Have a good ride!
After my post about how you use the 168 hours in your week, Scott presented me with a challenge:
Keep track of your how your spend your next week in 15 minute increments.
Alright, I can do that.
And post it on your blog each day.
Ok, I guess I can do that too.
And I’ll do the same.
Ok deal.
So check back here each day starting tomorrow to see how I spend my time. And head over to The Happy Moron to see how Scott spends his time this week.
What will you do this week?
::SAdamson
I might feel like I’m busy. But the truth is, I don’t actually know. When other people tell me all the things they do with their I wonder how I can possibly feel busy in comparison?!?
But I can be fairly certain that different people have different tolerances. And I can be fairly certain that different people have different levels of production in those 5 minutes between brushing your teeth and heading out the door for the day or in the half an hour right when you get home. And many, if not all, people do little things that really add up, but nobody really ever notices or recognizes.
Here’s what I know: There are 168 hours in each week for every person. What do you do with yours?
Work: 12
Class: 9
Training: ~12
Sleep: ~60
Commuting: ~2.5
Small group studies: 3.5
Eating: ~7 (~20 minutes/meal x 3 meals/day +/- snacks, etc.)
TV: 3 (Criminal Minds, Friday Night Lights, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother)
That’s the time I can account for without reaching too far…
What does that leave me with?
59 hours/week unaccounted for.
Obviously, I didn’t account for homework, coaching work, getting dressed, etc. Those things are really hard to measure.
But let’s make a rough guess:
Homework: ~7
Coaching: ~7
Getting dressed, showering, grooming, etc.: ~5
I feel like I’m guessing high on those numbers… but that still leaves me with 40 hours unaccounted for every week?!?!? Uh oh…
So what do you do with your time?
::SAdamson
Can you do me favour?
If you do one thing in your lifetime, can you care about something.
I just finished watching Food, inc. and it was spectacular! I am easily the kind of guy who could get super motivated to go out and change the whole world. But then I would realize that I can’t and I would just become a grumpy old cynic.
So when I ask you to care about something. I mean, not so passionately that everything else falls apart, but to have a passion for something you love. To follow that dream. To make the world a better place. To make somebody smile. To give somebody a hug. To help somebody. That’s all. The little things that don’t seem to a difference. Care about those!
And now I hope I’m not infringing on any copyright laws here, but I heard a couple quotes in the documentary that really hit it home! So here they are:
I have no desire to scale up or get bigger. My desire is to produce the best food in the world and heel. And if in doing so, more people come to our corner and want stuff then heaven help me figure out how to meet the need without compromising the integrity.
I have absolutely no desire to be [too big]. As soon as you grasp for that growth, you’re going to view your customer differently, you’re going to view your product differently, you’re going to view your business differently; you’re going to view everything that is the most important, you’re going to view that differently.
The average consumer doesn’t feel very responsible, that you yourself cannot make real changes. But each time you buy something, you are voting for organic or not, for local or not. Individual consumers caused change in the biggest company in the world. You can make changes too.
It costs more, in this country, to eat well than it does to eat badly. Some people simply don’t have the money. That’s why we need changes in the policy level; so we can have carrots be cheaper than the chips.
Imagine what it would be if as a national policy we said we would be successful if we have fewer people going to the hospital next year than we did this year. The idea would be to have such nutritionally dense, unadulterated food that the people who ate it felt better, had more energy, and weren’t sick as much. That’s a noble goal.
You can vote to change the system. Three times a day.
Buy from companies that treat workers, animals, and the environment with respect.
When you go to the supermarket, choose foods that are in season, know what’s in your food, read labels.
Buy foods that are grown locally. Shop at farmers markets. Plant a garden (even a small one).
I hope something there hits home, because it really does motivate me. Not only to be a better, smarter consumer of food, but just a better human being, a more useful individual in society, to make changes for the better!
::SAdamson
I was sitting in class yesterday looking at my notes, as usual. We were catching up on a few things we missed from the class previous. But we skipped that last couple slides. So I think to myself, “No big deal, just read catch up with them on your own time.”
After a little bit, somebody asks about those slides that we skipped. My prof says, “Don’t worry about them. We might come back to them later, but I’ll put them in the presentation again if we do, so just pretend they don’t exist. If we don’t come back to them, you won’t need to know them for the exam.”
A small sigh of relief from the class…
But why were they in the first place? Clearly they had/have some importance. So what if we don’t need to know them for the exam? If they’re important or something we as psychology students should know, then why shouldn’t we just have to learn them?!?!?
And if not, then why were they there in the first place?
Do you go to school to write an exam? Or do you go to school to learn things?
::SAdamson
Jamie was a regular in the Alberta racing scene when I started racing back in the day. Some people have described him as an inspiration and hero. I don’t know if I would go that far… but here are a few words with the man himself in the first edition of What up?!?
SAdamson. Describe yourself in 25 words or less.
Jamie. I am a 25 year old road cyclist in my 7th year of undergrad. I like French lyrics better than English ones and I enjoy my own jokes more than other people.
HA HA AH HAHA HAHAAHHAHA (my laugh) Ha hahaAHahhaAHHAhaah
(ed. I think I actually heard that laugh all the from Jamie’s office in Calgary to my house in Edmonton!!)
SAdamson. I think I’ve heard a few nicknames tossed around for you… James, Jamie, DJ Sparls, DJ Sparkles… what’s your favourite name or nickname you’ve had?
Jamie. Dan Skinner… not so much a nickname as it is a frequent mistake people make. Either way, I like it a lot.
SAdamson. I can see how that could be. Dan did used to ride for your new team… You’ve made the switch to Total Restoration, what are your plans on the team?
Jamie. To wear one of them jerseys and ride a bike around. Maybe see if Tim Sherst will ride a madison with me. I am also harping on Cory to get a team fundraiser going so I can DJ.
(ed. I can’t tell if Jamie is joking here, but he does have some great mixes that puts up on his blog.)
SAdamson. You’re one of them funny guys. Does that affect your role on the team?
Jamie. Nah, I usually morph into an a**hole come race time. I plan to continue this trend.
SAdamson. I guess we’re getting serious then… What are your major objectives for the year?
Jamie. Get a Mike Bidniak-style haircut in a David “Ginger” Larson colour. And to teach Cyrus that 160km solo breaks don’t work, not matter what gear you are trying to turn over.
But really, up my GC game a bit. