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Week 26: The Grind, Perspective from Wise Cousins, and 50k By the Numbers
I knew I was forgetting something last night!
Here we go!
Exclamation points!
Leadership
I’ve gone back to my writing roots a little bit and have been irregularly writing with the January Ship30for30 cohort. And while it’s been great to get back to semi-daily writing, I took last week off. I didn’t write anything all week.
The sun came up anyway. Groceries and DoorDash got delivered as normal. Nobody even cared.
While it’s usually helpful to put thoughts down after experiences like my first ultramarathon last weekend, this one took a little longer for those thoughts to percolate.
Taking some time to unpack my experiences from last weekend was necessary.
I almost wrote “a necessary evil.”
Until it hit me. Am I one of these grind-all-the-time-until-you-fucking-die people? Like, in real life?
No.
No, I am not.
I’m as lazy as humanly possible while still trying to live a happy and healthy life of big, hairy, audacious goals.
In typical fashion, I want it all without all the work.
But I also know the shortcut is a lie. The “life hack” is a lie. The easy road is a lie.
On the other hand, growing beyond our previous limitations necessitates rest and recovery.
So how do we achieve equilibrium? How do we get the Yin with the Yang?
Well, for one thing we quit worrying about balance all the time like this essay is doing right now.
And we go back to being present in what we’re doing.
Whether that’s pushing our boundaries in the woods. Or recuperating with our families on the couch.
Be totally there.
Then again, the year is already 1/12 over.
And for most of us in the professional world, the clock never really stops these days.
Mostly working from home has a lot of perks, but separation of work-life and home-life takes some finesse.
I never really identified strongly with what my job was. Until it became what I also did at home.
Or maybe if we’re ambitious we’re always becoming something else; striving for some greater version of ourselves.
Food for thought to come back to later…
Philosophical Dad Stuff
It was 3:52am when the little one jumped on me, interrupting a desperately needed REM cycle.
The weekend that was started off in big fashion, after sending him back to his room (leaving all the doors open), then playing in his bed until kicking his foot and crying.
And with that, we were up for the day.
Fast forward to the end of the weekend and I was done. Spent. Empty.
I was completely out of energy and patience.
My wife is traveling for work again, so it’s just me and the boys.
This morning I got the kids ready for school, then almost cheerfully (for a Monday) went to work.
I’m ashamed to admit I was looking forward to the relative peace.
Then I asked a cousin of mind how a birthday party was this past weekend. After the usually saying it was great and we had fun, he mentioned how both of their kids (now adults) came home to join the celebration.
With that, proper perspective was restored.
I always say the best part of my day when my wife is away is picking those kids up from school after work.
Today I was reminded of why. The day isn’t terribly far off when they’ll walk, or take the bus, or drive themselves.
And one day a little bit past that, a time in life when my birthday will be made just by them being in the room.
What a life.
Couch to Ultramarathon…and Beyond
“50k” by the numbers.
Start time: Sunday January 14, 08:00am
Temperature at start: 7°F ,-14°C
Total distance run: 32.79 miles, 53 kilometers
Total ascent: 2,867 feet; 874 meters
50k time: 7 hours, 6 minutes, 46 seconds
Total run time: 7 hours, 33 minutes, 54 seconds
Calories burned: 4,265
Calories consumed: ~300 (NOT GOOD BOB)
Temperature at finish: 12°F, -11°C
Total falls: 2
Steps for the day: 69,928 (nice)
Lessons learned: Countless.
Experience gained: Priceless.
“The destiny of man is not measured by material computations. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits and not animals. There’s something going on in time and space and beyond time and space, that like it or not, spells duty.” -Winston Churchill
Live triumphantly. See you next week.