Now that I’m a mom, I sometimes find myself in a dilemma concerning something I want to do and whether or not I should do it. Once I set my mind to doing something, it’s very easy for me to get lost in it, as I tend to throws myself into things 100%. I also know that my time with my kiddos is fleeting. Therefore, trying to find that perfect balance between being a mom and being me, can be a challenge. I don’t want to sacrifice any more time with the stink-a-roos than I already do by working full-time.
This particular dilemma involves racing in my first half-ironman triathlon, which consists of a one-mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run. This has been a goal of mine for quite some time. I started training for this type of race a few years ago. However, after Hurricane Gustav blew a giant tree through our house, I was forced to abandoned that plan mid-way through. And shortly after that we had children so my hobby of endurance racing got pushed off the priority list.
Since then, I’ve had the half-ironman in the back of my mind. I have been dancing around the idea of doing one this fall in Austin, but realize that would be a huge undertaking. Between the training and the traveling to do the race, it seems like it might be a bit too much with kids so young.
So, I’d pretty much accepted the fact that doing this type of race would have to wait another year or so. That was until a few weeks ago when I saw on Facebook that there would be a half ironman practically in my backyard. The swim takes place at False River and the bike ride goes over the new Audubon Bridge into West Feliciana. Since I live about 8 miles from that Bridge, and can easily train on the race route, I decided to throw caution to the wind and sign up.
The dilemma is should I have made this type of commitment? Will it take too much time away from my kids? Is it a goal I should put on hold till the boys are older and have their own hobbies and won’t notice my absence early on weekend mornings?
While I’m a little worried about the time and energy needed to train, I’m also very excited about the race. Ever since I signed up, I’ve been looking forward to the training and the race. Since the race takes place so close to home, I drove the bike route yesterday and am can’t wait to start riding again. I’m sure at some point I’ll feel a bit overwhelmed with the training once school starts again and my schedule is crazy busy, but for now I’m super stoked and ready for the challenge.
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