What are you waiting for?

Some people are making such thorough preparation for rainy days that they aren't enjoying today's sunshine.

William Feather

I surely want to make sure I enjoy today's sunshine. Even if I miss Oregon rain:) Oh, the weather in the last 2 weeks...I don't recall it been so beautiful the previous 2 years I was here. Some cold front came (don't laugh), and we are in a somewhat dry air with only today temps reaching out to 90F. Last week was a pure paradise, mornings required at least a short sleeve shirt instead of a tank top, and a couple of times I donned a long sleeve one! That really gave me an opportunity to train harder, especially as with my races align the way they are, the last 2 weeks are the ONLY continuous training I am getting until the fall rolls. You know, that taper-recovery stuff...

Last evening, as Larry and I started on a 7M trail loop, I had plans to run easy yet strong. My legs dictated otherwise. In just over a mile they showed me who is the boss and the bailing out would have been much smarter - yet I was on a loop, so I went on, and for the first time in a long time broke into a walk on each and every hill. My quads were toasted with not a single day off yet 2 speed interval sessions, 2 hill repeats sessions, bunch of trail runs, a number of well paced road hilly runs and a heck of a time at the gym with plyometrics and heavy lifting. It was absolutely butt-kicking awesome training lately. So, I backed off and enjoyed the ride...

It's been incredibly busy too, with so many things, from family to Alex's support (still in school, looking for jobs, off food stamps, so much going on!) to HCTR (our running club I am VP-ing for) and tasks I am responsible for to massages (people started training and awoke to a need for some body work?) to being invited to contribute to a local Endurance Buzz webpage, which acts as I Run Far of sorts for a region of 5 states in the Southern US, and even re-visiting my coaching responsibilities with Tejas Trails (besides own clients). And you know how much laundry needs to be done when 3 family members exercise every day (and two of them more often than not twice a day)! I even was close to give up cooking dinner, slacking all of 3 times in the last couple of weeks and allowing food out! That is not something I am proud of, but I figured, all boys are happy, and as long as I stay home-bound with spinach and egg whites, who cares, right? :)

Yeah, right, suck that air in. Ah, forget it.

Speaking of rainy day and sunshine, I am slowly letting the grip of frugality go, as long as our long-term plans are met. I am learning to enjoy what life brings me every day. It's not as easy as it sounds, having grown up in a country and family where money was always an issue (or their lack) and the future is never certain (is it here?), but I am trying. May be I'll even get myself a new pair of shorts (I am doing away from running skirts lately) instead of killing myself over trying to squeeze into the pair of Lululemon I bought last summer when was at height of my slimness. Whom am I kidding? I can strive, but I won't get there unless that is the single goal in my mind. And it's not.

What my goal is to find a balance of all of those things and keep them rolling. Often I find myself wondering how long I can keep up. Often I want to leave this world for a while and hide, go away to a place that has nothing of what I do now and stay there all alone for a couple of days. Just a couple of days...I was so close to getting a Bikram Yoga retreat package (that is coming to Austin! in August) but the memory served to remind it will be a day after Stephen comes back from 5 weeks stay in Portland. I guess some other time...

I am super-pumped about going to CO in 2 weeks. And super-pumped about my state of fitness (not like I am crazy awesome or anything, but solid, simply solid). After such a long absence from where I love to be, I am enjoying every step I make. Whether it's on a trail, road, or life.