This past Sunday I finally was able to run with two friends.  I have not done so since the fall.  Usually I work out in my basement, which is just a basement, first thing in the morning before the kids wake up.  It’s the only time I have!  I am able to work out and get ready before I have to wake them up from school.  It works well, but is quite boring!  I love training with friends, it makes time go so much faster!  But the amount of planning it takes to do so is often longer and more intense than the run itself.

Long gone are the days when my time was my own.  Four kids, one husband, a job, a house, and countless activities equal no time and lots of planning.  I cannot believe what goes into setting up one hour or so long run with a friend.  It starts with reminiscing about the days of old (okay, last fall) when we would train together.   A week later one of us sends a text saying why don’t we do a run together.  The other replys that  they love the idea but how much time are we talking about.  Texts fly back and forth to determine just what would be a good distance to do in March and how long it would take to complete.  We then forget about it because it’s 5pm which means dinner, homework, whining, sports, showers, cleaning, the project due tomorrow that needs poster board that my son decided to let me know about at 9pm, etc., etc.  A few days later I’m driving around for work and see two women running together.  The day is beautiful and they look like they don’t have a care in the world.  Nothing to do but run; I want that!  So, I call up my friend and say we really need to pick a time.  We pull out calendars and go back and forth until we settle on a day, Saturday.  Perfect, can’t wait!  Later that evening I remember that my husband has to work on Saturday so there would be no one to watch the kids.  I text, “Saturday is out”.  We again let it go as life gets in the way.

Later in the week my friend and I are together.  Face to face helps and, with the kids running all around us, we finally devise a plan.  Just a, “lets meet at 6pm at the local park and run”, doesn’t work anymore.  Nowadays we need a spreadsheet complete with graphics and links to go on one run together!  But we will make it happen.  So, the run will happen Sunday after church.  We will run from the church to my friend’s house.  This requires changing in the church bathroom and then slipping out past all of the, still nicely dressed,  parishioners (ever walk around in spandex next to people wearing dresses and heals- quite embarrassing!).  Another friend decides to join us which is good because three in spandex among the Sunday finest is better than two (now we just look like some weird Nike gang).  Meanwhile, the three husbands will take all of the kids out for bagels, entertain them at the restaurant for awhile, and head for my friend’s house where they will attempt to keep all of the kids out of the house until we return.  My husband is confused, but understands somewhat once I show him a power point presentation on the logistics of the day.

And, guess what?  It works!  The weather is perfect, the route is beautiful and provides just the right amount of challenge.  For an hour and a half we don’t have a care in the world!  All too soon, the run is over and the three of us relax, proud of our accomplishment (no, not the run).  We did it!  We squeezed out an hour of our life to go on a run together!  Now what about next week…

Can you relate?  Maybe it’s not a run, but just finding the time to do anything with friends is so difficult!  Do you have anything that has worked for you and your friends?