TGIF!!! I thought I was going to Phoenix tonight, but I just found out that a neighbor friend of my son's is coming over as his parents are coincidentally going to Phoenix. My wife is running in her first half marathon so the boys and I were going to surprise her at the finish line. I guess we will just have to congratulate her when she gets home.
I've got a ton of things I want to write about but don't want to scatter one post will a million different things like I normally do.
I've been thinking a lot about riding. Riding my bike. Why do I do it? With my back being in the mess it's in and cycling really being the thing that aggravates it the most, it scares me to think that one day I won't be able to ride. Cycling is really my out. It's my way of regaining focus and alleviating whatever stress the world may throw upon me.
I asked my cycling coach (he's became more of a life coach than a cycling coach) the same question. I appreciated his answer and asked if he cared if I posted his response here. So here ya go.
Great question. I am at a unique point. I mean my competitive past thoroughly explored and exhausted my performance potential and interest in racing. These days I ride sporadically. My main motivations are to ride with a friend or go out on an interesting day as I love weather and natural beauty. Every so often I take on a challenge like a trip to the dolomites in Italy (last year) and the training camp upcoming this May that provides a great goal for me to work towards. I do not need riding as an outlet as I find sitting in stillness to be similar that way. I do not identify with being an athlete and I enjoy the movement of riding or running on trails just for the experience itself.
I do feel fortunate for a couple of things, I am unable to carry extra weight so I don't have to maintain that through riding and also I get fit very quickly. These 2 things really afford me to put more energy into my diverse and modern "renaissance" works of writing, visual art and installations, coaching and being a partner and a parent. I just really enjoy a mix of things rather than repetition although I did manage to ride my bicycle around the Earth 8x or so ;-)
I do find the majority of family people with careers ride for health, weight management, time alone, stress release, socializing and taking on a warriors challenge. I am always carving at the life I want ;-)
Thanks for the reflection. Why don't you take the first live look of anyone at my new website: www.athletesoracle.com
Scott
I don't know Scott all that well except from the million Emails we have exchanged over the years. He recently put out a book called "Power to Awaken". For a simple minded guy like myself, it's a pretty deep read. I'm currently in the middle of it but I think will have to read it again to get the full meaning and benefit that I think is possible and expected. Just read one paragraph and you will see what kind of thinker Scott is.
I bring this up because in every email I have every received, you can tell Scott is content and at peace. I think it's something we would all love to attain, but the secret is how. Of course I have no clue because I am the king of stress. Even if its something that shouldn't be stressful, I find a way to make it stressful.
He sent me something earlier that he also posted in the email above......."Carve the life you want to live". I think that is part of the secret. If something doesn't pertain or help you reach the life you want, why keep in it your life? This is something you can only decide on your own. What's important, what's not? Don't let the little mundane things clog your life.
I mention this along with the question of 'why do I ride" for a reason. Cycling has always been a part of my life, but I'm realizing that it's not something that defines me. I of course always want to have the option of going for a ride. I love the way I feel after a long ride or a ride with friends. I love what I have gotten to see while on the bike. I hope my boys can find that same enjoyment, but I've learned and almost accepted that life is so much more. It comes down to Scott's saying, "Carve the life you want".
This is hard to explain, but a couple of weekends ago, Ryan my oldest had a basketball game. I missed the game so that I could go for a good ride with friends. This bugged me for days. While I enjoyed the ride, I missed something that is way more important. I can ride tomorrow, I can ride the next day, but I can't always see my 12 year old compete in a basketball game. I'm sure he will never remember the day I missed one of games (or maybe he will), but you can bet I will. So back to carving the life............I want a life carved that shows a dad who drops everything for his kids, that sees what's important to his wife, to have a positive effect on the lives he comes into contact with. Cycling has nothing to do with my life's plan. Sure I love it and will continue to do it as long as I possibly can, but I've realized life or what you want out of it is more important than I bike hanging in the garage, or 2 ,or 3:) .
Is any of this making sense? You have complete control over the life you want to design. Plan it then build it. No excuses. Sure there are obstacles along the way, but again, those obstacles are not what define you. They are just the bump in road.
