When things don't go as planned.

One of the many things Moms are particularly good at: adjusting priorities and going with the flow. Plans with children hardly ever go as planned. The only thing you can count on it something going wrong.

Running isn't much different. You set out with a noble goal, make your plans, get your shoes and bammo, something goes wrong. Time for a RunnerMom adjustment! Here is a brief list of some of the things that can go wrong, and the RunnerMom fix.

1.    You don’t think you’ll be ready in time for the race you signed up for.
a.    You’ve tried to keep up with the training. Perhaps you had a setback from having a cold, or it’s just taking a lot longer to work up your time/mileage. Don’t despair. It happens. I signed up for the Marine Corp Marathon for this Oct. 25th. But when an old ankle injury started to rear its ugly pain at 10 miles, I knew I had to reassess the training. I postponed the marathon for 2010 and am concentrating on a half marathon in December.
b.    See if you can postpone for the next year, so you don’t lose your registration fee.
c.    Look for another race that is in the future and sign up!

2.    You’re not losing weight as fast as you planned.
a.    I’ve learned, the hard way, that as you get older, it takes longer, much longer, to lose weight. Re- think your goals and timing. With adjusting your intake a little and running, you can count on about 1lb per week. Don’t think weight is going to melt off just because you are running 20 mins.
b.    I went to see a nutritionist last week to help me figure out what I can cut out while training. She was so helpful! I’d recommend her to anyone (and it’s usually covered by your medical insurance!). Beth McDonnell  at mailto:mcdonnellbeth@gmail.com.

3.    A sick child is getting in the way of your usual training schedule!
a.    Dang kids!  You’ll need a little creativity on this one. If at all possible, try and keep your schedule by asking husband to pitch in, or even a neighbor (you’d do it for them!). If that can’t work, re-work the schedule temporarily. Reduce the time you spend, but don’t forgo the training all together. If you were running 4 miles, scale back to 2.
b.    Get back on schedule as soon as the child is better and back to their routine.

The key is to stay with your plan in some way, but make the changes to make it work. I’m still running a marathon, but I am going to run Boston instead of the Marine Corp. Do what you have to do, Moms are great at that, and it works.

*“Fly in the ointment, monkey in the wrench” is one of my favorite lines in the movie “Die Hard”.