sprinkled in there.
What’s changed is who I’m doing them with.
 
My sidekick, Charlee is now always within distance for my quarantine sweat sesh.
Which makes it challenging when weights and kettlebells get involved.
 
It also makes it challenging when she wants me to stop every 5 minutes and help her put her binky into her doll baby.
Or when she gets an owie and wants me to stop and kiss it.
Or when she says, "me hold on!" and climbs on top of me when I get started with push ups.
 
Our Tuesday runs together are the most interesting.
Before quarantine, I was getting faster and faster at my 5K. My goal was to maintain a 7-minute mile by the end of the year.
Now, I’m pushing a 35lb stroller up and around the hills behind my house.
At the top of the hill is a park where we pull over to complete the other part of the 5K: Push-ups, mountain climbers, and burpees.
This past Tuesday, Charlee didn’t want to get back in the stroller.
"I want to walk!" "I want to run!" "Come, mom!" She said as she started running in the open fields.
My goal of a 7-minute mile is loooooonnng gone. We’re lucky now to get home in an hour.
I had a choice, though.
Force her back in the stroller so I can salvage the rest of the run within a decent time. Complete with crying from Charlee the whole time, likely.
Or, I could stop and enjoy the adventure. The fact that my daughter loves to move and wants to run on a sunny day in the park. And she wants me to run and play with her.
Yes, working out with Charlee has been a bit of an inconvenience at times. PRs have been few and far between.
 
But, what I’m also learning is that there is an opportunity when I’m inconvenienced.
When things don’t go as I envision.
When the ‘Rona messes up the vacation plans.
When I have to figure out how to train my high school volleyball team over Zoom.
Or when my workout partner poops her pants in the middle of burpees.
 
It’s all an adventure.
A chance to make me more capable.
Stronger.
And to create memories that wouldn’t otherwise be there.
 

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