Mothers Tri to do it all

Seems appropriate to do a tribute to all mother triathletes in honor of Mother's Day.  One of my teammates asked me how I was going to be able to train for Ironman and take care of my son.  I have been reminded more than once about how big of a commitment this is.  Did the guilt seep into my mind and cause me to question my priorities, maybe for a second.  Us mothers are by nature multi-taskers so the timing of my decision to train and compete in an Ironman this year was not something I considered to be an impossible dream.  In fact, my son is at a good age to reap the benefits of having parent models who set challenging goals, work hard, and do their best to achieve them.  I also have a supportive husband though a bit leary about how we could do it all, who has allowed me to put my competitive desires first this year.  Being in the health profession, I also believe you can make health and fitness fit into any lifestyle.  So maybe this is a bit extreme, but I believe the positives outweight the negatives in this scenario.  The other truth is that my son is breaking out of his coccoon to become a teenager and is desiring more independence and though he still needs his parents close by for guidance and supervision, he is quite content to be left home on a weekend while the long miles are being logged.  Everyone is happy.  Sometimes a mother's brick workout consists of bike, stop home and feed your child or drive them to school and then run, you do whatever it takes to make sure everyone is taken care of and your miles for that day are complete.  Your child gains some independence at other times and has to make their own lunch or do their own laundry or get themselves out the door for school without you standing over them with verbal instruction.  Teamwork is required and everyone steps up to the plate and takes their turn.  And other times, you just have to be ok with dirty dishes filling the sink, sweaty clothes piled up on the floor, and a trail of crumbs.  There is always tomorrow to clean up.

The best gift in my lifetime was a son.  Some day he is going to leave the house and live out his dream.  As a woman and a mom there comes a time where you can no longer just serve others, but you need to find purpose and passion so you can be a better mother, daughter, friend, wife, sister, athlete, or professional.  Triathlon training gives back so much that for every hour you put in, you get so much back including fitness, good health, low resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, lots of friends, lots of laughs, and lots of stories.  I think mother triathletes have a lot to offer this sport and say a lot for what women can do in this world.  Not all of us have to win our age group, but it is very fulfilling to be a part of a sport that keeps giving.  It is time we kick our fit up and enjoy what we receive from our beloved sport!