In the two weeks since my last blog post, I have not done the training volume I would have liked. My left leg is still giving me issues while running and my work life has gotten very busy. I am a tax professional at a local CPA firm in Santa Barbara. February through April 15 is the busiest time of year, consistently doing 60-70 hour weeks. It becomes harder to wake up early to train before work as the tax season goes on. But I have the big goal of the Tahoe 200 race in June. So I have to find ways to increase my training volume. 

One weekday morning I decided to ride my bike to the close by Farren Road. I do a lot of running on this road and, recently, a lot of bike riding. It’s a 2.5 mile road with about 650 feet of vertical, that ends at a large private farm property. The landscape is beautiful coastal farmland on rolling hills. I love it. 

This particular morning was dark and wet. I planned to ride to the start of the road and do a short out n back run on the hills. Then ride back home. However, once I got done with my run, I discovered that my bike had been taken. In the 10 minutes I was away running, someone had stolen my bike. I panicked. And then I got very frustrated with myself. How could I be so stupid to leave my bike unsecured? But what were the odds a thief would be around the country road on a rainy weekday morning at 6am? 

I started walking home and called my wife to come pick me up. As I trotted along the side of the road looking for my wife’s car, my mind spiraled out of control with thoughts of frustration, anger, and sadness. It seemed like many things were going wrong recently. I had recently lost my wedding ring on a trail run. My wife’s bike was stolen from our house about 6 months prior. My trekking poles were stolen during a hike last summer. Now my bike was stolen. And my leg is injured. And work is very stressful. When my wife brought me back home, I had a deep cry in the shower. I felt trapped by unfortunate events surrounding my spirit.

My 28th birthday happened to be in the middle of this stressful week. I received sweet messages from my family and friends. But the stress of work topped, with the theft of my bike, seemed to outweigh the positivity. However, later that week, fellow trail runner Jon asked me where I wanted to eat for a birthday dinner that weekend. He had already invited several other fellow runners and I just needed to pick a place to eat. Well, it was also my wife’s birthday recently, so she also got some input. We chose an Indian restaurant that we had been wanting to try for some time. 

Several friends came to dinner and the food was delicious. It was a joyous occasion. They got me and a Kerong a large bundt cake and topped it with candles. Helen made us a handmade birthday card with an intriguing sketch of the Joshua Tree landscape, the location of a recent trail adventure. The night filled my heart with joy. 

And I have since purchased a new gravel bike. And a lock. I still need to cross-train my endurance while my leg recovers. And I need to be more careful about losing my belongings.