I chose to skip my workout today.  And yesterday.  And I don’t think that I have actually been in the pool in over a week. (Maybe longer? Eeeek…)

And I have 14 days until my next 70.3, and I have spent the week completely unraveling. Traveling and unraveling.

A deliberate skip of a key workout today?  Not me.

Or is it?  Oh, yes it is. 

IMG_3288

Because sitting on the couch all morning with my two kiddos underneath a wooly blanket… in the first “cool” morning of the season.

Why would I be on a bike today?

Sometimes I go through periods of disobedience. Call it burnout. Call it tired. Call it stress.

Whatever it is, the Expert and I slept in (until 8:30) and spent the day with the kids at Stone Mountain.  Instead of riding. Instead of doing anything “healthy” for us.

Except this was pretty darn healthy for the soul:

IMG_3304

IMG_3305

Coach Monster left me a message, “I am at All3Sports and I see your bike on the rack here.”  (Meaning, he knew I wasn’t riding.)

I texted him, “I didn’t really do anything triathlon today. Took the kids to Stone Mountain.”

He wrote back, “Well, it is Swim Bike MOM.”

IMG_3311
IMG_3313

I am a disobedient athlete today.

And that’s okay.

Because I wouldn’t have traded this for the world.

photo (45)

Sometimes I have to give myself permission to just be. To breathe. Even when the timing is less than opportune. Even if it involves cookies.

That’s okay.

Tomorrow starts a new round of Whole 30.  [Yes, I realize I said that a week ago.]

But sometimes, the best we can do is just pick up and keep on trucking.

11 Responses

  1. I think sometimes ditching the workout for time with out kids send a very powerful message of “I know I do this all the time but YES, *you* are always more important to me.” And it’s just downright good for the soul!

  2. Stone Mountain is food for the soul. Time with family is soul-filling. That stuff is as much a part of everyday training as a bike ride or a swim or a run. 🙂

  3. Meredith I love you!

    I have been disobedient since Acworth Women’s…eeeek! I will pay for it in Augusta. You needed today and I’m proud of you! 🙂

  4. THank you for being a true mom/athlete/friend! I needed to hear this today. I am worn out, almost broken feeling and sad. I feel as though I’ve been neglecting my kids for past 6 months. And why? Tomorrow will be my day with them. I will be the disobedient athlete. And I now I head back to the campfire to sit and watch them throw sticks and laugh and cuddle with me!

  5. We did a very similar thing. Kids who both run cross country were supposed to run for an hour today. Instead we went to the apple orchard and picked tons of apples and had a picnic…no one worked out their bodies, but we all worked on our spirits!

Leave a Reply to Kim

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *