Are you ready for the summer?

"Are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the good times?" stolen right out of the movie "Meatballs". Meatballs starring Bill Murray is all about summer camp. It is one of my favorite comedy movies. It comes to mind as I get ready for Lake Placid camp next week. So do many other memorable experiences. I love camp. I have since I was a kid. This will be like my tenth Tri-Camp. It has been an incredible experience every time.

My first tri camp however was quite unforgettable. It was 1996 and I finally decided that I was going to do my 1st triathlon. I was living In Louisville,Kentucky and triathlon was pretty small. I did not have coach and only a few people that I could ask for guidance. So I bought Triathlete magazine, and started reading. I remembered Dave Scott's name from watching Ironman on television. So I bought his book. I figured if he could win that race he must know something. Then I found out he was having a camp in Copper Mountain Colorado. It sounded fun,challenging and I knew I had a great deal to learn.

All I can say is at that time, I knew how to swim in a pool. I had been running on a regular basis.I had just bought a really cool "tri" bike with stuff on it that I did not know how to use. I had been trying to ride it and had fallen off more times than I could remember. I remember riding in the grass in my back yard so that when I clipped out I would not get as much road rash. You get the picture.

Anyway on to camp. I arrived at camp, not knowing how to put my bike together - Dave Scott did that for me. I remember the first day they did bike fit.They were talking about position and angles, all I knew was to sit and pedal. I was so green. I could not ride in my aero bars.I had pedal cages on my bike, not regular clip in pedals. Dave Scott had a so much fun with me. I was the joke of camp but in a good way. By the time I left, I could ride in my aero bars and stay upright. I put on my real pedals when I got home. I learned more in those 5 days then I could ever read about. I came home did my 1st race, it went great and I was hooked.

For more camp updates this week from LP, stayed tuned...

Why?

Last June when I signed up for Ironman CDA my life and my head were in a different place. I had taken off the 2007 race season in hopes of getting pregnant. When that did not happen for some reason signing up for ANOTHER Ironman seemed liked a good idea.

I had stayed in decent shape but realized it was time to get to work. So I slowly started my Ironman training in November. I was extremely excited. I have always enjoyed the training and the journey of Ironman. However, starting my training with a son who was 2.5 now was very different and difficult for me. I struggled with my longer workouts,not wanting to give up time with my son to prepare properly.

"Why" is one of my son's new favorite words. It has given me a new awareness. The questions come and they come continuously ...why do work? why are you tired? why do you have to swim, bike or run?. I realized the answers to those questions were now different. Training and competing in an Ironman for me creates imbalance. I have decided not to race Ironman CDA. I love the sport and want it to enhance my life not hinder it. For now spending time with my son and husband are what keeps me balanced.

Being Mom....

Being mom for me is my greatest accomplishment and my greatest challenge. Being mom has taken the focus off myself and put it somewhere more important. It is nice to have a day where Mothers are recognized, however for me the only recognition I need is from my child not Hallmark. The kind of person he is and continues to become will be my reward. Being mom is about the journey, not the destination. It is one of the few things in life that I will never want to be over. I see the future and how that relationship continues to grow and I will not be needed or wanted in the same way. I am practicing everyday to be present with my child and with the time we have now. That is a wonderful gift in and of itself that I am giving to myself. Being mom has made me have a greater appreciation for my husband, for all that he does, for the man he is and mostly for the father he is. Being mom has made me grateful for more things that I could ever list.Here are a few that top my the list ..our health, the time we spend together, and the peace I feel inside. I am truly thankful everyday that I get to be a my son's mom, it is truly a privilege.
Happy Mother's Day!