Lately, I've been saying that after running in the Vegas Marathon on December 4, 2005, I'm taking a break from doing marathons.  Thanks to a couple of well written essays and the recommendations of an experienced runner, I am once again motivated to do my first International Marathon.  Frankly, this goal has eluded me for the past three years.

 

Today, I decided to start my planning. Although, I love Italy a lot, I'm going to research races in other cities and countries that I have not yet visited.  I wonder if they have any flat courses in Scotland?

 

Tomorrow I will feast on the usual traditions of Thanksgiving Day!  But the most important one of them all is giving thanks.  I give thanks to God, to my health and the health and happiness of family and friends and lastly for the opportunity to living life to the fullest.  It's a short list!  But these are the things that really matter to me the most.  Everything else is icing!

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

 

 

 

I ran 12 miles yesterday, tapering down for my Vegas Marathon in a couple of weeks.  I know that I chose to live in Southern California for it's nice and sunny weather,  but we're just a few days from Thanksgiving and it feels like we're in July!

 

I'm so glad that I wore my big brimmed hiking hat on this run, because I would've gotten sun burned if I hadn't.

 

Anyway, less than two weeks to go for my final race of 2005!  Let the countdown begin!

 

 

 

Just ran 18 miles!  Now it’s time to taper down before our marathon on Dec. 4, 2005.  When I returned from my tortuous run this morning, I took a long hot bath then sat down and turned on the tube.  The Iron man race from Kona, Hawaii was on.  

 

During the race they featured a really nice story about a young girl (Sarah) who only had one leg.  They showed a video clip of her as a little girl walking then falling.  When she would fall her parents made no attempt to run over to pick her up.  Instead they waited until she got up on her own power.  They wanted to teach her that when she fell, she needed to get herself right back up again.  

 

Last year she couldn’t meet the time cut off at the bike-run transition and her race was over.   She was in tears when they told her she could not continue.  I remembered that and felt really bad for her.

 

Low and behold, she returned for a second try in 2005. My first thought:  Last year she fell!  And this year, she got right back up again!  She not only managed to get to the bike-run transition in plenty of time but she completed the 26.2 marathon to finish the entire race.

 

She was quoted as saying that she actually leads a very average life and so training, competing and finishing the Iron man was her way of doing something extraordinary.  Just then I thought to myself-her average life was extraordinary from my perspective. 

 

Well, in two more weeks I will run in my 3^rd marathon race.  Extraordinary?  Probably not in comparison to other people like this young girl.  But in my normal "average" life, running a third marathon is very much so "extraordinary" from my perspective at least.  Just think, 3 races . . . 3 journeys!   

 

After December 4, 2005, I will probably take a break from marathon running.  So will I go back to my average life empty of doing extraordinary things?  I think not!  I will, however, explore and find other extraordinary things to fill my average life with.

 

Hiking the Inca trails to Machu Picchu, trekking Patagonia or even trekking to the base camp of Mt. Everest!  How about a return trip to Europe - maybe somewhere I have never been to like Eastern Europe! 

 

So many extraordinary things in life to see and do!  How can anyone possibly consider just settling for "average or ordinary."