The last two days I've been doing the baby exchange thing with my new triathlete/mom friend Jenny. So yes, folks, TWO DAYS IN A ROW OUTSIDE ON MY BIKE! Glorious.
Though I have to say, it's a lot of work for a two hour bike ride. Yesterday I was coming home from Jenny's house... having left here at 9:00 AM and not driving home until 5:00... my X-Terra packed to the brim with my bike, helmet, shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, water bottles, cliff bars, recovery drink, Moana's toys, diaper bag, food/bottles, change of clothes for both of us... It takes several trips to the car on both ends to transport all the stuff. Of course I didn't bring enough food for myself so I was starving and since I forgot my salt tabs it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to suck on my helmet strap on the way home to replace some of that lost sodium. And I was just about out of gas but hoping I could make it without stopping at a gas station because I needed to get home soon b/c the dog hadn't been walked all day and I needed to feed the baby again and give the baby a bath and get her down to bed and then figure out if there was enough fresh food in the house so Scott and I could eat dinner... And I hadn't even taken a shower yet. AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
And then seriously my whole day was over. You know I didn't read a single blog yesterday? I know. Tragedy.
All for a two hour bike ride.
But as I was driving home, I was thinking about how it is so much more than that. The day wasn't just about the ride. Sure, it was awesome that I got it in, but really the day was about establishing a new friendship with Jenny. It was about sharing our ideas about raising our daughters... it was about trading training tips and racing strategies and figuring out that our coaches must share a brain (Jen- do you share a brain with Jimmy Riccotello? Jenny thinks you might.) It was about allowing our daughters to socialize with each other and have time in a new environment with new toys and things to look at. Plus, Moana gets to show off her rocking-back-and-forth-on-her-hands-and-knees skills to someone other than me.
Though I'm not sure Sadie is as easily impressed as I am.
Anyway, in order to make this new friendship happen, I need to put in some effort. Close friendships don't just happen on their own. Well, maybe they did when we were kids, but as adults, and especially now as moms, leading our own busy lives, I find that I have to go out of my way now to establish and nurture close friendships. Jenny and I have so much in common, and the more time we spend together, the more I like her. The reason it takes all day for us to each get our workouts in is because before and after each one we are tending to our daughters' needs and chatting it up with each other.
Today Jenny brought Sadie here. Truth be told, I was nervous about having a 16 month old here because this house is not baby proofed. Last night at 9:00 I mentioned to Scott that we should baby-proof it. We looked around like the bewildered parents we are... moved a couple of picture frames up off the low shelves and called it safe enough. And I guess for the couple of hours today, it was. Save for the bump on her head from getting hit by Moana's swing while trying to retrieve her dropped ball, Sadie left here unscathed.
So even though it takes a lot of effort to get together like we do, it's worth it for both of us. The sanity, the friendship, the change of scenery... it's all worth it. And now we will each have yet another friendly face to knowingly smile at when we're out on the Honu race course in the next couple of weeks. And that, my friends, is Priceless. :)
13 comments:
i have a new running mommy friend too...it is great! yay for 2 outside bike rides...but not so yay about sucking salt off your bike helmet strap...eww.
WOW! That makes me dizzy just reading it :-) I'm glad you get to make new friends and get outside on your bike... especially when you live in such a beautiful place!
GREAT job getting all the stuff to the car! I have a hard enough time with my own stuff... NICE WORK!
I agree about the friendships - they DO require work and effort - but are so worth it in the end. Funny that you guys end up chatting so much...i LOVE that!
Hooray for outside training...and I've just about been there with the helmet-strap sucking thing. Do salt crystals around my eyes and on the cheeks count? ;)
You are SO READY for Honu! I'll be cheering you - and Jenny - on!
It sounds like a great thing! I wish I had more athlete friends w/ kids. I don't even know where to meet them.
I am always surprised how long a 2 hour or 1 hour training session can REALLY take - and I don't have a baby to be worrying about! So a 20 hour training week is really like 30 or 40! But like you said -worth every second when we meet new people, make new friends, explore new places...
And sucking on the chin strap of your helmet? That's awesome!! :) I've licked my arms before...but the chin strap likely has weeks and years of salt, not just a day's worth... :)
I'm actually very introverted and a bit non-social as it is...add husband, two kids and working part-time and making new friends is an obstacle that at times seems insurmountable.
Honestly, talking to you ladies through blogging has helped me a little bit. Weird I know.
Angela, That is not weird at all! That's why we blog! haha!
Everything takes PLANNING in both triathlon and raising children. Put the two together and you are always packing and planning and cleaning up after all is done!
It is hard to make close friends after baby, I agree. And I feel like it is even harder to FIND friends who are athletes. I have a few now--and they are priceless to have.
Just found your blog--love it! :) I have a 19 month old and am charting the waters of training and mommyhood, too.
Glad you got the ride in, and made a new friend, too! And Moana is just adorable.
Friends are just the best thing ever!
Awesome. I am jealous you have brought your worlds together. I seem to have good triathlon friends, all of whom either don't have kids or are men and then my non athlete moms friends. I just can't figure out how to bridge the gap.
What a great training day and that is great that you kept super busy all day. I always laugh about how much gear is involved when you are both a mom and a triathlete. It can be nuts! Glad that it all fit in your Xterra; you should have taken a pic of that
I wish I could find another mom that would swap with me...
Your description of the evening (feed yourself, wash yourself, feed baby, wash baby, put baby to bed, etc.) and the sometimes overwhelming aspect of it all is something I feel at least 2x a week!!
Isn't it fascinating how you start to value the act of getting a workout in just as much as the workout itself? I swear I get a runner's high just from the pride of fitting something in!
You're absolutely right about friendships taking work. That's one thing I've really let fall off my priority list over the past couple of years, but am suddenly starting to miss.
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