I am not a writer. I dabble in parenting, sport and making fun of myself. I'm good at coffee. I love where I live and the things I get to do.
Author: Christine Cogger
I am not a writer. I like my kids, coffee, running around and reading about you. I live in the most incredible part of the world and am lucky enough to live some pretty great adventures.
Last weekend, I was on the start line of yet another race, but this one was a little different. Rather than the usual swim/bike/run or girls trip of late, I lined up behind Will and Rory as they prepared to run the Loop the Lakes 8k in Squamish.
Stand next to a girl? Are you bonkers?
Race mornings for me tend to be somewhat methodically planned out – at least mentally. Not so when trying to usher 3 sleepy little people out the door by 7:15am. It was more like “I have a coffee, everyone has clothes on and a sandwich, let’s go!” The rest would somehow fall into place.
We arrived at the start, signed in and then spent the next 20 minutes before the start trying to keep the boys away from the food table. No mean feat since the offerings included donuts.
Do you understand boys? Me neither.
We started together and as we crested the first hill, Will took off and that was the last I saw of him till we crossed the finish line. He would tell me later that he had lots of fun high-fiving people, passing whoever he could on the uphills and drinking the blue Gatorade. He did also mention that he got a little lonely in the woods at times…
Somewhere near the end. Courtesy David McColm.
Rory and I played caboose and it was awesome. He went in fits and starts – as you do when you are 5. Sometimes he went fast and laughed and jumped. Other times, we held hands and talked and walked. “Mama, I have a crank.” Cramp? “Yeah, that’s what I said. Crank”. He got pretty tired at the end but magically recovered after eating 2 donuts.
Another great Dave McColm shot
As for Talky-Talkerson? She was pretty mad I wouldn’t let her do the 8k with us. She and I did the 1K and “Mama that was so fun, I am pretty fast eh?”
Race attire approved.
I can confirm that wrangling between 3-6 kids (we went with friends who also ran with us) to start a race/put on that number/come here!/ where’s your brother?/ Have you peed yet?/come here! combined with not eating properly (or at all? Who can remember) and running at a pace that is vastly different from your own is pretty damn tiring. I was punched at the end of the day.
Thankfully, so was this one. She slept through her 8736 viewing of Frozen.
The boys?
They played soccer till dinner.
Kids v. Adults
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Sidebar
Lest you think I push my kids to do these runs, the opposite is true. I mentioned it in passing to a friend, and they overheard me. “Can we do it, too?” I said I’d think about it and ask them a few days before to see if they were still keen. They were. Given the alternative of spending the day at home or “an adventure in the woods”, the adventure wins every time. I never set the pace or push them. I remind them to watch where they are going and leave the rest to them.
The next local athlete I’ll be introducing you to is Gary Martin. Originally from the UK, he and his lovely wife Zoé are super involved in the Pemberton community and this will be Gary’s first IM.
A talented graphic designer, I first met him through work and often pictured him rolling his eyes at me as I sent over yet another design request/change/variation and cursing me as a client!
More recently, I’ve seen Gary zip by my house every so often, looking super-focused and intense, and have often thought to myself that we should team up for some training, but read on and you’ll know why I’ve now been convinced to zip my lip. I guess not everyone wants/needs a blabbermouth following them around!
See? Total eye roll.
Tell me a little bit about yourself, you family and your lifestyle. How long have you lived in Pemberton?
I’ve lived in Pemberton since early 2008 having moved to Canada with my wife Zoé. I’m a graphic designer so spend far too long sat in front of a computer but try to make the most of my time away from the screen by enjoying the great outdoors and exploring this fantastic valley I get to call home.
Tell me about your athletic background.
I’ve always been very athletic and competed in judo, swimming and bmx before even getting to high school. From there I made the most of all of the opportunities to be on pretty much all of the school teams. Football, rugby, basketball, field hockey, athletics, you name it, I did it. During high school I was lucky enough to learn how to ski and then snowboard, my love for winter sports was born which is one large reason why I now live where I do.
What inspired you to try your hand at triathlon? When was your first race?
Having swam and run competitively as a kid and given my love of biking, triathlons have always interested me but there was no real opportunities to try them back in the UK. A buddy of mine got me interested in running marathons a few years ago so over the winter of 2008/9 I set to work and got training. Completed my first race in 3:40:00 and then came back a year later to run it a little quicker at 3:28:00. During the summer of 2010 the same buddy that got me running was looking for a swimmer to be part of a team for the Squamish Triathlon. That sounds like fun I thought so I grabbed my surf wetsuit and headed off to the lake to start training. Really enjoyed being a part of the race so decided that I would do the whole thing myself next summer. As a result in 2011 I completed my first ever triathlon again in Squamish with a time of 2:26:00.
