The End of an Era (a long, whiney post)

Okay readers in cyberspace (I know there are a couple out there), I have a dilemma and need some feedback. I hope this is not coming off as super whiney, but I am seriously not sure how to make this all work.

Here’s the situation…the hubby has worked nights for 13+ years. We’ve been married for 11 of those. He’s gone from having Tuesday/Wednesday off, to Sunday/Monday, to Sat/Sun off, Fri/Sat/Sun off and to Fri/Sat off. This last combo has worked our great for everything from family time, to his fishing schedule, right down to my training schedule and being able to do some 5k & 10ks on the weekends. Regardless, I've been able to get in my long runs either alone or with a group and I've been able to get in the weekday training runs without disrupting the family in the process.

Where am I going with this you ask???? Starting this week, the hubby is going to day shift. So, this begins an entirely new chapter in our lives. Now days in the police world does not mean the usual 8 am – 5 pm Monday through Friday - that would be too easy! Nope, he’ll be working from 6 am to 2 pm…meaning he’ll be leaving the house around 5 am (getting up around 4 am!) and will be home in time to pick up the kids in the afternoons. The great side of this is that rather than only getting to eat dinner with him and hang out for about an hour each evening, he’ll be home all night! The downside is that he now has to work the weekends, since day shift is where all the “old timers” reside and the “old timers” want their weekends off.

So here’s the dilemma…when in the hell am I supposed to work out???

I’ve always tried my best to maximize the time I have with him and the kids by working out after the hubby was at work and the kids were in bed…even if it meant having to settle for training on the ol’ dreadmill at 9:30 pm. The only day that my workouts have cut into family time was on Saturday mornings during the long runs (yes, everyone is awake…usually before I even leave the house!) and occasionally when I could get in a bike ride or a 5K.

So, with the hubby heading off to work at insanely early hours on Saturday and Sunday…when do I get in a long run? It’s beginning to look like I’ll have to do them in the afternoons on the weekends, which is fine for now….but what about when summer arrives and it’s 100+ in the afternoons? I’ve done a couple of hours on the treadmill more than once and that was not something I want to do again…plus, we all know training exclusively on a treadmill is not exactly good training. What about the long bike rides? I know I can use the trainer, but it’s the same as the treadmill – definitely not optimal.

Obviously, my swims will have to be in the evenings and will cut into family time unless we decide to build a pool…after spending hours putting up the playset from hell that takes up 2/3 of our backyard last summer, I doubt the hubby would go for that. LOL! Anyway, there's really not a way to work around that.

Oh, and I forgot to mention…I do work full-time with a commute and I am soooo not the early bird. However, if I have to run on the treadmill at 4 am when the hubby is waking up, then so be it, I guess. I had to get up that early when I was in school and I suppose I can do it again...yuck!

Surely, I am not the only schedule-challenged person out there who wants to train! How do you do it? How do you balance the time between family, training and work??

Right now I’m wondering what the hell I’m thinking in aspiring to be a triathlete!