don't know how they do it...

I ran nearly eleven miles yesterday morning.  Unlike when I was training for the half-marathon last fall/winter, the humidity was about a gazillion percent and I really felt the difference.  When I got home, all I wanted to do was lay down.  In the grass, on the floor... I did not care.  I was just completely wiped.  My clothes were soaked to the point where I could have wrung them out and I was a mess.  It was all I could do to keep moving that morning as I puttered around the house, cleaning and doing laundry.  I held to together until Izzy and Alex went down for a nap, and then I did the same. 
I am certainly learning that there is a direct correlation between the number of miles I run and the amount of time I need to lay down afterward.  Let's just say that a full marathon is probably not in my future.  But it got me to thinking... how do people manage?  How do people train for something that requires hours of constant activity, and still work full time and care for their families? 
No wonder it takes someone exceptional to run a marathon or (OMG!) an Ironman.  There is a part of me that wistfully imagines myself completing an Ironman, but the reality is that I cannot imagine the impact that all of the training would have on the rest of my life. 
For now I will just remain in awe of those who compete in the ultra endurance events.  I will do another half marathon (or maybe two) this year and be content knowing that we all do the best that we can...