In less than one month, I’ll be taking part in a bike race that happens to be sandwiched between 5K runs.  I haven’t met many other moms who take on competition with the level of intensity that I do. Last week I took advantage of being on school vacation, which fell four weeks after my hubby’s school vacation, by scheduling some extra-long runs and bike rides. Instead of keeping my daughter with me this week while I was on school vacation, I brought her to daycare on her two regular days. My father also watched my baby while my mother and I attended a theater version of The Graduate. I was on vacation and thought that I deserved a bit of leisure time. I have goals outside of being a teacher and a mother.  Running provides balance in my life, since for me this sport lacks the unpredictability of teaching and parenting.  If I put enough time and effort into my running, I usually obtain the times that I desire.  No matter how many hours I spend preparing for my school week, the learning outcomes will never match what I have written down.  As for parenting, the outcomes are also unpredictable.  Some devoted parents will end up with dysfunctional children, and vice versa.   I have a clear vision of myself as an athlete, a fuzzy one of myself as an educator and rosy vision of myself as a mother.