Help Motivate Me Please

I parsed this wrong while reading it the first time and thought you had a baby two weeks ago and then did a tri. That's a *real* ironman

Seriously though, I always find exercise to give me more energy and improve my sleep quality. Once I get over the hump of starting the exercise session it energizes me. Think of how tired you'd be without the chance to exercise your muscles and let your mind have some "me time" while swimming, biking, or running.

Perhaps you are being to hard on yourself?

Truth is you have limited time and can it be you are always doing...mom, teacher, wife, and use all the rest to tri train. Maybe do running races like 5Ks you can do any weekend probably.

I have 5 kids and can't imagine tri training with a 3 and 5 month old...other than something very short.

If it is a true motivation issue, set up a plan that works for the 4 of you and work for a week, and make it a priority...after about a week it becomes easier for me.

Key for me to get my training in is to build my training around my life. I don't do long rides/runs on weekends as to much kid stuff going on and family time. Used to do long bikes Thursdays but kids had a 3pm activity sometimes that made it tight for time so I moved it to Wed. with long runs Thursdays which worked much better. Ir probably took a month to get my plan to flow better. My coach just has it work around my life.

Other issue I know from doing this 6 years, certain times of year our family has more going on and my husband travels more..ie more stress for me. Ideally those are not key times before A type races. This year my A race is end of August, not great for family time when the kids are off school for summer.

I agree with this statement. 
p.s. you rock!

Congrats on the baby.

I have an 18 month old and have a different problem.

Look at the positive side first. Everyone is healthy and you have a spouse who also understands the importance of physical fitness. You have rebounded from childbirth very quickly, having already completed a tri.

As far as energy, your body will have to readjust to training, especially after giving birth. The first 2 weeks will be tough, after that you will have even more energy.

In regards to the guilt, what is better for the children - A happy fit mom with the energy to keep up, albeit one less hour of her a day, or a grumpy, tired mom. myguess is the former.

My problem is I am dying to go out and train but I am on perpetual daycare duty - I teach and have the summer off, but my wife works very long hours in the summer. I am climbing the walls and when thre wife returns I simply can't pawn the daughter off and say see you later.

First off...with that little amount of sleep, no wonder you're tired. Having "only" one 3 1/2 year old keeps me tired enough. My hats off to you with two youngsters and training.

While it's not ideal training, if you have/get a treadmill and bike trainer, it could provide you with opportunities to train while you kids are playing nearby or napping. It's true that there's nothing better than getting out on the road, but as moms, sometimes we don't have much of an option. Should your husband balk at the cost of these two items, then he needs to get off his "I'm more worthy" high horse and compromise on some of the early morning training slots.

Above all, don't expect too much out of yourself. You will remain tired as long as you are not getting enough sleep and training will only make you more tired. A trick I use when I feel too tired to train (especially in the evenings) is to tell myself that I'm just going to go do an easy 1 mile run and if I'm too tired to continue, I cut myself a break. More often than not though I find myself energized and 1 mile turns into more!

Well That’s GREAT news. Being frustrated means you are about to have a breakthrough!
You may want to remember why you love this sport? I like it not because of the racing but because of the training. You find out a lot about one’s self in a time like this. Also what you focus on is what you will receive. So instead of focusing on OMG I have to train for that race. What about focusing on: Hey I get to go for a ride today because I want to” Then your perspective may change ever so slightly. Doing Triathlon (on all levels) is a lifestyle not a weekend hobby. You can live the lifestyle anyway you want to…. WITHOUT the pressure of competing.

Good Luck: now HTFU and go do a 45 Tempo in Z4.5….

I am a fulltime lawyer, mother of 2 (a 5 and a 6 year old).  First off, I totally get how you feel about the frustration.  I think a lot of us moms and for that matter triathletes, struggle with the feeling that we just want enough time in our crazy busy day to do a little training.  I mean geez, its not like we are sitting on the couch eating bon bons watching tv, we are out running or biking or swimming and we just want enough time to be able to do it without feeling like we have to rush through a workout.  This year, I embarked on training for a half ironman.  I will not lie and say the 15 to 20 hours a week I am spending training has been easy.  I say its that much time because you have to factor in dressing, getting gear ready, driving to training site etc. 
How do I do it?  I made 'mommy getting to her ironman' a first priority.  People will probably think I am selfish, or a bad mom, but why do I not deserve to do a hobby just like anyone else in my family?  We cart kids to soccer and football, girlscouts, hubby has golf, football, scratching his butt time..So this year I decided I get a turn.  I get up at 5am and go to bed at 8:30 with my kids.  (There is very little we do after 9 pm that is critical or important.)  I hire babysitters, lots and lots of them.  I ask my family and friends for help.  I pay sitters to watch my kids at 6 am so I can go swim, run, bike.  I have missed many saturday birthday parties and football games because I was out doing brick workouts.  I drafted my parents to come stay with us this summer ect etc.  We are not rich and truthfully it is financially tough, but darn it I think I am worth it.
So what is the payoff for the missed games and extra babysitter fees?  My kids got a whole new mommy.  I am literally half the size I was, my blood pressure which was so high I needed medication is now back to normal.  I eat right.  I am happy a lot, I mean a whole lot, of the time.  I don't screech at my kids anymore.  I am not the stressed out lawyer mommy anymore.  My kids, who like me will be prone to being fat their whole lives talk about how when they grow up they are going to be athletes too.  The kids get less time but seriously, it is so much better time.  Even hubby, who at first was like 'this isn't going to work' is totally on board because I am so much more fun to live with now.   In short, training has probably extended my life and made all my family's lives better.  My advice, call the sitter, try to get some mornings in,decide you will be a better mommy if you are happy and healthy, even if it means a little less time with the kids.  I agree with everyone else give yourself a break and just do what you can but you have to be strong about the fact you DESERVE time to train.  Just because you became a mommy doesn't mean you gave up the right to be a triathlete! 