What drew you to Ironman in particular?
After my first triathlon in 2011 I decided that although it was fun it was over too quickly, my solution was to sign up for the 2012 Subaru West Coast Triathlon Series so completed my first Half Ironman Triathlon in Vancouver (4:48:00) followed by another in Sooke (5:10:00) and then an Olympic distance in Banff (2:23:00). After this busy summer I said to Zoé that she didn’t have to worry as I enjoyed the Half Ironman distance but had no desire to do a full one. This all changed however when Whistler confirmed that the race was coming to town and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to race where I live and have trained for the last few years.
What has you most excited about taking the start at Ironman Canada 2014?
I’m ridiculously meticulous with my race preparation and every event I enter I like to pre ride, walk, run or drive the course. I’m so excited for the race as I know every inch of the course having trained on it over and over again. The course is so amazing and to be able to share it with other triathletes is so awesome having visited plenty of amazing places in my short triathlon career.
Do you have a particular goal for this race?
Yes, I’d love to finish in under 11 hours. Myself and three of my friends are also competing, we’re the Pan Pacific Whistler Ironmen. Two of us are married to the Pan Pacific while the other two work for the hotel brand. We’re trying to raise $10,000 for Canuck Place Children’s Hospice so also have this as a race related goal as well as trying to beat my three friends.
Yes, I’ve already completed the April Fools Half Marathon and have signed up for the Subaru West Coast Triathlon Series again. I’ll be competing in an Olympic distance in May over on Vancouver Island at Shawnigan Lake, a Half Ironman again on the Island in June in Victoria before a final Olympic or Sprint distance depending on how I’m feeling at the beginning of July in Vancouver.
How did you find training through the winter months? How many hours on average do you train per week?
After training through the winters for the Vancouver Marathon at the beginning of May I’ve actually learned to love winter training. Running in the winter rocks, snow, cold, -20°, awesome. Not so easy for the biking but a trainer in the garage with the iPad makes it bearable and swimming up and down, up and down makes no difference to the time of year. It’s been progressively building over the last month or two and I’m now up to about 15 hours a week.
Can you describe a typical day during a heavy training week?
They vary so much from day to day right now that there’s nothing typical about them to be honest. To give an idea of what I’ve been up to though last week I rode 250km, ran 50km and swam 10km along with a trip to the gym, the chiro and the physio!
Are you able to find balance with work, life and training or did “something have to give”?
So far its not been too bad although my wife did comment that she hardly ever sees my as I’m either sleeping, working or training. I’ll remind her of this in a few months time when training is over and she’s moaning about me being home all the time. I did pass on buying a season pass for Whistler Blackcomb as I really didn’t want either the distraction or risk of injury get in my way, good choice in the end after the mediocre season we had.
What do you consider your strength on race day? What about your weakness?
I consider my biggest strength to also be my biggest weakness. I love the bike and love the bike course but as a result I really need to make sure I don’t go too hard and remember that I still have a marathon to run. I got carried away at my first triathlon and had a great ride but a horrible run. This is why I love training on the course as I’m getting to know just how hard I can go and what gear I need on every kilometre.
What sporting/athletic accomplishment are you most proud of?
I was super proud when I finished my first marathon, growing up in the UK I always watched the London Marathon every year and always thought how tough it must be to run that far, I was right! I was also really proud with my result in Sooke in 2012. Given the lack of experience and the fact that I just found a training plan online and trained for six months on my own with no extra help it was so cool to see my name on the results list in 10th place.
What do you find most enjoyable about training? Is there anything that you dread?
So many people say that they find training lonely, this in fact is what I like most about both it and racing. Training with other people distracts me and stops me from focusing, a 20km run or 150km bike is a great way to clear your mind and not have to worry about anyone else. I wouldn’t have said there’s anything I really dread, I’d be lying if I said I look forward to the 4am alarm calls but I never dread them. I’ve really loved training this year and think I’ve actually only missed maybe 3 sessions this year and those have all been due to injury rather than dread.
What are you most looking forward to once you cross that finish line?
Being able to get back into the life I had before Ironman. Its a huge commitment to dedicate your life to such a big race. Having a cup of tea with my wife, taking our husky out for his bedtime walk, exploring Pemberton at the weekend with Nixon (our husky) and sharing a nice bottle of red, these are the things I’m most looking forward to getting back.
