I’ve done several ‘a day in the life’ posts recapping certain milestones from the boy’s lives. This time I am highlighting our schedule with how I ‘balance’ working from home while staying at home with two boys and marathon training.
It sounds like a lot, but I’ve figured out a pretty good system for our family–and my work and marathon training. Craig helps out tremendously, so I wouldn’t be able to nearly as much without him. As with everything, there’s never a perfect balance–some days (like today) are heavy on my training while other days are heavy on work (often the weekends).
I do feel thankful at the end of most days that I got my workouts in, I devoted time to my businesses and work, and I spent a lot of time with the boys. Fortunately, I love everything I do, so it often does not feel like work. And at the end of the day, I am exhausted but happy.
6:30 a.m.
I wake up and get ready for my workout. I go to the bathroom, then go downstairs to get my Ucan drink I mixed up the night before and two graham crackers. I get dressed into my running clothes, foam roll a little, and then let Craig know I’m leaving. (Everyone is still asleep.)
7:00 a.m.
I head out for my workout. Today’s workout was 8 x 5 minutes @ tempo (goal pace = 6:27-6:32). I was pretty confident I could hit these paces even though the goal pace was a little faster than last week’s. Thankfully it goes really well, and all of my splits were under 6:30, so I’m happy with how it went!
8:25 a.m.
I return from my run just in time for Craig to start work. He is still working from home, but will do a hybrid work situation–going into the office two days per week starting in July. I get the boys changed for the day, and then they set up a Hot Wheels track down the stairs to play with while I get ready.
8:45 a.m.
I make myself a smoothie and have a piece of toast for breakfast. I am really trying to be better about eating something within 30 minutes of finishing my workout.
9:00 a.m.
I take a shower and get ready for the day.
9:45 a.m.
I load up the boys in the car and take Cullen to Kid’s Running, which is a program through Skinny Raven. It’s great, and he loves it!
10:00 a.m.
I head to Skinny Raven for some nutrition products and a handheld water bottle for my long runs. I also do some work at the office there while Cullen’s at practice.
11:05 a.m.
Bjorn and I head back to the park to pick Cullen up.
11:15 a.m.
We pick Cullen up from Kid’s Running, and then I head down to the beach for some play time with the boys. Naturally they throw rocks into the water and Cullen looks for “treasures” on the beach. He finds a lot of broken glass bottles, which he says is sea glass.
12:00 p.m.
Time to head back home for lunch.
12:15 p.m.
We arrive back home, and I get lunch ready for the boys. Bjorn has string cheese, an orange, pepperoni, milk, and pretzels. Cullen has pretty much the same thing minus the cheese.
12:30 p.m.
I put Bjorn down for his afternoon nap.
12:45 p.m.
I finally sit down and eat my lunch while Cullen plays with his new Hot Wheels toy he bought by doing all the chores last week. I have a turkey burger, roasted (frozen) green beans, and a nectarine.
1:10 p.m.
Time to tidy up the house because I didn’t get a chance to do that before we left this morning: I make our bed, pick up around our bedroom, clean the kitchen, and fold a load of laundry. Normally I would have lifted weights during this time, but my coach wanted me to lift weights before my second run of the day instead. Sometimes I will also take a nap during this time while Bjorn is napping. (That’s on the schedule for tomorrow.)
1:50 p.m.
I finally sit down and do some computer work and start this blog post.
2:10 p.m.
Bjorn wakes up from his nap. I can always count on a 90 minute nap, and anything beyond that is bonus, which only happens about once every 10 days or so.
2:15 p.m.
Cullen and Bjorn are content playing, so I pound out some more computer work.
3:15 p.m.
I take the boys outside to ride their bikes. Luckily it is a really nice day, and I can actually wear a tank top! (Sadly, it is supposed to be overcast and cool for the next week though.)
4:00 p.m.
We head back inside, and I get ready for the gym because Craig is almost done with work. I also lay out things for dinner, so that Craig can work on that while I’m gone.
4:50 p.m.
Craig is done with work, so I head to the gym. I lift upper and lower body for 30 minutes and superset as much as I can to maximize my time.
5:50 p.m.
I arrive back home, grab Bjorn, and push him in the stroller for my second run of the day (4 miles). Luckily it is a gorgeous, warm, sunny afternoon, and I even get to wear a sports bra and not freeze!
6:25 p.m.
We arrive back home, and Craig has dinner ready for us. He made Shrimp Miso Bowls, which are really good! We eat outside with the boys and chat about our day.
7:00 p.m.
We wrap up dinner–a little later than usual, but just in time for bath time. I give Bjorn a bath and tidy up the upstairs while he plays in the bathtub. I then get his pajamas on, brush his teeth, read, and sing to him before putting him down for the night.
7:40 p.m.
Bjorn is down for the night, and Cullen is watching some YouTube videos after cleaning up his bedroom, so I start picking up the house.
8:05 p.m.
I get Cullen upstairs, teeth brushed, and ready for bed. Craig comes to read to him before bed.
8:30 p.m.
Cullen usually falls asleep between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. I finish cleaning the kitchen, handwash a few dishes, sweep the floors, and start a load of laundry (I’m the type that does 1-2 load every day rather than everything on the same day.).
9:00 p.m.
The house is cleaned, so I take my second shower of the day (I often get asked if I shower after both runs, and I do most of the time.) and get ready for bed. I also lay out my running clothes for the next morning.
9:25 p.m.
I finish up my computer work (replying to emails), updating Strava, and checking in with my athletes, before finishing up this blog post.
10:45 p.m.
Lights out for me. I little later than I prefer, but I am aiming for at least 8, if not 9 hours of sleep these days as my marathon approaches, so this gives me 8 hours as my alarm is set for 6:45 a.m.
The end.
Thanks! I love “day in the life” posts. You and Craig are doing a great job of balancing everything!
Thank you! It definitely is a team effort!