I'm so ready for this school year to be over already. I feel as though we have limped through the whole thing, hated the teacher, despised the class and administration, disagreed with the curriculum, and on and on. I am so ready to pull my kids early and board the plane bound for happier places, see family, and run Rock N Roll Marathon with friends from both here and there. I am counting down the days to get there, hitting the pavement here, as if running more mileage will get me there faster. Last week was a big mileage week, this week coming up will be more of the same. Time on the bike, while fun, seems meaningless for what is on the race calendar.
There is so much going on between now and then, that I am hoping the time will pass quickly. Parties, races, travel with TNT for their races, the schedule is booked. Owen's triathlon is quickly approaching, about as fast as the school year is winding down. Her training has been on par, so she is feeling as strong as any seven year old should. She received one of the coveted spots with the Junior Guards in Del Mar, and she is very much looking forward to being a "Turtle" this summer. Luckily, she will swim with her old team this summer, so that will keep us busy, as well. The little guy is moving forward with tennis, and more and more, people comment on his backhand. He is a reluctant participant, but doing so well when he focuses once we bribe him with his one true love: chocolate. How can two children be so different? One who cannot sit still to save her life and must participate in every sport under the sun; the other one who could care less about movement and activity and loves to read and indulge in confections. I think there is balance somewhere in between the two of them.
I did an ocean swim this morning with the Team and was convinced something was going to eat me out there. The bait fish were running at dawn, which we are told is the worst time to be out there in the midst of bull sharks feeding. The ocean here is a very dangerous place, when one considers the man of wars, the bull sharks, and the hammerheads who cruise close to shore. I can't say I am ever very happy about getting in the sea on this side of things, but I do it, hyperventilating all the while. The group complained that the water was a chilly 72 degrees, but the sunrise was beautiful and the stairways to heaven were many. Tomorrow we ride. Another week in paradise, depending on what your definition of that may be.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Evolution
Not in the Darwinian sense. Evolution in the change and growth and progressive sense. I hope this is me in everything I set out to do. My kids are obsessed with the Leaning Tower of Pisa right now. Why? I have no idea. Maybe because they are little sponges who seek to know more about any random and unusual idea. Maybe because their Italian grandfather is here visiting and talking about the Old Country. Maybe because they originally thought it was constructed of their favorite meal, pizza. Thank goodness for the Internet.
Rather than scour the local library for several books on Italy and their heritage, I went directly to the source: Google. We had everything we needed to know about the "Leaning Tower of My Favorite Junky Dinner" right at our fingertips. Don't you just love progress? Parenting is so much easier now, I have decided, rather than in the dark ages, before the advent of ipods, portable DVD players, and digital everything. Of course, we stress about what images the kids may stumble upon online, or who they might converse with on cell phones, but overall, if we can avoid video games and dodge the obesity bullet, I think the evolution of our consumer society is a beautiful thing. Faces glued to Game Boys, many of our consumer brats do not know how to carry on conversation anymore, but they are sharp little high-tech geeks. There is balance somewhere between old fashioned fun and innovation, and as parents, we try to strike it with regard to our kids, of course.
I think this is the same of my training. I would like to think I am growing, evolving, learning from past mistakes and mishaps. I do not want to obsess over nutrition details and socks or no socks on the bike. I would like to look at triathlon history and know we are in a better place now that we have traded flat Coke for Gatorade, and candy bars for fancy energy bars. We eat supplements like trail mix and take Advil like Tic Tacs for damage control, but how many of us are taking it to extremes? Are we still having fun out there? How many of us are just posers, wanting desperately to think of ourselves as athletes, scrambling for more endorphins? Guilty. Today was 3 miles on the tread mil, a swim, a weight workout, and then 8 more miles on the road to run my girl to school while she "trained" on her bike for her race quickly approaching. I love it.
EVOLUTION scrambled: NO, U LOVE IT. This sport that is. This is my mantra on days I do not want to get out of bed at all. I talk myself back into it, and then I find myself again. And, yes, I am still having good old fashioned fun, despite obsessing over the details. I still love the purity of pulling on running shoes and heading out toward the beach. I will always love the run over all the complications of the bike and technicalities of the swim. I hope I am evolving in many ways, but I am still a purist at heart.
