Priorities
Monday, April 30th, 2007People phone or e-mail me all the time about “going for a ride” with them.
Hey, going for a ride when ever is just not the reality of life right now.
On weekends I ride one of the two days. That’s it. I am on the road by 8am and I try really hard to get back home by 12:30pm so I can spend the rest of the day with Mrs. Smithers and little baby. Once the next little baby shows up riding on the weekends is probably going to go the way of the dodo for the rest of the year.
During the week I attend the Urthel ride on Tuesday nights and I am going to start riding at the velodrome on Thursday nights. The Urthel ride will also evaporate for me once we have the baby. The track will be on hold for a few weeks at least.
So if you really want to ride with me you are going to have to catch up with me during those scheduled outings.
I don’t really mind at all the lack of time spend on the bike. I guess I really don’t see it as time off the bike. It’s more like time with my family. There are plenty of opportunities to get exercise that don’t involve being out of the house for 4 hours. I am already working up my indoor trainer schedule for the summer, if you can believe that.
The most important thing that you find as a new parent is the need to re-balance your life once the baby arrives. I bristle at the idea of having to give anything up, I don’t think it’s necessary. What is necessary is to readjust your goals to synchronize with your new life. My goals are to be a good father and husband, and to remain fit and healthy. If I can squeeze a bike race in there once and a while then all the better, but I am not going to sacrifice the time that I look forward to and enjoy spending with my family in order to go down to Sogn Valley and get my ass handed to me.
Besides, Baby Smithers is really coming into his personality right now. I predict that he will be some kind of comedian or clown when he gets older. A clown that throws the occasional and inconsolable temper tantrum.
