My 3 greatest awards...and they're not hardware

 

Happy Mother's Day!  Today I had the honor of celebrating my 19th Mother's Day, and words alone can not express the gratitude I have for dong so.

My three kids mean the world to me, seriously.   I am also a runner, and running is also a very important part of my life.  I  have a 20K coming up in a few weeks, and have a few long runs to finish before tapering for race day.  Those long runs do not run themselves.  But those miles didn't happen today;  my family did instead.

Probably one of the biggest problems a lot of moms face, myself included, is the "mommy guilt."  We have guilt from doing stuff for ourselves, and (sometimes) putting the family second or third.  Granted, a lot of times my family isn't aware that I'm off doing my own thing, and the husband does a great job acting-as-mom in my absence...but I have the guilt anyways. UGH!

I am getting better at managing my Mommy Guilt.  As my kids have gotten older, they also have gotten more independent.  And, they are probably thankful for my absence now and then.  They also know how important running is to me.  They see the medals, they trip over my numerous shoes and they listen to my stories of the races I have run and the runners I have seen along the way.  I have not yet persuaded them to join me in a race, but I am not giving up on that quest.

I have a 9-mile run planned.  Today would have been ideal...great weather, sunshine, minimal breeze.  But today I chose to celebrate being a mother, with the ones who made it possible.  Those 9 miles will still be there tomorrow, and I'll have the memories of today to relive in my mind as I run them.