Focus

Food that doubles as a mustache has to taste good.

I am scatterbrained. I forget things that matter (like picking my vehicle-less husband up at work for his lunch break last week, leaving him stranded and wondering exactly where his wife was) and remember things that do not (I can tell you the birth month of every single one of my elementary school classmates--I think this memory has something to do with birthday treats at school).

Triathlon has thus assisted me greatly in this deficit. It requires some focus. On the days I'm not focused on what I'm doing, I melt into a puddle of "when-are-we-gonna-get-this-done" mode. And, let's be honest, it's ugly.

So yesterday, as I stressed out over how we'll complete our training this week, and the next week, and how we'll complete an Ironman in a few months, I remembered one major rule of triathlon: focus on the now. Focus on today's tasks. Today's workouts. Today.

So, I did.

God bless the man who fathers our kids and sticks with me throughout these little meltdowns.

We trained fairly consistently this week despite an inconsistent schedule. Planning really matters. For example, yesterday (Happy Father's Day, Jason!) we woke up, went to church, came home, ate lunch, and then got to work.

Focus.

During naptime for the one-year-old, I took my bike outside and battled our famous South Dakota gusts for a couple of hours while Jason worked hard on the trainer in the basement. Once I arrived home, he had nearly completed his workout. I transitioned into non-biking clothes, convinced the kids to clean up their toys, folded a load of laundry, and watched Jason transition from the bike to a run. He jogged a few miles down to the State Park while I packed up the kids, honked at him as I passed him, and watched our kids master the playground at said State Park. He joined us a few minutes later, accomplished and smiling.

All in all, we felt pretty darn proud for finding a way to fit in two big workouts between the two of us in an afternoon. And our kids are no worse for the wear. Then we transitioned one more time into some family time which included a picnic and rock climbing at the Falls of Sioux Falls. It was a very good Father's Day.

We also began an even closer focus on our nutrition. Our buddy, whom we casually dub "IronMike," changed up his nutrition plan about a month ago, and quite frankly, Mike has never looked healthier or stronger. And he says he feels great. So we consulted with the man, spent a chunk of our anniversary "date" on Friday afternoon in the produce section of the grocery store, and came home with a cooler full of fresh produce and a few bags of grain, beans, and other pantry staples. Thankfully, our kids like fruits and veggies too. Focus.

This week also marked a pretty important week in the world of the Troxells and triathlon. We've been visiting with some good friends lately, brainstorming a way we can help promote this great sport in this great state. So after much consideration and fat-chewing, we launched SD Tri News on Friday. We plan on posting news about triathlon in South Dakota as well as training and nutrition advice and basically anything triathlon related in our state. We've had a great time setting up the site and making contacts so far. And we welcome story ideas and triathlon connections.

IronMan training along with family life and work is definitely a challenge. However, I have to say, I'm pretty sure that between our sit-down-on-our-rear jobs and our never-sit-still kids, life's activities save us from a) taking Ironman too seriously and b) injuries. Seriously.When we finish respective workouts and all our kids want is a snack or some milk or someone to play with, the constant movement to keep up with them prevents lactic acid from building up. And they also remind us that while I may think my run was awesome, they're just glad I can find them some more milk.

Speaking of which, naptime is over. Time to get back to work.

15 weeks till IMChoo!