Lucky Number 8: All of Fall

I think I hit my Pandemic wall in September. All my Utah friends and family had their kids back in school and were starting sports back up, but we were still stuck at home with everything shut down. I was tired of being my kids' everything. I was exhausted and overstimulated by the constant noise and chaos of every day, especially when that was piled on top of the idea that there was no end or even any kind of a break in sight.

And then just the monotony of every day. I mean, my life was pretty monotonous before, but it was a monotony I had chosen. Now I was living this monotonous life of battling my kids about multiplication tables, trudging through hours of sounding out words, and constantly yelling, "ARE YOU ON YOUR ZOOM CALL?!?" It was a weird mix of being so overwhelmingly busy with the most mundane parts of my pre-pandemic life. Like...let's strip away the activities you and your kids enjoy, the sports, the socializing, the outings...and let's replace them with neverending homework, nonstop meal prep, and a house that is perpetually askew. Also screaming. Much screaming.

AND THEN, once I realized all my sanity savers had been transformed into stress inducers, it also donned on me that the pandemic stripped us of the ability to have anything on our schedule to look forward to. Usually we have some kind of trip on the calendar, the option to go visit parents, an event to go to. No. Pandemic took it all away.

I decided I needed to get SOMETHING on the calendar. SOMETHING to look forward to. SOMETHING to work towards. I saw St. George still had their Snow Canyon Half Marathon scheduled and kept announcing all over Facebook that it was happening. The thought of having a thing to look forward to, to work towards, and to have a mental release from the daily monotony was exactly what I needed.

I signed up. I trained. I felt good. I was excited for the big day. Jeff and I decided we would take the whole family to St. George so the boys could see me finish a half marathon. I was so excited for our weekend getaway, and then three days before race day I got an email that the race had been canceled.

I was so mad! The one thing I had to get me through the previous three months was now ripped away from me too! I had completed every run of the training and now no race! I couldn't believe it, and I was so frustrated. I thought I could still run 13 miles in Vegas, but what fun is that?!? I wanted the race environment, the energy, the cheering, the support from fellow runners. Also, maybe I wanted a big slice of Great Harvest bread and a few cups of watered-down Gatorade to finish off my run. But it was all gone now.

In Come, Follow Me we happened to be studying Mormon 8 the week the race was canceled. While we were studying, we had a lesson about how Mormon was "all alone to write a sad tale of destruction." We talked about how we might kind of feel that way right now with the pandemic. People are alone and sad and it's hard to feel that way. Then we talked about how Mormon did the right thing even when he was all alone and no one was watching, he still did what he was commanded to do.

We talked with the kids about how the person we are is who we are when no one is watching. Jeff and I shared examples from our lives of times we were all alone and we had to make important decisions and how that taught us who we are and what we truly value.

That lesson came back to my mind as I was doing angry laps around our neighborhood trying to figure out what I was going to do about my canceled half marathon. I had the thought that I could still be who I wanted to be even though no one would be watching. I wanted to show my boys that I work hard to achieve goals I set for myself, and that I could persevere through a few annoyances to still go after a goal that was important to me.

So I decided we would still go to St. George and I would still run the race, but by myself. The boys dropped me off at the "starting line" and sent me on my way.

I did miss the race energy at the starting line, the pacers leading me down the mountain, and the official time stamps, but there were a lot of other people doing the same thing I was doing, so we all cheered each other on. I had the cutest water boys chasing me all around the course, and I can now say I've completed a DIY half marathon. I was glad I did it and was grateful for Jeff and the boys who helped me make it happen.

Best part? The Texas Roadhouse lunch we went to afterward! The boys were complete angels at the restaurant, making for an all around perfect day.

And better yet, when we got home, we found out Lincoln would be able to attend school for two hours every day in person. Yay!

And of course with all the cooped-uppedness we experience during the week, we try to get out as much as possible on the weekends. Feeling very grateful for warm Vegas winters that are getting us through this school year!