2015 RRS End

 My very favorite picture of the year.  This is a big part of what I am about.  Just two moms jogging a half marathon and talking about their kids and parenthood.  My friend, Rebecca, easily could have nabbed the 3rd place spot for the whole series in our age group.  It was the best weather we have had for racing with low winds, and she always crushes this course.  But, we hadn't caught up in a while and decided to keep the tradition of running the last half marathon together and catching up.  What a friend. 



The road race series has come to an end, and really it marks the end of a 2 year+ training journey that included adjusting to motherhood, a new body, and new goals.  This fall also marks the end of my 2+year breastfeeding journey, which seems weird in a blog, but has been a significant part of motherhood for me.  I keep intending to write a breastfeeding post for other interested women.  What is it like to breastfeed for longer than a year?  Why? How did I decide to wean?  How did it affect my training and racing?  Perhaps I will get that post rolling at some point, but I better get it down on paper soon, because I have to admit, the memories sure do fade quickly.

The Road Race Series for me has been a progression of:
Year 1:  3 week old to 4 month old nursing baby and new mom with C-section.  Survival.
Year 2:  1 year old breastfeeding child and struggling mom trying to be competitive again. 
Year 3:  2 year old weaning toddler and content mom enjoying the process of training and friendships, with some successes along the way.
Year 4:  ?????  I can't wait!

As my event schedule has ended for the year, I can look back so fondly on almost everything.  There were plenty of challenges, but some goals were met athletically.  Balance with family and racing was by no means perfect, but it improved.  As winter approaches, I am back in MAF training.  It is a great time of year to focus on the holidays and just swim/bike/run for the pure enjoyment of it.  I have some ideas of how I am going to structure my next block of work...when it is time to work again.  But for now, I am content to let the year to start shutting down naturally.