The Long Trip

“It has been a long trip,” said Milo, climbing onto the couch where the princesses sat; “but we would have been here much sooner if I had not made so many mistakes. I’m afraid it’s all my fault.”

“You must never feel badly about making mistakes,” explained Reason quietly, “as long as you take the trouble to learn from them. For you often learn more by being wrong for the right reasons than you do for being right for the wrong reasons.”

“But there is so much to learn,” he said, with a thoughtful frown.

“Yes, that’s true,” admitted Rhyme; “but it’s not just learning things that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learned things at all that matters.”

“That’s just what I mean,” explained Milo as Tock and the exhausted bug drifted quietly off to sleep. “Many of the things I’m supposed to know seem so useless that I can’t see the purpose of learning them at all.”

“You may not see it now,” said the Princess of Pure Reason, looking knowingly at Milo’s puzzled face, “but whatever you learn has a purpose and whatever we do affects everything and everyone else, even in the tiniest way. Why, when a housefly flaps his wings, a breeze goes round the world; when a speck of dust falls to the ground, the entire planet weighs a little more; and when you stamp your foot, the earth moves slightly off its course. Whenever you laugh, gladness spreads like the ripple in a pond; and whenever you’re sad, no one anywhere can really be happy. And it’s much the same with knowledge, for whenever you learn something new, the whole world becomes much richer.”

“And remember, also,” added the Princess of Sweet Rhyme, “that many places you would like to see are just off the map and many things you want to know are just out of sight or a little beyond your reach. But someday you’ll reach them all, for what you learn today, for no reason at all will help you discover the wonderful secrets of tomorrow.”

---from The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Rock and Roll San Diego Marathon on Sunday marks the end of a 2 year, 5 marathon journey and will serve as the launching point for my next adventure (Ironman).

Making the transition from "weekend athlete" to runner has been amazing. I have experienced the highs and lows of running, I have taken the good alongside the bad. I have run through all imaginable elements, rain and snow, hot and cold. I have run through pain and injury. I have run when angry, tired and just plain giddy. Running hs become a part of who I am. I can't imagine life without it.

Running has taught me a thing or two about life as well. It has changed who I am. It will continue to change me. Running has proven to me that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. It has shown me that dreams do come true if you are willing to make the sacrifices.

I don't know what to expect in San Diego. I want to run the good race. I want to give it my best. I want to break the 5 hour mark.

But more importantly, I want to see the places that are just off the map. I want to see the things just out of sight or beyond my reach. I want to discover the wonderful secrets of tomorrow. And I know that some how, some way, running will help make these things happen. Not necessarily today, or tomorrow, or Sunday. But definitely some day.