Hi Relishments readers! I’m on maternity leave, but some awesome blogger friends have volunteered to step in and keep new content coming your way. I may be popping in occasionally, but I really appreciate the opportunity to take some time off with our new addition. Please show my guest authors some love and check out their sites and social media!
Hi I’m Sarah and I’m a twin mamma, dedicated wife, group fitness instructor, personal trainer, and sweating fanatic! I found my passion when it comes to sharing tips and solutions to living your best today and an even better tomorrow around faith, fitness, food – my favorite ‘f’ words.
It seems like so long ago I wrote my 35 week pregnancy update comparing pregnancy to distance running. For those that haven’t been around my blog for a long time you may not know that I used to be a crazy runner gal. I have completed two marathons and COUNTLESS half marathons. Though my running days may be behind me for now I still remember those days of training, the race mornings, and the recovery.
This past weekend Dan was out of town with his friends (he is still super close with friends from high school and college which I love!) at a cabin. That meant a weekend with just me and the boys as grandma and grandpa were busy with other commitments too. I mentally psyched myself up for the weekend knowing that my usual breaks wouldn’t be coming from Dan like normal. And as I sat praying on Friday morning for the weekend ahead…it hit me this motherhood thing (just like pregnancy is a lot like marathon running).
Marathon of Motherhood
Every day you have to get up and prepare for the run of being mom. Preparation for this run for me includes some prayer, some warming up with exercise and stretches, some quietness, quick shower…and of course refueling with breakfast hopefully before the real race of the day starts.
To all the mothers out there…all the other mothers are here on the course cheering you on!
Then almost as if you can hear the crowd gathering at the corrals the boys both start to get restless in their beds and scream a bit as the crowd gets me pumped for the daily training race. The race begins. And if I’m quite honest I need water breaks and refueling more times than I’d like to admit. It has taken me 15 months to realize it is A OK to take a few moments to myself and just sit while they are off playing. Those rest breaks in the race make all the difference if we all make it alive to the finish line.
I may not have visual fans on the sides of the road cheering me on with funny signs but what I do have day in and day out is an AWESOME support system. Whether it is a text message from Dan just to let me know I CAN DO THIS or a visit from grandma just to let me know she’d like to give me a few minutes to use the bathroom (sometimes this isn’t a joke folks). The support and cheering squad I have day in and day out truly makes me a better mom.
At the end of the race, the day as any marathon does seems to drag on and on…sometimes I think the finish line will NEVER appear. The boys get fussier, I get a little more worn down, my mental muscles are ready for a break. And then just like seeing your husband at the last mile marker….the boys give you a tight squeeze of a hug, your husband walks in, the boys blow me a kiss…SOMETHING is always there to give me that last push for the SPRINT to the finish line.
See my days of running may be over for now but what is never over are the lessons that running has taught me, the lessons that motherhood teaches me everyday, and the marvelous lessons my children will teach me for years to come.
Follow Sarah!
On her blog: Creating Better Tomorrow
