My alter ego

You know I had a cool realization this morning. After a perfect greeting of hugs from my kids after getting home from my race in Colorado, it was off to bed. I woke up and it was back to normal. My normal is staggering out of bed, getting kids up for school, finishing homework we should have last week, making breakfast which is often cereal but today was pancakes, finding someone pants and someone else their backpack, then saying prayers and kissing them goodbye and settling in with the two girls still left at home. Visited with my awesome neighbor Amy, got the baby chicks back from her, got them new food and water and freed them in the backyard from their cold weather box prison. Changed a very stinky diaper and had a puzzle plopped on my lap to do with the baby. 

Then it hit me. I went up, over, and down 4 amazing 12,000+ foot passes in Colorado barely more than a day earlier. I went from dry dirt, beautiful leaves and streams, to snow dusted trail, then snow covered trees, then a full on gusty wind snow covered alpine tundra on top, and then back down, over and over again. I ran fast with a smile on my face from aid station to aid station where my husband was ready to hurry and pit stop me if you will, with new gels and food and clothing I'd need. I'd tell the aid station my bib number so they could update the results friends at home may be watching with my progress.  I had a picture taken while running in 7th and was asked how to spell my name at an aid station so she could put it on iRunFar, a running website.  I felt like a rock star. I ran along side (well behind but not by too far) some the best runners in the world and pushed my body to it's limit. My pacer Zac and I spoke of everything while we were running the last 30 miles together, including my kids, but that time was all about seeing how well we could get me through that race. It's like I'm living a whole different life sometimes.

And then I woke up this morning and got back to what I realized today is my real life. My family. 

Sometimes I mesh racing/training and family as one, but it really isn't. I am a wife and mom first and Iove it!  I just get to have a pretty freaking cool alternate life on the side sometimes. Now if you'll excuse me I'm sure there's some mess to clean and a little voice hollering for me :)