Making time

With the short days of winter, work, and the boys becoming more active by the second and napping less, time is sparse to say the least.  But I know I need to fit runs in so my body and my brain feel good. 

Introducing - the top 10 ways to make time to run:

1. Run instead of driving - Matt's folks were in town this weekend and for us to all go anywhere, one person doesn't fit in the car.  I volunteered every chance I got to be the one who didn't fit in the car because I was able to run or bike to meet up with Matt, his parents, and the boys.
2. Make running the main event - instead of trying to fit my runs in around life, I've been trying to fit things around my runs.
3. When you can't go long, just go - running any distance always makes me feel better, even if it's just up and down the hill in front of our house.
4. Pack 'em up and go! - Our boys always get a little wonky in the afternoons between their 1 nap and bedtime.  Popping them in the stroller and hitting the streets is a great way to pass time and get some fresh air for them.
5. Find time - when the boys are napping I typically try to hit the road (unless it's Matt's turn to climb).
6. Steal time - I'm not a morning person.  We've been forced into morning life with a 6:30am wakeup call no matter what day it is (toddlers'll do that to you).  A handful of times I've hit the street before the house wakes up - I won't lie, in the beginning it stinks, but at the end of the run it's great.
7. Make girl time run time - I have a few friends who are also runners.  Instead of bucketing time with mani/peddi/whatever in one chunk and a dirty trail run in another, we do what we all love - run.
8. Make it happen - I always feel less stressed after a run.  When my to do list is pages long and deadlines seem to sneak up, I still make a run happen because I know I'll do better post-run.
9. Swap time - on weekends Matt and I both make sure we get "us" time.  He climbs, I run.  We'll go solo with the boys a bit every weekend so the other person can get out.
10. Stop making excuses and go - it seems there's always one more blog I need to read, or one more email I need to send.  But need and want are very different things and often the mind makes want trump need.  I need to run, I want to see the next sale on Gilt.

A little ditty to wrap up my count...up: