4AM.

Well...more like 4:15. By the time I shake the cobwebs out of my head thanks to that restlessly sleeping 6-year old who needs lots of cuddles waking me every other hour, that 15-minutes snooze sometimes feels better than 6 hours straight.

Coffee. Then feed the cats. Those needy bastards have been banging their heads on the door for an hour already. "Feed me, mom." "Nigel drank all of the water again."

Slam down a waffle with some cashew butter and chia, fill the water bottles, then drag myself down to the basement and slug out the next 1.5 - 2 hrs on the bike trainer that changes resistance on its own now that it is twelve years old and has been slammed around a few times since buying it on clearance for a hundred bucks at Breakway Bikes back when I bought my first road bike.

Working on three sports can feel damn near impossible. I drink my coffee and eat my waffle while warming up my legs, check emails and Facebook alerts and find my Spotify playlist as I pick up my cadence. Or will it be a YouTube morning? I need something motivating.

Being a working mom (or parent in general) can be demanding, but there is also that overwhelming guilt if you are not present for every moment that your child is home from school or daycare. In addition, there are non-stop chores, laundry, breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and all of the other responsibilities that come with day to day life. How is one supposed to fit in the endless hours of training involved in preparing for multi-sport events?

4AM.

Once the legs are done moving there may be a few minutes to stretch, even shower. Get the boys ready for work and school, breakfasts out, maybe pack a lunch for hubs and I, otherwise it will be a visit to Saladworks at lunch time. Then off to the gym.

Part II.

Swim or Run...or maybe a weight day. Five to six days a week, it's one or the other. Doing my best to keep this tired and wearing body as healthy as I can. With five or six nagging injuries and/or disorders I have been fighting over the years, I need all the help I can get.

From gym I head to work for my regular 9 - 5 in a law office, where every day can vary. Some days it is a lot of standing, some I will be at the desk all day (which only adds to my already imbalanced core), some days I will be tired by 2 and others I will be bright eyed when I leave at 5. When I leave, though, it doesn't matter how tired I am. I have to head home and begin my responsibilities as a wife and parent. My husband works all day and we have a small family contracting business to run at night, so quick dinners are sometimes necessary. In addition to my job, I (try) to have a small craft business on Etsy and my son loves to make YouTube videos every once in a while, so adding that into my evenings means that I pretty much never sit down.

By 9pm I am beyond spent, so once my son goes to sleep, we are all pretty much asleep in minutes.

Until tomorrow.

4AM.

They say the most productive people are those who rise before dawn and st out on their tasks before most people get up. I cannot function any other way. On days I sleep past even six, my body hates me and my mind beats itself up. If you had gotten up you wouldn't feel like crap; those toys would have been picked up, dishes done, and breakfast made it says. I feel lazy, unmotivated, and, mostly, unaccomplished. That is the worst feeling. Feeling like I have gotten nothing done, nothing checked off on that list. Feeling like I am just dragging through the day, not really focused on anything, wanting to just go back to sleep, praying for a do-over. My endorphins are all off and my hormones probably even worse. It's like my body requires that release and my brain requires that focus I get after a few miles. the peace it brings, and the satisfaction of knowing that my body is strong. It might not be the prettiest, but it can ride over a hundred miles in 90-degree heat and can run through rocks and tree limbs all morning. It can do things I never though it would be able to do, and I know it can do more.

Thanks to those 4AMs.