Changing priorities

I've played team sports my entire life - volleyball and soccer in grade school, volleyball and softball during high school and volleyball, soccer and softball post-college to present-day. In fact the only time I didn't play sports was during college, other than the odd intramural.

There are a few things I love about team sports:

• the games are scheduled - I have always been the type that schedules my life around my games - they are priority #1 (not all team players can say this and I've experienced the frustration of having more than one on many teams...)
• the competition is invigorating - although I don't like to lose, I'm usually happy just to get out and play and do my best
• doing my best is usually pretty good - I'm not an Olympian by any stretch, and there are always one or two teammates more skilled than me, but I'm usually one of the better players on the team.
• my self-confidence is strong - My friends would see a very different side of me if they played on a team with me. Honestly, I only truly feel like 'myself' when I'm participating in a sports team. That's not an easy thing to admit - motherhood has taken it's toll on my confidence in general (as it does for a lot of mothers!) and playing sports is my release from the doubts and guilt - when I'm on the field I know exactly what I should or shouldn't be doing. Even when I screw up, I'm able to shrug it off and try harder next time.
• of course, the EXERCISE! - almost as a side-affect, the cardio benefit from soccer has been, until recently, the only thing that has kept my weight in-check.

If you've been following my blog, you'll know I recently added swimming and running to the mix - they aren't team sports - and lately I've been finding it harder to make them a priority. I haven't gone swimming since my classes ended and I haven't gone running in weeks... I've *thought* about doing both almost daily though!

A couple weeks ago I finally found my way to the YMCA to meet with a personal trainer (as part of my Y-Champion commitment, I was allowed 2 sessions). I haven't worked out in a gym since before having children - 5+ years now! It was great to use free-weights again, not so great to be doing so in front of strangers and all those mirrors... Alison, my trainer and fellow Y-Champion who ran the 1/2 marathon in the Blue Nose, put me through my paces and developed a simple free-weight routine I can do in 1/2hr at home. "Perfect", I thought. "I'll just schedule it into my days, twice a week." Well that was over two weeks ago and I've done the workout once!

Holding myself accountable has never been my strength. I can create the perfect schedules for all kinds of things like housework, workouts, meal-planning, etc. but when it comes time to follow-through, I tend to fall off the wagon within days or weeks, sometimes even within hours of creating another one of my TimePoster masterpieces!

I guess that's my biggest attraction to team sports, it takes the accountability bit out of my hands. Funny how I will attend every single game - unless I'm deathly ill or out of town - but try to 'attend' a 1/2hr workout in my basement is nearly impossible! And there's even less to be concerned with - I don't need to arrange for child care!

I'm going to need some help with this - help to make my OWN schedule a priority. Do you have any tips, suggestions, clues that will help? How do you fit the 'unnecessary' necessaries into your daily life - like working out, housework, life-planning, etc...??

Strangest experience...

Halifax Commons ball park where the tournament took place.

This past weekend was my softball league's ice-breaker fun tournament. We do this every year where all the players in the league show up and are randomly divided into teams - no more than 3 or 4 players from the same 'team' are together. It's great fun and this year was no exception. One of the best things about this day is of course the BEER!  Did I mention I play in a beer league? Sponsored by Labatt no less.  

You're probably wondering why I'm writing about a softball league on a runner's blog...?  Well I had the strangest experience at this ice-breaker, my first day of ball since I've started 'running'. After the first game I realized the closest bank machine was 2 blocks away. I didn't stop at one on the way to the tournament and I needed $$ for beer and lunch.  So, for probably the first time in my life, I thought "I could RUN to the bank machine!" - not because I was pressed for time, but because I WANTED to!!  So sure enough, I started off running across the ball field and down the sidewalk for 2 blocks...  After what was probably 3min of running, (felt like 15) I asked myself "Why am I running? This does not feel good at all!"  Soccer clets on pavement is not the ideal running gear, but then another strange thing happened - I kept running!  I didn't stop until I was short of breath (induced earlier than normal mostly due to the fact that I had already had one beer at this point...) and only steps from the store where the bank machine was.

It felt strangely rewarding to have done something that was so OUTSIDE my comfort zone! Another side effect of all this running, similar to my soccer game, I felt full of energy all day - jogging on and off the field between innings, even though we lost every game...

If you're reading this and have never been much of a runner - it's totally worth a try if you want more energy and enjoyment out of life!  Check with your doctor first of course - not that I did though, but I've been involved in sports my whole adult life without checking first...  Right there is another "Ah-Ha" - I've been involved in sports my whole adult life, but never felt so full of energy as I do now after running regularly!!  I encourage you to give it a try - what have you got to lose?