running away...

Despite the media portrayals of glamorous stay-at-home-moms in stiletto heels and shift dresses gossiping about the neighbors, most of us are of the jeans, t-shirt, and flip-flop variety, trying to get chocolate milk (!) out of the carpet while calling to set up a dentist appointment, fastening a Batman cape, and settling a Lego squabble. And, yes, sometimes we want to run away. So I have. On a treadmill. We finally became part of the "going to the gym" crowd, and, just like cell phones and DSL, I'm starting to understand why it is so popular. Put the kids in the (very decent) day care, set mp3 player to a fast Frou-Frou tune, and take off running. For me, the better sleep and (very slight) weight loss are incidental. It's the stress relief and even the occasional runner's high that I seek at the gym. I'm up to 2.5 miles; working toward a 5K in late September.