Is Training like Waiting?

I’ve been running every day since coming home from vacation. See, I have a goal I want to accomplish. I want to finish the Peak Ascent in around 4 hours. This race is a run up Pikes Peak (13 miles up). That would mean finishing at 14,115 feet! So, I’ve been at the gym, I’ve been swimming, I’ve been biking and I’ve been lifting weights. I’ve been following a gluten free diet and I’ve been really focused on training.

The other day Caroline, my 6 year old, was having a hard day. She woke up really grumpy and it went from bad to worse. Around 2 pm, the meltdown went into full swing. I sat her on my lap and we talked about what was happening. I invited her to the gym so she could play and I could run. That launched into a conversation about why I’ve been working so hard.

I explained to her that I had set a goal for myself. I wanted to run my race and do it well. To do so, I had to prepare and train. I talked about all the hard work that goes into running a good race.

She didn’t go to the gym with me but instead opted to do a puzzle with Mimi. That conversation floated in my brain during my run though. Our goal for all this adoption work is to have a baby. Bring a daughter home and become part of our family, the Monbergs. To get there requires a lot of work and training.

Just like running and training isn’t always fun, and the gluten free diet is really not so much fun!, all this adoption paperwork and waiting feels the same. But, I know that come August 17, I’ll be so glad to have put all the hours into the race when I hit that last mile. I think that will be the same when we get on the plane to Ethiopia and bring that little girl home!