Off-season Isn't Really Off

The leaves are beginning to change color.  

     It feels like Fall is finally here.  Yes, the weather does change here in San Diego, but it's much more nuanced than say, Minneapolis.  We don't get drastic variances in temperature or precipitation from season to season.  But the changes are still there if you pay attention. The air has a little bit more of a bite to it.  The light also has a different quality to it.  It seems more horizontal, like late afternoon sunlight.  The pace of life seems to change as well.  It has a different energy to it - more relaxed in some ways, but more focused in others.  

I had fun with this photo.  I really liked the starkness of this dead tree against the backdrop of the sky.  The original photo was quite light and the sky was obviously blue, but I like exaggerated colors and strong contrast so I pushed boundaries of what this photo could be during editing.  Plus, I feel like the otherworldly color and lighting is more in keeping with the subject.  

     With the change in season I am working away diligently with my athletes.  This is the time of year that I look forward to as a coach because it means I can really get down to work and make some serious functional changes.  What's funny about racing season is that it's all but impossible to make any real fundamental progress in terms of performance.  The irony of racing is that as hard as it may be at times, it really isn't very good training.  Yes, it can be quite beneficial in small doses, but for the most part, it's a lot of work spent at a level that isn't hard enough.  The reality of pushing forward is that to get the most out of what you are doing, you really have to go out and crack yourself - repeatedly.  In races, the main goal is NOT to crack.  During the Fall and Winter the focus can fully on training and I can put together a steady progressive overload that sends my athletes repeatedly to the edge of what they are capable of.  The reality of things is that off-season isn't really off.  In fact, for me it's the busiest time of year.

Bryan Larsen setting up for a one legged leg press.

Bike fit adjustments with Erick Sobey.

      In addition to my coaching work, I am still cranking away at writing.  The book I am working on is steadily coming along.  I'm on the third draft right now.  It's amazing how much work editing and rewriting is.  The hard part is figuring out my voice.  I want to write it in a way that people can relate to and be able to gain something from it.  In order to help me with that, I've been conducting interviews with people to get some additional perspectives.  I sit down with them for an hour or so and ask them questions about their lives and the decisions they've made that have brought them to where they are.  I think that's important because I am really trying to get at universal truths and what it means to live a good life.  It's a tall order I know, but it's something that I think a lot of people innately know.  Following through on what they know can be hard, but I am really enjoying hearing all these different perspectives on life.

I love the contrast of the light and the dark in this photo.  The dead tree stump in the foreground balances well against the vibrant growth of the forest all around it.  I don't have any reason to put here except I like it.  

    My goal for the end of the year is to be done with the 3rd draft and partway done with the 4th draft. I've done 5 interviews so far and will hopefully have another 5-10 done.  I've been printing out every draft I've written so I can edit them.  It's amazing how many pages I've accumulated so far.  I'll admit, it's quite gratifying to hold all the pages in my hand and see all the words I have written.  It's a tangible result of all the work I've done.  I really have no idea if I'll ever publish this, but it's something I want to be able to give to my girls when they get older.  I want to help them avoid some of the mistakes that I did and hopefully learn something from the lessons life has taught me. Who knows if I will actually be able to do that.  I'll keep working at it and hopefully it will mean something when I am done.

     And so, life keeps flowing along.  My daughter Chloe is doing well in school.  She is learning piano at a fantastic clip.  I'll be curious to see how she progresses in a couple of years.  I hope that one day she really falls in love with it.  She alternates between hating it and tolerating it right now.  That's normal though.  I despised piano when I first started.  So, I have faith her love of it will come.  I am still doing projects around the house.  I had to deal with termites today - ugh.  But, I've made a lot of progress.  When I get to a year of living here it will be fun to see how much different everything looks compared with when we moved in.  What can I say, I really enjoy working on things and making progress.  Right now I am quite happy to feel like I am building something and moving forward.  That is my motto after all.  Semper Porro.

For some reason people always seem to take pictures of me from my right side.  So, I end up always looking like I am staring off into the future.  Looking forward I guess.