Ahhh Boston Training

You know, whenever I get a marathon on the calendar, I sort of look forward to the training and everything that swirls around it.  I enjoy planning the runs and running a bit longer and spending the time with my running group.  I like all of it.  This is my first marathon to train for however, where I also have busy children.  So trying to balance 20 milers with swim meets that start at 8:00 AM is more of a challenge than in years past, and there is a chance that I may learn a hard lesson during this season of marathon training.  Family First!!!


Anyway, today I got to sleep in until 6:00 AM.  Now I say that, but here is the rub.  I heard the TV at 5:00AM and I wondered fitfully what it was, but did not move from my slumber.  When I did drag myself from the bed, I realized that it was my 6 year old.  He had gotten up and begun puttering about the house in the middle of the night and when I found him he told me that he had watched Puss in Boots, THE MOVIE, two times (from the DVR, which he knows how to work) .  TWO TIMES.  He was watching an episode of Good Eats with Alton Brown when I found him.   Who does this???!!!  I thought about it and I realized who does this:  a 6 year old creature who cannot quite tell time and does not have a time telling device in his room and has not been instructed that there is a clock in the corner of the guide function of the television.  He just knew that he woke up and was not allowed to wake up Mommy and Daddy (because you can be SURE that I taught him that early on), so he thought he would watch some TV.

Well, let me tell you, I marched straight out and bought a digital clock that I set beside his bed, and we had a tutorial about 6:00 AM.  No one gets out of bed or turns on a television or lights until the digital clock says 6 AM.  That is the new rule.  I did not know we needed it, but apparently we do.  So we have had a lot of discussion and practice and hopefully we will have a full night's sleep tonight.   I think what I experienced early this morning is maybe the hardest part of parenting: the things you have to catch on the fly, the unexpected stuff that you have to think through while you are tired.  I hope our discussion worked and tomorrow will be a brighter day.

Today, our 6 year old was the walking dead.  He had watched Puss in Boots TWICE when I found him at 5:00 AM, so that means he was up at 2 AM.  Aaaah, Lovers, 2 AM is only for the sleeping.  And 2 AM wakeup means 1:00 PM nap time, no matter how incensed you are that six is too old for naps.

Anyway, because of the unfortunate earlier than intended wake up for me and an 18 mile run to boot, I was a train wreck of sleep deprivation.  I climbed into bed when the children went down for a nap and slept for THREE HOURS.  Oh Goodness, I will never be able to go to sleep tonight.  Somehow, everyone tiptoed around me and let me sleep for way too long.  I guess that after we get over this early morning hump with my 6 year old, I will have to teach him how to only let Mummy have one sleep cycle of approximately 1.5 hours so that we can preserve the 8 hour night.

Trail run tomorrow and Superbowl swim.  It is going to be a fabulous day