Anyway, I could probably going on and on about this, but start carving that life that you want. No better time than the present.
I've got a ton of things I want to write about but don't want to scatter one post will a million different things like I normally do.
I've been thinking a lot about riding. Riding my bike. Why do I do it? With my back being in the mess it's in and cycling really being the thing that aggravates it the most, it scares me to think that one day I won't be able to ride. Cycling is really my out. It's my way of regaining focus and alleviating whatever stress the world may throw upon me.
I asked my cycling coach (he's became more of a life coach than a cycling coach) the same question. I appreciated his answer and asked if he cared if I posted his response here. So here ya go.
Great question. I am at a unique point. I mean my competitive past thoroughly explored and exhausted my performance potential and interest in racing. These days I ride sporadically. My main motivations are to ride with a friend or go out on an interesting day as I love weather and natural beauty. Every so often I take on a challenge like a trip to the dolomites in Italy (last year) and the training camp upcoming this May that provides a great goal for me to work towards. I do not need riding as an outlet as I find sitting in stillness to be similar that way. I do not identify with being an athlete and I enjoy the movement of riding or running on trails just for the experience itself.
I do feel fortunate for a couple of things, I am unable to carry extra weight so I don't have to maintain that through riding and also I get fit very quickly. These 2 things really afford me to put more energy into my diverse and modern "renaissance" works of writing, visual art and installations, coaching and being a partner and a parent. I just really enjoy a mix of things rather than repetition although I did manage to ride my bicycle around the Earth 8x or so ;-)
I do find the majority of family people with careers ride for health, weight management, time alone, stress release, socializing and taking on a warriors challenge. I am always carving at the life I want ;-)
Thanks for the reflection. Why don't you take the first live look of anyone at my new website: www.athletesoracle.com
Scott
I don't know Scott all that well except from the million Emails we have exchanged over the years. He recently put out a book called "Power to Awaken". For a simple minded guy like myself, it's a pretty deep read. I'm currently in the middle of it but I think will have to read it again to get the full meaning and benefit that I think is possible and expected. Just read one paragraph and you will see what kind of thinker Scott is.
I bring this up because in every email I have every received, you can tell Scott is content and at peace. I think it's something we would all love to attain, but the secret is how. Of course I have no clue because I am the king of stress. Even if its something that shouldn't be stressful, I find a way to make it stressful.
He sent me something earlier that he also posted in the email above......."Carve the life you want to live". I think that is part of the secret. If something doesn't pertain or help you reach the life you want, why keep in it your life? This is something you can only decide on your own. What's important, what's not? Don't let the little mundane things clog your life.
I mention this along with the question of 'why do I ride" for a reason. Cycling has always been a part of my life, but I'm realizing that it's not something that defines me. I of course always want to have the option of going for a ride. I love the way I feel after a long ride or a ride with friends. I love what I have gotten to see while on the bike. I hope my boys can find that same enjoyment, but I've learned and almost accepted that life is so much more. It comes down to Scott's saying, "Carve the life you want".
This is hard to explain, but a couple of weekends ago, Ryan my oldest had a basketball game. I missed the game so that I could go for a good ride with friends. This bugged me for days. While I enjoyed the ride, I missed something that is way more important. I can ride tomorrow, I can ride the next day, but I can't always see my 12 year old compete in a basketball game. I'm sure he will never remember the day I missed one of games (or maybe he will), but you can bet I will. So back to carving the life............I want a life carved that shows a dad who drops everything for his kids, that sees what's important to his wife, to have a positive effect on the lives he comes into contact with. Cycling has nothing to do with my life's plan. Sure I love it and will continue to do it as long as I possibly can, but I've realized life or what you want out of it is more important than I bike hanging in the garage, or 2 ,or 3:) .
Is any of this making sense? You have complete control over the life you want to design. Plan it then build it. No excuses. Sure there are obstacles along the way, but again, those obstacles are not what define you. They are just the bump in road.
Anyway, I could probably going on and on about this, but start carving that life that you want. No better time than the present.
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