0.0 Forever

0.0 Forever

The Journey

I recently bought a 0.0 sticker that says “don’t care” below it for my car. I love that sticker what it means to me (basically, it says “shut up and do it… but don’t brag about it” to me… no matter what the distance. To others it’s an anti-running sticker, but I have nothing against running). It was a long journey for me to get to that sticker. You see, I was once addicted to measuring, comparing, and competing at everything. Crushing goals. Setting PRs. Even cooking was an advanced version of the TV series Chopped. Bicycling was a thrash-and-trash activity that rarely left me energized, and has broken my body several times over the years. I tried cross racing… and it is fun but silly… often held in muddy conditions and breaking components along with the collective wallets of amateur racers. I did my centuries and multi-day events. I really didn’t enjoy any of them enough to ever do them again. Running became silly, with Tough Mudder and Warrior Dash and Color Run gimmick events… and seemingly everyone wanting or needing to do a marathon or some ultra distance event. I remember when marathons were special… not anymore. I did a marathon in 2004 and it was painful. I literally took a page out of amateur wrestling retirement traditions and left my running shoes on the finish line. Triathlons are even more silly… hauling around and setting up all that equipment and changing while you’re wet during transitions. I did two and basically wasn’t enamored with either of them. Climbing mountains these days seems to be more about conquering and accumulating summits, or speed hiking/running, rather than getting in tune with nature. Orienteering was possibly the best sport for me, but definitely the most humbling… it reminded me of golf in that one mistake would ruin your event… and I cared too much about doing well. I haven’t done too much else over the years in terms of adult sports. Now I still do most of these things alone. At least mountaineering and orienteering aren’t on Strava. And you can’t do them as a group workout on Peleton. And they don’t have stickers… Everyone seems to have 26.2, 70.3, 140.6, 50K, 100m, and 200m stickers these days. Nothing is special anymore.

I recently moved to an area that keeps me out of car traffic for the most part, so I don’t depend on group rides for safety anymore. It also takes the competitive parts away from riding for me. Perfect. I just ride. But less than ever and I don’t miss certain parts of cycling… the elitist, tech-driven and competitive sides of bicycling culture... I don’t miss them at all. No Strava uploads to compare myself to others and no segments. Nobody pulling me. Often I don’t even a use a GPS to record the ride at all. I haven’t recorded a ride since August… so going on several months now. If I go slow for any reason, I don’t get home and look at my speed and feel guilty about it anymore. I don’t care about my annual miles, feet of climbing, calories burned, etc. It’s awesome. Trust me… less is so much more. If you don’t believe me, read You Are Awesome by Neil Pasricha.

I don’t run much anymore. I am 5’9” and the least I’ve weighed since high school was 175. Everything I have read that is not written by someone biased toward running says that running is not good for heavier and muscle-bound people. There’s too much joint tissue wear and tear. There’s a reason world class runners of any sex or height rarely weigh over 150. So given the research and my body weight I don’t run much anymore. Now I hike and break into a run if I am late and need to get back to my car before dark. So running serves at least one purpose. ;-)

You’ll not catch me doing things that will mess up my bike… no mud or grit. Maybe sand someday if I get a fat tire bike. I love my bikes. I want to ride them and look at them... not pour time and money into them washing and fixing them.

When I hike/climb it’s generally solo. Generally slow. With more pictures and reflection. I map routes but generally don’t record my own hikes of them. I try to memorize everything before going and not use electronics or maps whenever I can.

Orienteering is simpler now, too. If I don’t like the course/map and it’s above my pay grade, I bail and check out and go back to my car after a decent amount of time... and find a craft brewery. Cheers to the occasional failure!

The Realizations

The constant pressure to progress/suceed?… fuck that. Growth is not a guarantee in everything all the time. That’s a ridiculous notion only held in modern times. We’ve fallen into a trap. Constantly pushing yourself is fine… until it’s not. And you get hurt. Or sick. Or lose relationships (or stay alone) because of twisted priorities. Or you simply get older. At some point as we age there is physical regression. This is inarguable, yet denied by so many people. A lot of you can’t even piss a straight line anymore and are still trying to increase your mileage or improve your 50K times. That doesn’t make any sense to me. What ever happened to aging gracefully? You can do what you want. But I find what I call “Type A++ people” lacking in reality and really boring to me. All they want to talk about is equipment and metrics and tech in their sport of choice. But that’s just where I’m at right now.

I just don’t care anymore. About my progressions or regressions… or yours. About my accomplishments... or yours. I’ve never been happier. Not giving a shit is absolutely blissful. You get to focus on the doing, not the progression or the outcomes. Being in the moment or being mindful becomes commonplace. Even with all the change in thinking I’ve experienced lately even I still need to learn to slow down and take more pictures… I’m notorious for never stopping to admire the views or to learn something at a historical marker while riding bicycle. Old habits die hard. I have sucked at slow for years… but it’s changing.

