Reschedule and rethink

Since starting our homeschooling this week, I've had to drastically alter my running schedule. For the past seven years I have been running with my friends, Karen and Nan, at 8:30 in the morning. I push one or two kids and Karen brings along her lab/retriever mix named Roxie. We talk about movies, books, politics, parenting, everything. These runs have been a lifeline for me through some rather difficult years.

Now I run by myself at 5:00 in the morning, right during the time I used to write my columns and bogs for the New London Day. I love running early in the morning. The world is still quiet and not one can see me under cover of predawn dark. This has always been my best time of day.

So how am I going to see my friends, and when am I going to write? Something's gotta give, and clearly it ain't going to be running. I have backed off the writing; blogging just once a week for the paper. This feels right, as I am starting to feel a bit burnt out writing about my life and my kids every day for the general public. I'm too well known locally. It freaks me out a little.

But I am a working writer, which has always been a lifelong dream. I'm not going to give it up entirely. My next monthly column: Parenting as Personality Test.

I ran up Clift Street 7 times this morning. Clift Street is a steep half mile hill. The top is exactly a mile from my house. The mile warm up and warm down, with an hour on the hill makes for an ideal early morning workout. No traffic, nobody awake to wonder why I am running up and down the hill so many times.

People around here think I'm whacked.

And they're probably right.....
The plantar fasciitis (or whatever it is) seems to be all better in my left foot. Now the ball of my right foot is hurting when I run. I have a PT appointment Friday. So I have high hopes for another speedy recovery.