{the mom next door}
Meet Lori Walker Osen
Edited by Amy Crelly

IronMom

Lori lives in El Dorado Hills with her husband, Kevin, and their 22-month-old son, Lars. This active mommy recently raced to a second place finish at Ironman Hawaii (35-39-year-old division), swimming 2.4 miles, cycling 112 miles and running 26.2 miles with the world’s best triathletes. On top of family life and her full-time job for a large pharmaceutical company, Lori trained 12-18 hours a week to prepare for the event. “I had to be very efficient, and I had to be quite creative when I traveled,” she says.

Lori often hit the stationary bike well before 7am (when little Lars wakes up) and loaded it into her car when work took her on the road (“quite a lot”). On weekends Lori would tackle “the long stuff,” with Saturday bike rides 50-110 miles long and runs on Sundays, sometimes with the family. “There were times when I was exhausted from being pulled in so many directions,” she says, “and it would have been so easy to just quit training, but then I would remember that I deserved to do something for myself that day.”

The best part of being a mom is…
Watching my son discover the world around him—taking him to the pumpkin patch for the first time and watching him run around, the simple, everyday things.

The worst part is…
Being away from him while I have to work and feeling that I could miss something.

The best part of my job is…
I get to help people who have cancer every day.

The most challenging part is…
My work is never done. I always have something to follow up on, an e-mail, a phone call, and my office (besides my car) is at home, so it is always there, reminding me.

When I need to relieve stress, I head straight for…
A RUN! Running is where I let my mind go and realize that it will all work itself out.

What do you like most about living in Greater Sacramento?
The amazing recreational opportunities! Over the past year I have spent many, many Saturday afternoons riding around the American River Bike Trail and the beautiful Sierra Foothills.

On days when I just had zero motivation to train…
I would think about a close girlfriend who was diagnosed with cancer this year, and everything she went through with chemotherapy and radiation. Then I would think how lucky I was that I was able to work out.

Top of your workout tunes playlist?
“Chances” by Five for Fighting. It really kept me going this year.

A day with plenty of “me-time” would involve…
A long trail run with my girlfriends, a pedicure and a little shopping time that wasn’t rushed.


Lori was nominated for our Mom Next Door page by her friend, Jean. Do you know a great local mom or dad you’d like other readers to meet? E-mail amy@sacramentoparent.com.