Homework, Potty Training, and 50 Miles

November 23, 2013 by fat2plant 26 Comments

The art of training to our maximum ability and having a family is a tight rope that many of us have to walk on a daily basis. I am the primary caregiver (aka stay at home dad) of all things domestic in my home with my amazing wife, 3 little boys, 5 chickens, and 1 dachshund being the focus of my daily routine and responsibilities. I am truly blessed to be able to have this life and love every minute of it! I gained a ton of time this year now that 2 out of the 3 are in school, which leave the 2 year old and I to ride around town on our beach cruiser. The grocery store, the gym, and any other errands that need to be handled we take the bike, its a sweet life for both of us. Then we meet the older boys at the bus stop with their scooters and roll home, its very important that we instill the need for physical activity into children while they are young. the boys are also about 95% plant based with the 5% coming outside the home when they are able to make their own decisions and I would say most of those choices are vegetarian. They are three of the happiest little boys I know!

My family dictates the time I train, my training never dictates the time with my family. I do take my training extremely important and have purpose in every workout I do, because I never know when I may be pulled away from the next session. So what’s my weekly workout schedule? Well here we go….. Monday thru Friday I get up at 5:30ish in the morning and get what I like to call my, money in the bank, runs they are never more then 3 miles and intensity is based on feel. With this 25 minutes I know that I at least have put in that minimal amount of work for the day. Then there is my, on paper training schedule, that consists of Tuesday thru Thursday night runs after the boys go to bed between 4 and 12 miles depending on the difficulty of the week (2 hard to 1 easy). I try to get to the gym at least twice a week for a spin class on Wednesdays and Fridays just for more intensity in my training with out any real impact on my legs or body in general. Plus the class gives me a chance to interact with other adults and Carolyn the instructor is awesome; so I feel like I’m playing more then getting in a workout in. It’s important to keep playing no matter how old we are. Now the weekends are when I put in the real “work.” Saturdays are the big days. My most recent long run was 28 miles. I usually try to get out of the house by six so I can be home by 10:30 for Saturday Night Live and/or a movie with my special lady. Sundays are big breakfast and the day everyone is home and we can really enjoy the day. I squeeze in an easy 10 miler at some point usually at night or when everyone is vegging out in the middle of the day. This formula will be tested on race day in two weeks and if it works, awesome. If it doesn’t work, we go back to the drawing board. At the end of the day a 7, 5, and 2 year old don’t care, they just know dad stinks and will walk funny for the next few days. My wife has been through all this before and knows what to say and more importantly what not to say if things don’t go as planned. She knows not to take anything personal and that if had to choose between racing and my family, 1000 times out of 1000 my family wins. I’m extremely blessed to have the life I have and I never take it for granted.

 

Its important to instill health into all children not only by words but by action, don’t expect kids to buy into anything that you don’t.