Something of a Dilemma

I am a runner. I am also a father, husband, friend, blah, blah, blah. Trying to balance the whole family aspect and spending hours on the run can be a bit of a trick, but more often than not, it ends up that I run late at night, or early in the morning, after the kids are asleep, or while everyone is still asleep.

One thing I have difficulty with is working in the long run. Not a 2 hour 17 mile job, but a real 4 and a half hour 30-mile-ball-buster. This Sunday, I had penciled in a marathon, but due to weather (we have another foot of snow due on Thursday) I do not really feel like putting in the time and effort. Instead, I am going to go for one of those ball-busting long runs.

Hearing that I was not going to run the marathon on Sunday, my pacer for the Vermont 100 – who is a phenomenal athlete (he’s won a number of ultra events – including Umstead, and a 3rd place finish at Vermont) – offered to come out and go for a long run with me. I knew him in high school, and competed against him in college a few times (it was never much of a contest), but I have not seen him in sometime. This would be the perfect opportunity to get to know my pacer better, learn from a phenomenal runner, and get a nice long run in prior to my 50 miler in April.

Unfortunately, that same Sunday my son has a birthday party to go to for one of his pre-school classmates. It would not be much to skip out, but his friends parents are on our level, and my wife is constantly telling me we need more “couples” friends. And on top of that, I get a good deal of enjoyment watching my boy playing and having fun.

Believe it or not, it really is a tough decision: run with a class athlete, or go a four-year-olds birthday party. Personal or family? When can I be selfish?