Last fall, I visited my cousin Sean in Arizona. He had recently built a lovely desert home. One evening, we sat in his cozy sectional couch and he shared a 4 minute video of his home build. He contracted out a few things like the foundation, plumbing and framing. But other than that, he did it himself. Well, himself…. and his wife and kids! At the time his kids were about 6 months, 3 years and 6 years old. Picture after picture, video after video, there were Sean’s kids right along side him: sitting in a stroller, digging a whole with a kid shovel, painting the walls, handing mom and dad tools, sharing a drink of water for their thirsty parents. What I will never forget are the many, many, many smiles.
During this time, I was trying to decide if training for an ironman was a wise choice for not just me, but for my family as a whole. As I thought about Sean and his experience building a home with his family, I realized I could train for an ironman with MY family!
I am married and have 5 kids. That’s a great team.
Currently, my 15 year old is my running buddy. We signed up for the Kentucky Derby Marathon on April 27th. We’ve had some amazing long runs so far. Mary, my 11 year old is my swimming buddy. Last week, she kicked my trash swimming a mile in 36 minutes! This week, I went on a tandom bike ride with my 7 year old to Willow Springs. I’m trying to finish this post so I can run with my 13 year old.
So far, it’s been a blast!
Leave a Reply