So much has changed in the last 5 years. At it's beginning, I was teaching group exercise classes at the Y and running half marathons. I was posting recipes and workouts and fitness was a BIG thing in my life.
Life has transitioned into a realm I don't know the title for. I guess "the elementary school" years. I've learned that fitness with young children is actually easier, although it does not feel like it during those years. Little kids take naps, are accepted into gym childcare centers and are easily occupied with a basket of toys while you workout next to them. Older kids don't do any of those things. You can't just drop them off somewhere that gives you TWO GLORIOUS HOURS to workout. They don't nap...and forget about going to bed at an early hour either. And, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you work out at home, they want to join you, which is entertaining, but not an effective workout.
Since I began homeschooling full-time, getting in a quality workout has been a challenge. It's been frustrating at times, but I still firmly believe in taking care of my health. Oh, how I wish I could be running on my favorite trail again...I was so spoiled. Moving to Arizona has added some challenges as well. The heat and poor air quality have drastically changed what my running looks like.
Deployment forced me into a new season of fitness and I had to train the kids to be home alone while I ran circles around our house. Literally. They neighbors thought I was nuts. But fresh air and a little run saved my sanity. I have a safety system for us all and I gradually increased my time away from the house. I still run circles around the neighborhood, so I'm never farther than a sprint home, but I feel comfortable being out for up to an hour now. Some afternoons, we go to the park and the kids play while I run laps. This is also a huge step as I don't have to be so close by to catch a kid or watch their every move, yet I'm close enough to make sure they are safe.
I quickly get tired of the same view every.single.day, yet I'm thankful to have a neighborhood to run around. If you were to zoom in really closely on this picture, you would see "Farmer Fred" off in the distance. That's not really his name, but it's what we call the farmer we see all day, every day, watching this field. Every time I see him, I am so thankful that my job is not to watch a field and remind myself not to complain about silly things like boring views!
I am also quick to forget that I am surrounded by mountains. Those mountains are in California, and the mountains behind me are in Mexico and I can literally run to both.
I do love our neighborhood. We know how blessed we are that the house we rented site unseen, in a place we had never been, turned out to be in such a great area. I don't know what they were thinking when they made the sidewalks, but I do appreciate the mature trees.
On Saturday's, when Ben is home, I'll go out on the country roads for my long run. It's not uncommon to see this; the road lined with cars and white buses with pot-a-potties on the back, men in the field, hunched over, picking the crops by hand. I am thankful for the opportunity to see the labor that goes into the food we eat.
The sky is always blue here and it usually smells like cauliflower...which is not my favorite smell while running, but I guess it could be worse.
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