My partner and I became friends through running.  I used to be a runner/triathlete in my former life, BC (Before Children).  I had tried to get back into it here and there throughout the first 11 years of motherhood, but it was so challenging.  I figured once a runner, always a runner, so I knew someday I would begin again.  When I met her, she was super fit, even throughout pregnancy, and got back into shape almost immediately (she may disagree but believe me) postpartum.  As a way to get to know her, I casually mentioned I would love to get a bit of encouragement from her and maybe some motivation since I was struggling to get out there and just do it.  The next week she called and told me she had signed us both up for a half marathon in 6 months!  She takes motivation and friendship very seriously!!!  That got us running and lifting together frequently.  Over the next year we worked out a lot together as our friendship grew.  We actually didn’t end up doing that race together (it got cancelled due to flooding) but we ran a 10K on our own.

Needless to say, working out together was pretty important to us.  It was a way to stay motivated and spend time together.  However, when we became an official couple, life had a way of turning on its head and it was difficult if not impossible to work out together.  Suddenly time was limited or non-existent.  Morning workouts were not really possible as the littlest ones woke up by 5:30.  Evenings flew by and we were lucky to sit down before 10pm, let alone squeeze a run in.  Painfully we realized our days of running together may not be reality, and at the same time, running independently wasn’t always ideal either.  We value all of our precious time together, it’s hard to give up any together time to lace up running shoes and leave the house solo.  Fitness went on the back burner for several months.  Very difficult, as it was central to our well-being as well as our relationship!

Now, we are both slowly settling into the new reality.  She’s been committed to waking up early to run on the treadmill.  She’s signed up for a marathon this May and can focus on her running schedule and it’s a huge motivation to get moving.  My ex-husband-in-law and I have been better about trading out workouts, so he can go run, and then I can go after he comes back on the days he has off.    My partner and I still treasure those days or evenings that we have free to run, lift or swim.  Last week we had a date night that included running to the rec center, swimming, and running home.  It’s not every day, but it’s still our favorite way to spend time together.  It’s hard to picture that sooner than we realize the little boys will start sleeping in, or we’ll be able to sneak away for a run in the mornings and leave them to their own devices.  For now, we make do with at least getting fitness in, even though it’s not always a together activity.