Weekend as a Dad

This weekend I spent being a dad, rather than being an athlete. It was in the back of my head the entire weekend that I needed to do some workouts, but I really didn’t have the time to fit them in. The fact that I wasn’t going to be able to get in acceptable workouts only bothered me in the most primal level. I knew deep down I really needed to exercise, but my duties as a father really came first.

Truth though, in the past I would have woken up very early in the morning to fit my workouts in when I had family obligations during the day. As my kids have gotten older, this has become harder to do. Perhaps my own aging has something to do with that fact as well. Maybe I am just burnt out. Maybe I just really want to run and don’t feel like biking or swimming anymore.

On Saturday, my son had a baseball game at 11am. My wife had a field trip from school, so I was home alone with the kids in the morning and on pancake patrol. I suppose I could have woken up around 6am and rode in my basement for a couple of hours, but after the long week, all I felt like doing was sleeping a little late. A perfectly normal feeling I know, but not the feeling of an athlete. No matter though, what’s done is done and I made the most of it.

After the pancakes, I got my kids dressed to go to my son’s baseball game. I am happy to report that my son led off for the season and got the team’s first hit (a double) and scored the first run. My son went on to go 3 for 3, with 3 runs scored and made a nice play at second base during the middle innings and his team won the first game of the year. I was very proud of him and we were both very happy. Even his sister was smiling for him.

He wanted to hang around after the game to practice some more, but I had to take my kids to their to his cousin’s birthday party across town. We made it there a few minutes late, but I didn’t want to take my son out of his game early. The party was at an ice cream shop and I am afraid to say I partook in some of the ice cream eating even though I hadn’t yet gotten in a workout and it didn’t look like I was going to this day. After the party we went back to their cousins’ house and I was able to leave them there, while I went to the Time Warner Cable Service Center to switch out my cable modem for a faster device and my cable box for the DVR kind. I made it back from the Cable place just a few minutes after my in-laws brought my children home and then it was out to dinner with my parents.

When we finally got home, I connected the new cable equipment. I am happy to report that my Internet connection is faster than ever, but the Cable Box was a big disappointment. It is not working properly and I need a service technician to come by this week to repair/replace it. By now I was too tired for a workout, but unable to fall asleep, so I vegged out in front of the TV trying to get the cable box to work and being completely unsuccessful.

I finally fell asleep around 3am, but had to wake up early on Sunday to take my daughter to her soccer game. I thought I would be able to sit down, relax and watch the game, but her coach tagged me to be the line judge. I couldn’t really say no, so I spent the game running up and down the side line trying to keep my eye on the ball and the last player it touched before it went out of bounds. It was a big struggle to remember to point the flag in the opposite direction of the team that kicked the ball out of bounds. At least I really concentrated on the game, which turned out to be a very good contest, with my daughter’s team winning 3-0. While being the line judge I did have to run up and down the sideline, which technically is the first running I’ve done in a month. Fortunately, my legs felt ok. I am hoping this is a good sign or running to come when I begin again in May.

After the game and a quick trip to the playground it was back to home for lunch. I also arranged to take my son out to the ball fields for some practice with one of his friends. We spent an hour or so hitting and fielding, but for a change my son wasn’t so into playing. Turns out when we got home he started to feel very sick and started to run a fever. I took a nap while he rested and then finally roused myself to get up and spend an hour on my bike in the basement. My heart wasn’t into it, but I knew I had to do something. I just couldn’t bare to sit in the saddle spinning away indoors. I think it is time I took my bike outside.