Musings

Something Had to Give

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A big chunk of what I want to do with The Outdoor Journey is to help my fellow multisport endurance athletes find balance. Balance among the many sports in which we train and compete. Balance within our training, family, and work commitments. And perhaps, most important of all, finding balance within.

In other words, how to find your edge and dance upon it.

I’m at the point where I’m no longer dancing on my edge. I’m stumbling to stay upright and am about to fall into the abyss.

For the past two years, I’ve attempted to juggle training, a 40+ hours per week job, this blog, a web consulting business, software application “how to” author, as well as feeble efforts to be a noble husband, dedicated father to two daughters, and leader to my running buddy and bird-chasing partner Max.

If that weren’t enough, this past spring I decided to make a run at medical school in 2010 on top of everything else. This effort requires me to cram in about 55 hours of pre-med courses in the the next 2-1/2 years: chemistry, physics, calculus, and biology. (Oh yeah, I was an English major during my undergrad years in the late 80s precisely because my math and science skills weren’t that strong.)

This semester, I’m trying to squeeze in 11 credit hours of those evil sciences; one credit shy of a full-time student.

Fortunately, I have an “A” in two of my three classes and am barely hanging on to a “B” in chemistry. Where I’m going, if I have a “C,” it’s game over. I need to knock my next chem exam on Tuesday out of the ballpark.

Something has to give.

And it has.

Actually, it’s not one thing, it’s all of them. At best, I’m excelling at mediocrity in all of my commitments. That will only ensure that I fail at everything.

The only part of my life I can scale down is training and it has suffered since the fall semester began. Barely 90 minutes of cardio a week over the past six weeks.

With that in mind, I’m calling my first official DNS for this weekend’s Pumpkinman. My battle with my nemesis will have to wait until we are reunited at the Rage in the Sage 2008.

With those few hours of training time, I surprisingly had no qualms going into the race this weekend. What tipped the scales for not going, however, was time. Even doing a sprint distance race is a half-day affair for the entire family when it’s all said and done. That’s a half day I can’t afford to lose right now. That’s a half day of triage I can use to try and restore some of that balance.

Am I giving up on triathlon?

Hell no. Even though my tri season has now ended, I’m a multisport athlete, baby. That season doesn’t end until the Mt. Taylor Quad in February 2008! Between now and then, I have a half marathon on tap at the Las Vegas Marathon in December and then the closer at Mt. Taylor.

How will I find time to train for those if I can’t train for a sprint triathlon?

Good question.

I’ll figure that out once I get through this next chemistry exam.

Just one step at a time. Just one step at a time.

Find your edge and dance upon it.

hak

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