I’m not a mom yet. (Yes, I know this is a blog “by moms, for moms,” but hear me out.) My husband and I hope to start a family in the somewhat near future, but to be honest, it still makes me a tad bit nervous to be a mom to anything other than our four-legged mutt. 
Over the last few years, life for me has changed pretty drastically. I moved to Kansas City from the East Coast, met a guy, got married, adopted a dog, bought a house … and picked up an interest in triathlon. While all of it has been a pretty fun whirlwind of grown-up-ness, the one that wasn’t expected was finding a love for fitness in not just one sport, but three.
I was the typical high school student who dabbled in various sports and activities, but never had any skill or interest to pursue it after graduation. After college and moving out east for a demanding job, I found myself further and further from anything resembling exercise. (Joined a gym, went for a couple weeks, quit. Lather, rinse, repeat.)
Fast forward to Kansas City life, and I knew I needed a change. After a few months in a boot camp program, I lost some weight and went from being sedentary to running my first 5K – something I never dreamed I’d do. That passion led me to a 4-miler, 10K, Half Marathon, Sprint Triathlon, Olympic Triathlon and finally a Half-Ironman. I wasn’t fast by any means, but I was moving and that’s what mattered to me.
The triathlon community I stumbled upon in this area is made up of some of the most wonderful and supportive humans, and I’ve been especially in awe of the other female athletes. I’ve never found a community where women genuinely and whole-heartedly lift each other up as much as in multisport. I’ve been lucky enough to train with a team that has lots of women triathletes, most of whom are also mothers and even grandmothers. Talk about an endless amount of life lessons I can learn there.
On top of a full-time job, and taking night classes part time, I decided to throw in a third challenge and got a part time job at Endurance House (KC’s only triathlon-specific shop). I wanted to learn more about the sport and products. I’ve had the privilege of working for a woman who is a business owner, mom, wife, friend, and Ironman triathlete. 
Through all this, and accomplishing some physical feats I never dreamed would happen, I look forward to motherhood someday and wonder if multisport might have even prepared me a little bit to be a mom.
Eight reasons rocking multisport can translate to rocking motherhood*
(Because five doesn’t do it justice, and I can’t think of two more.)
- Learning to multitask like a pro. Self explanatory.
- Understanding the sheer amazingness of the human body and its abilities.
- Figuring out a budget for expensive babies (e.g. bikes and/or college funds).
- Feeling like you’re at your physical and mental end, but pushing on anyway because that’s just what you do.
- Finding your female tribe and leaning into them for support.
- Sporting spandex and messy hair in public and still feeling like the strongest lady around.
- Learning to be OK with bodily functions. (People actually do pee in their wetsuits.)
- Realizing you’re living your dream no matter how hard it gets. The great part is, triathlons have a finish line, and motherhood doesn’t.
All of you moms seriously inspire me. I can’t wait to be in the motherhood marathon with you someday, raising the next generation. I am fairly certain that being a mom will be 100% harder and 1000% more rewarding than any race I’ve ever done.
*This is completely meant to be light-hearted and fun. I’m 100% aware that I have not even the slightest clue what it takes to be a mom. ☺ But, if you want to grab coffee and exchange running shoe tips for future motherhood stories, I’m your girl
This was brought to you by Endurance House, a locally owned specialty retail store founded on the idea of providing Gold Standard Guest Service to walkers, runners, and triathletes of all abilities in a genuine and encouraging atmosphere. We offer Shoe fitting(PMP), shoes, bikes, bike service, bike fitting, apparel, swim gear, wetsuits, swim accessories, wet suit demos, race wheel demos and MUCH MORE! We are located at 8940 NW Skyview Ave, Kansas City MO 64154 or you can find more information about us and our upcoming events online and our Facebook Page.