Any race-day superstitions?
Where do I start! When I said I’m meticulous I meant it. My superstitions and rituals begin the night before the race, haircut, shave (both my legs and face), spaghetti bolognese and layout all of my race gear. Early rise, walk the dog, roasting hot shower, breakfast, if these things don’t happen then let’s just say it messes with my mojo!
Name 3 things you can’t live without while training and racing.
Zoé pointed out her disappointed at being listed after my iPod and Glide in my 3 can’t live without things so here’s the order I think it might be best I list them in: The support of my wife, iPod and Glide.
If you could have your dream day – perfect racing – describe it.
A dream day would be a perfectly flat lake with comfortably warm water, endless kilometres of smooth black asphalt with no wind and blue skies and even more smooth black asphalt to happily run 42.2km on. The perfect day would then continue with a nice glass of wine on sunny patio with my wife and poopy dog, happy days.
If you could pick 3 dream sponsors, who would they be?
Cervelo, New Balance and Oakley. I was lucky enough to get a P3 last year and love it. NB has kept me going injury free for the last 6 years since I started running and I’m off to buy another pair this weekend after wearing another pair out. I’ve work Oakleys for years for my reading glasses and got a pair of a Race Jackets this year, so comfy, so awesome and so good being able to see and not have to stick contacts in my eyes.
If you could pick 3 dream training partners, who would they be and why?
There are athletes who I both respect and admire but like I have previously said I love to train alone so if I could stay solo for training that would be my dream.
What’s your favourite way to recover after a hard race or workout?
Smoothie, hot shower, compression tights. So many people I talk to about recovery love to eat, it takes me a while to feel hungry after a hard race or a workout so the smoothie does the important instant food and gets my through a few hours before I get my hunger on and eat like a horse.
The truth, as spoken by the lovely little old lady who handed me my packet at athlete check in at the Ironman 70.3 St-George.
Let’s break it down, shall we?
Road trip:
Goal: Eat decently. Hydrate. Try not to stop too often to pee.
Reality: Achieved!
Truth.
We left Vancouver Wednesday AM and busted south, Thelma-and-Louise style (without the felonies) for St-George, Utah. We were alternately chatty, giddy and silent. We passed through cities, tiny towns, giant wind farms and vast expanses of nothing. Our butts went numb. We confirmed that satellite radio is highly repetitive (first world problem). It was so great to finally pull into our hotel to find that it had a pool and that it was a cracking 34C. I immediately started worrying about getting sunburned. And with good reason – my pasty self burned within 10 minutes on day 1 during our shake out jog.
Race Prep:
Goal: Don’t overthink it.
Reality: Totally overthought it.
Race Morning:
Goal: Wake up perky and ready to smash it.
Reality: Woke up grumbling about how much I hate triathlon.
There’s nothing fun about a 4AM wake up call. It doesn’t matter how early you go to bed the night before. We choked down breakfast and hopped on the buses bound for the start line by 5:20AM. Since my wave didn’t start until 7:45AM, this meant that I had a solid 1.5h to fret and apply 17 layers of sunscreen. Several people felt it important to point out to me that I was pretty pale and should apply sunscreen. Thank you for stating the obvious. However, no one offered to do my back. Sigh.
Luckily, I had Bobby to hang out and ogle the pros with. Finally, it was time to wander to the start at Sand Hollow and pee in my wetsuit. Wait, what? I didn’t do that. Pssh.
Swim:
Me and Bob not too frozen
Goal: Avoid drowning. Swim under 40 minutes. Aim for a straight line and good sight lines.
Reality: Didn’t Drown. Swam 37 and change. I think I swam a pretty straight line. Punched some poor guy in the face. So much for perfect sighting.
Definitely need to work on focus and tempo in the water, but considering how much I’ve been swimming and how scared I used to be of open water swimming, I’ll take it. And my feet and hands didn’t freeze off! I was surprised by how many people I caught and swam through and how many people were clinging to crafts and/or backstroking.
Bike:
Goal: Don’t crash. Ride 2:45. Pass everyone who swam by me. Don’t get a sunburn.
Reality: Didn’t crash. Rode 3:02. Passed a whole lot of people, especially on the climbs.
Do you see now that I mean about the pasty?!
In the lead up to this race, everyone was talking about how hard this ride was, all the hills, oh my god the hills, have you seen the hills? THE HILLS! THE HILLS!
