How time flys

I was looking through some old cycling logs, and the last time I did the Hoo Ha was in 1999. Ansel was 1 year old then. Man how time flys. It's funny, when people said that it is amazing how fast kids grow up, I said, 'yeah right' but after having kids it is SO true.

It is a condundrum though, sometimes they grow way to fast, other times, they take forever (when you are in a rough time). One of the most difficult things I ever did was to let go of some of my personal dreams/ambitions when we had our first child. Sure theses are pretty minor dreams/ambitions when compared to those of Olympic and national athletes, but still, it's not fair to belittle anyone's goals, whether they are a first time beginner, or an Olympic hopeful.

However, letting go for a few years of those dreams was a good choice. Because it just caused way too much conflict with the wife over training, racing, etc. And it also just took time away from just being around the kids. Which, for all the bitching and moaning I do internally about not being able to do the things I want, is actually a really important thing to me.

Example, I was reading Lucas (Lukie) a book before bedtime last night and he wanted to hold my arm while reading to him. So given the choice between standing on the podium vs reading him a book before bedtime, which would I chose? story time in a heartbeat.

So I am going to race again, and it just needs to be put into perspective with the rest of my world. Something I need to remember is that just getting off your butt, and signing up for a race takes a lot of courage. To go out there and stand on the line with another 100 other people ready to flog yourself isn't an easy thing. So just from the get go, I am doing better than 99% of the other people in the country who are on their couch watching TV or getting over a hangover.