Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Strawberry Fields Forever . . .

My summer cycle has begun. I think I've crammed more summer in during the past week than is humanly possible. Before the kids were out of school I wondered how I'd adjust to having them home all day. This was the first year that all of my children were in school all day. I usually have lots of plans for us in the summer, but for a year, I've been able to run during the day, whenever I want, and work it into my own schedule. I have this cyclic problem this time of year. I'm not sure where it starts, as cycles seem to run continuously and it's hard to see the start of a circle. Let's just pick the morning. I inevitably wake up late, or turn off my alarm. It's too late to run. The excuses come streaming out. It's too warm already. My husband is leaving for work. The childcare at the gym isn't open much longer. I don't want to go to the track. I'm tired. I did too much yesterday. I'm sore. The funniest thing is, I convince myself that I'll go later. This is the bargain I use when I don't want to go in the morning. Later comes and later goes, and I still say, I'll go later. I'll go to the gym later with the kids - they can play. I'll take them to the track and they can run too. It's still too hot. I'll run when it cools off. Later. Later comes and later goes. I'll run when my husband comes home. Maybe we can go to the beach with the kids and take turns - maybe a picnic dinner. I'll run after dinner. I'll go to the gym later when the kids are in bed. Later. Eventually later is too late. Here at latitude 47 (side story - I actually have a wine glass with 'Latitude 47' printed on it from a race of the same name I did when I was 13 years old - it's currently our change jar for parking or whatever) - anyway - it stays light too long, and by the time the kids finally go to bed after the sun sets, and I chill for a necessary half hour - okay, hour - it's already past my bedtime. I then am exhausted from playing all day, and convince myself I should crash and go to bed. I tell myself I'll run in the morning. Morning comes, and I'm so tired that I convince myself I'll run later.

Today is such a day. Sunday my husband and I drove up some logging road from the lake by the cabin, and went for a 10 miler. That was my last run. And got the new car dirty. Yay! Monday was a designated day off. It was low tide at the beach, so I got a lot of sun. Made it hard to get up Tuesday - said I'd run later. Later came and went. I was gone for 9 hours, picking strawberries, having ice-cream, picking raspberries, then hiking down to Snoqualmie Falls, then letting the kids dip in the swimming holes, then hiking back. I swear I spent all night hulling strawberries, and still had lots more to do. When did I have time to run? I was much too busy playing. And then I was busy drinking some cold red wine. I didn't even bother to try to get up to run. I told myself I could run later - at the gym, at the track. It's almost 5:00. I spent the day hulling more strawberries, washing both cars, and washing the mattress covers from all the cushions in the camper. And reading the Dean Karnazes book - I'm almost done - amazing book. We're going camping this weekend, so the camper still needs some more work - I'll save that for tomorrow. I really ought to think about dinner. And when am I going to run? Bending over picking berries was some great hamstring work. Hulling them over the sink for hours was good back work. Hiking up and down to the falls was short but steep - gotta count for some calf and quad work. Somehow I still don't have any cardio in there. And I've got a hankerin' for an iced coffee right about now - so that puts my run out a little longer. I've already taken two days off this week, so this one really can't happen. Maybe about 8:00 - just an easy run. I'm supposed to run a marathon in - I don't know how many days - a week and a half maybe. My mileage is definitely not there - but maybe that's a good thing. I really wanted to do this one just for some pacing, and to notch another one in my belt for the experience. I'll have to mull it over the next couple of days and see if it's really on the radar.


it's going around again - don't know who's done it or who hasn't or who could care less . . . so here's my answers with my tag list -

jessica from the trails of socal tagged me, so let me fill this out -

4 jobs I've had: (not sure if they were in this life or a past one) god, buddha, shiva, mom
4 movies I watch over and over: No Way Out, Sweet November, Spirit, Meet Joe Black
4 Places I have lived: I've lived within a 90 mile radius of my current location all my life, but moved 14 times
4 TV shows I watch: Law & Order every night of the week :)
4 Places I've been on Vacation: Camden, Maine - Canton, China - La Jolla, California - Michigan City, Indiana
4 Websites I visit everyday: Google, weather.com, blogger, marathonguide.com
4 Favorite Foods: popcorn, clam linguine, raspberries, doritos
4 Places I'd rather be right now: the beach down the street, the backyard, camping, running
4 Favorite Bands/Singers: Five for Fighting, Peter Gabriel, Lifehouse, Queen
4 Bloggers I'll tag: toastman, toasthater, josh, just12finish

12 comments:

Anne said...

Those are some beautiful photos to accompany a post that in some ways sounds just as idyllic. Don't ever get a job outside the home -- doesn't sound like you'd have any time for one :-)

JustRun said...

Summer has a way of doing that, doesn't it? The days are longer but somehow, seem shorter. Maybe your marathon can just be a nice long training run. I am sure a great runner like you will be fine.

Sarah said...

Are you thinking of doing Seafair?

A few days ago my husband brought home strawberries from the grocery store...from CALIFORNIA! What was he thinking???

I'm pavlov's dog. The alarm goes off and I'm out the door within 15 minutes. I'm done for if I give myself too long to think about it.

Sounds like you're getting your cardio from strawberry hulling.
: )

Jessica DeLine said...

you've been god and budha? Dang... what's next? ;)

I love Dean's book. Turned me into an ultrarunner :)

psbowe said...

Mmmm, I love strawberries.

Thanks for stopping by. Wish you great running and looking forward to reading all about it.

Joe said...

That waterfall looks spectacular!

Legs and Wings said...

That's a beautiful waterfall. I'm just happy that summer is here for a bit. The kid/parent dymanic is a bit stressful. I hear you.

Sarah Elaine said...

And you think I have introspective thoughts?! (chuckle...)

Good post. Great photo!

Unknown said...

The word "later" is a bad, bad word when used in the context of running. Unfortunately I use it all too often too.

Thanks for tagging me. I will get a post up soon.

Rich said...

That waterfall is an awesome sight! And I can't believe someone actually lives above the falls? Must be a great view, but sort of creepy to me!

Unknown said...

"Later" is a dangerous word for me too. I've missed a whole bunch of runs that way.

Thanks for tagging me. I'll get up a post soon.

Toasty said...

Reading your post makes me think about the choices I make in how to spend my time. In my opinion, it is best to be in the position where there doesn't seem to be enough time for everything. I'd rather that, than be bored. I've made great changes from where I was 6 or 7 years ago. Not saying that I have got it right but also making sure I'm not on auto-pilot. We saw a movie called "Click" or something like that with Adam Sandler. I thought the movie was all about this and I appreciated being reminded about this aspect of my life. Makes it easier to leave work rather than stay back to meet the latest deadline.