Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Two down, two to go!

We are about halfway through summer with two trips down and two to go.  The first adventure took us to the coast.  Actually, my running team and I ran to the coast, and Bradley, the kids, and my mom met us there.  It was a quick visit, and involved a beach bonfire, marshmallows, and an extremely awkward and awfully "non-kid friendly" restaurant disaster.  I learned my lesson to make sure to read all of the Yelp! postings, and not just look at stars and overall stats.  The short man did not appreciate Miles' interjections whilst he was describing his homemade cheese platter.


Our second adventure was sans-dad and this was when two demons decided to take over the bodies of my normally well-behaved children.  I should have known I was in trouble early on, when Miles traded his decent two-year old vocabulary for toddler profanity.  It was a week of opportunity: beach day in Oceanside, Knott's Berry Farm day, trampoline park day, movie theater day, Battleship Museum/Children's Museum/Giant's Game Day, evenings by the pool, two grandmas, five moms, ten kids, and a partridge in a pear tree.  Minus any booze.  That's right, I was dry for almost seven days.  I may or may not have slipped in a beer (or two) during the game to celebrate the Giant's victorious lead. When opportunity knocks, I welcome it.  Just saying.


Despite dealing with two really poorly behaved children, the week was really great.  My mother-in-law and her sister provide us with this opportunity of "Cousins' Week" every year and I truly appreciate every minute of it.

Growing up, I only had cousins on one side of the family and they were a lot older than us.  I feel so lucky that my kids grow up down the road from two of their cousins, see most of the Isbell cousins on a regular basis, and get to experience all of the "down south" cousins a couple of times a year.  The highlight of my week was boogie boarding ALONGSIDE Carter.  He really took to it and I was so proud of him.

The local YMCA hosts a cross-country race series during the summer on Tuesday evenings.  I am proud to report that Carter's mile time has improved by almost ten minutes between the last two summers.  The poor guy probably could have taken even less time if he wasn't waiting on his brother to get in and out of the stroller.  If you ask him about the race all he wants to tell you is about the raffle prize he won, "Yeah dad, I got a teddy bear, soap, coffee mug, and just what you wanted.  .  . steak sauce!  They must have thought I was really old or something."  Miles was equally proud of his new insulated 100 oz water bottle, mom won a nice travel mug, and I took home second place in the series.
This weekend marks the last weekend of class for me for the summer.  As of Saturday afternoon, I will have completed nine units towards my admin credential.  I only have six more units to go and they are both online.  Hopefully, I can complete both classes by early 2014.

The goal for the remainder of the summer is to enjoy each other, the moment, have fun, pay better attention to Yelp! reviews, and pray to God that whatever took over my sons for a week does not come back.  Steak sauce anyone?


Sunday, July 7, 2013

But That's Life. . .

Thanks to my SVJH 7th grade PE teacher Mr. Forrester, I have now been running five or six days a week for almost 15 years.  I don't remember those first few miles that I logged, but I remember feeling proud and content.  Over the years I've run for many reasons.  Weight loss, depression, anxiety, death, loss, sadness, happiness, elation, frustration, soul-searching, fitness, PRs, qualifiers, medals, trophies, time, friendship, travel, with a stroller and kids, and without.  I've run in many different countries and on three different continents.  I have a whole room with a wall covered in race bibs, finishing medals, awards, plaques, motivational quotes, and trophies.  I've won a lot of races and lost even more.  Every day I lace up the shoes again, take a deep breath, and go.  The first few steps are always the toughest, and the last few always the most gratifying.  Some days the legs burn, the stomach churns, and the running sucks.  But that's life.

I actually enjoy sharing my passion of running with others oftentimes more than I enjoy my own running.  Watching those 4th graders push their mile times down, sweat out, and push the boundaries of their own limitations is awe-inspiring.  They learn that pain can be okay and that limits need to be tested.  But that's life.


Competing against and getting beaten by former athletes I coached is oftentimes a bear, but that's life.  Running with former athletes and racing with them is emotionally rewarding, and that's life.  I have circles of friends, but my running friends have accepted me in the worst of times.  We've sweated out our deepest secrets, pounded out our frustrations, and hugged through sweat. snot, and tears.  But that's life.

I've run through an eating disorder, on my wedding day, through three pregnancies, the loss of a child, the loss of my father, and nearly every day over the last 15 years.  I've run through snow, lightning, rain, wind, heat, and hail.  But that's life.

When I push the boys in the stroller I stop the run to accommodate potty breaks, throwing rocks into the river, and picking blackberries.  Sometimes the boys get out and run along side me.  My runs are slower but much more meaningful.  But that's life.

I took a friend I have been encouraging in her running, up to get fitted for a new pair of running shoes.  As she was on the treadmill having her gait analyzed, the handsome young man (national record holder of some trail race) asked her, "Are you training for any races coming up?"  She replied, "Yes.  .  .  Life!".

Two words, so simple, so true.  We're all just training for life, in our own way, in our own time.  It's our race to run.  The best race we'll ever enter and the longest journey of all.  But that's life.