Rather than scour the local library for several books on Italy and their heritage, I went directly to the source: Google. We had everything we needed to know about the "Leaning Tower of My Favorite Junky Dinner" right at our fingertips. Don't you just love progress? Parenting is so much easier now, I have decided, rather than in the dark ages, before the advent of ipods, portable DVD players, and digital everything. Of course, we stress about what images the kids may stumble upon online, or who they might converse with on cell phones, but overall, if we can avoid video games and dodge the obesity bullet, I think the evolution of our consumer society is a beautiful thing. Faces glued to Game Boys, many of our consumer brats do not know how to carry on conversation anymore, but they are sharp little high-tech geeks. There is balance somewhere between old fashioned fun and innovation, and as parents, we try to strike it with regard to our kids, of course.
I think this is the same of my training. I would like to think I am growing, evolving, learning from past mistakes and mishaps. I do not want to obsess over nutrition details and socks or no socks on the bike. I would like to look at triathlon history and know we are in a better place now that we have traded flat Coke for Gatorade, and candy bars for fancy energy bars. We eat supplements like trail mix and take Advil like Tic Tacs for damage control, but how many of us are taking it to extremes? Are we still having fun out there? How many of us are just posers, wanting desperately to think of ourselves as athletes, scrambling for more endorphins? Guilty. Today was 3 miles on the tread mil, a swim, a weight workout, and then 8 more miles on the road to run my girl to school while she "trained" on her bike for her race quickly approaching. I love it.
EVOLUTION scrambled: NO, U LOVE IT. This sport that is. This is my mantra on days I do not want to get out of bed at all. I talk myself back into it, and then I find myself again. And, yes, I am still having good old fashioned fun, despite obsessing over the details. I still love the purity of pulling on running shoes and heading out toward the beach. I will always love the run over all the complications of the bike and technicalities of the swim. I hope I am evolving in many ways, but I am still a purist at heart.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Invincible Summer
"In the midst of winter I found in me an invincible summer." -Albert Camus
Winter in Vero is unlike winter elsewhere. It is hot and humid. So many days I do not want to get up and run in the humidity. I long for cool mornings in the 40s, to wear tights and a ski hat and gloves. I ache to have my face freeze in the crisp air along the coast. I miss the smells that accompany cooler days: chimnies burning fires, pines wet with dew, the Pacific as it spits the winter swell. It is on these days I have to find my own "summer" and its name is usually "Starbucks", because that is closest to my old routine after a morning run. Actually, in many ways, it is my running friends who have carried me through this winter. Did I mention I love my running group? They are like air for me right now in the choppy waters I am navigating. My running friends have been, while completely new and different, something so familiar that I crave more of them. Runners are the same wherever we go, I think. The characters names change, but the plot is always the same: runners train for various races; runners get injured in the process; runners talk nutrition; runners qualify for Boston; runner says, "Oh yeah. I am one pumped skinny-a*% b#*@&!"
Oh, wait. That last quote could only be from Gary, the 40-something, self-absorbed, fitness obsessed tri geek who just qualified for Boston this past Sunday in Sarasota. He is thrilled and we are all happy for him, but the best was his delivery of this news to us. He is one of the many characters who continue to amuse and uplift me. These people are actually very funny, and they laugh in spite of themselves. Really, I love my running group. And, I love my Team tri group. This last weekend was so much fun at the workouts, and I think it is all really starting to come together for them. Tomorrow night we are going to a bike clinic where Craig will BBQ and I am bringing side dishes to "serve" the Team members. Today Craig said to me, "What will we do when this is all over? I am going to be so sad."
My sentiments mimic his, which is why he and I agreed to go to DC at the end of this month to take the Team in Training coaches' certification classes. In becoming certified through their program, there is greater opportunity for us to coach their programs again in the future. It should be totally educational and inspirational to be around tons of super fit people who are doing what we are currently doing. I am looking forward to the trip and time out of Vero. Anything will be cooler than here, 78 degrees today with staggering humidity. DC will be a welcome break from the heat. Unfortunately, this heat continues as my in-laws arrive tomorrow. I told them I hope they like tropical weather and to pack nothing but shorts and flip flops. Who knows? Maybe they will welcome the warm weather? While at the beach with my son the other day, I found myself envying the people who were here on vacation, like my in-laws. What a magnificent place to vacation, I thought. How fabulous this destination would be if it were vacation! The sand is amazingly soft and clean, the water is an emerald green I cannot justify with words, and the scenery is spectacular. Then I remember this is not vacation. This is still me transitioning into a new world.
