Keeping it Real

I thought I'd take a moment to talk about the importance of keeping it real. In my humble opinion we all need to step back from our busy lives and keep it real. When things are moving fast or seemingly going out of control...take a step back and think about the big picture. In the broad scheme of it most of us are not brain surgeons, were not working on the cure for cancer, and were not the president of the United States. On a daily basis we aren't saving lives..so put it into perspective, your work will be there the next day. If only all people could gain that perspective...then we wouldn't have crazed bosses/co-workers who think that the job their doing today is the end all be all..bc I have a newsflash for all of them, IT'S NOT! As a society I firmly believe the working mentality that has developed has gone way to far..of course we should work hard and try to excel to the best of our abilities at what we do...but we need balance...its human nature to need time with family and friends without the pressures of deadlines. So its just my opinion but we all need to just chill...go out and do something you enjoy, we don't really have all that much time here on earth, as morbid as that sounds its pretty much the truth. I mean why spend your precious time doing something you don't want to or don't love. I struggle with this a lot. I am constantly searching for a way to incorporate my passions into a paying job..why? because unfortunately we all need money to survive in this world that we live in. I know that the last time I checked, Wegman's wasn't accepting rocks as payment. I just hope that in the near future I find a job where I am happy, a job where I look forward to each day, a job where I can be creative and have a hand in the finished result, because lets face it, when you have something invested into a job, a project, training, etc.. etc.. it makes it all the better when you finish what you were working on. Just look at it this way..I can say that I never really "enjoyed" running in the past...it was one of those things I did occasionally to keep in shape...I'd get motivated for a stretch and run everyday...but then I'd lose that motivation because I really didn't have anything to keep me going. This was before I started running the random 5k and before I had the time to devote to Triathlon. However, now that I have a focus, a purpose...I find joy in getting out and running...I set goals, paces, times, etc...and it makes the runs flow by much easier....I don't know if I could have imagined a couple of years ago going out and running for 2 hours...but hey when you have your heart set on something it can give your mind the boost it needs to focus and keep you putting one foot in front of the other without the thought of dread.

Kind of along the same line of thinking the reason I began writing this post was to tell you about what I am doing this weekend and how my plans have changed. Originally I was going to swim this morning and run a 5k this afternoon..that has not changed. However, tomorrow I had planned to do a 20 minute time trial on my bike. This was all well and good because I did not have anything else planned. Things change though. While at my favorite bike shop, Towpath, I was talking to my friend Scott (the owner) I can say friend now, I very much consider him a good buddy and I hope he feels the same way. I have really enjoyed learning all kinds of things about the biking world from him. He's a really good dude that has been extremely generous, plus he doesn't mind me hanging around the shop and shooting the shit...probably one of my favorite past times If I have the free time...plus who knows what kind of tips I'll come across while chilling at the bike shop...anyways he wanted me to do a cyclocross race on Sunday. At first I was like..idk I have a TT on my bike scheduled. As you may know I am a pretty scheduled person and I don't really like to change things once I have set them. However, I was like..well I really wanna do this and Scott was super excited for me to do it...so I told him hell yeah I'll give it a shot. At this point I'd just like to say one big advantage of having a coach look at what I do on regular basis for me is that I can shoot her an email saying..im gonna do a race on Sunday instead of the TT, is that cool? and her response is "Hell Yes, tear it up" or something like that. I say this bc even though i knew that would be her response I still appreciate the validation. I mean really my big TRI races are not until next spring..I have plenty of time..which leads me back to my original point...I'm trying to keep it real..and live in the moment. If theres a race that pops up that sounds fun...why not go and do it! You know its going to be a great time. I mean seriously, otherwise I'd be out on a road alone peddling as fast as I an for 20 min and then i'd be done...woofrigginhoo...I can't pass up a chance to try out a new sport..CYCLOCROSS (why do they spell it like that, shouldn't it be Cyclecross?, I mean I've never heard of a bicyclo..have you? whatever...It will be the first time i've ever attempted it..my buddy's letting me borrow his bike that's prolly worth more than me..so I'll be a bit nervous but what the hell..I think he trusts me...so I'll trust myself...So that's what I'm doing on Sunday...Im keeping it real, putting training on hold...but in reality I am not putting it on hold..im just changing the venue..thats's what Lance does. If you question me, just search the web to see lance mountain biking, racing cyclocross..doing things other than road racing..and you know what that helps him do? win the freaking tour de france!, a road race..This just goes to show you that a person fluent in many aspects of their respective profession is ALWAYS THE best asset. I could go on and on about this as well...like the person who is an accountant but has no people skills....great! they can sit at a desk and count crap all day..have at it! That's not me I may not know every single regulation or interpretation but someday when they actually let me speak for the company to the client...I bet I'll be damn good add it..I think deep down I'm a salesperson..If I believe in what I am doing I think I can be quite convincing..so here's to the hope of finding that mythical job that allows me to flourish!

Tip of the Day: Just have fun today. Do something you love.

that's all for now..time to get ready to hit the pool!

if you in rochester today stop by the Johnnys Run Like Hell 5k on culver...

Im out

-MjC