The Month Of May Is The “Iron Mom” Of Triathlons

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iron mom May
 

May should be the perfect month. All green and lovely with ideal, not-too-cold and not-too-hot, temperatures. The birds are chirping, the flowers blooming and there’s a holiday dedicated to the most important member of the family (#bias) – mom!

Reality: May is chock-full of recitals, programs, teacher appreciation, confirmations, graduations, and end-of-year celebrations. So many that you’ll want nothing more than to spend your upcoming Mother’s Day taking a break (and a nap!) from the wonderful little creations who blew up your calendar.

If you’re a mom of younger kids, you may not have experienced this yet. If that’s the case, I don’t want to burst your bubble. Please feel free to ignore the rest of this post and enjoy May’s beauty. Soak up each carefree moment outside. Take every walk, smell every dandelion, and eat every ice cream cone at the shop up the street. There’s no better month to enjoy being a mom with your kids.  

But, if you’re a mom of older kids, you know now is the time to buckle up.

May is the new December – a regular month of activities super-sized with all kinds of extra events and celebrations. These would be welcome additions to the schedule if they didn’t, unfortunately, all happen in the same four weeks. Or if those four weeks weren’t at the end of the school year when we’re 100% ready to check out and phone it all in. Because of that, I’m giving you a few days’ notice: it’s time to prepare for the Month of May “Iron Mom” Triathlon.

It’s a triathlon because there are three important pieces to prepare for: physical demands, emotional demands, and mental demands.

Physical Demands – The Swim

I don’t know if you know this, but it’s physically impossible to be in two places at once.

Or three.

Or four.

But, May will try to defy the laws of physics by asking you to be at a concert, a party, and a track meet at the same time. You’ll have confirmation, a baby shower (why is there always a baby shower in May?), and graduation on the same day.

This is challenging because we’d like to be in all of these places. There’s no wrong choice. A year of dance classes should be celebrated with a recital. Your son sticking with piano for a whole year definitely earns a concert.

But, in May?

How about April?

Anyone?

The issue isn’t the celebrating. Celebrating is fun. Of course, we welcome and embrace these opportunities to clap and cheer and give hugs and high-fives.

The challenge is the demanding, “Iron Mom” pace the month of May sets. It’s gonna be faster than you want. Like swimming two miles with hundreds of other people, the atmosphere is frenetic, arms and legs are flying wildly and, at some point, you’ll probably feel like you’re drowning.

But, just like in a real triathlon, take a breath, dig deep, and keep kicking.

You’ll be tempted to give up and when that temptation comes, remember that the month of May is only four weeks long and then you will welcome her sister June, a sandy shoreline of warm temps and wide-open calendars.

Emotional Demands – The Ride

After that crazy swim, riding alone on a bicycle for 100 miles sounds glorious. But, now is not the time to coast. Keep pedaling like a mad woman and try to maintain your balance. The last thing you want is a crash and a serious case of road rash.

And you’ll absolutely feel a crash coming on when your baby walks across the stage in a cap and gown. It doesn’t matter if she’s a preschooler or a senior, it will give you all the feels.

Many of May’s celebrations honor accomplishments. We honor kids, teachers, new life, and the completion of a class or activity. These events are a culmination of sweat, tears, and a thousand carpools, so you’re gonna be emotional. It’s okay. Let it flow.

In fact, I encourage you to keep your heart engaged throughout the ride. In the past I’ve been guilty of pedaling with all my might, trying only to make it through the month, while missing the very moments I wanted to remember, cherish and celebrate.

Mental Demands – The Run

Do you know that in an Iron Man Triathlon, after swimming for 2.5 miles and biking for 112, they expect you to run a marathon? Not just a longish distance. A marathon. (There’s a reason I have never considered doing one of these.)

Yet we take on an “Iron Mom” Triathlon each May and there’s nothing more mentally demanding than balancing Life + 1,000 other things while staying engaged in the process.

You see, we could finish the month, having completed all the tasks and that would be an accomplishment in itself. After all, you just swam 2.5 miles and biked 112. Pat yourself on the back for a job well-done!

But now you’re facing another 26.2 miles, and it’s a test of attitude.

You’re tired, hangry, and ready to sit yourself down for a well-deserved break when a notice arrives about Teacher Appreciation Week or your assigned shift at the concession stand or a year-end project your son forgot to mention that requires costume items and a tri-fold display poster.

Everything in you will want to phone it in. After all, you’ve been “Iron Mom” for eight months of the school year already. You’ve purchased treats for the parties, chaperoned the field trip, and volunteered at the book fair for the PTO.

Haven’t you already done your job? Isn’t it time to cruise a bit or opt-out altogether?

But, the marathon sits in judgment, demanding more. It’s not impressed with how nutritionally-balanced your packed lunches were in September. Now, in the final stretch, is when the rubber (sole) meets the road.

It’s time for mental toughness. One more event. Two more practices. Three more carpools. You got this.

It might not be pretty. You might not be able to walk for a week afterward. But, keep putting a smile on your face, one foot in front of the other, and the next thing you know, you’ll have miles of May behind you and you’ll see June at the finish line excitedly waving you home.

(Unless you have a baseball player in your family. If that’s the case, forget about it. You’re just getting started.)

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