Journal Entry July 09, 2010

10:30 PM and I am watching the replay of stage 5 of the TdF. Just thought of a new sub-title for this blog: My Life on the Rivet. I'll explain later.

It's been a few weeks since I've returned from an early summer vacation and though I desperately needed the time off I've had a difficult time regaining the momentum my training had since I've been back. Our stay in Sin City was way more relaxing than raucous so it has not been a matter of recovering from the trip but rather waking up from it. This is just an observation and has nothing to do with the next few paragraphs.

While I do not consider myself to be old, I certainly do not feel old, the fact is that I am fast approaching the top of the hill ,as in "Over The..."). During my life I have known success (and failure) on many levels and feel truly blessed for the life I have been given. But over the last 10 years or so I've had this strong feeling that I am destined for a more significant achievement before I leave this earth. Honestly, I don't have any idea what it may be but I'm quite certain I won't be curing cancer, although...you can never say never...But it feels like it will be something more personal and fulfilling like creating a foundation in my mothers memory or something that will benefit others.I don't know yet what it will be but it will be good.

In this search for my destiny I've come to the conclusion that opportunity does not present itself with the frequency it once did.This realization has force me to look back and recall all the missed, squandered and ignored opportunities from my youth. So I guess I'll have to create my own opportunities if I am to answer the call.

This will be no easy task for a full-time-family-man-bike-racer-wannbe.  I'm supposed to be creating opportunities for my children and their own successes. Far be it from me to compromise their future for my "folly" especially since they have so much more future ahead of them than I. This leaves even less opportunity for opportunity for me.

I do believe is a cosmic domino effect where one success leads to another in life. So I figure my best shot at tipping over that first domino is to have success on the bike. The way I see it, all the different parts of my life contribute to my efforts on the bike so that a podium finish will naturally ripple through them and lead to more success and ultimately my destiny. Hence the name I've chosen for my blog, "Chasing the Break." Just in case you were wondering...