A Memorable Run...

A couple of weekends ago my family and I took a trip to Charleston, SC.  As you may know I started the Couch to 5K training program a few months ago and last weekend was my first 5K.  I chose a race in Charleston because it my absolute favorite city and I use any excuse I can to get down there.  I figured that the beach would be just the motivation I needed to get through the run. 

So, we packed up early on Friday and headed down.  Now here is where my post takes a detour from talking about exercise.  I need to address a much more pressing topic for me at the moment.  It’s my memory.  Am I alone in my lack of ability to remember anything?!  It honestly scares me how much I forget on a daily basis.  I thought I had until at least my fifties before I couldn’t remember where I parked or where I put my glasses.  I am embarrassed to admit that I have come out of Target several times recently and have had to stop and look around to remember where I parked the car.  It’s even worse when I have a cart full of groceries and kids and I have to maneuver between cars because I am three rows over from where I actually parked. 

I can’t tell you the amount of times I walk into a room and have to stop to remember why I went in there.  I literally talk to myself out loud to figure out what I was trying to do.  I have cussed my dog out of frustration simply because I cannot figure out for the life of me why I came into the kitchen.  My husband has become accustomed to me having to make at least three trips back inside before I am finally ready to leave the house.  Some of this makes sense considering I am usually the one to make sure we have snacks, shoes, passy, blankets, juice cups, the stroller, my own shoes, my purse, cell phones, and the whole dang kitchen sink.  But just one day a week I would like to go through an entire 24 hours without having to turn around, go back upstairs, go back to the store, search my entire brain for a clue as to why I am where I am!

This trip to Charleston brought my memory problems to a whole new level.  Our plan was to go down on Friday and then my husband would return to Charlotte on Monday for work and the boys and I would stay with my cousin until Friday.  I could not wait to get there, run my 5K and then relax the rest of the week on the beach.  So I did my usual packing the kids, myself, and even a little for my husband.  I wrote a list of things not to forget and we checked things off as we headed for 77.  It wasn’t until about an hour and a half down the road that we realized what we forgot…the car!!  We were supposed to drive two cars and we just totally forgot.  I am glad my husband was at least in this with me but yes, we forgot a whole freaking car!  So much for my husband returning alone on Monday, we all had to go in the one car we remembered. 

We discussed how bad our memories have gotten since having kids and I asked my husband when he thought my mind would return.  Sadly we both agreed that the answer is probably never.  I mean once the kids are not living at home and being blamed for my lack of memory I will then in fact be reaching my fifties.  I guess having a mind was fun while it lasted.  Luckily I did manage to run the 5K…even found my way to the finish line and didn’t forget why I was running once.  It was a great confidence booster even though I didn’t finish in the time I had wanted.  It will be these sorts of things that I will have to do in order to keep my self-confidence in check.  I know that if I can run 3.2 miles considering I have always hated running (and group activities for that matter) that I can do anything…even if that is just remembering where I put my car keys.