Mom

As you know, she underwent surgery a few weeks ago. Yesterday she was back in the hospital with an infection where they had to go back in and clean it out. I went and saw her afterward. I knew she would be fine when she told me that she was hungry. I called for a nurse to get her something to eat.

Will you guys look in on Mom and Dad for me when I am away? I don't want to worry about them while I'm gone. I have to put myself first and take control of my life. As hard as it is, I have to learn to put myself first and worry about me.

Cold

I'm leaving today and I got lucky to get a cold right before I left. I am congested and feel a tickle in my throat. I felt it coming on earlier this week, but thought it would go away. Why is it that when we need everything to be just right, it doesn't happen that way. In life we are always challenged. I guess it will be like an adventure race. Having a cold will be one of my special tasks.

I do wonder how it will be to breath at altitude with only one nose cleared.

Today's The Day

With all the time training, race day is around the corner....Monday will be the first of my 5 day race. It is really exciting and hope that everything turns out fine. I am packed and I must have packed all my workout clothes as I didn't have anything to put on this AM as I walked out the door to teach my two classes today and go to work.

Will someone please watch the NYC Marathon on Sunday. I never miss it! Sometimes when I am training, I pretend I am running that marathon with the elite athletes. Guess who wins? Yup, I come thru every time.

I am unsure if I will bring a camera. I need to get one of those cards. Sue told me to get a disposable camera. That might work. If I find time after work and before I get on a plane, that would be the way to go.

The Days Grow Nearer

So I've done my wash. I've even put clothes into the adjoining room, but realized that I don't have enough of everything to go around. It's weird when you realize that your workout clothes are what take the most space in the closet. There is no need for a dress in the Himalayas, just workout clothes. I've even thought of going on a shopping spree, but realized that there isn't enough time.

Tomorrow will be my last major workout for the week that is for me. Yes, a run and the stairmaster will be mine! I will go to the gym. I will teach 5 classes before I get on a plane Thursday so it won't be like I'm doing nothing. Just not running.

With all this preparation, I opened a nice Italian Red and am having it with Mom and Dad. It was nice to see them gleam at me knowing that I am going to do the impossible. I only wish they put their glasses to mine and wished me luck.

But it's no about luck, is it?

clean clothes

Nothing like coming home to a clean house and clean clothes. I've been trying to get everything ready for the trip and all I think is, "I'm coming in at 5AM in the morning Monday, November 10 and will be at work by 11:30, all I want is clean clothes to get into." It sounds like something that is 2nd nature but after being in the mountains, to me, it sounds like a must.

As I told you before, the more I read about this trip, the more I am scared and unsure what I'm doing. Jun at the gym told me, "you'll have a lot of spiritual experiences on this trip." Well it's true, I'm sure I'll be talking to God and asking him to help me thru the down spell I might be feeling at the time. I might even try to barter. For all you know, I might even have to give up sushi. Let's hope that God doesn't take away too many of my wants and desires. Now if you told me, he was making me give up sex. We'll that's easy, it hasn't happened in a long while and well, I can give that up till the New Year anyhow. But sushi? Wine? Now that's another thing.

Let's be real here. Going thru an experience like this, I'll be asking myself all sorts of questions. I've read a few books to try to keep my mind quiet, but there becomes a point where we do question our experiences. The mystics used to hear God. I think it was because they starved themselves from food. Well hey, I'm going to starve myself from oxygen so who knows.

With in hours, I'll know a hell more about myself and what I am made of. Am I made to run a hundred miles? That is the real question. I'd like to make this a test to see if I could ever run 100 miles straight thru. The goal? Well, next May will tell the truth. That is our next step on this journey called life.

For now, I'll just have a hat, sunscreen, and maybe sunglasses to help me along the way. What about you? What makes you challenge yourself the way you do? What makes you pull thru when someone says you can't do it? What make you different from others?

Tell me.

9 days And I Better Get Packing

The days are flying by and one week from tomorrow, I'll be on a plane to the Himalayas. With only a few run days left, all I think to myself as I work out: DON'T GET INJURED. The next week is probably the most important. I've started to drink lots of water. For some reason that will help the altitude sickness.

I have one week not only to pack my suitcase but to pack my mind. In the book, The Secret, it says that whatever we want we can have. Whatever thoughts we put out there will happen. So if we continually dwell on the negative, then we will bring that into our lives.

I need to believe in me. I've done the homework. I've spent the long hours training. There is no more progress physically I can do at this point with only 1 week to go. Now that's not going to stop me from doing a long run this weekend! All that is left there is to maintain.

But your mind is something that will always improve. Negative thoughts will enter, but to stay strong is to filter them and really hear what is being said. I don't believe in the gloom and doom. The sun will always find the time to shine.

Let's hope the sun will shine on me with my new task at hand.

A Walk In The Park

I know it's been sometime since I've written. It's funny how life catches up with all of us and how the smallest things seem to get left behind. I feel that these past few weeks have really been challenging. I had too many hands in different things if you know what I mean. I just couldn't focus on just one thing as too many people were tugging me in their direction. Now things have settled and I can start to refocus on me.

With all that's been going on, I haven't had the time to train like I want to and have been very stressed. But finally Mom is home from the hospital, and I'll have the time to get ready for my trip. She still needs tending to everyday. I've asked for reinforcements and hope that my sister will come thru to help out when I'm gone.

