Lots to talk about today. First, Flotrack just posted a workout video that they made from my pre 25k Champs workout a few weeks back. It’s nothing crazy, just a 3-mile tempo, but if you’re interested to watch, here’s the link: https://www.flotrack.org/training?playing=6206334
Second: On Memorial Day, I ran in the Elite Race of the Bolder Boulder. The results are not what I had hoped they would be, I was 15th overall, the 4th American, and ran 30:04. My best finish at the Bolder Boulder came in 2016 when I was 6th and ran 29:54. Coming in, my goal was to better one or both of those marks, which did not happen and that makes me sad. I think, I gave away too much distance from the leaders and too many seconds in the 3rd and 4th miles. I was trying to find that relaxed effort where you can just kind of flow through a course, but I think I let off the gas a little bit after I got separated from the lead pack. I am proud of how I closed the last 2 miles and I am happy that I was able to pull a few people back. Growing up in Colorado, the Bolder Boulder was always one of my favorite events, and it’s one that I would like to come back to every year that I feel fit enough to perform at a level worthy of the event. While I certainly didn’t run poorly, it definitely sucks to not run an A race at an event that I care very deeply about. If you want to see my splits and the splits from the whole pro race you can go here: bbpro.onlineraceresults.com
Third: No races on the horizon as I am currently taking a break. This next few weeks will be filled with camping and eating out and beers while I recover from my spring season and recharge before a fall season where I go back to the Marathon. Which marathon? I don’t know, and even if I did, I couldn’t tell you because contracts and shit.
Ok, on to the piece:
Irony is when a situation yields the opposite result of what you expect. Usually, however, the word ironic is used interchangeably with the word coincidental. Which is very incorrect. Coincidental is when two things just happen to be related to each other. Which is a different phenomenon. It’s actually ironic that so many people make this mistake given that the number of required years that students have to sit in English classes has increased pretty steadily over the last 50 years.
I’m not here to talk about the differences between irony and coincidence. But, sadly, I have to because if you don’t know what irony is, and sadly I expect many people don’t, you’re not gonna understand what I am talking about in this piece. And I don’t want you to be lost, more than I don’t want to give an English lesson. So, here are some examples of irony:
A character in a play toasting to everyone’s health as they all unwittingly drink poisoned wine. Shouts to Shakespeare
People tweeting about how social media is ruining society. Shouts to angry people on the internet.
Me struggling to think of a third example of irony after lamenting the fact that many people don’t understand irony. Apologies to Mr. Granberry my 11th grade English teacher.
Ok, so we’re all on the same page about what irony is. Great! Because something very ironic has come up and I want to tell you about it. I’ve become attached to my streak of consecutive days meditated.
As of this writing, I have meditated for 193 days in a row. For 193 days, I have sat down on couches, planes, in cars, on floors, and hotel rooms. Each of those days, I have fired up the Headspace app on my phone and then taken some time to focus on my breath and be in the present moment (And yes, I do see the irony of using a smart phone, something that takes my attention away from the present more than any other distraction in my life, as a vehicle for practicing mindfulness. Please stay tuned for further irony). For 193 days I’ve practiced letting go of the past, not worrying about the future, and just being where ever I am, right there at that moment. In case you’re still not clear on the concept of irony, the ironic part hasn’t come yet. The irony is that as my streak has grown, as I have learned more about mindfulness and being in the present moment, I’ve grown more attached to my streak. Now, mindfulness teaches us that things like streaks, shouldn’t matter. I know that those 193 previous days don’t influence the present moment. I’ve told myself, “the past is a memory, the future is an idea, all that matters is now” a bunch of times. But I still can’t let go of my pride in my streak and my hope that it will go on forever, or at least 365 days, I’d be psyched with 365 days.
There I go again, getting ahead of myself when it comes to staying in the present.
Thank you for reading this Off Course Mini, if you have questions or comments or just want to reach out, feel free to hit me up on Twitter or Instagram or comment under this post. If you want to reach out to say something mean to me, that’s cool too. My accounts that I have made and designated for negativity are, @OregonPJT on Twitter and oregontf on Instagram, hit me up! Go Portland Pilots! No matter if you like, dislike, or don’t care about me or my writing, please buy Hoka One One shoes, because I care about your feet, and GU Energy Labs food stuffs, because I care about your fueling.