Dog Days Of Spring

When you’re talking Spring in Nashville, you can’t leave out allergies.  And as a guy who has continually tried to figure out how to rid myself of the the symptoms, I’m continually perplexed by the complexity.  Along with itching nose, eyes, and throat, comes a pounding head, sore muscles and joints, etc.

Trust me when I say I understand that allergies are an over-reaction by your body which tends to mean you’re out of balance.  With me, that can be an understatement, and I know the source is likely related to manufactured stress and unreasonable concern about the future.

The good news is, we just finished our full-length documentary called “Saving Banksy.”  If you’re not familiar, Banksy is a street artist from England whose work is prized by collectors, who often cut it out of walls (brick, concrete, wood) to sell the paintings at high-end art auctions around the world.  Here’s the trailer:

This has been a labor of love on parallel with training for my first Ironman.  It has completely taken over my life and most everything else (including swim, bike, run) has been an afterthought.

So much of the burden revolved around the idea of “not knowing.”  It was my first feature length film, and you don’t just throw these things on the internet. There are hundreds of variables, including having professionals sound mix, color correct, make Blu-Rays, etc.  Much like training, you just keep plowing ahead until you figure it out, and hope nothing goes wrong.

So far, so good, but it takes a toll when you get out of the moment.

Sure, we’ve made a film, but how do we make it a success?!  What if no one shows up?  How will we market?  And those are the kinds of questions that will never end, which is why I’m literally trying to take it day by day.

The same goes for IRONMAN Wisconsin.  It’s out there lingering, but instead of falling into my old traps of using Tri-Calc every day to figure out my road to success, I’m focusing on the little wins.  Like my mountain bike ride yesterday, which looked nothing like a typical IRONMAN workout.  It was living in the moment, and felt good.

This has become increasingly important to me with the evolution of recent back pain.  Muscles spasms from the insane amount of allergy sneezing, and a nagging crick in my neck that refuses to go away.  I don’t feel like it’s anything too serious, but it’s a constant reminder that I AM LUCKY TO EVEN THINK ABOUT DOING AN IRONMAN.

I went to a premiere party the other night for a TV show and had a short talk with a very optimistic guy who was in a wheel chair.  He genuinely seemed happy to be alive and that’s the kind of shit that always makes me feel like an idiot for complaining about a crick in my neck or a sore IT band.  I mean, what the hell?  I’m on my way to covering 140.6 miles with my legs and this guy has to sit down the rest of his life.

For me, it always points back to the moment.  This moment.  I can’t focus on my IRONMAN time, future success of the movie, or even training I “promise” I’ll do in the future.  It’s about appreciating today, and taking small steps in the right direction, even if they’re interrupted by a few sneezes and a sore back.

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@miketarrolly for video, life, etc.
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