CHKM Week - It's Here! It's Here!

We've been experiencing marathon week in some shape or form for 20 years. Altman ran the full marathon the first year, and I ran the 5K. The following year, we volunteered to lead the 16-week training program.

Altman was the 5K captain, and I was the Information captain. 

The following year, Altman was hired, and the rest is history. 

The kids have grown up with marathon week and even after leaving my role with KTC, I have continued an active role. 

This year, I am blessed to spend the day in the studio at WATE TV 6, providing live event coverage. It is by far my favorite role. I love seeing the camera angles and course coverage and talking about the event for hours. I truly love marathon weekend and marathon day, and I can't think of a better way to spend it. 

There is a rhythm to the weeks leading up to it, and the week of that is unexplainable to anyone living outside our home. There is no "marathon" office. It's our house. So, starting weeks out, 18-wheelers, FedEx, and UPS are here almost daily. Currently, half of the garage is filled with boxes of chips, cookies, and snacks for the weekend. 

March brings a "buzz" to the house that I can't describe.

I've spent this week preparing for coverage for the weekend and creating notebooks for Lori, Bo, and others at the station, providing key information about the race, the course, and the athletes. Notebooks may seem outdated, but it's the easiest way to see info quickly when you are live.

Today was the press conference. It's generally the proverbial "start line" for the rest of the week. It means that we are days out and that it may not get done if it hasn't been done yet. 

Over the years, the rhythm has changed slightly depending on the kids. As they have gotten older, there are more sports, practices, and commitments leading up to and through this week. Luckily, we have a great support system, and there is help getting them where they need to go. 

Altman can rely on his senior high school runners to lead the way for his distance track athletes for this week, but I still have middle school practice to lead. Instead of being at a meet tonight, we are home due to the forecasted storms. Otherwise, we'd spend tonight at a track meet until 9 pm. 

As we head into the weekend, the kids still go to school and have homework. I still have a full-time job. There is still laundry—a lot of laundry. There are dishes and dogs to feed and walk. Real life doesn't stop because it's marathon week. 

We prep dinner for the week on Sunday. We arrange for rides where needed for the boys. We talk through the next day every night to ensure we aren't forgetting anything. 

I'll take a PTO day on Friday to get in my 10-miler (remember, consistency is the word for the year) and pick up the kids from school. 

Altman will stay downtown Friday night, and the boys and I will head downtown Saturday morning. Karson will run the kid's run, and Jackson will volunteer. We'll all stay downtown on Saturday night. Altman and I will be up and out of the hotel room well before sunrise. We'll grab a quick selfie on the bridge and part ways for the day. 

After coverage ends, I'll briefly visit the finish area before heading home with the boys. I am sure Jackson will have homework; by then, Karson will be over all of it. And, there will be laundry to do and prep for the school and work week. Altman will come home around 6 or so, and we'll have time to sit down and watch the replay of the live coverage while sipping a cocktail and propping our feet up. 

And no—that's not the end of it. Monday will be as busy or busier as any day this week. So will Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week. I still have that full-time job, the kids still go to school, and Altman's workload the week after is no different than the week before, except there is little excitement from the masses about cleaning up and returning equipment. 

We wouldn't have it any other way. The marathon changed our lives 20 years ago, and we are grateful for the opportunity to continue to be part of something so special. 

I'll get back to athlete research and then get the kiddos off to bed. 

See you on the roads! K

Back to It

I started this blog many years ago, highlighting life as a wife, mom, and professional. Like many things that happen when you juggle everything, you let a ball or two or three drop. Writing was one of the first things to go. But I miss it, and it's time to get back to it. 

I have been working to lighten my load outside my responsibilities as a wife, mom, and Vice President at work. 

As I head into spring, I'll finish my tenure as board president for two nonprofit organizations. I've resigned from a national-level board in the blood industry to cut back on travel. I am in my final season of coaching at Sacred Heart Middle School. 

What will I do with all this time? 

I'm glad you asked! One of the other balls that has dropped in the last 10+ years is taking care of myself. I've put on a good show of working out and trying to maintain some level of physical fitness, but my coach will tell you that I've put everything else in life before my own health and self. 

