Summer Races Along

The golden days of summer are made of splashing in swimming pools, biking through lush wooded trails, running and laughing with friends on green fields, and basking in the warm sunshine on a beautiful blue-sky day. A triathlon is the race of summer, taking all the good parts and squishing them together as fast as possible. When Noah found out we would be “home” for the summer, he was thrilled to know that he would be able to compete in the local Youth Triathlon.

So we “trained” by making good use of the local swimming pool, developing a recognizable stroke and learning how to dive. I had told the kids that I could either pay for two weeks of swimming lessons, or I could buy a family pool pass for the summer and they would have to give me 10 minutes each of their time to practice their swimming. We bought the pass, and I basked in the pool-side sun, enjoying every minute. They both improved daily. Natalie had become comfortable with the water earlier that summer, and one day decided to put her face in and swim. I felt like I was witnessing a miracle! It confirmed what I knew in my head but sometimes had a hard time believing- kids will develop when they are ready, just give them time.

The day of the race was the quintessential summer day. We gathered with friends to cheer, the kids took their places, and the race was on! Noah didn’t dive, he didn’t use his new stroke to swim down the lane, I had kept the shoelaces too tight so that it took Paul a whole agonizing minute to help Noah get his shoes on, and he fell trying to do a fancy transition on his bike. Noah ended with a huge smile, though, and didn’t notice all of the imperfections. He was there for the joy of the race.

Practice didn’t make perfect, but it sure was fun. Sometimes our family’s journey doesn’t feel like a race, more like a slow crawl, and it doesn’t hold all of the elements we had rehearsed, but we are enjoying it so much! We have realized all of the opportunities we have gained through this unexpected time, like being home to squish summer into an early August morning.