Rosie to the Rescue: Slow Down for the Good Life

Thursday, April 11th, 2013

Check out blog posts by multitalented mompreneur Rosie Pope every week at Parents.com!

I was doing the usual “running” that I do yesterday—and by running I don’t mean putting on my Lululemons and jogging around the park! I mean running around like a wild thing to get everyone ready in the morning. Running to work, running to the subway, running to pick the kids up, running to make dinner. And then some more running until I finally collapse, flip open my laptop, and start tackling my inbox once the kids are tucked into bed.

As I was on my daily “run,” I suddenly noticed that instead of seeing the kids all huddled up in their stroller sleeping bags under a thousand layers of clothing (I tend to overdress them) and me wishing I had remembered my gloves, they had stripped down to their T-shirts during the school day, I had slipped on a pair of sunglasses, and there were even a few hours of daylight left to be enjoyed! Somehow spring had sprung upon us, and, in all the rushing around I had been doing lately, I hadn’t really noticed yet. It made me think: While having a schedule is important, would it really matter in the long run if today we didn’t rush home for dinner, baths, and stories? What if we skipped the normal routine and instead went on a park adventure, ate jumbo pretzels and ice cream for dinner, and then collapsed into bed together once the sun finally sets?

I believe in structure, and I often find myself obeying a rigid schedule with the kids. Many children find comfort and consistency in such things, as do we. But just as much as we need to change it up every now and then, so do our children. And the look of surprise and excitement on their faces when I tell them we can do something totally out of the ordinary warms the cockles of my heart. So when you find yourself enjoying the moment and appreciating the slightly warmer and longer days, really soak it up and make it last. Abandon the schedule, and make room for the moment. After all, we do want to teach our children about balance. Just because our lives sometimes seem all about the “running,” it doesn’t mean theirs have to be, too.

Whether it is playing in the rain instead of taking a bath, going on a park scavenger hunt during your usual story time, or deciding to have a picnic dinner on the carpet to shake things up, just do it! It’s these mini-rebellions to your carefully planned schedule and everyday routines that help teach our little ones (and us) about finding that delicate work-life balance for which we all so longingly strive.

It’s Not Too Late For New Year’s Resolutions, Right?

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013

This is a photo of me from a few years ago before the More/Fitness Half Marathon, an all female race in New York City. It was pouring rain that day, but as you can see from the smile on my face, I was pumped. I wasn’t always so jazzed about running, though. I took it up my freshman year of college and I hated (I repeat HATED) those first couple months. I couldn’t run fast. I couldn’t run far. It sucked. But for whatever reason (probably fear of the infamous Freshman 15), I kept with it, and somewhere along the way I actually started looking forward to lacing up my sneaks and hitting the pavement.

Fast forward to January 2011, well after my college days, my love affair with running was in full swing, and I had one marathon, two halfs, and countless shorter races under my belt. Then I tore the cartilage in my knee. I remember the first thing I said after the doctor gave me the bad news was, “When can I run again?” And though he assured me I’d only be sidelined for a couple months, it took me a long time to get over my fear of reinjuring myself. Even after I had successfully reacquainted myself with running, and despite my feelings of jealousy every time I heard anyone talk of training for a half or full marathon, I was still terrified of attempting another long distance race…

…until now. I finally realized I’d never know if I’m still able to run long distances until I try, so this past weekend I began training for this year’s More/Fitness Half Marathon. I’m taking it slow, though, and will be using RunCoach as my guide. When I signed up for the program, I created a profile with my running history and got a plan customized for me. I’m sure I’ll miss workouts here and there—because of lack of motivation or if my knee is bothering me—but the thing I like about RunCoach is that I can adjust my training schedule and it’ll change up my routine and get me back on track. And if I have questions about stretching or warm ups (two things I’ve always been terrible about doing), I can email the folks at RunCoach for advice.

So now, at the end of January, I’ve made my New Year’s resolution. And no, it’s not to get back into distance racing. It’s to live by the motto, you never know unless you try. If my knee starts to hurt too much, I’ll stop training. But I’m no longer letting fear of the unknown hold me back from seeing what I’m capable of—in running, at my job, in everything. What’s holding you back from doing what you want to do?

Olympic Athletes Need to Lose the Baby Weight, Too

Friday, March 18th, 2011

Turns out that it’s hard to run away from the baby weight. I chatted with Kara Goucher yesterday, Olympic distance runner and new mom to 6-month-old Colt, who’s in town to compete in this Sunday’s New York City Half-Marathon. Goucher said that despite running 120 miles a week (nope, not a typo!) she still had had some trouble dropping her post-baby pounds—something that should make us non-Gold Medalists feel a little better about having to work our butts off, too, to shed the baby weight. If you’re looking to get your pre-pregnancy body back, you might like these exercise and eat-right tips. And be sure to check out the race and cheer Kara on if you’re in New York City this weekend!

Photo courtesy of New York Road Runners