Dumbening

It is a wise father that knows his own child - William Shakespeare

I’ve said for years that I am following in the footsteps of Bart and Homer and have been slowly but surely becoming less intelligent. Sure, I am continually learning new things, but seemingly not as quickly as I am capable of forgetting others. Call it some form of early onset dementia or merely selective memory, but I’m becoming increasingly aware of what I don’t know which as it turns out is quite a lot.

I’m also beginning to accept that this, in fact, might be as good as it gets. My early-adulthood ambitions of living abroad, learning multiple languages or earning jillions of dollars might not come true anytime soon, if ever. Quite honestly, my chances of any of these are slim to none, and if none didn’t just leave town he’s surely just boarded the train and is awaiting its imminent departure.

Becoming a parent definitely puts things into a different perspective, and what I now want more than anything is to be a good father and husband. And even though I don’t see either my folks nearly as often as I would like, that my Dad lives in the unpronounceable city of Puyallup and my Mom is still as nutty as ever, I do feel extraordinarily thankful to both of them, and I take inspiration from both as I try to become a better parent.

I learn something new every single day from Oliver & Sadie. They look – as all children do – at life through a completely unfiltered lens, and if they’re not teaching me something I didn’t already know (a half roll of toilet paper cannot be flushed down the toilet in one flush, for instance), they are certainly helping me look at things differently. And I’d take these lessons any day over living abroad or a jillion dollars. Although with a jillion dollars we could buy a really big toilet which could flush a whole role of toilet paper at once…

So as I enter the third stage of Santa Life (three stages of a man's life: He believes in Santa Claus, he doesn't believe in Santa Claus, he is Santa Claus) and as I leave work early to make brownies with Oliver and prepare for drive-in movie night, I look forward to this afternoon’s lessons, whatever they may be.

So what does this have to do with triathlon? Possibly nothing, although I think it might be worth us all looking at how we approach the sport (and life), and perhaps doing so in a completely different way. As the saying goes: If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always got…

So get out there and do something different. Go out there and be a kid.

California Dreaming

I’m not a big fan of So Cal – especially LA – but there are some nice bits sprinkled amongst the never-ending sprawl and accompanying smog and La Jolla is definitely one of these bits. I’m assuming the fragile and eroding nature of the coast keeps developers at bay, and it’s nice to be in an area where I witnessed more lizards and rabbits than people. Of course, I realize most people are smarter than I am and most likely refrain from trail running in the cold and rain at 6am on a weekday morning.

And even thought my first 2 days witnessed more showers than sunshine, Torrey Pines was absolutely beautiful. My hotel balcony overlooked the pool, the golf course and ocean, so the daydreams came fast and furiously throughout my stay, and most involved running along the trails overlooking the ocean.

I ran a lot, and really couldn’t help myself given the opportunity: in three days I ran six times for a total of 43 miles. All slow, enjoyable miles, occasionally accompanied by other nut job runners who always put things in perspective and make me feel like I am a bit of a running under-achiever, although in more of an interesting or fascinating way rather than of an aspirational sort. One guy I ran with (Chuck Engle) has completed 191 marathons in the past 8 years, and last year completed 51 marathons…with an average time of 2:47. Makes one or two Ironman races in a calendar year look pretty pedestrian, no?

We all have our reasons for being active, but I think that at a certain point the activity itself starts to become more than a means to an end and begins defining a part of who we are. I’ve never considered myself a runner – and am not sure I ever will – though I do consider myself active. I’m more active than some and less active than others, but active enough to keep me happy and able to live a somewhat balanced lifestyle. My focus shifted from bike racing to triathlon 11 years ago, and I have been trying to figure out the right balance ever since. Training, strength exercises, diet, equipment, rest, etc…there’s always something to work on, and that’s one thing I love about this sport. It’s a puzzle with a seemingly infinite amount of possibilities, and along with these come the possibility for improvement, and thus begins the cycle of eternal optimism.

But I’m now back in WI, and the snow is once again falling, so these daydreams of possibility and the season ahead will have to wait. Right now I’m way too busy daydreaming of running in La Jolla.

Happiness

Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.
- Albert Schweitzer

It’s always surprising to me how frequently the sun shines here in the Midwest, at least compared to the SAD-infected Pacific Northwest of my youth. The sun seems to have a positive impact on my winter disposition even though I spend very little time in the sunshine. Yet here I sit looking at the sun – well, not directly at the sun – happy as can be, at least until I venture outside realize its only 8 degrees. As long as I divert my eyes upward and away from the snowbanks, I can keep the daydream going.

And to what do I owe my sunny disposition? Sunshine? My wonderful wife and family? The fact I am still employed (for now, at least)? God? Season V of Lost? Probably all of the above and more, but also because of triathlon, or more specifically, working out.

I’m not sure if it’s the endorphins, serotonin, or just the joy I get from moving, but I’ll take it. Mary frequently reminds me that I am like a dog: always happier after a walk (or run, or bike, or swim…take your pick). And she’s right. I’m not sure what the happiness pie chart looks like – or even what all the pieces are – but I’m willing to bet that exercise, at least for me, is a decent sized piece.

So until it warms up sufficiently and I can absorb my RDA of Vitamin D from the sun itself, I’ll keep taking multi-vitamins and plunking away in the pool, on the treadmill, and on the Computrainer. After all, it’s a pretty small price to pay for happiness.

Of course, I’ll still keep complaining about the weather, but I’ll be happier while I do it.