We decided not to drive the course because hey, you don’t know what you don’t know. As I was waiting for my swim start, I saw Keats who works for Ironman. His tip? Watch out for cows at mile 5. So that’s what I did — instead of focusing on getting settled in for the ride and finding my race pace, I spent the first 5 miles looking for cows. Then I’m pretty sure I spent the next 51 miles looking at the scenery, fidgeting and contemplating my navel. I had the focus level of a fruit fly.
I was very happy that I was able to set aside my vanity and decided that instead of racing in my fancy SOAS ambassador kit, I went all white and covered my arms. Smartest thing I did all day as I think it prevented me from turning into a piece of bacon.
I finally zoned in around the infamous Snow Canyon – the climb everyone had been panicking about. In all my years of racing, I’ve never seen anyone walk their bike mid-race, so this was pretty entertaining, as I spun by about a dozen people walking and another dozen drunkenly zig-zagging across the road. That climb really wasn’t bad at all, these poor souls ought to come to Whistler! I could have done without the bumpy pavement. Clearly, I’m a princess.
Somewhere pretty near the course
By mile 80, I was ready to sell my bike to whoever offered me $5 and a cold Coke.
Run:
Goal: Don’t think about my ankle. Aim for a 1:47. Try to look alive. Don’t fry in the sun.
Reality: Took a while to find my legs. Managed to nicely negative split this run. 1:52 and change.
I’ll give the race this: that was definitely the toughest half-iron run I’ve ever done. Again, I’m grateful we didn’t drive it – it was very, very hilly. But I like hills, so I had that going for me. It took forever though for my brain and legs to engage and acknowledge that we were racing, not just cooling down after the ride.
Mile 1: stop to help a woman who crashed her bike about 10 feet away from me in a very spectacular fashion. Amazingly, she walked away with only stitches. I thought she’d broken many body parts. It was one of those scorpion crashes through the air that contort the body in a way that only Cirque du Soleil performers should attempt. I’m glad she’s ok.
Mile 2: Pee break. Seriously? I’ve never done that before. Guess I nailed my hydration on the bike. I contemplated just hiding out in the porta potty because at least in there it was shady.
Mile 3: stand around and re-apply sunscreen at the aid station. The lovely volunteer told me I looked like I needed it.
Mile 6: Someone handed me a Freezie! I love you, whoever you are.
Mile 7-13.1: No one else passed me, I ran down lots of people, cheered on competitors, ate ice, found the only tree on course and crossed the finish line feeling strong and thankful to get the hell out of the sun (are you sensing a theme here?)
End result
5:38 and change. Not my best, not my worst. Pleased with some parts, most parts need a lot of work. And apparently, based on how long my transitions took, I could have spent some time doing my nails or taking a nap since I was in there for so long.
The long and short? Tough but fair course. Really pretty scenery. Fun road trip. I need more training. Time to sharpen up. Turns out you can’t really step away from racing for 3 years and then go on to pretend like you know what you are doing.
Here’s to the next one! Planning started about 25 minutes after Liz , Kelsey and I reunited post-race. That’s how we roll, I guess!
When you get out of the car and have to dress like this:
Generally, that’s a good sign that it is not a good time to do this:
It was f’in cold. But I look at it this way: St-George is now going to feel like a hot tub. That, and we have bragging rights to first swim of the season. Which is dumb, really.
Anja rode her first “real” mountain bike trail this morning, the Bathtub trail. She was appropriately dressed in a helmet, a stripy dress, a grey cardigan and pink glitter shoes. Obviously.
As she wound her way through the twists and turns, she never stopped talking. Again, obviously.
A few gems:
“I am the awesomest mountain biker ever”!
“I’m not afraid of anything in here!”
“I am so impressed with me.”
If I can channel that kind of confidence next weekend in St-George, look out.
So, Ironman Canada is back in town this year. Same course, new date. I, for one, am excited to see it roll through again. Even more exciting this year is the fact that a whole lot of Sea-to-Sky athletes were inspired to sign up to toe the line in 2014, presumably after witnessing last year’s event and likely getting all misty-eyed right around the midnight cutoff.
I wonder how many of them will regret that bout of inspiration as they are riding through the cold, driving rain in April.
Anyway. Race day coverage and media in general tends to focus on the pros and the super-fasties (that’s a word. I just made it up.) Allow me to introduce you to some of the regular folks who are racing this year. And by regular, I – of course – mean super-awesome human beings who deserve your cheers, signs and cowbells on race day.
