Team RaceAthlete

Thank goodness it is the off season. I actually had time to complete my Team RaceAthlete application. What a great opportunity they are providing. I can't wait to see how it goes. What a great idea!

OK here it is....let me know what you think.

It all started about 4 years ago. My daughter was 2, and I was having trouble adjusting to motherhood and the sacrifices it takes – I was making too many and not doing anything for myself. A friend was starting all-women, all-mom triathlon team. Hmmmm…. sounded interesting. But, technically I was "severely obese." This would not be easy. I had been walking 3 miles daily, even running some of it, in an effort to get the weight off, but it wasn't working. It wasn’t just baby fat. I’d been obese since I was 5, and over the prior 25 years I’d tried everything to gain control over my weight, with mixed results. After 3 weeks of pondering whether I could really complete a sprint triathlon, I was in. It was difficult being the fattest person at each workout, but at least I was surrounded by moms and they were supportive.

After I finished my first race, I knew I was hooked. I took a year off to have another child and here I am, 2 years later with another 2 year old, about to take on the biggest challenge of my life -- training for Eagleman Ironman 70.3.

As we all know, life is about balance and priorities. And sometimes you just have to find a way to make something happen if it is your dream. I guess that is why they always say, signing up is the hardest part. Now, I've made the commitment.

And when you have a dream, excuses seem to melt away -- none being able to stand hard and fast as a dream-stopper. Not money. Not time. And definitely not the remaining 65 pounds of extra weight I still carry around.

Can you justify spending $3,500 a year on triathlons? It would be easy to spend that much. But when $3,500 is your year's salary of working -- Saturdays and Sundays before or after workouts and you've got a family to help support, it just isn't possible.

So, what do you do? You share a bike with your husband (and socks, and shorts, and arm warmers...need I go on?) You barter your services as a team leader on a women's triathlon team, so you can afford to have a pool to swim in and a team to train with. And, you pick and choose your races. Sometimes, just volunteering and watching your teammates and the triathlon virgins cross the finish line is enough to fuel your race need.

And when the kids scream, "Mama, don't go! Don't leave!" when you accidentally wake them up on your way out the door to a 6 a.m. workout, you walk out that door anyway, because you remember this isn't just for you. This is for them too. You are setting an example.

You know, teachers always talk about how important it is to inspire a love of reading and a love of books in your children, but they never talk about the importance of inspiring a love of exercise or participating in a sport you love, which can be equally important. You know it is worth all the sacrifice when they want to go running with you. Or they want to participate in a kid’s marathon. Or, it might just be the way your 2 year-old stomps around the house, getting louder and louder screaming “swim, bike, run… swim, bike run! SWIM, BIKE RUN!" that makes it all worth while.

Or, you might realize it when you have just finished one of your best races and your 5-year-old asks, "Mama, did you win?" And you kinda' sorta' have to answer, "Yes!"