I guess that sometimes Life is all a matter of perspective. If you look at somebody from behind, ask them to turn around and see what you think about them then.  It seems we are always confronted with understanding how to deal with the reality of changing.  Sometimes we have a choice and sometimes we do not. And looking at that change is a matter of how we look at it and if we are able to change our perspective and view it from another side.  It is easy to say, but hard to do. Hard because we all have emotion that attaches itself to how things are or how we want them to be. Hearing opinions contrary to what our emotions tell us gets our perspective all jacked up. Where am I going with this? The company that I work for is going through a bit of a change in the sales culture that dramatically impacts me. On one hand it is forcing my hand about something and on the other hand it is not really requiring me to do anything different right this moment.  It is hard to see a slow moving storm on the horizon and not know if that storm is coming towards you or going around you. All you can do is wait. My gut and emotion tell me to be upset. My ego tells me to be defensive. But my head is telling me to be the leader and give the storm everything that I have in hopes of proving it differently. The perspective we fight within ourselves is often the toughest to handle. This sandwich board with this message caught me off guard a little bit.  The intent was about physical health. But my perspective of it came from what I am going through.  The beauty is that it agrees with my head. It tells me to take action because not taking the opportunity to do so leaves me right where I am right now. Inactivity doesn’t change anything.  Sometimes the simplest message can latch on and impact us and sometimes it just flies right by us.  Often times we are only open to hearing or seeing everyting when we are feeling a little bit vulnerable. I feel a little vulnerable right now, but I now know what to do. That makes me feel empowered. I changed my perspective. Maybe just a little bit, but that might be all it takes.

Sometimes life is just so simple.

IMG_0857[1], originally uploaded by barnidgemp.

We had a great time in Door County. Lots of beach time, lots of family, lots of food, a little beer, and a little riding. I even got a massage from a little old lady. However, I wish she would have used her elbows and really worked hard on my shoulder. All in all we had a great time. Grady got to play with all of his cousins and spent a lot of time talking about them. You never know when life is about to change so it is important to enjoy those times that we are all together.  I try to never take for granted what I have right in front of me right now. It is truly the only situation that I can impact. There is no way to impact all that will happen tomorrow because we don’t know if we will get to see tomorrow.  I love my family and we all had a great time with each other.

(you should be able to view the rest of the set here)

T1: Standard Operating Procedure here. Maybe a little slow because I made sure to put socks on and take my time grabbing the proper stuff. As I ran from the swim to the run, my neck and left shoulder/shoulder blade, tightened up considerably. This would stay with me the rest of the race.

BIKE: The bike started with a grassy climb out of transition followed by 4 miles on the road to double track to singletrack and back to the road to transition. I settled in on the road and tried to nail my nutrition with Endurolytes, Hammer Gel, and water. I felt good going into the singletrack. However, I made a mistake in the singletrack. I spent way too much time recovering and not enough time passing people. I didn’t know the trail at all and so I was a little timid. Following people felt more comfortable. I realized that my skill level on the bike was much higher than the people in front of me. So I slowly started to pick people apart and pass them. Unfortunately, this started too late. I should have started passing people immediately. This really would have helped me set my own pace and make up some time. The trail itself is great. Good singletrack, some roots, some hills, and lots of good tight sections. I would definitely ride this trail on its own.

T2: I left the speed laces for my running shoes at home. Stupid mistake.  They make things so easy. The transition was ok, but as I dismounted my bike, I felt my hamstring come to life and threaten to cramp. Again, the transition was SOP. A little slow, but I felt ok about it.

RUN: The run started the same way as the bike – running up the grassy hill and onto the road towards the trail. The trail itself was exactly what an XTERRA should be. Hilly with lots of cool rocky sections. There were some tough hills, especially as we got back onto the road for the second loop. The first loop went pretty well. I still felt good. The second loop was tough because the sun was really out at this point. It got really hot and I started to feel myself overheat a little bit. I was reduced to a walk in some spots. The risk is just too much for me. I would rather walk than force myself forward in the heat. Unfortunately, I saw two people run past me on the run that were in my age group. Depressing, because I know I would have beat them. Oh well. Live and learn, but most importantly, live to race another day.

Overall I was 6/13 in my age group and 25/86 overall.