Blogging As Graffiti With Punctuation Or Love Letters To The Biosphere

Hi folks,

In every old dog there’s a young buck trying to get out. View from my kitchen window today, with another message from the Universe for FitOldDog.

I was riding my bike the other day, and my focus was relaxation, so what happens? My right calf tightens up. So what do I do? I ask Rebecca to fix it! We love to pass our problems onto other people, but then again, outsourcing can be the road to a happy life – just read ‘The Four Hour Work Week,’ by Tim Ferriss. In response to my request for assistance our conversation ranged through tight bike shoes, biomechanics, my injury history, and the possibility that ‘nervousness’ about how my upcoming Ironman race might be playing a role. After about ninety minutes work on my calf, and lots of talk about the psychology of endurance racing, or endurance dancing in Rebecca’s case, I left feeling a whole lot better about the race. It seems that the real trick is to not lose sight of why you are doing what you are doing. In my case the Ironman is all about being still in the game of life and having as much fun as I can. I left that session feeling that what my tight calf was all about was going on in my head, and maybe just loosening up those bike shoes a bit.

Victor, of Bicycle Lab, after checking out FitOldDog’s bike on the road, and all seems to be well, but we’ll see about the engine on July 22nd, 2012

Earlier that day I visited Victor, my bike guy, to pick up my bike with a new chain and all that pre-race stuff. During the visit I mentioned my tight calf, and he said, “Kevin, it is probably pre-race nerves, and you don’t need to worry, you’ve done it five times before and you have a solid base, and that is what carries you through. Just have faith in yourself.” I found this interesting, as I tend to be pretty confident, but some days I wonder why I write all these blog posts.

Interesting, this morning I was having one of those days – “Why DO I write all these blog posts?” I was having a moment of self-doubt. Then I went to my site, and in the comments was the following, from Eamon, of the Holistic Triathlete, “Great blog, lots to digest here.” It was remarkable how this comment buoyed my spirits.

I guess no Ironman is an Island. Furthermore, I realized, based on some comments I’ve received recently, that my blog inspires some people, so this inspiration may change their life in a positive way, and thus influence their friends and their friends, and their pets and what they eat, and it will spread to the rest of the Biosphere with positive energy, and maybe even make the Chemosphere more content, so maybe my blogging is not such a bad idea?

Thanks, Rebecca, Victor and Eamon for getting my mind back on track and my young buck confidently back in the race.

OK! That’s enough blather, I’m busy packing for Placid, so I’ve got to go.

-k @FitOldDog