The race that wasn't
My life has changed since the baby arrived and in some ways, it has not. I still go out to dinner, still go to the movies, still shop. I'm blessed to have a very good baby who is calm (for the most part) and quiet (for the most part). So I take her with me.
However, she is my new priority and I must consider how my actions will affect her. As a result of this new thinking, I decided not to race the Pineapple Man on Sunday. I really wanted to because I'm ready to get back out there and I just love triathlon. I love the community of athletes and the comaraderie among the bike racks. I love the challenge of it all.
So what happened? Friday night I was sick. It was beyond the sniffles. I had a fever with chills and felt wretched. I tried not to breathe on Elise too much, or cough on her, or spread my germs but I'm her caretaker and well... when you breastfeed you do have to touch your child. My fever broke overnight, thanks to a strict regimen of Tylenol, but the cough and ensuing chest pain lingered. Come Sunday morning I made the decision to call the race off.
Why is this different than before? Pre-baby I would have driven the 90 minutes, raced, driven home and spent the rest of the day on the couch. No brainer. Muscle through, enjoy the sweat, cough up a lung, whatever. I can recover later. Post-baby, I can not be out of commission. Even with my wonderful husband, she needs me to be on top of my game. It is exhausting enough having an infant and a lingering cough because both affect a good night sleep. Why risk making it worse. So my ego battled my sensibility. I did not wimp out, I made the best decision for my family... and ate the entry fee.
Maybe I'm evolving.
However, she is my new priority and I must consider how my actions will affect her. As a result of this new thinking, I decided not to race the Pineapple Man on Sunday. I really wanted to because I'm ready to get back out there and I just love triathlon. I love the community of athletes and the comaraderie among the bike racks. I love the challenge of it all.
So what happened? Friday night I was sick. It was beyond the sniffles. I had a fever with chills and felt wretched. I tried not to breathe on Elise too much, or cough on her, or spread my germs but I'm her caretaker and well... when you breastfeed you do have to touch your child. My fever broke overnight, thanks to a strict regimen of Tylenol, but the cough and ensuing chest pain lingered. Come Sunday morning I made the decision to call the race off.
Why is this different than before? Pre-baby I would have driven the 90 minutes, raced, driven home and spent the rest of the day on the couch. No brainer. Muscle through, enjoy the sweat, cough up a lung, whatever. I can recover later. Post-baby, I can not be out of commission. Even with my wonderful husband, she needs me to be on top of my game. It is exhausting enough having an infant and a lingering cough because both affect a good night sleep. Why risk making it worse. So my ego battled my sensibility. I did not wimp out, I made the best decision for my family... and ate the entry fee.
Maybe I'm evolving.
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