In the words of the Beatles, "it's getting better all the time...." Not sure if I am still high from the fun and excitement of being at the Clearwater 70.3 Championships to see John PR, or just that, in general, life seems to be moving along more smoothly. I am still desperately unhappy with the school system here and with no reasonable solution or alternative, I cannot imagine it will get better anytime soon. I deplore the idea of our kids getting a mediocre education and Owen repeatedly telling me how bored she is in school. This pulls on the heart strings daily and I want to run back to Carmel Valley in an instant to make it all go away. At least there, if nothing else, we knew our kids were getting a quality education and being challenged all of the time.
Anyway, the weekend was a total success. The drive to Clearwater (clear across the state from where we are) was easy and only 3 hours. The kids did great, Marc and I enjoyed some much needed family and vacation time, and the beaches there were amazing. The kids loved the race scene, with so much going on and so many activities to take part in. I loved reconnecting with an old friend, someone familiar and safe, close to home. It almost felt like we were dining out in San Diego and just talking about another race, as though no time has lapsed since we moved here. Clearwater really is a cool little city with some spectacular beaches. Of course, it gave me the bug to want to race that distance again and soon!
We had lunch with an old colleague of John's while he was racing, a man by the name of Stephen. He was very generous and kind to us, as well as encouraging and funny. One thing I have come to realize about the locals (he lives in the panhandle of this state), is that they quickly forget just how miserable the weather is here in the summer. Stephen was one more person who claims the "3 months" in the summer are difficult, but the other "9 months" make it all worthwhile. It is true, the weather here is finally beautiful. (We went to the beach yesterday and the kids were in the water, 78 degrees, by all accounts chilly to Floridians, but about as warm as the water ever gets in San Diego, no?).
Anyway, I feel like the locals forget about just how dreadful the heat and humidity really are....and they cannot calculate the months properly. I count June, July, August, September, and ALL of October as being disgustingly hot and unbearable, so I am not sure where "3 months" comes from? I told Marc, I liken the weather to being in a bad relationship. When we are in that relationship, it is hard and we long for something better, easier, something with less drama. Once we break up, all we can remember is the good. We reminisce about all the good times and cannot let go of the fond memories. This is what Floridians do: they completely forget how terrible it really was and live in the moment of how wonderful everything here is. I guess that is one way to live, seeing through rose tinted glasses. I am still bitter about the relationship and glad we broke it off with the humidity, since I was becoming dreadful to live with.
The kids and I were out front tonight, cutting back the Bougainvillea that grows wildly out of control. It is a huge and wondrous sight when it is in bloom, as it is now, but becomes increasingly tangled and crazy the higher it grows. They love taking their little craft scissors and "trimming" the flowers back. I have the huge hedge trimmers and crop as much as I can, knowing we will be out there again in 3 weeks time to do more. My boy always saves the flowers for me and puts them in a vase inside. My girl complains that the landscaper is not doing his job. But, in the next breath, she tells me how much she loves the time we spend doing this together, so I think that counts for something? The evening was beautiful and we decided to go across the street to walk on the beach. I took dinner out of the oven and we ran along the shore until the moon was high and it was time to get to the pool for swim team workout. We barely made our way back, since it was pitch black with no lights to follow until we got to the bridge that traverses the jungle path back to the street. It was so much fun to just run in the dark like that, dodging crabs and chasing the surf.
Lastly, I cannot believe my marathon is inside of 10 days now. My buddy Craig said, and I am sure he was quoting someone else, "E, if you hurt at mile 10, you are in trouble. If you hurt at mile 20, you are normal. If you don't hurt at mile 26, you are abnormal." I am sure it is going to hurt. I know I am going to hurt. I just hope I can keep my GI issues in check, otherwise it is going to be a sad Thanksgiving. Oh.
No comments:
Post a Comment