priorities are tough sometimes. For instance, I clearly decided that my first priority is my family when I stopped working over a year ago to be home with my two (well then 1.5) little men. And I love being home most days. My kids are very high energy and the almost three year old never stops, but they are fun and smart and pretty good kids.
But before I was a mommy I was a triathlete, and this year I have decided that I need to reclaim that title. The hubby is a little nervous about the impact that the training will have, but I have already assured him that I don't have delusions of working out 10-15 hours per week like I did before we had a family. And I think that I can be more efficient with my workouts now (or atleast I'm hoping to find a way to be). And I have also re-set my expectations a bit that I probably will be slower than I was when I raced four years ago and trained as much as I wanted.
In fact, I missed most of my workouts this week. My 11 month old had the stomach flu. Even though the hubby tried to send me off to the gym after he returned from work a night this week, I didn't have it in me (up a lot the night before with the baby, and the two year old is healthy as can be and super-charged now that the warm weather has come). And now I seem to have a touch of the aforementioned stomach flu. uuuuugh.
Did I want to plop the guys in daycare at the gym and hope that the little one held it together while I got a quick workout in? Absolutely. Did I do it? Absolutely not.
its all about the priorities... but I am really glad I got a good pilates tape.
I guess it was kind of a bet or a joke, but after I finished my first 5K run in March of 1999, the King (aka husband) said I should become a triathlete, since I swam competitively in my younger years and loved to bike. I laughed it off at first, but he planted a seed.
So I did it. In July of 1999 I competed in a 'women only' sprint distance triathlon (that's .75K Swim - 20K Bike - 5K Run). My goal was to finish without walking, although some small part of me wanted to finish in a reasonable amount of time. I don't remember what my goal time was that day, but I know that I beat it. The thing that is forever with me is the pride - the feeling of achievement - that consumed me as I crossed the finish line. Triathlon is an addictive sport, and I'm hooked. I can't say what compels me to train or makes me "tri", but I know that one of my proudest moments was when my mom, sister and sister-in-law joined me by competing as a relay in a race in Chicago. The whole family was there to cheer us on.
In the summer of 2002 I decided to get pretty serious about training (as much as a mid-packer could...), and I competed in many races that summer, including my longest triathlon yet. It was an Olympic distance race in the Berkshire mountains of western Mass. The race was a 1 mile swim, 25 mile bike (with an elevation change of 900 feet) and a 6.2 mile run through the woods. I finished the race about seven minutes faster that I thought I would, but it was hard!
About a month after the Berkshire Olympic race in 2002 I got pregnant with Devin, so I took some time off. I had hoped to make a come back in 2004, but my priorities were shifted by our move to the new house in June and then by my getting pregnant a month later. Then Henry was born in April 2005, so I'm planning my triathlon comeback for this summer. I recognize that I will not have the time to dedicate to training that I had previously, but I look forward to getting back into racing. Let the training begin!
So the husband asked me what my blog was called and when I told him, "Midpack Mama" he looked at me with a blank expression one would expect from one unfamiliar with the language that I was speaking. This from the man who has shared my life for eight years and is part of the reason I entered the sport (and the life , frankly) that would lead me to become a "midpack mama". I explained to him that in the sport of triathlon I am a mid-packer; certainly not leading the pack, but not bringing up the tail either. He advised me that none of my friends and readers would understand this, so I had best explain it here too.
But I got to thinking about the mid-pack thing, and have come to believe that I am a mid-packer in things such as politics and parenting style as well. Politically speaking, I think I romantically fancy myself a liberal (after all, I certainly was in my slightly crunchy, idealistic college and post-college days), but in actuality I am truly a moderate. I tend to embrace a "free to be you and me" attitude towards policies that impact others. Gay marriage - who does it hurt, really? Abortion - not for me, but wouldn't go back to a time of coat hangers and dangerous situations for those who feel they need one. I guess I think that I am not the one to judge another person's life or their decisions. But when considering fiscal policies, I am the first to appreciate the financial benefits that a more conservative government can bring. For instance, we are getting a larger tax return than expected simply because we have another child. Love that! Guess we'll have to have even more! (although not anytime soon, since I have my hands seriously full right now)
Which brings me to parenting style. Now that I've been home with the boys for more than a year, I have had much more opportunity to interact with other parents and get a feel for parenting styles. This had led me to believe that I am pretty laid back when it comes to my children's' independence, meaning I give them both a pretty long leash. This sometimes back-fires and has led to more than a few bumps and bruises for the little men, but I want them to try new things too. On the other hand, I think I tend to expect a lot from my kids (well at least from Prince WIlliam. Prince Henry is still too young, but he'll learn). I am probably more demanding of Wills than many of the moms I interact with are of their kids. I think that goes back to the independence thing too. While I'm certainly not negligent, I want my kids to learn to take care of themselves, which at two and a half means you can put your clothes in the hamper and clean up your toys (you certainly knew where they were when you got them, so put them back there). So a mid-packer in more ways than one - who knew?
So I finally set this up after months of deliberation (will I use it? will I have time to post? do I have anything meaningful to write about?) and a promise to myself that I will indeed make regular updates to our family website after I had neglected it for nine months. However, its close to 11:30pm and since my two and a half year old seems to wake with the sun (when will the time change finally happen?!?), I'm just posting a quick note. Welcome. More to come...
