Leaving two kids behind

This is the hardest thing I have ever done. The countdown is on. The kids have slept here for the last time; the places where we used to read books together are gone. Their toys are in boxes at their mom's house, or getting ready to be shipped across the ocean.

Daugther knows it's coming; when we talk on the phone she doesn't want to hang up, regardless of which TV shows are on. When she is over by us, she hangs on me, hugging me. She knows she is moving over this summer and has mixed feelings about it. I am sure she just wants her old life to continue but knows it won't happen.

Son doesn't now what's going on. I bet next time I see him, he will still wonder whether I live in the same house (and just stopped having him over). He doesn't think in terms of months or years. He has the same name for Wal-mart and Denmark.

I am leaving two kids behind and it's clouding my mind. I try to be as excited as I can be, for the Girl's sake. I can see why it has to be exciting for her to move to a new country and I want to be excited with her.

We seem to be leading a charmed life. Why are we leaving?

Cons:

Leaving two kids behind.
Living on the good end of unfair in America (ie. making x amount of money more than the CNA who has been there 20 years longer than me and works just as hard). I could never get used to that and just felt so damn guilty all the time.

Pros:

Medical training without the suicide hours. Heme is the cream.
The Lorax will grow up in Denmark.
Daughter will (eventually) re-connect with her Danish side.
The crisp summers. The ocean. The trails for running and biking. The long summer nights.
Traveling to America. A great place to be a tourist.
Being close to my Danish family.

End of my season

I'm injured. Right-sided tibial periostitis. Shin splint. Tried to run through it but the pain got worse. Took a few days off, ran a 5K tempo in a disappointing time (despite the forced taper) and the shin still hurts. Now, we we're going to Disney World with the kids and I am taking a week off from running.

This season was fun. Off the top of my head:

Started with a YMCA 5K this winter just below 17 minutes. That looked like it would be a good season.

Then came Chippewa Morraine 50, which didn't go well. Deep snow, cramps. Going from great to sucky in course of one mile. Looking back, I know exactly what I did wrong: I didn't eat or drink enough. When I should have run my own race, I stuck right behind the lead group until the halfway point. Maybe next year?

Then the St. Clare's half marathon. My time was 1.16, I think. I won, outsprinting a college runner, who was coming up behind me fast. This was with the 50K in my legs so it was a tough one but, boy, did it feel good. The time was bad, but the feel was good.

Then I am not sure what I ran.

In July, I won the Angel Island race in San Francisco. Very cool race. I ran the 25K and almost got the course record but got lost. That was probably the time I was in the best shape.

I wish I had run the 50K, though.

I ran an 18-minute 5K with the baby jogger, yielding many strange looks, later in July.

Then I ran (and won) two smaller 5Ks, both around 16:40, in August.

In September, I tried a 50-miler (North Country Trail Run) and started out very, very slowly. It worked, and I ended up passing a lot of people. Amazingly, this landed me the only money prize of the year ($50!!). That race was fun; I can't wait for my next ultra.

A few weeks ago, I ran a 10K in 34:45. Won it pretty easily. Without hills and with competition, I could have gone a lot faster. I thought that race showed that I could keep up the season a little longer but then I got injured.

So there you have it. A week off and building up to next year.