headline

Training, racing, gear, facial hair styles and thoughts from my push to become an elite cyclist.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Back To It

Somehow no matter what happens on the weekend I end up being pretty worthless back at work on Monday. Maybe it’s the lack of focus, maybe it’s the fatigue, or maybe it takes a day or two for my brain to spin back up to optimal processing speed.

What’s funny is that the more I race and train the more I realize that it’s really a game of compromise. In one way or another you’re lying, whether it’s to yourself, your teammates or your boss.

A lie to yourself is something like “this isn’t a big deal- I can drive 4 hours back home after the race by myself,” or “this isn’t affecting my work at all- I’ve totally got it balanced.”

A lie to your boss would be along the lines of “so I’m traveling this weekend and I know you might need me but totally call my cell if you need anything. I should be available all weekend.”

And finally, a lie to your teammates would be “so work’s been kicking my ass, so I’m probably going to be worthless today.”

Being honest would be to tell yourself that you should try to carpool or skip a race if it’s too far. Being honest with your teammates would be to say that you’ve been staying up late worrying about whether or not your race bike needs new white tape and which embrocation you’ll use on race day. Being honest with your boss would be to tell him that you’re going to be total rubbish until Monday afternoon when you’ve gotten a mid-day nap and enough caffeine to kick start a hippopotamus.

So in the spirit of being honest, I'll be counting down the hours until I can go home and find a nice quiet spot on the couch to curl up and die.

No comments:

Post a Comment