Ironman Journey Q & A Part 3

Posted by Lara in Run Stroller Run, Triathlon | Comments Off on Ironman Journey Q & A Part 3

Here we are again, round three of answering questions about my Ironman Journey.  The question of the day, Aren’t you afraid you are going to miss a lot of your daughter’s firsts?

If you just started following me on this journey, check out:

• Ironman Journey Q & A Part 1: Do you have children and if so, how old are you kids? And when did you decide to do an Ironman?
• Ironman Journey Q & A Part 2:  Are you crazy?  Why now? Why Not Before Kids?

If you would like me to answer any questions, the “submit your questions” button is on the bottom of the page.

Aren’t you afraid you are going to miss a lot of your daughter’s firsts?

When I told my family last Thanksgiving (November 2012) that I signed up for my Ironman, I got the question from one of my brothers about missing my daughter’s firsts.  My daughter at the time was only 2.5 months old.  I thought it was an interesting question and over the course of this past year, this question kept entering my consciousness, especially on my long training weekends.

Yes, I am of course concerned about missing my daughter’s first, no different than I was fearful of missing my sons firsts. Not because of training, but because I am a full-time working mom who has left the care of my children for 45 – 50 hours a week in someone else’s hands.   For 5 days a week, I only see my kids awake for 3-5 hours at the most. During those 8-9 hours a day, my son and daughter have had a lot of firsts that I’ve missed.  I am sad I have not seen all the milestones in person, but I am lucky. Throughout my children’s lives, I had wonderful Au Pairs* that have watched my children and send me videos and photos on a regular basis of my children and their daily progress.

I do however on my long training weekends get extreme “mommy guilt”. The only time I really get to spend with my children and I am training, right.  Then my wonderful hubby and Sherpa remind me that I am doing something that makes me happy, healthy and a better person, mom, wife and friend.  He also has reminds me that a lot of other working parents on weekends do not spend every moment with their kids; they might spend 5 hours on their computer while their kids play or 3 hours cleaning, etc.  Plus, my son who is now 3.5 years old is so excited for me and he loves that I – and my husband both – swim, bike and run. He thinks it is really cool and always wants to go riding with us.

So, yes, I am sad that I have missed some of my children’s firsts, but we work really hard to ensure my training does not impact my quality time with my children or my husband. Sometimes training does conflict with quality time, but I do the best I can do to manage all responsibilities.

* If you want to read more about Au Pairs or our child care decisions, you can find information here.

More answers tomorrow. Submit Your Questions