Monday, July 7, 2008

The Balancing Act

For those of you with kids, businesses, community work and families that make your world rich and wonderful, I believe you will understand this blog.  My challenge in the last few weeks is fitting it all in.  I have a husband, a dog, a set of somewhat demanding parents, a business, a part time job with Walt Disney World and try to include work for the community such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society...and...I am attempting to become an Ironman.  


I am hoping that some of you who read my blog can help me ESPECIALLY if you have done an Ironman distance race before.  Did you have problems fitting your workouts in around your life?  Did you feel just very very tired and sometimes overwhelmed??  I truly am in awe of anyone that does this kind of training AND has children to raise (like my friend Beth).  My work is somewhat demanding but not like raising a family would be.


In times like this, I have a tendency to just shut down a bit.  I just pull away from some of the workouts and responsibilities and just take a breather.  Its usually not for long but for someone with a "to do" list a mile long, its a shock to just step a way from it for a moment.  Today, I reschedule alot of stuff going on in my week because my husband was able to get some time off and he wants to go somewhere with ME!!! Now...this is an awesome thing don't you think?? My husband of 23 years actually wants to spend quality time with ME! I know alot of people who would love to have a relationship like that and I KNOW that I am very very blessed but there is a stress to all this that I am just not handling well.  I don't want to lose sight of what is most important (my husband, my marriage, my life with him) but I also don't want to fall down on my dream (becoming an Ironman and continuing to be consistent with my workouts.) This balance has been difficult for me.


So, if you have any advice, I am all ears. 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey there

I so know where you are coming from. Unfortunately you need to be abit selfish about Ironman. Being an athlete isn't natural for me. It takes hard work, all the time. I'm slow, so to get the miles in takes longer. If you want to enjoy your Ironman experience, you need to do those miles.

However, there are key sessions each week that should be done, and some that you can skip. Check with your coach if things are getting on top of you and he should be able to let you know which ones to push out the back door.

There are definitely times when it gets too much and the toys get thrown. Go with it, and then move on. I found training for Ironman to be the biggest emotional roller coaster I have ever been on. So long as you are aware of it, and you have Hubby on side, you will get there. It is only for a short time - make the most of it. If you're anything like me, you will miss it when it's gone, even though it felt like shit at the time.

take care and train safe (and enjoy that time with your hubby).

Elizabeth said...

I read your blog and had to write my own about the same thing. We are lucky we are able to train but I know how hard it is to accomplish everything you want to in a day1