The last time I watched an Ironman I was 6 months pregnant and dripping with jealousy. I had done my Ironman less than a year earlier and in a matter of months had gone from the best shape of my life to handing over my body to the growing child inside. As excited as I was about having a baby, I missed being fit. Surrounding yourself with 2,000 athletes who are at their prime and seeing them accomplish one of the ultimate fitness goals can make a pregnant girl sad. On that day I tried to make myself feel better by plotting when I could register for my next Ironman. I had race envy.
For those of you have experienced race envy, you know what it is. For those of who have not, here is my best explanation: It is kind of like running into an old boyfriend (or girlfriend). You get kind of uneasy feeling like you know something is wrong, but you are not quite sure what it is. You may feel the need to tell everyone that you are a triathlete and not just a mere spectator. Just like when you run into an ex and you only think about the good times, you just think about how great it would be to be racing. You forget about all the annoying parts (like the training, the stress, the hard work!). And then you do something crazy like call your ex (or register the next day for the 2012 Ironman- which I did NOT do).
Well, things have changed since I was pregnant. Obviously, I have gotten back into tris and I love racing. I also have continued coaching and enjoy getting new people involved with and hooked on the sport. However, as much passion as I have for triathlon, my time is limited. I get about an hour a day to workout and focus on quality instead of quantity. I have chosen to compete in sprint tris as I have no time to get out on long bike rides. My one long run per week is my "me" day to workout for 2-3 hours. And I do not want to work out a minute more.
Nowadays I rather be at the park with Alex or reading her a book. Likewise, I rather be cheering on the sidelines of the Ironman with my toddler than looking for her in the crowd while competing in a day-long race. And I feel totally good about that. I still have the utmost respect for those racers who commit themselves to the training and racing and I am happy to be there to cheer them on. I guess I can just say that I am in a different stage in my life.
So, if you ask me today if I will do another Ironman, my answer would be no. But I am not naive enough to think that race envy won't come creeping back one of these years when I my kids are a little older and I am volunteering at IMWI. Only time will tell!
-Coach A www.sparkmultisport.com
You've got at least one more in you!
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