So, you read about my first week of training with Triadventure. What a mess! Well, I’m half way through and I’ve came a long way since then. It’s amazing how much can change in just six weeks! I want to fill you in on what’s been going on and talk about how I’ve made the training work for me.
I’ll start here. I guess you can call me a Single-Work from Home-Home Schooling Mom (big gasp!). I know, I know, but do not get overwhelmed by my title- it sounds tougher than it really is. Most importantly, I am a mom to a wonderful six year old who lights up my world. We are just starting our homeschooling journey, which I love. I make a living by having a home daycare. Five days a week, I have a house full of bouncing, bubbly little boogers that I absolutely adore. It can definitely be hectic at times, but I enjoy it. A lot of people do not understand what I do. Some people think I’m crazy. Some think I’m weird or that what I’m doing isn’t right. A few have joked that I must be a Super Mom, in which I have to laugh- hysterically. I’m far from super. I’m just a normal, everyday Mom who loves her child and is doing what’s best for her family. All moms can be crazy at times, but I’m pretty sure that comes with parenting in general, or maybe just being a woman (and now we hear all the men out there applaud, lol). Weird or wrong, well every mother has had at least one person along the way to disagree with their parenting. This is where I’m at and I make it work, just like every other mom. At times, I fail miserably. Other times, I rock. God has made a way for me, so I do my best with it and allow Him to handle the rest for me. I’m truly blessed and wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, you’re working, you have a family, plus there’s always other commitments on top of it, so where does working out fall in? Well, I’m still figuring that out. Every day after my daycare kids go home, what I really want to do is sit down for a minute. It’s no different than when you walk in the door from work. We usually don’t get to, but we all need a minute to breathe. Then, I’m ready to get out of the house for a bit or hang out with my boy alone, cook dinner or whatever needs done. Who in their right mind would want to walk straight out the door and go work out!?!?!?!? That’d be crazy, right? Well, that’s exactly what I’ve been doing 3-4 evenings a week. I get off at 5:30. I then have 30 minutes to feed my son, get out the door, drop him off and make it to training. It’s tight! You would imagine it would be easier since I work from home and can be ready to walk out the door as soon as I get off, but it’s not. Yes, I try to have a snack or dinner prepared for my son so he can eat as soon as possible, I have my gym bag packed and everything laid out for me to grab, I try to get my clothes changed and my son’s shoes on before I get off, I try to have my pets settled so I don’t have to worry about them at time to leave…. I, I, I…..but it never goes as smoothly as planned, EVER! No matter how much I do ahead of time, there’s always even more to do before I can leave. Kids are antsy and tired and ready to go home by pickup time. I have to get the kids ready and packed up for their parent’s. My son won’t settle down to eat but a few bites because he’d rather play with his friends or play outside as long as possible. I turn around to find his shoes and socks kicked back off for the second time because his feet are sweaty, or his shirt off because, remember, boys like it cold. At that, somehow all the kids in the house manage to sneak their shoes off right as it’s time to leave, lol. What’s with that anyway? And little hands can never resist pulling the toys back out. Oh, here’s another one, my son decides to let the dog off the chain because the dog misses us. Or he randomly decides it’s time to brush his hair or teeth. Or he forgets to use the bathroom the first three times he went in the bathroom when asked. I can go on and on about why we can’t get out the door, but I know all you parent’s out there know exactly what I’m talking about. Once we’re finally ready, we race out the door, but it feels more like we’re crawling than running. More than likely we’ve left something inside or I’ve forgotten to load the bike or whatever else. Then we race to my Mom’s to drop my son off. Oops, I forgot to pump the bike tires or that I have to get gas. We’re losing time here! And these are always the moments when you get stuck behind the slow car. Drive people, drive! This is when I feel my inner Nascar side coming on! Or, better yet, my Monster Truck side! If I can’t swerve in and out of traffic to make it on time, then I’m going to just drive overtop of ‘em!!! Watch out, crazy lady running late, hahahahaha! I’m just kidding but I know you know that feeling, lol. I’m pretty sure I get a good cardio workout before I ever make it to training! It’s horrible, I’m always racing to get there, I’m always late, I’m always arriving anxious or frustrated. But, then again, what’s the difference in parent’s rushing to ball practice, or school events/ programs, or anything else right after work. We have all done something like this. So, what’s the difference? The difference is that it’s for exercising. No one wants to rush off like that to go work out. No one wants to leave their kids behind another 3-4 evenings got that reason. I agree, it’s not the same, but I have learned that no matter how I feel when I get there, I always leave feeling great! Of course it’d be easier to go run at the track because I can take my son with me and go on my own time. I did that for a few months before I started training with Triadventure. However, I cannot stress how much more I have accomplished with this group than I would have on my own. They are great people to be around and they will really get you where you need to be.
