This past weekend was a big deal to me. On previous Mother’s Days, (alright, there have only been 3 of them since my oldest is only 4), I’ve enjoyed sleeping in until roughly 10 am and having breakfast in bed. This year I was up before 6 am. By 10 am, I had already completed my first triathlon. Don’t believe for a second that thoughts of a nice warm bed didn’t cross my mind while I was waiting outside in the chilly air to start the race. Last year I was in comfy pjs under nice warm blankets. This year I was wearing a tri suit which, though perfect for the race, was neither comfortable nor flattering (particularly sans underwear).
The kids were really excited about it; the triathlon, not the scary tri suit. I am quite confident that they had no idea what they were excited about except that I was really excited. The day before my older son told me he was going to make a “flag” for me. It turns out he meant a sign. He also said that daddy vetoed the balloons. My husband has no recollection of that conversation.
The race began and unlike other Mother’s Days, when I’ve been surrounded by my excited kids, this year they were at home eating breakfast. The swimming finished, and I began the bike ride. As I went around a bend in the course to begin my second cycling loop while wondering how on earth I had managed to put on my running shoes when my clipless biking shoes were puposely placed closest to me on the “set up”, I saw my husband and boys. They were wearing matching t-shirts that had photo montages of us and the slogan “Supporting Mommy, Mother’s Day 2008″. They were crazy excited.
I began the running and I could see the boys jumping around excitedly. When I crossed the finish line, they were lined up to the side of the course just before the finish line, standing next to my triathlon training buddy’s kids and husband. That’s when I realized that while my kids have heard me talk about exercise, they don’t usually see me do it. Yes, we’ve done the long walks with them, but I’m talking about real exercise where you get gross and sweaty and sometimes snot runs down your face. While I’ve sometimes walked in the door in that condition, minus the snot because I can take the time to stop to use a tissue when I’m not racing, they’ve never actually seen me in the act. While my husband and I have been very excited for them and their milestones, they’ve never really had a chance to be excited for us other than birthdays. It was very fitting then that this event was on Mother’s Day because it was about all of us. Most importantly it was about their support. Before you think I’m getting to cheesy and sentimental, it was also about them understanding why Mommy takes the time to take a shower before she comes home from the gym!
by Alex Elliot
Photo graciously provided by shelleylyn, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
2 responses so far ↓
Slouching Mom // May 22, 2008 at 8:41 am
Go, Alex! What an awesome achievement! And yes, I think it’s really important that our kids see that we have goals we strive for, not as mothers, but as PEOPLE.
InTheFastLane // May 22, 2008 at 8:47 am
That is so great that it became a family event and the kids were so excited. My kids know that I run, and they often tell me I stink and need to shower soon after my runs. But, they are not often a part of my running.
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