—
Meet Danny Ng. I first met Danny when he and his family had just moved to Whistler. I also remember chiding him for commuting to the pool brand-new Cervelo, which he then locked up next to the beaters on the bike rack. Pretty sure that was the last of this commuting!
Danny and Christine Suter – local coach to the STARS
Tell me a little bit about yourself, you family and your lifestyle.
I’m joining a new age group category 41 this year. Dad of three kids (Tyler 12, JoJo 8 and Ava 4 yrs old). Julie has been the biggest supporter, full time mom with the kids. Full time job as group sales manager at Four Seasons Resort Whistler, celebrated my 20th anniversary with the company this year, Whistler is my fifth relocation (and is my favorite location) after Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Chicago and New York.
Tell me about your athletic background.
Zero…Nada…Couch Potato, I don’t know how to swim, I don’t bike and my furthest run was 3k.
What inspired you to try your hand at triathlon? When was your first race?
This article back in 2009 pretty much sums it all:
Try-A-Tri launches local’s pursuit of half-Ironman
Whistler – At this time last year, Danny Ng completed his first Whistler Adult Try-A-Tri. Twelve months later, he’s gearing up to tackle a half-Ironman event in Hawaii.
Ng’s tale of triathlon training begins just over two years ago, when the Whistler resident received what he described as a “wake-up call” from his uncle during the holiday season. Ng said his uncle pulled him aside to tell him, “You are looking too healthy,” indicating that he appeared to have gained a lot of weight. In fact, Ng guessed he had gained about 50 pounds over the previous two years.
That “reality check” set Ng on a path to discovering his hidden athletic side. A senior sales manager for the Four Seasons Resort Whistler, Ng said he had never really been involved in sports, other than occasional volunteering or carrying water, he joked.
“It took me over 35 years to be athletic,” Ng said he tells his wife Julie, who he said has supported and engaged with his quest for fitness along with their two sons.
He began the process of tuning himself up by buying a bike and getting out on Whistler’s trails. When friend Jackie Fulton invited him on a bike ride one day, Ng discovered fresh inspiration to get himself into shape.
“I just got smoked — of course, my ego kicks in,” he laughed.
After Ng began biking to and from work, another friend, Ciro Tacinelli, got him into the hotel pool for early-morning sessions, during which Ng essentially learned how to swim. One lap became 10, and then 20 and 30, and in about November 2007, Ng found his way to the Masters swim run by Brandi and Dave Higgins at Meadow Park Sports Centre.
With their drills and instruction in breathing, strokes and style, the Higginses “were the ones that really straightened me out,” Ng said.
After other friends got him out doing some jogging, Ng found his way to the Whistler Triathlon Club, and the Adult Try-A-Tri. In May 2008, he decided to take a stab at the Try-A-Tri, where he finished third overall and first in his age category while he was cheered on by his sons’ shouts of “Go Daddy go!”
Completing that race, with its 300-metre swim, 14-kilometre bike ride and four-kilometre run, made Ng think, “Wow, I could do this.”
With the Try-A-Tri tried, Ng began looking for ways to step up his efforts, taking on sprint and Olympic-distance triathlons such as the Squamish and Vancouver events. Then he thought about setting his sights on an even bigger target: the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii. The May 30 half-Ironman event boasts a 1.9-kilometre swim, a 90-kilometre bike and a half-marathon run of 21.1 kilometres.
Last November, Ng starting working with Christine Suter, the Whistler Triathlon Club president, accomplished triathlete and Ironman racer, and coach and personal trainer through C2Sky Multisport.
“She basically reconstructed everything,” Ng said.
What drew you to Ironman in particular?
It’s a personal goal and an inspiration to my kids to “dream big, set their goals high, stay focus, work hard, anything is possible”.
Pre-triathlon career
What has you most excited about taking the start at Ironman Canada 2014?
Crossing the finish line in Whistler completes my journey of where it all began…Whistler Try A Try in 2008 to Ironman Whistler 2014.
Do you have a particular goal for this race?
My goal begins with “how do I achieve balance in my job, family, training and have fun throughout the journey”. Let’s face it, with my DNA, the only way to Kona is the lottery slot. In short, I do my best to train, cross the finish line before midnight.
Will you complete any races prior to Ironman?
Squamish Olympic Distance
How did you find training through the winter months?
Christine prescribed 2 hours of Skate Skiing every Saturday to make it more exciting.
How do you fit in family life, work and training. Are you able to find balance or did “something have to give”?