Can you split the AM training sessions with your husband? One week you go MWF and he goes TTh; the following week you reverse it.

Be thankful you have family and your health.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryj3gBptkuc

Hi,

I can somewhat relate.  I also have a 5 month old baby and hubby works late alot so I can't always count on him to be around if I want to work out. 

You will love your Cougar.  I bought one when my baby was two months old and I absolutely love it...so does she.  For me the Cougar is freedom to work out when its convenient for me and the baby.   I think it will help you feel less pressure to jam all your workouts in when your hubby  is around and allow you to have your own schedule and stick to it.

Be patient with yourself with your training.  I am guilty sometimes too of wanting to be the same weight/fitness level that I was pre-pregnancy RIGHT NOW...lol, but in reality it takes time.  My fitness level is coming along but I'm no way near where I want to be weighing at this point.  Our bodies are still recoverying from the pregnancy and it is very normal to feel tired, especially for you with two little ones as well full time job.  I think its great to be involved in the short tri's for fun right now as long as it is fun for you.  If it isn't fun to train or compete at this point and only becomes a source of frustration or added stress then maybe taking a little bit of a break from it for a few weeks may be all you need to recharge your batteries and come back with renewed enthusiasm. 

Is there family or friends nearby you can ask to take your kids a few hours a week so you can have 'mommy time' to work out, or even better grab a nap?  lol

Thank you to all of you for your views.  This is definitely a challenging time for me because I started the whole family thing after doing triathlon for only 2 or 3 years.  I was in my prime and caught a rather "competative" bug.  Since that time, I have either been pregnant or raising babies so I just cannot get back to anywhere close to where I was and yes, this frustrates me.  But even worse is the frustration that comes from not being motivated to do some exercise when I have the opportunity.

Mornings are not going to fly for now.  Hubby has worlds coming up in September and to be honest, I won't train in the morning because there is no telling when bubs will wake and since he is bottle-fed at daycare all day, there is no way I am going to give up that nursing time.  Perhaps after he has weaned and when hubby realizes that he is too old to keep trying to be one of the best biathletes in the world, we can move on to that   I could run on the treadmill and take a baby monitor down with me.  It is very hard to motivate myself to run on the treadmill when I am lacking in motivation to even run outside.  But it is definitely an option.

I did manage to force myself out the door tonight and my legs were like lead balloons!  But I managed to keep at it for 30 minutes.

This really is a motivational thing.  I have all the fancy toys one could ever want to train with right here at home.  We have a treadmill, a Cyclops Fluid trainer and a Computrainer.  We also have a weight bench.  We sold the indoor swimming thing!  I have a single bike trailer and recently gave away the single jogger.  The new double jogger/trailer will arrive in two days.  So, the opportunities are there.  The motivation and energy are not.  But I will keep plugging away until I get it back.  I was going to run a 5 km race on Saturday but if my legs don't feel better before then, then it isn't going to happen.

I think the energy thing is mostly related to the energy requirements that go along with breastfeeding.  I am 5 lbs lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight and the lightest I have been since my college days when I was a waif.  I am eating as much as my stomach can hold.  I am totally not complaining about that - usually I have to watch my weight.  Not right now

I am very thankful for my wonderful family.  I married late and started a family late and much of this whining is probably due to the very, very big changes that I have had to make at this point in life.  It was all about me for 37 years and all of a sudden I find myself 40 years old and having to put the needs of others first.  It is nice to be able to do this but I still need me time.  And, with none of my family remotely close to me (they actually live in another country in a different hemisphere) and my husband's family 4 hrs away, we don't get a break unless we pay for it.

OK, I am done with the complaining.  Life is good, now I just have to get out and live it.

Cheers.

Hope things get easier for you.  Sounds like we have many things in common, I started tris in 2007 loved it and got pregnant a few months and after after a series of setbacks ended up having a baby this past March after turning 41.  I love being a mom!  But can also relate to it taking awhile to adjust after having lived 40 years  just myself to take care of and being able to get up and go anytime I wanted and lots of 'me' time.

If you ever want to chat or just vent, drop me a line :-)

Mother of three here.   My kids are now 8, 6 1/2, 5 1/2.  I have been where you are and trust me, you will survive.  It is tough, there will be some really rough days, but you will survive!  For 4 1/2 years straight I was pregnant or breastfeeding (no kidding)  and it takes a toll.  My first thought is you need time for you.  Not only for the physical exercise but also for the metal break.   You will be a better person for it.  It may not be much (at first), but every little bit counts.  You said you ran this week and your legs were heavy...dont give up.  Keep at it for another couple of weeks and I'll bet you this bug bites you.  And you will begin to "figure" it all out.  

I am someone who is all about family...I do not want to miss any time with my kids/husband/their events/etc.  I put everyone in the house ahead of me...even the dog.  So, I had to get creative if I wanted to do this tri thing.  I know what I want/need to do and I plan my training when my kids are asleep, in school, or whenever I can.  At first it was hard, I was so tired...lack of sleep plus the physical side of workout out...however everyone in my house is now better for it.  The kids have a happy mommy, my husband has a happy wife and even the dog gets an extra walk (every now and then).

Hang in there.  You are not whining...what you are going through right now is a tough.  But you will get through it and the kids will be fine.  Just find a little time here and there and you will be amazed what you get out of it.  Good Luck

BTW...If you don't do the race this weekend find another one soon.  Stay with it