Number 3, 4 and 5 had a big 3-day swim meet this weekend. For Number 3, it was actually a 4-day swim meet.
It’s called Age Group Championships which is a meet you need certain times to qualify for. It’s like state championships for kids who are fourteen years old and younger.
The way the meet works, the 13/14-year-olds swim early in the morning, the 11/12-year-olds swim midday, the 10 and unders swim late afternoon, and then the top 16 11/12 and 13/14-year-olds come back at night to swim at finals.
It’s a very long weekend, and it’s exciting and exhausting.
This was a particularly challenging weekend because Number 3, 4 and 5 were all in different sessions, and the pool is 45 minutes from our house with no traffic.
They all swam at different times, and the days were very busy.
On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, Number 3 had to be at the pool at 6:15 a.m.
Number 4 had to be at the pool at 10:45 a.m.
Number 5 had to be at the pool at 2:45 p.m.
And Number 3 and 4 had to be back at the pool for finals all three nights at 5:30 p.m.
So I got to the pool at 6:15 a.m. and I left around 8:30 p.m.
I ended up getting a hotel room because it was impossible to get everyone back and forth to our house throughout the day and also see everyone swim.
I’m telling you this is because this was the kind of weekend where it is very easy to make every rationalization to not take care of yourself.
Or myself.
I was going nonstop for three days.
And also on Thursday night.
This meet has a distance session on Thursday night — they swim the longest events that night to get them out of the way.
That meant on Thursday Number 3 had to be at the pool at 2:45. He had a warm up session, and then he was going to swim around 4:30 and swim in a relay around 7 pm.
I taught a bunch of swim lessons that morning, and then I had to pick the little guys up from camp, get everyone lunch, and then leave for the meet for the afternoon.
But since Number 3 had to be at the pool at 2:45 but he didn’t swim until about 4:30, I planned ahead.
Number 5, 6, and 7 had camp earlier in the day, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays they need to bring their bikes.
So rather than taking the bikes off the car after camp, I left them on the rack.
And after dropping Number 3 off at the pool, I used that 90+ minutes to get a run in.
There is a great bike/running trail (The Farmington Canal Trail) near the pool.
So the kids rode their bikes, and I went for a run.
It worked out perfectly.
Except for when someone stole Number 7’s water jug from the bench we left it on since it was too big to carry and I thought it would be safe.
I was wrong.
And Number 7 was kind of pissed.
But I got in a good run and the kids had fun riding their bikes and we got back to the pool in plenty of time to watch Number 3 swim.
When he was done, we had another hour and a half until his relay swam.
So we took a walk down the road to get some ice cream.
My parents came with us.
It was beautiful out so we took advantage of all the opportunities.
The ones to move and the ones to have a treat.
If you’ve never been to Sweet Claude’s in Cheshire, you gotta go. It’s awesome.
Having planned poorly and not reserving a hotel room until super late on Thursday night, I wasn’t well prepared for Friday.
And between driving people back and forth to the pool and having a team work assignment in the morning session coaching another session and not having time to check into the hotel until around 5 and having to get food for the kids, I didn’t get a workout in that day.
But I walked as much as I could, and I got in 16,600+ steps, so it was an active day.
Saturday was going to be super busy too, mostly shuttling people back and forth to the pool all day, so I planned ahead again.
I brought my running clothes with me, and during warm-up (which is over and hour long), I went for a run.
I didn’t break any land speed records.
It was super hot and I was sweaty and disgusting while I watched Number 3’s first relay, but I didn’t care.
You get hot and sweaty and gross just sitting and watching a swim meet anyway.
And once the relay was done, I ran to the hotel, took a shower, changed, and came back to watch Number 3’s next event.
Did this take some thought and planning?
YEP. It did.
But so do most things you care about.
It helped me manage the stress of the weekend.
On Thursday it kept my little guys busy and it was also something fun and healthy for us to do together.
Taking care of yourself isn’t easy.
But it’s important.
And exercise is a vital part of taking care of yourself!!!
So I’ll keep making it a priority, no matter where I am or what I’m doing.
And now maybe you will, too.
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