Running.....a Necessity of Fatherhood

Wednesday I had a great run. Did a 5-miler in 36:00. I was on top of the world! Don't worry; I refrained from flinging my arms up in the air yelling "I'm the king of the world!" Leonardo DiCaprio, I am not. Plus the park rangers may have hauled me off. Anyways, it's funny how something as simple as HUMIDITY can so quickly knock you off your throne. I ran yesterday and was a lot slower. It was in the upper 80s and the humidity was killer! And, I'll probably be even slower today since it's supposed to be in the mid 90s!! So unless it's the treadmill (Please, no! Not the treadmill) slower is going to have to be just fine.

I guess when you've been cooped up in the house all day with three kids and trying to get them to clean the house, do yard work, etc... before going on vacation next week, and getting not much in return but looks of "You talkin to me....You, t-a-l-k-i-n-g to me?", one tends to want to speed up to release the stress. Going back to thrones, I think we have enough empty toilet paper rolls among all the bathrooms in our house to build a fort! I found myself playing Jenga with them the other day (someone took the newspaper out, what else was I supposed to do?) I think I need to inform my kids that it's Recycle, ReNew, ReUse, not Recycle, ReUse, Throw-on-the-Floor. I'm also coming to believe that Linda Blair (spinning head and all) would make a good poster child for all 13-year old girls.

And so, I run, run, run. Running is definitely a necessity for fatherhood or motherhood, for that matter. I'm not sure how parents who don't run (or do some other type of physical activity) deal with the demands of parenthood. That 3o minutes to 1 hour of running is good for me as well as the kids. It's amazing. No matter how hot or humid it is, a good, hard run releases the daily stresses helping to put everything in perspective.

So, after my run I realized, who else has such fun entertainment while doing their "business"? Sure beats reading sales flyers. Hmmm...Jenga, building a fort, Ooooo.... making a log cabin, a castle! Now, for the Linda Blair syndrome. Not sure running's going to help that one. Any suggestions? Ahhhh fatherhood.

Running...A Saving Grace

Well, I'm living proof that no one is immune from the current economic woes. Three weeks ago I was laid off from the job I'd held in the educational publishing field for 12+ years. No warning, just boom! Fourteen colleagues and myself were told to pack up, it was our last day.

It took about a week for the punched-in-the-stomach feeling to subside. During that week I was basically in a daze not knowing exactly what to do. Then I ran. For me running is the best medicine. It provides a feeling of empowerment and freedom that comes with knowing that your legs and body are strong and capable. For some reason I can think better about life's problems as I fly over the miles. The longer the run, the better. Gives me time to work on solutions to those big nagging problems. Speed runs are great for tearing through aggression and anger. Focusing all that emotion into speed work and hills really helped.

You know, I think running through this trying time has helped improve my attitude. During week two, I felt less tension, less depressed, less fatigued, and less confused. Athough I can't completely ignore the fact that I need to find a job, running gives me something else to focus on, allowing me to see something besides being unemployed.

I still don't have a job, but I feel confident about finding one and running (and the support of a lot of friends and family) has helped me gain this attitude. If you happen to know of a job for someone with a background in writing/editing, project management, and some internet skills, let me know!