Julie and I take one year “turns” being the in-season athlete. My “on” year I trains 6 times/week and in my “off” year it’s 3 time/week. We get to choose what want to focus on and they go for it full steam. Our children are also quite involved; Tyler, Jojo, follow along on their bikes while Ava, 3 gets pushed along in the stroller. Tyler is already competing in his own triathlons and Jojo is so excited to join him that he’s been taking swimming lessons to catch up.
Really, there is no “right” way to train while ensuring your family is looked after, every situation is unique. However, you need to be open and honest with your family and yourself about how much time you will realistically have to dedicate to your training and whether you’re ALL willing to commit to a very involved training schedule. How much training your family can accommodate is something that needs to be discussed and even negotiated in some cases. Also, don’t be afraid to change plans mid-stream.
Ironman can be one of the greatest achievements of your life, but if it comes at the cost of a happy family it’s not worth it.
The awesome Ng family
What do you consider your strength on race day? What about your weakness?
I’m very comfortable on the bike but I’m worried about the run.
What sporting/athletic accomplishment are you most proud of?
Ironman New York Finisher in 2012.
What do you find most enjoyable about training? Is there anything that you dread?
The best part of training is when I’m travelling abroad for work. I woke up 5am and exploring the streets of San Francisco, Florence Italy, Sydney Australia, London, New York. I have also reached out to the local TRI clubs in these cities to allow me to join them as their “guest” of the week. I dread the RAIN!!!!
What are you most looking forward to once you cross that finish line?
A nice steak dinner with my family.
Any race-day superstitions?
Yes. Be humble, Respect the Water, Road & Trails.
Couldn’t love this picture more.
Name 3 things you can’t live without while training and racing.
1) Prescription Goggles, Prescription Oakley Glasses and Polar watch.
2) I have a first nation coin with a salmon symbol with the back in scripted “perseverance”.
3)Rainbow Loom !! Yes, I got one made by the kids with each of our favorite color.
If you could have your dream day – perfect racing – describe it.
A calm swim, Wind pushing my back to Whistler, No cramps on the run, No stomach issues.
If you could pick 3 dream sponsors, who would they be?
Cervelo, Vega, Asics
If you could pick 3 dream training partners, who would they be and why?
Karen Blaylock – Swim, Greg Sandkuhl – Bike and Jackie Fulton, Run. They are easy going, fun to be with and no pressure.
What’s your favourite way to recover after a hard race or workout?
Vega Smoothie and the couch. Kids leave me ALONE !!!
I’ll be out there cheering Danny on on race day, and if I see his kids out there, I’ll be sure to tell them to leave Daddy alone for a few days post-race!
“Mom! I’m thirsty. I want some water.” (said standing next to a water bottle).
“I want to go outside, where’s my hoodie?” (said standing next to his jacket hook).
“Have you seen my (insert item here)?” (said usually standing next to said item).
I can’t remember the last dinner we had that didn’t feel like a squat workout. I wipe more bums than I care to admit. I’m pretty sure my fitness is due in large part to the fact that we have so many stairs in our house because I am up and down like a yo-yo, retrieving items for kids, or just plain retrieving kids.
But something snapped in me yesterday on the long drive home, as I leaned into the back seat to fix something or give someone something. I barked “That’s IT! No more!”
I now have a new goal: no more enabling. How can 3 sometimes fiercely independent little people be so helpless?
Actually, helpless is the wrong word. So is needy. I think the actual word is lazy. And the fact is that I don’t think that they mean to be lazy. I have just enabled them to be so. Sometimes, it’s easier on me to do everything for them – it’s faster, things get done my way, my patience gets less of a workout. So you see? I’ve taught my kids that if they ask me to do something for them, I’ll usually do it, thanks in large part to my control-freak tendencies and need to get things done quickly. Voila! I have created kids who expect me to do everything for them.
So now, I want to teach my kids to take care of themselves, teach them when to ask for help when they really need it and teach them to better help each other.
I think that’s a loftier goal than trying to qualify for the 70.3 world championships. Training starts today.
He’s the latest addition to the household. A purebred Rhodesian Ridgeback, this handsome dude lived the first 4 years of his life living in a pen filled with garbage, eating – you guessed it – garbage. He was eventually surrendered to animal control and, long story short, he now lives with us!
He’s got no manners, doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going, and is scared of his own shadow. But he’s sweet, friendly, the kids love him and he likes to keep us company. I think we’ll keep him.
The SMO's stories 