Outside of professional sports where stats and accomplishments mean so much, athletic endeavors are mostly bullshit, except for the fact they can improve your health (to a point). Beyond health benefits there’s little else. Very few of us have people that love us because of what we do or have done athletically. If someone loved me because I can ride a bike 100 miles I’d say they were pretty shallow. Like so many things that seemingly “matter” in our social media driven dystopia… It’s just another false value.

So, if you wonder what I think of all that I’ve done and have seen others do? Not much. Your stickers don’t impress me. I am glad for you if you’re active though. Our body is our only ticket through this life. There is no arguing that.

What’s Next?

I get needing challenges. I really do. Overcoming challenges is very fulfilling. Many of us have to be challenged to happy. But anybody can do the physical stuff unless one is totally disabled. It’s usually the easiest kind of challenge, and if its group oriented it also satisfies our tribal tendencies. So I understand the group activity craze, even if it’s not for me. In this time and place I think we overlook that the challenges of the mind have gone by the wayside. What’s harder… riding 100 miles or learning a new language? What’s harder… a marathon or being in control of your emotions in your work and personal relationships? What’s harder… a triathlon or a painting, perfectly executed on canvas as you had imagined it?

The world is tugging at our shirt for our attention and time. Reading this blog, you may think I’m suggesting limits for people. Not at all. I’d say realistically do everything you can. The key word is realistically. I’d say you should answer every calling you have the time and energy to answer. Just don’t lose yourself, your health, your loved ones, and your friends in the process, though. And, in the spirit of service, sometimes you need to set your own dream down for a minute to help someone you love (or someone you don’t even know) achieve theirs. And I’d also say challenge yourself to do something that’s timeless and leaves a tangible legacy. What if you did that painting and gave it to your son or daughter? They’d likely never throw it away. Always display it. It would always remind them of you. In 20 years when you’re dead and gone that marathon medal probably won’t be as much comfort as that painting.

Real World Legacies

I read an obituary for a colleague of mine that died in 2018 at 85 years old. He was an interesting man. Inspiring. I thought about him a lot over the years. Here is an excerpt from his obituary…

“… he started his career sweeping floors in a warehouse and rose to be the top motivation and education trainer in his field. He excelled in all sports including winning the Golden Gloves in boxing, two World Championships in fast pitch softball, and ran 112 marathons. He loved life and lived it to the fullest by traveling around the world.”

His sporting achievements were awesome. I seem to remember that all of his marathons came after 50 years old as well. But read those first and last statements. He went from sweeping floors to motivational speaking and a subject matter expert… an amazing progression. I don’t think he ever graduated from high school. He loved life and learning and that’s what led him to excel professionally beyond his education and aptitude. I remember doing a seminar with him in St Louis back in the 90’s… he said he had a marathon to do in about 3 weeks, but he was just going to grit it out because he wanted to travel with his wife and kids somewhere, and proper training just wasn’t in the cards this time. You have to respect his priorities.

I watched an episode of Running Wild With Bear Grylls recently that featured Shaquille O’Neal. He has his priorities straight at his age, after a life of athletic accomplishments. He was king of his sport once, so I guess it’s a lot easier to move to the couch once you’ve been the king. There’s nothing left to prove… not even to himself. He’s just having fun now without being too serious about anything. I think I’ll join him, even if I haven’t been king.

All of this is really a discussion about legacy. As a kid-less man, I consider my only legacy as me... as in how I treat others. How I inspire others to be their best, most complete self. That is a daunting challenge for me. But it is a worthy one. I’ll keep at it… and challenge you to do the same in all facets of your life. Not just physical endeavors. But to me, even challenging others to be their best self is walking a fine line. I want to encourage others, not influence them. I want you to do what you decide to do, not what I think you should do or what I think you are capable of doing. If you have people in your orbit telling you what your dreams and goals should be or shouldn’t be and what you’d be better served by doing, kindly thank them for their insightful advice before telling them to bugger off. What you do and what you decide to accomplish is your business to determine and execute. I see so amny examples of poor encouragement. People share their results and others say things to them like “double it next year” or some other “growth” suggestion. Also, we should not point at a person and talk about their unfulfilled potential. Maybe that person feels totally fulfilled with their life. Mind your own damn business. Not everyone needs to be “Type A++” like you.

I’ve supported a lot of you crazy folks reading this in the lunacy of your physical goals. I don’t remember ever saying to someone that they can’t or shouldn’t do something because I think it’s crazy. So keep on your own path. I’ll do the same. My support may be loud, or quiet and subtle. We may have nothing in common in terms of life and goals at this point. But I will still be out here somewhere thinking of you.