Time to train

I have to admit, I was feeling quite pleased with myself for finishing a triathlon recently. I will admit that I did not spend a lot of time on training as I found it hard to do between holidays and kids. I struggle with motivating myself to run at night after the kids are in bed. Often I feel pretty tired from the day and am ready to snuggle down for the night. But having completed that race, I am completely motivated to train to better my time.


I loved the feel of the race. Okay in this last race the water was really cold and for the first 100m or so I struggled with catching my breath and was panting trying to warm up! But I know I can swim the distance. I went to the pool later and was able to complete 750m without too much trouble. I was amazed at how well the bike went. Normally for me it is the worst event, this time it went well. I am thinking it was because I was not pulling a bike trailer full of kids!


I find the transition phase to be an adrenaline rush - get in, dress, grab your bike or dump your bike and off you go! Maybe it is my need for changing stimulus, but I enjoy the different sports married together. The best part about these races are the people. Everyone there is there to better their own time. This creates a really positive, encouraging environment. Everyone is cheering each other on, pushing each other to do their best.


Ethan did the kids triathlon the day before. He was fortunate enough to "compete" with a friend of his, making the experience that much more fun. Watching him run the race was a lot of fun. He chewed me out in the transition area for going too slow with helping him! After the race finished Ethan was excited to do another race and now has found a new love for swimming.


The best part about the kids race was the lack of parent attitude. You know the attitude - "My little Johnny is the best kid out there, yours can not possibly compete!" This attitude was instead replaced with "Great work kids!" "You can do it!" I loved that every parent was encouraging all the kids and not just their own. I loved the feeling in the crowd. I loved that everyone was there to help each other. At the end of the race when each kid crossed the finished line, they received their medal. It was a celebration of completion rather than who won. I really thought it was a great way to introduce the sport to kids in a positive fashion. It also modeled a different idea of teamwork even though it is an individual sport.


Next month Ethan starts hockey for the first time, he has that awkward birthday month - February. I hope that the experience for him will be positive. I hope that there will be minimal parent drama attached. Wouldn't it be great if at each practice and game all the parents stood on the side lines cheering on each kid, encouraging those who have trouble and supporting the idea of true teamwork? We will see how it turns out - I may be pleasantly surprised.


For us as a family we want each of our kids to learn the love of sport - both individual and team sports. We want them to live a healthy active lifestyle. We want them to learn how to work in a team environment and learn to work with different kinds of people. My hope with all of this is that most of these experiences are positive and the ones that are not, they have the strength to manage the situation.