Ah, the scheduling pains of a mom

So, I don't know if I announced it on here, but I joined a triathlon training team (Moms in Motion). While I haven't actually registered for an event (I will do so after a few ocean swims under my belt...no point registering if I can't swim 500m in the ocean) - I am enjoying the training.

But boy. Does it make my head hurt.

I never realized how hard it would be to be a mom and schedule in exercise. Pre-kid days, my spouse and I could actually do things...together. And we did. Go to the gym, play volleyball, ride our bikes to work. Not so anymore.

My main training day is Saturday. This is okay, because it is the same time that I was doing my long runs. Except now, I have to drive to the start and home, and the workouts are a little longer. It's a bit tough on my spouse when I am gone for 3.5 hours on Sat. morning.

Like Sunday morning yoga - where the class is at 9, but my spouse plays tennis from 7:30 to 9, so I have to drop my son off with my spouse at the end of tennis and go to yoga - I think this training is turning into the same kinda thing.

I registered for this because I'm not a strong, confident swimmer. I am afraid of the water actually. I want to change that. The training is at difficult times:

Monday night track workout at 5:30 pm. My husband works until 5:30 pm. So I'll have to go pick up my child, go home and change, and take my son to the track with me until my husband gets there to pick him up. Somewhere in there, I have to prep dinner. I think I'll make it tonight and they can eat leftovers.

Thursday 10 am ocean swim: can't make this one.

This week, there is extra pool swim training (for a small fee) on Tues-Thurs from 8 to 9 am. Now, this is where my head hurts.

Tuesday/Thursday are my workout days. My normal work schedule is 7:30 to 4:15, give or take 15 mins on either end (7:15-7:45, 4 to 4:30). My schedule is flexible, however. If I wanted to, I could go swim, start work at 9:30. But then I'd have to work until 6 pm.

If I work until 6 pm, then my husband has to pick our child up at 4:30 pm. Which means he has to go to work at 7 am. Which means I have to do dropoff. At 8 am. And get to the pool by 8:30 am...you see my problem.

So I think what I will do is get up at my normal time at 5 am on Tuesday/Thursday. Go to work at 6 am. Work until 7:30 am. Then go swim and be back at work at 9:30 am. Work until 4 pm.

Wait, I'm still short 1/2 hr if I take a lunch break. Geez. I guess I'll aim to get to work by 5:45 and not leave for the pool until 7:45 am.

My gym has a pool, and it's open 24 hrs, but the pool is only 12.5 yards long I think. I know that at some point, I will need to pay for time at a longer pool. The one local to my house is open from 7:00 to 8:00 am and from 7:15 to 8:15 pm. You see my problems just continue.

I am a walking advertisement for why you should work part time after having a child (if at all). I did so for 1.5 years and it was AWESOME. I left a job because they wanted me to return to full time before I was ready. My coworkers couldn't believe it. "It's only 5-10 hrs a week!" "Yeah, it's almost TWO HOURS PER DAY. Where is that two hours going to come from?" That made them think.

Alas, that is not my job reality right now, so we struggle through it. Actually, I brought a fair bit of work home this weekend, so maybe I will do some of it today, save up for later in the week. I know my bosses want me to work more hours (even suggested that I work at home in the evenings to get extra done, which would work if I didn't fall asleep the exact same time as my child), but generally this "extra" work I do ends up making up for missed time due to doctor's appt, school trips, and a sick kid.