IRONDAD

Lessons learned from Ironman that can be applied to something really important (like fatherhood.)

1. Ironman and fatherhood both build and reveal character. No one knows if you live like you say you do like your kids. Your priorities and values may seem like something you write down in a self-help seminar. Your kids see you live out what you actually believe.
2. It may seem like a good release of steam to yell at the course but it will not improve the course at all. (Insert child's name where the phrase "...the course.." is.)
3. Approach an Ironman with a sense of awe, appreciation, and joy and you will get the same back in return. Same with parenting.
4. This is an Ironman not a sprint. Parenting and Ironman take F O R E V E R.
5. Kids' brains are not fully developed don't expect them to be. You are not fully trained for an Ironman halfway through your season, to expect to be fully ready at this time only leads to disappointment. To expect your teen-ager to act like a little adult is only going to frustrate you. 
6. I was not born a genetic "fly guy." I will probably never sniff the podium of an Ironman. To teach your kid to enjoy the best of his or her gifts, bloom where they are planted and enjoy the opportunities they are given may be the most important lesson you can teach them. (Especially if they come from the shallow end of the gene pool like mine.)
7. Changing the tune on your ipod can really change your pace and your mood. No one outside my family until now but there is a song on my ipod with banjo in it. Yep, got all kinds of rap, pop, and rock but when the banjo comes up my pace immediately picks up. If you are tired of banging your head against the wall with your kid try doing something just a little bit differen. You may be shocked at the change.
8. You are modelling for your child what kind of relationships to look for in their own lives. When you are done with your 120 miler, don't collapse on the couch. Offer to take your wife out for a date night or have a family night. That is the only way they are assured Ironman is not more important to you than they are. I want to set the bar incredibly hard for my daughters' boyfriends. They need to treat them as equals, respect them, and laugh and dance and play and squeeze the juice out of life until there is nothing left.
9. It is developmentally appropritate that your adolescent child wants you to be invisible in front of his or her friends. Even if his or her friends say "Wow, you rode your bike 120 miles today!?" The appropriate response is "Yep, rode my bike 120 miles and saw a bear wrestle a panther while we were riding by," and then walk away. Leaves you looking way cooler in your kids and his/her friends eyes. Same thing with adults, they don't want to know your heartrate zones, caloric intake, etc... Here are some signs that you may be talking too much about your racing or training. While talking about said training; people constantly yawn, people look at their watch, or people jump out of your car while it is still moving.
10. My favorite quote from my daughter, Lobo, was a couple of years ago when she tossed me a crumpled shirt and said, "Can you iron this for me please, Mr Ironmaaaaan?" Kids need a REAL DAD first! They only need an Irondad if their shirt is wrinkled.