Keeping Pace

Keeping Pace

It’s the Chris-i-mus

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It was the year of the lost rolls of film. BoBo was about 2 years old, and cuter than the cutest of kids. It was the year that Tom’s hair was almost as long as mine. And it was a year where one of my most magical Christmas memories comes from.

As you know, Santa Claus already has the challange of getting his presents delivered all around the world in a single night. Sure the time zones help, and there is those flying reindeers that seem to defy all logical sense, and still it remains a remarkable feat. But on this particular year, Santa arrived at our home a bit earlier than usual.

Santa’s early arrival was a special gift that he gave to me, as I was to leave for work early Christmas morning for a 12-hour shift in the Pediatric ICU. I did NOT want to miss the first Christmas where young BoBo was aware of the whole Santa thing. Thanks to Santa, I didn’t miss a thing.

Let me share the story with you:

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A visit with Santa

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Last year, Tom and I treasured the fact that YaYa still believed in Santa. He has been “told” by many other kids his age that he is wrong to believe, but still he does.

So after Lil Sis’ had to take her kids home early, due to some unexpected vomiting and diarrhea, YaYa and I went on the hunt for Santa. He is very busy these days and I wasn’t sure which mall the Real Santa would be at.

We drove to the nearest mall – the mall that I hate because parking is horrible and the crowds aren’t friendly. I knew right where he’d be, if he was going to be there, so we went straight to the little home-away-from-home that had been built for him.

There he was, just as plain as day. He had a short line and he looked to be in good spirits.

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YaYa approached Santa with as much caution as he did when he was 4 years old. He stood beside him and Santa began his questions.

“Well…have you been good this year?”
“Yes”
“And what do you want for Christmas?”
“I want…. (mumble)”
“What did you say?”
“I want a lot of 49er stuff.”
Santa smiled big.
“YOU like the 49ers?” he exclaimed, “Me too.”
Now YaYa was smiling as he and Santa were exchanging a high-five.

Unfortunately, the camera girl was not at the camera and missed the precious moment and I, being a good consumer, did not have a camera either.

I did managed to get her to capture the end of the conversation before YaYa climbed onto Santa’s welcoming lap for posed photo that I did not buy. Instead, I bought photo capturing the tail end of the conversation.

So many of these precious moments cannot be captured on film, but they can be forever cherished in your own memory and shared over the years to come.

Prepare yourself, this may be a sign of upcoming posts.

The race

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The workshop titled “Empowering Yourself to Create New Possibilities” was a little strange. I little too touchy-feely for me. The most difficult part about it, though, was the constant references to “morning the loss” – of OUR JOBS. I did get something out of it though…

The gun has sounded and we are all off and running. We are, in a sense, moving in the same direction yet we all have different goals.

There are some that will run with only the goal to finish the race. They take their time and take in every aspect of the journey. Their journey is no more, or less, than that of the others who run the course.

Others have a different goal in mind. They do not slow to take in the crowd, let alone to refuel. They are literally on the run at all times. They reach down deep to find the power that will fuel them along the way.

No matter what approach is taken, it is the people that make the journey meaningful. Those who run beside you, whom you pass, or who pass you along the way add to the experience. We pull each other along with acknowledgement of the struggle to get to our destination.

Of course it wouldn’t be the same without those who stand on the sidelines for hours on end. The signs that say “Go Mom,” whether intended for you or not, speak volumes of encouragement. The kids, who stretch out their hand, give you encouragement and five more reasons to continue forward on your journey.

Do not give up. The race is worth running, and the finish line is so rewarding. All the aches and pains along the way are the evidence of your character, and when you choose to take your next step you will be empowered to create whatever you desire.

Off track and doing well

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Although it has been hot outside this week the kids returning to school reinforces the need to run at lunch. Aside from moving around my workouts, I have gotten back on track for the week’s workout schedule. It’s a lighter week and I am looking forward to a shorter long run.

Unfortunately, I was not able to utilize the high school track this morning prior to coming into work. I figured that it would be awkward now that school is in session. Instead I partnered with Garminia for another successful speed workout.

It’s been a while since I have done repeats away from the red and white track. The last time she ‘coached’ me, I remember wanting to throw Garminia to the ground. As I selected my 800m repeats workout from the menu of Advanced Workouts, I modified the programming to keep her from badgering me if I was deviating from the planned pace. Some people do well with verbal proding. I have learned through past experience that I am not one of those people.

I warmed up for a mile and then triggered the start of my first, of 8 half-mile repeats. Part way through the interval I would glace over at Garminia’s screen to see a the lap pace displayed. After verifying my target pace, I looked to see how much farther I needed to run before my next recovery. Repeatedly I would check the number and then mentally see where I was around the track. It was cool to be so in tuned to the various points around the track that I could visualize myself rounding the curve and sprinting the final straight away. As I approached the line, Garminia would begin chirp-chirp-chirping to let me know that it was time to recover.

In spite of the heat, I still managed to hit my paces as planned. It’s so cool to be inching up on marathon day with some success under my belt.

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My pillow

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Friday will quickly be coming to an end and I have yet to write my weekly “positively perfect” post. It’s not that today is a particularly bad day. It’s wasn’t. I just haven’t thought of anything that inspires me to write, and I’ve been trying all day.

I’ve thought that my “trying” all day might be the issue. Writing shouldn’t be that hard, but it is sometimes.

This week I am feeling particularly tired. The week began with a call from Kaiser’s mammography department for a “follow up.” They wanted me to return on the same day. It was both alarming and confusing as my doctor had said that everything was normal.

Well, as it turned out, the need for a follow up appointment was an error. *sigh of relief* I was told, however, to keep the appointment with the surgeon as radiographs don’t always catch malignant lesions. My reason for celebration was premature it would seem.

I am glad that I kept the appointment. The surgeon examined my breast and I pointed out what I was feeling. She said it was normal fibrocystic “ridging.” Then she found what my doctor must have felt. In the past week, I had been puzzled by doctor’s description of a “1/2 cm, hard, mobile lesion” since it was a very different description from what I had felt. What she felt was a sebaceous cyst – which is also not a problem.

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So, you see, it has actually been a good week. It’s been tiring but good. Still, I chose NOT run 20 miles *this* Friday night. It will wait until Sunday even though I am getting my hair done tomorrow and would have liked to keep it looking nice until Monday.

Today I relaxed and decompressed from my week. I even took a nap this afternoon. Since I have been so tired, I have found much comfort in my bed where my pillow is soft and inviting. It is the “positively perfect” item for this week…because I am just so tired.

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