A look back at the 30's

Well, if I had anything on my before-I-turn-forty bucket list, it's a bit too late to worry about it now since that day is rapidly approaching.  Holy cow!

Source

I fulfilled the only urgent to-do-before-I-turn-forty item yesterday - went to the DMV and renewed my license!  I only had to wait an hour too, which wasn't bad.  When I left, the line just to pick up paperwork was about 10 people deep.  Crazy!

Before I reflect on the nature of turning 40 and what that means, let me just say that I am leaving this decade in a better place than where I was when I entered it.  I feel that I actually became somewhat of an adult over the past 10 years, and not just because I finally met one of society's standards of measurements by getting married.  In every other way, I still fall into "irresponsible" category (no house, no kids, I don't even have a car to myself these days).  However, I do feel that I've changed for the better, just like a fine wine improves.

Seriously though, I'd call myself a late-bloomer without any hesitation.  I was pretty much a disaster throughout my 20's, so things could only look up.  Fortunately, they did!

Not to reduce the decade to bullet points or a quick paragraph, but looking back, I can see significant moments that have shaped how and where I am now.  For instance:

- Moving from Seattle to Monterey, Ca.  That was a hard decision, and there were so many times in the years following the move that I questioned the decision.  However, it WAS exciting to live in California, an experience that I never planned or necessarily wanted.  I explored the Central Coast and got to know the Monterey Peninsula, Big Sur (one of those must-see places!), Santa Cruz and even San Francisco, which was an easy weekend get-away.

- After 3 years in Monterey, moving to the LA area where I've lived in 3 areas or neighborhoods, all very different.  Again, I never imagined that I would live in Southern Ca nor that I would stay here for going on seven years nor that it would feel so much like "home" to me.

- Getting hitched!  After a whirlwind two years of bicoastal flights and long weekends together, Michael gave up his super urban New York lifestyle.  It still amazes me that what started as a great fling in Colorado at some friends' wedding gained serious traction, and, well, here we are.  Cheers to that!

- Adopting Gus and Milo, obviously!  What a game-changer that was.  I was so dog-crazy a few years ago that we even started the search to buy a house so that we could get a dog.  Note that I said A dog, not two.  But we ended up with two pretty fantastic mutts who are great travel companions, accompanying us to San Francisco, Seattle, annual trips to Colorado and even to Texas!  And they are our daily companions too, enriching our lives and sometimes driving us crazy.  

- After bouncing around job-wise, I've seemingly become more responsible and stable on that front and have taken on new roles and different challenges.  It has been a great experience to grow professionally and personally at a place of work, and I do feel lucky for that.
- The 30's have definitely been marked by a range of travel, near and far.  While there are large swaths of the state of California and the American West in general that I have yet to explore, I do know some places quite intimately thanks to yearly pilgrimages (Boulder, CO and San Francisco come to mind) and have been north and south on the 5, east and west on the 10, the 15, and highways in between with stops in Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.  Plus, a few trips to Spain and France and Ecuador.  Peripatetic indeed!
- Other changes are more subtle - better food and drinking as I've developed a taste for dirty martinis and good beer, in addition to wine of both colors; creaking bones and more grey hairs but still enjoying fairly good health; a penchant for REI, Patagonia, and 'gear' in general; dressing better for work (that's actually kind of a bummer) while keeping up a great t-shirt collection and sock collection; doing more 'couples-things' while still being an individual; getting to run again; living in a one of the most boring towns in the world that happens to have access to so many adventures.

Maybe because I am so content with where I am now, I don't have a list of improvements for myself for the next decade.  While, yes, I am still not perfect and probably won't ever be (ha ha - the "probably" is a joke), I don't need dramatic changes in my life.  If they come about, positive and negative, I hope that I can manage them without a kerfuffle*, but maybe a bit of chaos will keep me on my toes, lest I become TOO content with my life.  That is the delicate balance for me, but I've struck a nice equilibrium at the moment.
We shall see how long I can sustain it!

Kerfuffle - A commotion or fuss.

Why a Tri?

So, the 2011 Wildflower Triathlon is JUST over a week away. I kind of want to throw up when I think about it, but that's okay, there's nothing like a nice case of nerves to motivate in one way or another. This will be my first and could possibly be my last triathlon. Not to be negative about it before the race even happens, but injuries have plagued my training. I am officially getting old, and my body likes to remind me of that fact!

However, while I have not enjoyed every moment of the training (like the flat tire yesterday afternoon), it has been a cool experience to FEEL myself gain strength, some power, and maybe a bit of confidence in the water and on the bike. As I consider whether I should continue running in the long term, I do hope to continue to swim and bike, even when I am not training for anything.

As for the question of 'WHY'... Since moving to the west coast years ago, I saw many friends and colleagues compete in triathlons. I experienced varying degrees of fascination and also envy when they recounted their exploits, believing that because of a bum knee I would never be capable of the swim/bike/run experience, never part of that exclusive club. Post-knee surgery, I didn't think "Oh, I now want to compete in a triathlon", but the idea slowly formed as one of those bucket-list items, a life experience that would offer a great mental and physical challenge and an opportunity to suffer plenty and learn something about myself. Oh, I could quell the envy that was directed towards other people and maybe win some bragging rights! So, full of hope and gusto, I signed up for the Wildflower Tri - Olympic Distance - waaaaay back in December.

These days, the bragging rights hope rarely comes into play. At this point in the game, or training, I just hope that I don't lose a tooth when a person kicks me in the face in the swim. I would also REALLY REALLY like to finish the swim, to not have a flat on the bike and to survive the wicked hills that everyone talks about it. If I can complete the run, that will be the icing on the cake, the cherry on top of the sundae, the bbq sauce on the meat. I find myself frequently wishing that I had trained better, smarter, harder, but this is where I am now. Also, realistically, I am not sure how I would have trained that much better.

Also, I'm quite certain that I would not have wanted to train that much more. So much for being hard-core! While I've increased strength and endurance (I think and hope) and have enjoyed the challenge of training, I've missed more walks with the dogs than I would have liked, have often left a warm bed and another warm bodyon a weekend morning, and we have yet to enjoy our first spring hike of 2011 because of my egotistical training schedule! I'm splitting hairs here, because I do believe that the pay-off will be - and already has been - worth it.

Still, there will be perks when I back off the swim, bike, run schedule. I might, however, miss my wicked metabolism...

Is it all worth it? Yes, at this point, but we'll see how next weekend goes!

As for this weekend, I do have swim, bike, run on the docket, but a massage is thrown in the mix. I can't wait!