An army of one?

To be an attached (read: dating, engaged, married, parent) athlete in a solidary sport, say pick any part of a triathlon, a certain amount of 'me-centeredness' creeps in. This must be constantly put in check because the very act of training for any such event has cosmic reaches with everyone you put your trust in.

For all the early mornings and late nights, for all the long runs or longer rides, for all the wet towels and especially for all the gear that accumulates, there is an athlete who thinks their in control but their really not.

Think of the brutal facts. Early morning or late night training involve perhaps a differing sleep pattern than the rest of the house. Long training sessions on weekends are juggled between naps, meals, shopping, you name it. Buying new shorts or shoes or dare say bike takes careful coordination with household financing. The new and ever increasing sprains and strains reverberate in your movement around your house and interaction with your kids, if you have them.

The link in all your training comes down to your support structure. It is so easy to dictate your plans to your 'other' but think about what happens to them. You have regaled them with your wildest dream of competing in an upcoming race and maybe even they have picked up on your enthusiasm and thumbed through your latest magazine left on the couch. Yet it is generally them that get stuck with the wet bag so to speak. They watch the kids solo, or skip the get together with friends so you can get in those neccesary 30 miles on the bike. Those comments about the extra amount of laundry this week, is not just small talk and generally their laundry job satisfaction level does not stay high because just when they think there is no more, they find that plastic bag over there that has the wet clothes from three days ago.

So as you sit at your computer right now or later today as you day dream your perfect workout coming up, take a few moments to recognize who is your close support structure, husband, wife, child, parent, roommate, then call or speak to them and thank them for allowing you to persue your dreams and that you appreciate all the help they give you.