Adding the “athlete” designation to our list of roles as women is both a privilege and an accomplishment. I sometimes add “princess” to my list because I cannot stand uneven and/or chipped nails.  My husband selflessly preserved my fresh manicure by making sure that the air pressure in my tires was correct for my weight, then cleaning and oiling the gears and chains of my beloved Dolce racing bike. I am incredibly proud of my new friend Carolyn who claims that she is a “housewife”, but should also be considered an “athlete”.  I would like Carolyn to introduce herself as a racer-mom, not just the mom of a racer, who is her nationally ranked seventeen year old runner-son. Carolyn completed her very first race ever in the time of one hour and fifty-four minutes, only one minute slower than my own time from last year, and I had been racing for twenty-five years by then! I was also happy to see Karen again, a fellow teacher-runner-mom of three, who also coaches three sports. Karen cruised through the first leg of the race, but I finally caught up to her about five miles into the bike course. I believe that Karen finished in about one hour and forty-six minutes. Some parts of the course remind me of downhill skiing, and I have the St. Paul’s Church Mother’s Group to thank for keeping me on the road and on my bike as I careened around some of Glastonbury’s most terrifying, steep curves.  I feel fortunate to have people who are not even related to me praying for my personal safety. These women know how much my two year old daughter needs me in one piece. Luckily, I did not even break one manicured fingernail during the race. I know that most of us are “housewives” because so few of us can afford to employ maids or butlers, and a fortunate few of us also enjoy competitive sports. Congratulations to all the athlete-moms out there and thanks again to all of the people who support us in our journeys towards personal excellence.