Sucks to be the spouse of an Ironman triathlete

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Kevin Helliker of the Wall Street Journal has a fun article about the challenges encountered when one partner in a relationship is an avid exerciser and the other isn’t:

The exercise widow often wakes to an empty bed—a sure sign of a morning workout—and may find dinner plans spoiled by a sudden avoidance of anything heavy before a night run. Hoping for an hour of television or catching-up before bedtime? Forget it: All that early-morning exercise takes its toll. Mr. Waxman arrives home from the office after his children, ages 11, 10 and 8, have eaten dinner, and he hits the sack before they do. “I’m out of gas by nine o’clock,” Mr. Waxman says.

“A lot of wives in my position would have left,” Ms. Waxman says…

Last summer, Mrs. Waxman persuaded her parents and her husband’s parents to join her in what she calls “a family intervention”—a flurry of letters to Mr. Waxman urging him to exercise less.

The article doesn’t actually come up with any statistics to suggest that this is a common or growing problem. It’s basically just a collection of anecdotes, but they’re interesting — and will probably sound familiar to some readers!

4 Replies to “Sucks to be the spouse of an Ironman triathlete”

  1. I am amazed at some people and their percieved obligations as parents. One dinner and one date night does not make a family. You can still train and do well without leaving all the responsibilities in one partner’s hand. Getting the kids ready for school, getting meals ready, putting the kids to bed, etc. takes a lot of energy and should be done by both parents as the norm not the exception. Don’t be a Mr. Waxman!

  2. @Larry I agree with you unless one parent isn’t working for an employer full time. This could be a nice arrangement when one parent stays home to take care of house work while the other takes care of making money. I believe it gives both parents more free and family time. Some don’t have the luxury to have one parent not work full time and others sadly choose money. I’ve been living it and am proponent of the single income family.

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