Does Spring Cleaning Count as Marathon Training?

It most certainly should.


The amount of motivation and sheer stamina required to open a ten-year-old girl's closet-- brimming with naked barbies, tangled necklaces, sewing patterns, science projects, broken crayons, and random puzzle pieces-- and NOT promptly shut it and flee, is staggering.

Yes, I am giving myself credit. And, credit is due.

I should have escaped this morning into the bright sunshine and buoyant spring breeze in my new running shoes and freshly charged personal GPS. I should have locked the door on an apartment full of clutter, slipping the loose key discreetly into my clever running-shorts-key-pocket.  I could have run miles with the 80's rock group of  my choosing thumping in my earbuds and returned home feeling entirely justified to cook up that grilled ham and gouda sandwich I've been craving, complete with baby gerkins and a bag of chips.

But no.

I innocently walked into my daughter's room to return a stray sweater to her closet, surveyed the utter catastrophe before me, took a deep breath, and reached within.  Three hours and three garbage bags later, I have achieved a speckless room of Spartan standards. Somewhere between Hannah Montana and Harry Potter, Little Women and Littlest Pet Shop, order and serenity have been restored.

Of course, none of this conditions my lungs or improves my pace but, true guts and determination have been proven; I can achieve anything I set out to accomplish! Now, to confront the six-year-old's room....