First, Anna and Jason, sorry it took so long to post the video. For some reason, I lost all of the videos I recorded on our ride to Akuna Bay. I did get a video of you two walking your bikes up to the Harbour Bridge, is that useful? We'll have to go on another ride and I'll make it right. It's ironman race week and I'm tapering, thus leaving me a lot of time to sit around and reflect. Since most of y'all are all busy working 40 hour (or plus) weeks, leaving little time for your own reflection, I thought I would share some perspectives.
• I haven't worked in 49 days, and though this probably sounds great to most of you who are working right now, I have to say that I miss work. Meaningful work provides good structure and gives you purpose. I miss teaching. I think I had a good balance of work, training, and playing.
• Though I've been to some pretty amazing places where I would like to live, home for me is where my family is.
• I've come to realize who my true friends are on this trip, and the number of years I've known a person is irrelevant.
• Two weeks ago, I was sitting on a plane about to land on the Gold Coast, not knowing a single person. There was nobody at the airport to pick me up, I had never been to where I was going, and I had no idea what roads to ride, what pools to swim, or what trails to run. And I had to call this place home for two weeks. It's good to push your boundaries and get out of your comfort zone.
• I have a new respect for people who don't own cars and who take public transportation.
• I have a new respect for people who live in foreign countries and who live away from their families.
• Plan, do your best and what you can, and whatever happens is meant to happen. Accept it, problem solve, and move on.
I'm made some laughable mistakes during this taper, including getting lost and running 18K instead of 13K, going on a 90K group bike ride and forgetting my water bottles, and joining a swim squad for an ocean open water swim, and getting stuck swimming a 6K. But Charisa gave me the best advice by saying, "Who cares! As long as it's fun." And yes, it was all fun. The big picture is that all of this is still less than what I was doing for the past five weeks and well, read my last perspective above. I have more to say about the upcoming ironman, and I'll blog my thoughts closer to race day. I'm going to leave y'all with some pictures of my first beach day here in Oz. The beach is called Tamarama, and it's in between Bondi and Bronte. I do a lot of my ocean swims here with my friend Scott, John and the TOSS (Tamarama Ocean Swim Squad) group. I'll catch up with y'all next when I'm up in Port Macquarie, the site of Ironman Australia.
3 comments:
Interesting timing to say that you miss work on a Monday. A LOT of people are cursing you. Not me though. Oooooh noooooo.
I get the you miss work thing.
Dude, that swim squad sounds awesome. Do they do all their swims in the ocean as the name suggests?
You are ready brother! I have no doubt, your return to long course will be a triumphant one!
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