Wings to Fly

Over the past week, I have swam over 3,000 yds at one time (my longest to date), sat on a bike trainer for over 2 hours before dawn, creatively ran hill repeats chasing children up the hills and pushing them down in a sled, ran light-heartedly through the snow for an hour, and finished my first outdoor brick workout (bike/run) in temperatures climbing to the mid-70's, sweating and dehydrated.  What crazy, upside down weather we have had here in Georgia.  Thank goodness I have a little girl who has taught me to roll with the punches, be flexible, and embrace each day as it comes - turning lemons into lemonade!                                       I can't wait to see what adventurous workouts lie ahead during the next 6 months.  I have a hunch, this is just the start of "creative" planning in the days, weeks and months ahead. Here we go!

After finishing my first official week of Ironman training, I am already realizing that this is more about a journey than an actual goal race.  It is about learning how to wake up every morning, getting the kids lunches made, having them dressed and out the door to school on time, tackling the multi-hour workout or workouts of the day, the grocery shopping, the laundry, answering e-mails, wrestling with feelings of guilt about having to prioritize training over PTO meetings and volunteering, picking the kids up, homework, making dinner, bath and bedtime routines.  And this is merely the 1st week... Is it possible to maintain balance, a healthy family relationship, and train for a beast such as an Ironman?  This is a question I have asked myself every day long before I took the first step.  It is a question that I fear the answer to after seeing so many athletes consumed with the sport, as its mistress, making training and racing come before their faith, family, morals and values.  Pe