The world of triathlons is an exciting one; it is bursting
with passionate athletes, full of fierce dedication. Want to see a little crazy? Wake up early on a Saturday morning and head to the nearest
start line. The grass is still wet
with dew and the air is buzzing with anticipation; there are hundreds of people
swinging arms in wetsuits or pumping up bike tires… it’s truly an amazing sport. Through the years, I’ve become familiar with the language
and fluidity of the race. I have
grown to understand and love this community and their unique brand of insanity.
But I’m not infected by the passion; I don’t eat, sleep and
breathe racing.
I am the spectator.
I am the one behind the scenes… budgeting for new wheels and
ordering energy gels. When it’s
time to train, I stay at home with the baby and the dog while my husband
completes 19 mile runs and 100 mile rides. There’s a wetsuit drying in my bathroom and bicycle grease
on the carpet.
I am the spectator.
THE GOOD:
There's nothing quite like a race.
Here’s the thing; I love the races. I really enjoy sticking my toes in the
sand while Tim is swimming, or taking pictures through the transitions. While he’s on the bike, I spend time
playing peek-a-boo with Henry or walking Kali; and when he gets to the run, we
make our way to the finish line to cheer him down the home stretch.
I can also appreciate the way triathlons have shaped Tim,
both physically ( and mentally.
I am lucky to have a husband who is so passionate about a sport that is
nothing but good for him, body and soul.
He has such strong determination and pride for this tri-life… he is
always trying to improve. There
are so many people out there who are complacent with their sedentary lives and
never feel the need to push themselves and strive to be better. I am blessed to have such a strong man
who always yearns to be stronger.
He has passion for his sport, love and devotion for his family, and some
pretty incredible leg muscles.
THE BAD:
Triathletes have to train.
The part no one talks about is the training time… and boy,
is there training time. Do you
know how much time these triathletes need to train for a full distance
tri? Hundreds of thousands of
hours! On a ‘heavy’ week, he will train for a couple hours every day… sometimes
getting up to 15-17 hours by the end of the week. Those ‘easy’ weeks end up cutting workout times down to an
hour or so every day. Even then,
it’s a HUGE time commitment.
One afternoon, I took Henry swimming at the Y while Tim did
his swim workout. I wasn’t in the
pool ten minutes before he gave up the workout and came to play with Henry and
I. In times like that, I can see
how difficult it is for Tim to sacrifice time with us to train. But the problem is, I don’t always
remember how difficult it is for Tim… I can only see how difficult it is for
me. The worst happens when Tim’s
working and it’s been a rough day and night with the baby. When he finally gets home the next
morning, he has to turn around and head back out for a 4-hour bike ride. And the days where he needs to complete
a bike workout AND a run workout? Yikes! I’m sure bringing a new baby into the
mix hasn’t helped, but these past 7 months of training have put a definite
strain on our marriage.
THE UGLY:
A post-partum body can’t keep up with a triathlete.
Don’t get me wrong, I would do it all over again for that
beautiful baby, but there are a lot of ugly things that happened to my body
throughout pregnancy. I gained
nearly 70 pounds during those 9 months and I’m really struggling to lose
it. I’ve never had such a
devastating combination of low self-esteem, postpartum depression, and poor body
image. Any woman who has looked at
herself in the mirror after giving birth can understand… there is such a crazy
mixture of emotions! You proudly
wear the battle scars; the stretch marks, the 8-inch scar (yeah, he was a BIG
baby) and that sad little pooch of skin that refuses to shrink back to its
original size. On the other hand,
you have concerns about your sex appeal or whether your pre-preggers jeans will
ever fit again. With all of these emotions running rampant, I watch my husband
with a plethora of feels… I want to shout for joy when he finishes another race
and cry because I feel left behind.
I am inspired to run but devastated at how slow my body needs to
go. It can be exhausting.
In the end, it is a challenge for me. I am not naturally drawn to exercise
like my husband. I am the one who
hates every second until I’m about ten minutes into the workout. I grudgingly put on my shoes and tell
myself I have to do at least one lap at the park. But I refuse to be sedentary.
My husband deserves a wife who takes pride in her body.
My beautiful baby boy deserves a mom who can keep up with
his boundless energy.
And me?
I’m
going to swim/bike/run a half-iron triathlon with my husband…
because I need to
know I can.
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