Jane

My little girl is going to be a year and 1/2 on April 12. I've got the day off today and it's just her and I. As I write this, she's napping after a good hour-long play fest outside. As she sleeps, I can't help thinking about the profound changes I have gone through now that she's in my life. There have been sacrifices, for sure, but it's also come with a new found maturity that I don't think time could ever have taught me.

As cyclists, the time we spend riding and training can approach monstrous proportions. I'm gonna be honest here when I say I was freaked out about having a child because it would cut into my already precious cycling time. Having a child, I thought, was going to essentially destroy the "three part teeter totter" (as Greg from Mud and Cowbells calls it). And for those childless cyclists out there considering parenthood - it has cut into my cycling time.

But...

What's crazy in all this is, even though I've decreased my riding volume (pretty substantially from my more competitive years) I'm in the best shape of my life and feeling stronger than ever.
I'm staying motivated, I'm eating better, I'm still able to get out for some 4-5 hour rides here and there and race most weekends. I attribute it to being more focused on my workouts (focused on quality not quantity) and allowing ample rest time so I don't get burned out.

Having a child forces you to prioritize. You cut out all the bullshit and noise and are left with the important stuff. To me, cycling is a huge priority. If I had to rate it, I'd say it comes in second to my family (yes, it even beats out work...) not that it always trumps my job, but if I had to give up cycling to keep my job, let's just say I'd be on monster.com right now instead of writing this blog entry.

I feel I'm as close to balancing that "tri-ter totter" (Greg, what do you think?) as I've ever been and I think it's all because of my daughter. So, as I solo to victory in some local circuit race this summer, my victory salute will look something like this: