Are You Living It?

Many of my non-triathlete friends are amazed at how I manage to work and get in all my training. They just can’t imagine how it can be done. I tell them it’s all about priorities. As an age-grouper with a full-time job, there’s barely enough time in my day to get everything done. Truth be told, that never actually happens. No matter how much I accomplish each day, there is always something left undone. The key is prioritization. What’s important to you in life? Some things are always “A” priorities. Your job, your spouse and kids, life’s daily requirements that we must attend to in order to live to see tomorrow. After that, it’s up to the individual. For me, it’s training and everything that goes along with it. After I’ve fulfilled the requirements of my job, my day is planned around swimming, biking and running. Laundry? Groceries? Clean the house? Mow the lawn? I fit them in as need be, but not until I’ve taken care of my training needs. I’ve found that you always find time to get this other “stuff” done during the cracks and crevices of your day. First, however, I nail my workouts. I map out my training around work. I schedule it like a doctor’s appointment. It’s right there in my planner. I know what I’ll be doing and when. No excuses.

When I’m on my deathbed looking back over my life, what will make me proudest? The fact that my lawn was always neat and tidy? Hardly. I’ll remember climbing a mountain on my bike, seeing the sunrise during an early morning run, all the great venues where I’ve raced, and all the great people I’ve met through this sport.