I wish that I could sit here and tell you all the things I have done the past six weeks to make this work, but I can’t. I do something different every single day in effort of making it easier to do. My Mom, bless her heart, she has been so patient with me over watching my son through this. If I didn’t have her, I’d be paying a sitter to come watch him. She has things to do herself and she just wants to sit down after work too, but she has graciously watched my son most evenings for me. Whether it’s been for an hour or even two hours, she’s not said a word about it when I get back. Luckily, my parent’s only live five minutes from me. She also feeds my son on the days I couldn’t get him fed before we got there. More reasons to love her. Speaking of which, I think I’ll need to do something extra special for Mother’s Day this year. My Mom has helped make this process a lot easier on me. For a lot of you out there, keep in mind that it will be even easier for you if you have a husband to come home from work and take over for you so you can get out the door easier. Or if you get off from work earlier than I do, that would help. You may prefer to work out in the morning or at lunch. There are a lot of options to make it work for you but, instead of pulling out a book of tricks and tips, I’ll tell you what has made this struggle worth it for me.
As you know, I won this free training with Triadventure. I can honestly say that this experience has been best thing for me. For six years, my life has been about raising my son. Everything I do revolves around him. Not because it has to, but because I want it to. This is the first major thing that I have done for myself in a long time. Before now, life happened and I’d gotten in my own little world, doing the same thing day in and day out. I’ll admit, I’d gotten lazy over time and didn’t push myself like I used to. I lost focus on myself because I put it all on my child, which isn’t a bad thing, but we’ve all heard the importance of keeping up with your own self too. All of a sudden, I set this crazy goal for myself a few months ago and I start pushing myself toward it. Next thing I know, this gift has basically fallen into my lap. I would never have chosen to hire a trainer or work out with a group like this by my own desire, but, since I was blessed with it, I absolutely wasn’t going to waste it. I’ve been excited and working hard, doing everything I can to make it work. Everything about this process has been pushing me out of my comfort zone, both mentally and physically. I feel alive and strong. I have more energy and it certainly is burning off stress. I can definitely say my confidence in my ability has grown, along with my strength and endurance. I really did not know that I still had this amount of determination left in me. No, it’s not easy, but no matter what it takes, I am determined to be ready for this race and I will do well in it. More importantly, this determination has spilled over into multiple other areas of my life! It’s like I’m pushing myself in one thing and it’s helping me to do so at everything else in my life. I have so much better self-discipline that I had before. I’ve gotten so much better at making myself stop and do something I really don’t want to do. I’m pushing myself to improve other areas of my life. I’m trying harder. I’m caring more about different things I used not worry about. I even have new ideas coming to light. My mind is sharper and on top of things. I’m more confident as well. Who knew all it would take was entering a triathlon and training for it. I’m telling you what guys, this race is making me dig deep and try hard…. And I’m loving it! Without a doubt in my mind, I can say this truly is good for me. With all the good coming out of this, why in the world would I not want to make it work, no matter what it takes. This is exactly why I want to make my newfound fitness world a change in lifestyle, not a short term goal. If I can make this work, then so can you. I hope my writings make you laugh a little and maybe even make you think, but I really want to inspire you to push out of your comfort zone and try something new so that you can be rewarded as I have.
Editor's note: Rebekah was the winner in the training giveaway from our sponsor, TriAdventure. I asked her if she liked writing and would consider sharing her journey with us. As you see she is nailing this triathlete thing and so making it work! Go Rebekah!