She's right.

So, I am putting more time into myself. My word this year is consistency. I will consistently show up and try to follow my food plan, workout plan, and goal of being present for my family. Realistically, we only have about 8-10 years of the boys being home. I don't plan to miss a thing. 

I'm also working on setting some big goals for training for the next year and beyond. I may never be fast again, but I bet that I am just stubborn enough that I can go far for long periods. 

I hope you'll follow along and see what life brings to the Altman fam. For now, I'll get back to prepping for this live coverage for the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon. 

A Weight Lifted

I started this blog when Jackson was a baby with the intent to write about everyday life with kiddos. There are tons of books out there on raising children, but I wanted to go the route of day-to-day life and all the things that go along with it - the good, the bad, the hilarious, and the gross. 

Admittedly, I have been slacking for the last few years. One would think I had more time during the pandemic, but instead of writing a blog, I wrote research papers to earn my master's degree. 

So, here we are. November 2022. 

Many of you saw weeks ago that we moved Jackson to a private school. That was not pre-planned and it was a move that is much out of character for us. We have been advocates for public education for as long as we have had children. That said, we chose our home based on elementary schools. We had several that we wanted the boys to attend and we bought a house in a location where we could make that happen. 

Our elementary school experience has been and is still amazing. I wouldn't change a minute of the last 8 years at Rocky Hill. 

Last year, we survived 6th grade. I say "we" because it was truly a group effort. Jackson didn't thrive, and as a family unit, we were just hanging on for the ride. Altman and I encouraged, supported, cheered, and loved him through a pretty unfun year. 

Jackson is not an extrovert. Jackson is not the kid who is going to walk up, shake your hand, and introduce himself if he doesn't already know you. 

Jackson is a nice kid. He follows rules and has the kindest heart of anyone I know. We knew middle school would be a learning experience and we knew that we'd have challenges. 

What the books didn't tell me was that my insides would feel ripped apart and that my anxiety (which is already way up there) would skyrocket when my sweet boy started calling me every day in tears. 

He stopped smiling and being so funny. We watched as he began to retreat in the first few weeks of this year. We all cried a lot and we had calls with school administrators and therapists and anyone that we could talk to about how to handle the year. 

I became a ball of stress and anxiety every weekday. My stomach would hurt when we separated in the morning, and I'd be sick all day until we were reunited. I'm not a helicopter mom, but knowing that he was likely having a crappy day made me physically ill. 

He didn't have any close friends this year in class. Issues from 6th grade came back and became issues in 7th grade. We were 7 weeks into this year when we hit our breaking point. 

Knowing Sacred Heart's excellent reputation, I reached out to friends who work there. They immediately checked on us and pointed us in the right direction. 

I started sobbing on the phone with the SHCS admissions director when she told me that their goal was to love, nurture, and support their students. I cried to a complete stranger. I can't remember a time in my life when I've been that vulnerable to a stranger. I usually reserve those breakdowns for only those closest to me. 

We visited and then Jackson shadowed. After shadowing he asked us when he could go back to SHCS and told us that he didn't want to go to public school anymore. That was important. We wanted him to be part of the decision and he was very clear. 

The switch from public to private was shockingly easy and quick. 

The change in Jackson was as shockingly easy and quick. 

He is happy. He is smiling. He is volunteering to try new things at Sacred Heart. We have been welcomed with open arms and we are heading in the right direction. 

Now that he's been there several weeks, it feels as though a weight has been lifted. It feels like we can all breathe again. 

There are always going to be hard times. If we are lucky, we'll have ample opportunity to learn lessons about life and conflict resolution, and perseverance. But, 13 is hard. Growing up is hard. Raising kids is hard. Altman and I made this decision based on Jackson's needs and our goal of nurturing him into being a good human as he grows up. 

At the end of the day, we all do the best we can. And my non-professional advice to parents is to do what your gut says. My gut said that we had to take action. Altman agreed. Jackson agreed. 

Now, we are looking forward to school days and activities and what this adventure will bring and that is the greatest feeling in the world. 

Hugs and love, K