As part of our new recurring column (here’s the first installment), let’s pull back the curtain to see how another woman fits movement into her busy life. Heather Peter is a high school English Language Arts teacher, and the mom of two—Vinny, 13, and Roni, 9—both of whom play competitive sports. “My schedule after work is completely dictated by my kids’ schedule.” (Sound familiar, anyone?!) Currently Heather’s 2025 calendar is bare, but her BRF (Best Running Friend) and she are contemplating a half marathon in May and potentially a fall 13.1.

Heather confided in us that she takes “sweaty selfies and posts them to [her] social media for accountability.” We appreciate her stepping onto a bigger stage to share a week in her life after returning to her Broomfield, CO, home after a girlfriend-getaway.

I did NOT want to get up at 4:30 today. Over the last 48 hours, I’ve racked up a grand total of 10 hours of sleep—1.5 of those spent awkwardly contorted on a plane. I took a rest day yesterday since we were traveling back from Seattle (quick trip, tons of fun). We walked a ridiculous amount, so I felt zero guilt taking Monday off. I hit snooze but eventually dragged myself up and got after it.

Thankfully, my gym is in the basement, so there are minimal excuses. I’m not training for anything specific right now—just the marathon of life. My goal is to keep up with my kids and live a long, healthy life. Normally, I’d have a half marathon on the books, but with both kids playing competitive sports, scheduling races is nearly impossible. My husband coaches my son’s flag and tackle football teams, as well as his school wrestling team, so he’s tied up there, while I’m in full-time soccer mom mode for my daughter. Oh, and my son also plays rugby, because why not add more chaos? Right now, I’m in my sports mom era, so running has taken a back seat. But I still work out at 4:30 AM five or six days a week, squeezing in a few short runs alongside strength training.

Today was chest and triceps with some HIIT sprinkled in. I modified the HIIT moves because I am running on fumes, and my legs are still protesting all the weekend walking. Usually, I get in a mile walk, but I had to use that time for work instead. My planning period was already booked for a trip to the orthodontist with my freshly minted 9-year-old. She also has a well-child checkup this afternoon, so I’ll be home earlier than usual and might squeeze in a walk then.

Voiceover Narrator: She, in fact, did not get in a walk later that night.

This is precisely why I work out at 4:30 AM. The later the day goes, the busier it gets, and the workout gets pushed down the to-do list until it disappears completely. After the doctor’s appointment, I took my daughter to a French bakery as a reward for surviving her shot (a single shot, but you’d think it was a medieval torture session). We split a cheesecake, and suddenly, the world was right again.

Then, it was time to get my 13-year-old ready for his first concert at Ball Arena with a friend (no adults, just the friend’s older sister who is in high school—deep breaths). Getting a teen to charge their phone is somehow more frustrating than doing burpees. Then, I had to shuttle my daughter to her D1 training. Oh, and dinner happened somewhere in there. My son didn’t get home until midnight, so I racked up yet another night of minimal sleep.

I slept in until 5:00 AM (wild), then worked out with Brandi doing Basics Five #2 from Many Happy Miles. I love a good ladder format, but those squat jumps? Too many. Give me dead bugs any day—I could do those forever.

Managed to squeeze in a one-mile walk at a 7.5 incline with my weighted vest. Tonight’s goal? Bedtime at a reasonable hour. I have an all-day training an hour away on Thursday, and the lack of sleep is starting to hit me like a freight train.

Ugh. Shoulder day. Triples.

While I appreciated the lack of HIIT, I now have serious doubts about my ability to lift my arms to wash my hair. I really need to start coordinating my hair-washing schedule with my workouts. 

My Oura ring suggested I take it easy today, which is perfect since I’ll be sitting in training from 9 AM to 3 PM (with a bonus hour-long drive each way). We also have virtual parent-teacher conferences for my son tonight. No walk today because, in my infinite wisdom, I didn’t stop for gas yesterday. Why do I do this to myself?

Woke up thinking about sleep. It’s been a week. I had high hopes of getting to bed early last night, but no such luck. After the usual chauffeuring, we had middle school conferences, then had to tidy up before the cleaners came (because cleaning before the cleaners is just what we do).

I was exhausted, but consistency always wins. Off to the basement for chest and biceps. I have never been more excited for a burnout set because it meant NO HIIT.

Finally got in my weighted-vest mile today! Now, let’s hope my high school students aren’t too love-crazy—it’s Valentine’s Day on a Friday before a long weekend. Every teacher in America is laughing at my naive wish.

Survived. That’s all I can say about yesterday.

I went to bed early (gasp) and slept in until 7 AM, which is basically noon in my world. Feeling refreshed and ready for the long weekend (my kids get four days off, lucky them).

I would love to run outside, but Colorado is in full-on winter mode. So, I hopped on my bike for a quick, sweaty 20-minute ride with Joel Freeman. Perfect way to end the week. Tomorrow, stretching is on the agenda.

Active rest day! I stretched and foam rolled for a glorious 30 minutes. I rarely foam roll, but every time I do, I remember how much better my body feels afterward. And yet, will I remember to do it weekly? Probably not.

Despite my foam-rolling inconsistency, I am consistent with planning. Every Sunday, I write out our family calendar, my workouts, and our meals. Sure, it’s all in a digital calendar, but writing it down somehow makes it real. No last-minute surprises here!

Took advantage of the holiday and slept in until 6. Had a slow start, took my time, then eventually made my way downstairs for a workout. The theme of the day? Slow. My brain was lagging, I was constantly behind on the workout, but I got it done. Knowing I didn’t have to rush to work definitely contributed to my sluggishness. Also, I don’t love starting the week with leg day. But it’s done and that’s what matters. I should celebrate that I went up in weights for deadlifts and hip thrusts.

Got my mile in (weighted vest included) while listening to the Lauren Fleshman on the Power of Journaling episode of the AMR podcast—perfect timing. Keeping this blog has given me space to reflect on my workouts and how daily life impacts them. I’ve enjoyed that process, so it’s time to dust off my workout journal. Here’s to many more weeks of early mornings, workouts, and whatever chaos life throws at me!