Carlsbad, Here I Come

Well...so much for that resolution to be a better blogger...GAH!

Just wanted to check in with this:

You can completely see the months where I did a significant number of bike miles...no?

And also with some pre-race thinking related to running the Carlsbad 1/2 this Sunday...some thoughts brought on because Clarence posted a link to this article on her FB page this morning. It's mostly about raising children and the author's annoyance with the Carpe-diem or "Sieze-the-Day" philosophy she often hears from people who see her with her three young children. Those of us with kids often hear things like this...your kids are doing something that you find particularly annoying and some stranger says something like "enjoy every moment, it goes by so quickly!"

Uh...yeah. I hate that too.

I agree with the author. She compares raising children to climbing Mount Everest and notes that there are moments during a climb that are sheer joy, but most of it is hard work. Mona would agree. She climbed Kilimanjaro a few years ago and her tale is full of "it was the hardest thing I've ever done." and that much of it was painful and difficult and just plain hard work. She tells about how there were moments when it was all she could do to take another step.

I've certainly compared long runs to childbirth, how there's a lot of hard work, but finishing the marathon was one of the best moments of my life. There were lots of moments during the race that were not fun. at. all. BUT, I really enjoyed finishing the race, and there were parts of the race that I remember with great clarity because I was having so much fun...

Or like childbirth, maybe I just remember it that way. That kind of rose-colored-class 20/20 hindsight is certainly what leads many of us to thinking we could have two or more children.

The author notes that mountain climbing (and I say running) and raising kids are like this--lots of hard work and repetition broken up by both little and big moments of complete amazement at life and the joy of raising kids.

These moments of hard work mixed with joy and beauty will undoubted be part of the story I end up telling about running this year's Carlsbad Half

The other story I will end up telling will be adventures related to some of the herd (Mik, Elsie, Betty, Wilma & possibly Clarence and some other friends) riding their bikes from Carlsbad to San Clemente and back as I run Carlsbad that morning and the ridiculousness that will ensue as we try to meet up with each other.

In any event, regarding the race, I feel quite prepared for it. I have some time goals in mind, but I really don't want to write them out because I have an ego the size of Montana and on the chance probability that I don't make a time goal, I don't want to admit it or explain it or justify it.

But I have been running really, really, really well lately and I think I can PR. No matter what, I'll take on the Mt. Everest/Childbirth/Childrearing philosophy - there will be some difficult moments during the race, punctuated by moments of fun and absolute joy, and at the end, I'll be really happy that I ran the race!

I thought you might need a photo of San Diego bay to make your day. I took this one a couple weeks ago when I met Irene and some SDTC peeps for a long run from Glorietta Bay Park (near Coronado, on the strand). It was a beautiful morning!