Dedication to Doing it Right

In the next coming weeks our family will be racing in some different venues.  The best thing is that my wife and I are not racing!  My oldest son Connor will begin his triathlon season in two weeks.  He has been racing now for nearly 5 years.  He has done at least one triathlon a year.  Though this year he has made the decision to compete in the IRONKIDS series.

We are very excited and of course very supportive.  He has set the goal to qualify for the championships which will be held in our backyard in West Des Moines.  This summer my son has shown a bit more maturity than he has in the past years.  It has almost scared my wife and I a bit.  We have always tried to teach the important prinicples that will help him to be successful in his coming years.  So it is very nice to see they are taking root.

This summer has seen my son go out for morning runs, mind you he is 10.  He goes and runs a mile in the morning then later in the evening he will run another.  He manages to get a bike ride in here and there as well.  He has told us that he wishes to give up baseball next year to pursue competitive cycling.  It is amazing to stand back and look at him and realize that he really wants to do things right.

This past weekend he raced a mile run in the Quad Cities and he hit a PR.  He improved his time by nearly 2 minutes!  I think that he is seeing how hard work can really pay off.  Mind you we still want him to be a kid and he is still very much a 10 year old.  But it is great watching the moments where he gets "it".  He wants to be successful.  He wants to be good, but most of all he wants to be a part of something bigger.

My youngest is right on cue with him.  He will also be competing in his first triathlon but that is not until August.  But until then, he is working with big brother on transtitions and most of all having a smile and enjoying every moment of being active.

So when you hit the roads, or pool, or work, remember to have the dedication to do things right.  As I tell my son, if you only go halfway, you are only halfway; and it is a long walk back.  See everything through to the end and be sure to have a purpose in your actions.  Good luck out there and we will see you on the roads.