Balancing it All

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of the races that I run and the training that I do.  Whether it is going to work, doing work at home, or just simply spending time with my friends and family, I have to keep everything in a balance in my life to be able to succeed on the track.

A happy runner and healthy runner is nine times out of ten, a fast runner.  And maintaining a balance in life is a huge part of making those two things possible.  As much as I would love my routine to be run, video games, nap, repeat, that is not the case.  I work at Princeton Running Company in, yes you guessed it, Princeton, NJ.  I work anywhere from 15-25 hours a week based on my running/race schedule.  Primarily, I work there to help pay the bills, but I also enjoy it because it fills the time between my training sessions.  Too much time sitting at home staring at the walls can lead to insanity, in my opinion.  At the same time, too much working can definitely negatively affect my training as I need to allow my body to recover from workouts.

When I'm not at work or on the track, I try to help out my wife, Katie, the best I can at home.  She is an incredibly busy woman with a full-time job as a Registered Nurse while also taking classes for her Master's Degree.  Although she doesn't always think I'm the best at cleaning....I do what I can!  Cooking, however, is one thing that I LOVE to do.  It gets my mind off of the sport and off the stresses of life, so it's almost therapeutic for me as well!  I'm constantly trying new recipes and I'm at the grocery store enough that I have it nearly memorized.

I love to spend my free time with Katie as well as the rest of my friends and family.  This of course is the best part of doing a sport that is very flexible.  I am able to travel, as long as I bring my running shoes and gear.

I find that getting away from track is the best way for me to balance my life.  It's very easy to allow it to consume all of your thoughts to the point where you find yourself a bit possessed.  I love what I do and I know that I give it 100% of my effort.  That's one thing that I take pride in, so I don't want anyone to get that confused.  But keeping that balance between work and play is something that keeps me happy, hopefully keeps me healthy, and keeps me on the right track.....no pun intended!