Last year when I competed in a duathalon in my town, my daughter was only eleven months old.  Still nursing, pumping and extremely sleep deprived, I was surprised to have completed the bookended 5K’s at slighly less than an 8 minute mile pace and the hilly, seventeen mile bike ride sandwiched in between the runs in less than an hour. I attribute part of my strength to my  having had to carry my growing daughter on runs and bikerides during 2010. This year’s unseasonably warm weather has given me some amazing days for long training runs and bike rides. This past Saturday, I ended my 12 mile run around a shoreline town with a sub seven minute mile. I want to add some additional challenges to 2012, so I hope to complete a full marathon this year and finish in less than three hours and thirty minutes, the time that my mother ran when she was fifty years old. I have written in a previous post that all women have running in their genes, otherwise, we would not be here. We would not have survived. Something would have eaten us, or we would have failed to get enough to eat. It feels natural for me to run far and fast. When the school days ends, I cannot not wait to run out the door.  I would rather return to my work later on in the evening, even though most teachers would rather leave a clean desk and file corrected papers and lesson plans away before exercising. After I completed a half-marathon in the fall of 2011, my muscles were so sore that I became extremely sick to my stomach from the pain. My father needed a five gallon bucket to wash the vomit off the driveway pavement. My mother reminded me that I had gotten sick after the half marathon when I announced to her that I wanted to compete in an Olympic Distance Triathalon this year. My mom has close friends who have competed in these types of events, so she knows how much training this takes. Mom even went so far as to ask me what I would do if I was too sick or too hurt to take care of my daughter?  Of course I would feel horrible if I couldn’t take care of my daughter because I know that she really needs me. I was raised by a strong and brave mother, so I know how important it is to be a role model for my daughter and students, but I am reconsidering to what extremes I need to take some of my athletic goals this year.