A thread on parenting and endurance sports

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As a competitive endurance athlete in the late 90’s and early 2000’s I was notoriously selfish with my time.

Never vindictively so, or at the expense of others, just simply if I wasn’t in work I was probably training.

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Becoming a dad was therefore a real shock to the system.

Now don’t get me wrong. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me and I’d give up endurance sports tomorrow if I had to for my kids.2/

But being someone with an obsessive personality meant that suddenly I just wanted to spend all my time with my kids and endurance sports (competitively) for the last 5 years have fallen off the radar through choice. 3/

But the boys are 8 and 5 now and there’s nothing better than being able to combine both worlds.

I simply love my Sunday run / bike with Josh, my oldest. Teaching him about activity, bikes / exercise whilst chugging along behind is the happiest times I’ve ever had. 4/

Often we will get home and grab my youngest Jack and head out for a little run together. So to answer the question I am always asked - can you balance both? Well yes, to an extent, you probably can’t get the best out of both worlds simultaneously depending on your priorities 5/

at certain points in life but there is a balance.

I know everyone’s circumstances are different based on age, children’s ages, when you entered endurance sports etc, but my point is that a happy medium exists when you need it. 6/

Soon I’ll be back into MdS mode for 2021 and this may well be a session that is added onto an early morning run to add those last few miles and combine both worlds.
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There will of course be times that in the least intrusive way possible, we need to be more selfish again with our time at key points in a training programme.

But even then, it’s cool if the family meet you at the end somewhere for a walk, a play in the park or a coffee.

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So have a great session today if you are heading out, enjoy that family time and thanks for taking the time to read.

Have a great Sunday.

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