These days, I've been looking forward to the trip as an escape. Can you believe that I am starting to think that I'm taking a vacation? I know the mountains will own me. I do need that time there to reflect on who I am and what I've become.

A walk in the park? No. Life is a journey where we become stronger and make mistakes along the way. My walk has always been a roller coaster and I'm here for the ride.

Mom's surgery

For the past 2 days, I've been at the hospital with mom. She needed to undergo knee replacement surgery and at 74 it seemed to be really scary for her. I found that the day of the surgery, she had me going down streets the wrong way and just got my nerves up. All I could think about was, when am I going to get a run in, but that was selfish.

She had a long way to go before her so I knew it was about her and not about my task on hand. I needed to be all her support systems as know one else in the family was there for her even though she asked. I knew I had to come thru and so I did.

What did this have to teach me? I have to admit, that I needed to just let everything in. Later in the day while, I settled in reading, 'five people you meet in heaven,' I realized what I needed was just to distress. Just as she needed to let in her anger and fear on me the day of surgery, I needed to let things go as well. I usually have my workouts to do this, but even as I came back from my workout it was still there.

The more I pushed her, the more she pushed back. What I did notice was that her effort to get better was stronger than ever. She seem to struggle with each exercise but with a grin on her face, she was willing to try again. I think that is what we have in us most. We will prove to be right.

I will let her lesson teach me something out there in the himalayas when I WANT out. I will remind myself on her face and her tenacity to go at it when still in pain to get to the outcome. I will. I will. I will get there. And of course so will she. By the time I get to India, she will be waiting to hear about my stories, and by the morning I will await what she has to teach me before I go. Time will only tell.

Midlife Crisis

Some people go thru mid life crisis. Others just loose it. As I approach 37, I find that I am still figuring out the world. What I do know is that I will continue to challenge myself as long as my body holds up. Over the years, I've meet people well into their 80'ies and they are still racing. I hope to be one of them. Who knows, I'll have stories to tell my children one day if I have any.

I am lucky that I have found sports and it has allowed me to express myself. I look forward to sweating and having my heart pumping. There is no other better way to wake up in the morning. I'm not one for muscle conditioning. Even to this day, I cringe when I have to teach a class like that.

In 23 days, I'll board a plane and embark on a mental and physical journey. It will be a journey about life. It will be a true test of my soul. It will be a true test of my physical fitness. It will be a true test of life.

Days Are Flying By

I leave in 27 days and am slowly realizing what I've done. I've signed up for a 100 mile stage race thinking it would be fun. With all the paperwork I've read in the past week. I'm not sure if I'd call this fun. I've read of broken bones and altitude sickness. I just hope that I'll be able to finish this thing.

I think the hardest thing to deal with won't be the altitude. It will be my mind telling me that I've had enough. Running is like meditating, but when change arises the mind will talk. I hope to keep my mind quiet and stay focused. Each day will be one step closer to finishing.

In my past training, I've found that it is easier to break up races into small parts. For instance, you do not run 100 miles during a 100 mile race. You run 1 mile, 100 times. I need to not look at the whole 5 days. Just take it one day at a time.

When I did the 12 hour ultramarathon in August. I broke up the race by aide stations. All I wanted to do is get to the next one. In India, there will not be mile markers along the way, so I think I'll be running from aide station there as well.

I've ordered some books that talk about other athletes achievements and hope that it will inspire me. Over the years, I've read many books. It's Not About the Bike helped me prepare for my first ironman back in 2001. I learned to stay seated for the climb.

Lately, I've read many running books. I've ordered, The Secret and the book 5 People You meet in Heaven. If you know of any books that might help, let me know.

Why Do I Do This?

29 Days till I leave. 32 Days till the Race.

People have asked me how I found this race and to tell you the truth, I have no idea. I thought it might prepare me for a real event. What you may ask? I'd like to run 100 miles so breaking it up over a couple of days would be an easy thing or so I hope.

Andre asked, "why do you do these races all over the world when you can do them at home." Hey that's the idea. I want to see the world and explore it. My goal is to do a race in every continent. I have Europe, South America, America, and now Asia. I'm not too far off.

I've found that as I'm getting older and have accomplished more, I'd like to see how far I can push. 11 years ago, I got bored of going to the gym without a purpose. Hey, we all want to get in shape, but what for. That is when I decided I'd train to run a marathon.

I stood on the line for hours in NYC for hopes that I'd get in the lottery. Nowadays, you can do a few races and qualify, but back then it was very hard. I was crushed when I found out I didn't get in, but I was sent a race flyer for a 50k race. Yes, that 31 miles.

So there I was with an entry in my hand. I thought it was like an invitation. NYC marathon didn't want me, but they did so I had to go. When I got there, people didn't believe that it was my first 'ultramarathon' and that I had only run 13 miles to that point. I proved to them that it could be done and finished in a respectable place.

There I was hooked. I quickly found myself signing up for more and more events. Hey, nowadays everyone runs marathons. Ultrarunning is very special. People take the time out to talk with you and get to know you. Sometimes, they will shout words of encouragement. It is a small community. Many of them have been doing this for over 30 years and they have great running stories.

I hope that on this trip that I will again meet people from all over the world and be able to share some stories.