Building Momentum Living Life!

Training and excuses!

Sport

I crashed during a race five weeks, or so, ago.  We were going towards a corner at around 30 mph. The person in front of the racer I was following used his brakes (something you never want to do because it’s dangerous, as well as scrubs off too much speed which then requires too much effort to get your speed back up again when coming out of the corner).  The racer I was following went down because his front wheel got caught in the rear wheel of the idiot braking! Needless to say, I too went down hard, taking an additional five riders with us! It hurt but I was very lucky that I did not break anything!  Lost skin around my left knee and elbow, bruised my left shoulder and hip. Ouch!

Prior to the crash I had a few weeks of inconsistent training due to alignment issues stemming from my left toe.  This affected my calf, knee, glutes, and lower back, resulting in pain when on my bike for more than an hour.

Now that my injuries are almost healed (a good portion of my alignment issues have been sorted out by working with a Physical Therapist) it is time to get back to a regular training program.   But, I’ve really been having a difficult time doing that!  Mentally I have not been on point, and noticed that I have been coming up with a bunch of excuses to skip a day here or there, or making the workout less intense than it needed to be!

This procrastination, while it feels good the moment I decide to let myself off the hook, over the course of a number of days it has created guilt, disappointment and stress as I have fallen, even more, behind my fitness goals.  I have noticed that this situation has unconsciously flowed over to other aspects of my life as well, and has affected my concentration and creativity considerably, adding unnecessary negativity on me.

I am taking a stand! Enough is enough! Tomorrow I am fully re-committing myself to my workouts, as an athlete and a cyclist.  I have to remember that a positive “can-do” attitude will separate me from 95% of the World’s 48 year olds!

Life

Overall I am an organized and tidy person.  Everything has its place.  As already stated my attitude on the bike, over the last few weeks, began flowing over into the rest of my life.  For instance, I also have been procrastinating on stuff I should be taking care of such as monthly bills, laundry, washing the car, having the air conditioning in my house serviced, etc. By not taking care of things as quickly as I normally would, it has created an “unsettled” environment for me, which takes away my ability to relax.    When I do have time to relax the need to do something, in regards to taking care of outstanding items, becomes an overpowering force.

Over the last few days I have forced myself to get back to my old habits of dealing with things as they come up, so there is not such a backlog.  Renewing my commitment to the “do-as-you-go” philosophy not only prevents stress build-up, but also ultimately saves me a lot of time which I can apply to more important things…such as truly relaxing!

Posted in Lifestyle Sports Age Business Happiness

Building Momentum Living Life!

My name is Jens Wallrabe.  I am 6’7”, currently weigh 230lbs, and will be 49 in August.  I was born in Germany, whereupon my family moved to South Africa for 18 months before settling in England, where I grew up. In 1983, my family came to the USA.

I have always been athletic, participating and competing in many sports throughout my life (so far!). One thing is for certain, as time goes by I realize that it becomes harder to maintain my fitness and body. Like anything worthwhile, it takes time, commitment and dedication.  I have to admit that I’m not a superhero.  I don’t get out of bed every day with a gung-ho attitude…I just work at it until I find it.  And thankfully, the balance between my great days and my not-so-hot days is heavy on the side of the “great days.”

The benefits of being active impact me positively, both internally and externally, and go well beyond competing strongly in sports.  I often find myself performing better than athletes half my age.  And, I am surprised at how pleased I feel when I meet new people and in the course of our conversation they find out that I’m 58 years old.  Inevitably, it’s a shock to some of them as they generally think I am 10+ years younger!  I admit that it makes me feel good when I receive these compliments. I definitely feel grateful and enjoy the moment.  It is interesting that these compliments have now started to make me think more about the aging process…

There is so much emphasis placed on youth, and the perception of being “over the hill” after a certain age. I just need to thumb through magazines, cruise the internet, or flip through the channels on my TV, to know this observation is true.  I think ageism is absolutely ridiculous.  As I have grown older not only have I been able to maintain my energy levels, but I have also gained so many value-added attributes and qualities based on the life I have lived and experienced thus far.

The return on investment I get as a mature person is incredible. Hiring corporations need to realize this!  Corporations may have to pay more for an experienced executive, but will get so much more back than if they hire a younger inexperienced person just to save a few bucks.  The “savings” are so inconsequential to the overall benefits provided by a seasoned executive.  The reality is, older execs have lived life, and can actually work smarter and more efficiently, allowing their employers to add to the bottom-line at a faster rate.

At the end of 2007, I started focusing my attention riding a bike because I had developed a spur on my patella from running while training for triathlons.  I grew to love the bike.  With encouragement from friends, I began racing.  Bike racing encourages me, and keeps my workouts consistent and focused.  On top of this, I’ve discovered that the post-workout endorphins help me in other aspects in my life.  For instance, as a consultant, I thrive on good ideas for my clients.  The bike is a conduit to my creativity. After a hard training session my mind is more open, allowing me to be receptive to solid ideas and concepts.

I have decided to blog, on a regular basis, about age, and how it affects me from the viewpoint of pursuing competitive sports and living life in general.  I will write about what I personally try to do to embrace the natural aging process, as well as my attempts to delay it, in order to optimize performance in both sports and business, and leading a full and happy life. I hope you’ll enjoy taking this ride with me…

Posted in Lifestyle Sports Age Business Happiness