My daughter, Layla, was born December 11th, 2018, right around the time I signed up for My First Century (MFC), which was a commitment to myself to ride a century this year. After I had signed up for MFC, one of my friends asked me, “So what was the conversation between you and your wife about signing up for MFC, it seems like spending 5-6 hours per weekend on your bike is going to be a lot with a newborn.”
At the time, I didn’t think too much about it, but it has turned out to be very tough to balance work, figuring out how to take care of a newborn, and training for a century. I strive to figure out how to equally share parenting and domestic responsibilities. My wife breastfeeds while I clean the kitchen; my wife makes dinner while I watch Layla. If my wife can manage to get a load of laundry in before we crash into bed, I should also manage to do chores proactively, even if I’m tired.
When I finish work and often want to get out for a ride, but I must balance it with my wife also wanting to exercise or do something else for her own well-being. We used to bike together all the time, but that’s not in the cards in this season of life – so it has to be a give-and-take. I’m continuing to learn how to balance my training for a century with also striving to be an equal parent and a good partner.
But then there are those glorious days when grandparents are in town, and you and your wife get out for a spin.
