Needles and Motherhood

Apologies for the radio silence.  I've been caught up in work (oh, that....), the kids' end-of-school stuff, and my ever-annoying health stuff.  Looking over the last month or so of training, it would be pretty easy to get down on myself for not having the type of volume and quality I'd hoped for in the month leading up to my first triathlon of the season.  Heck, just the fact that I've finally admitted that I really, truly, cannot run a single step is a tough thing.  My total mileage for May is less than ten miles.  At the suggestion of my physical therapist, I got a runner (Spark's awesome sister) to run the final leg of this weekend's Greendale Sprint for me.  Even though it's only 2.5 miles (oh gawd).  When in doubt, hire a wicked fast blonde 29 year old to cover you!

Of course the irony is that, if I hadn't decided to run two half-marathons to become a stronger runner heading into triathlon season, I wouldn't be injured now.  At the beginning of triathlon season.  I go into the orthopedist tomorrow to hopefully get a cortisone shot and some relief, since at this point even sleep is evading me from pain.

Then there is the biking.  Not too many complaints in this arena, except that most of my rides have been sub-20 miles, as compared to the multi-hour 50/60/80 milers of many of my non-parental triathlon friends.  My reason for this are below.  They are such amazingly good little reasons I have zero regrets:

Biker buddy

This past weekend was Memorial Day - we got two new (to us) trail-a-bikes for the kids.  One day we tested them, then the next we took the whole family down to Rhode Island for a 20 mile ride along the East Bay Bike Path.  The kids did great.  It was a nice day, a pretty decent workout (resistance training - they don't always pedal!), and overall a day better spent than any century training ride I could have done.

Lunch near the sea

Then there is the swim.  I've been in the open water three times now.  Feeling good.  Feeling confident and calm, even if those swims have been shorter than I wanted.  Again, below are some reasons (and some of my fellow moms in training):

Open water with littles (Daddy was watching them)

I'ts pretty easy to view your life in terms of what you haven't accomplished.  Haven't done right.  The choices that in retrospect, weren't quite right.  But you know what?  While I don't consider myself 100% defined by my role as a mother, 

I take great comfort at looking at my happy, healthy, awesome little kiddos and thinking... I'm doing just fine.

4 days until race day!  Stay tuned for the recap, and possibly grisly medical posts involving long needles!

Have you ever done a triathlon as a relay???