On another note, training is going well. I have been on the bike more and more, which is good. I am itching to sign up for something other than a marathon now, which is promising. My crazy friend, Abbe, wants me to do a century with her in early April. I told her I will think about it after Marc's parents leave and after Owen's birthday extravaganza this weekend, plus her swim meet, plus out of town guests, plus all of the other activities and obligations we have going on. I think we may be over-commited? Maybe that is what it is...we don't necessarily have tons of friends, rather, we are so busy running from one activity to another, we come in contact with familiar faces over and over. Racing from school to tennis to swim team to gymnastics to Karate, we always bump into people who are part of these activities. I kind of like to think they are friends, but perhaps they are just frantic like we are, trying to get through the day, creating as little wake as possible, trying to keep cool. This is winter in Vero.
Winter in Vero is unlike winter elsewhere. It is hot and humid. So many days I do not want to get up and run in the humidity. I long for cool mornings in the 40s, to wear tights and a ski hat and gloves. I ache to have my face freeze in the crisp air along the coast. I miss the smells that accompany cooler days: chimnies burning fires, pines wet with dew, the Pacific as it spits the winter swell. It is on these days I have to find my own "summer" and its name is usually "Starbucks", because that is closest to my old routine after a morning run. Actually, in many ways, it is my running friends who have carried me through this winter. Did I mention I love my running group? They are like air for me right now in the choppy waters I am navigating. My running friends have been, while completely new and different, something so familiar that I crave more of them. Runners are the same wherever we go, I think. The characters names change, but the plot is always the same: runners train for various races; runners get injured in the process; runners talk nutrition; runners qualify for Boston; runner says, "Oh yeah. I am one pumped skinny-a*% b#*@&!"
Oh, wait. That last quote could only be from Gary, the 40-something, self-absorbed, fitness obsessed tri geek who just qualified for Boston this past Sunday in Sarasota. He is thrilled and we are all happy for him, but the best was his delivery of this news to us. He is one of the many characters who continue to amuse and uplift me. These people are actually very funny, and they laugh in spite of themselves. Really, I love my running group. And, I love my Team tri group. This last weekend was so much fun at the workouts, and I think it is all really starting to come together for them. Tomorrow night we are going to a bike clinic where Craig will BBQ and I am bringing side dishes to "serve" the Team members. Today Craig said to me, "What will we do when this is all over? I am going to be so sad."
My sentiments mimic his, which is why he and I agreed to go to DC at the end of this month to take the Team in Training coaches' certification classes. In becoming certified through their program, there is greater opportunity for us to coach their programs again in the future. It should be totally educational and inspirational to be around tons of super fit people who are doing what we are currently doing. I am looking forward to the trip and time out of Vero. Anything will be cooler than here, 78 degrees today with staggering humidity. DC will be a welcome break from the heat. Unfortunately, this heat continues as my in-laws arrive tomorrow. I told them I hope they like tropical weather and to pack nothing but shorts and flip flops. Who knows? Maybe they will welcome the warm weather? While at the beach with my son the other day, I found myself envying the people who were here on vacation, like my in-laws. What a magnificent place to vacation, I thought. How fabulous this destination would be if it were vacation! The sand is amazingly soft and clean, the water is an emerald green I cannot justify with words, and the scenery is spectacular. Then I remember this is not vacation. This is still me transitioning into a new world.
On another note, training is going well. I have been on the bike more and more, which is good. I am itching to sign up for something other than a marathon now, which is promising. My crazy friend, Abbe, wants me to do a century with her in early April. I told her I will think about it after Marc's parents leave and after Owen's birthday extravaganza this weekend, plus her swim meet, plus out of town guests, plus all of the other activities and obligations we have going on. I think we may be over-commited? Maybe that is what it is...we don't necessarily have tons of friends, rather, we are so busy running from one activity to another, we come in contact with familiar faces over and over. Racing from school to tennis to swim team to gymnastics to Karate, we always bump into people who are part of these activities. I kind of like to think they are friends, but perhaps they are just frantic like we are, trying to get through the day, creating as little wake as possible, trying to keep cool. This is winter in Vero.
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