Thursday, May 17, 2007

Day 85 - 05/16/2007

I got home from work somewhat early and decided to go for a run. D was making dinner (I thought we'd have leftovers from Sunday, but she was cooking a pot-pie instead) and M and N were at the table where M was finishing up her homework.

I went upstairs to change and after I came down, asked the kids if they'd join me on their bikes. I like going out with them as it gets them outdoors and provides them with some stealth exercise to boot. If it's anything like what I went through as a kid, it will (hopefully) instill in them a lifelong attachment to bikes and using them as a means for transportation vs. just a way to have fun.

N immediately said yes, but M started crying that she wasn't done with her homework. Before I was able to tell her that we'd wait for her to finish, she started in with "it's not fair" and wah wah wah wah and fuss fuss fuss. I tried to talk her down from her outburst, but was getting nowhere. So I told her to go to her room where she wouldn't bother the rest of the family with her behavior.

She didn't budge.

I told her a second time and again the result was the same.

So I started counting.

1....

Moan groan fuss.

2...

More of the same.

"M, if you're not in your room by the time I get to three, you will suffer the consequences." I've learned over the past few months not to give her a specific punishment when she's going through this phase. Not only do I tend to overreact in what I used to dole out (e.g., take away computers or TV the next day), it can, at times like these, be more effective if it's an unknown.

Still nothing.

I waited a few seconds before saying...

3.

Finally, she started running upstairs.

So, with that wrapped up, it was just N and I going for the run/ride. M would stay at home. She didn't like it when he and I walked to the path (N said she was looking out her window at us), nor did she like it when we got home.

Of course, had she gone to her room when I first told her to, I would have followed her up there and explained that she didn't give me a chance to tell her that we'd wait until she was done before going on the run. After we got back, I explained to her what she did wrong and provided some suggestions on how to change things in the future. I hope that next time she'll not fly off the handle like that, but that's how she reacts when things don't go the way she wants them to. I really wanted her to go with us, but when she acts like the way she did, letting her go with us would be rewarding bad behavior. I hope she's able to outgrow this behavior sooner rather than later, I really don't want N to start modeling his behavior after hers (which, so far, he doesn't seem to be).

I enjoyed the run, although cut it short as I wanted to try out a new route. We went down the trail and over the bridge to the other side of the neighborhood and then headed out to Stringfellow. According to my Forerunner, the run was only 2.2 miles (I told you I was cutting it short), but since I lost signal in a few places (and the resulting track of the run backs this up), I'm pretty sure it was longer. I'll have to go back and measure it again by bike as the track I get on my bike seems to stay captured longer than when I run. The first mile is pretty much uphill the whole way (well, not all the way, but the majority of the way) and it showed in the split (~9:45). The second mile was mostly downhill and it also showed in the split (7:05). Part of this I attribute to running downhill, but the other part I attribute to N speeding ahead of me. I used him as a pacer throughout the run so that when he went slow, so did I. Likewise when he went fast.

It felt good out there and I was quite happy that my knees didn't bother me one bit. My shins did a little, so I do need to focus on stretching them on a more regular basis. Once I hit the corner past the school I called it quits on the run and walked the remaining 1/5 of a mile home. I'm hoping to be able to get in a couple runs a week for the time being. I figure if can get through the summer somewhat pain free in the knees, I'll begin to up the mileage over the next few months and may even consider entering some races in 2008. That would actually work to my benefit as I'll be in a new age group and, hey, you never know, maybe I'll bring home some more hardware!

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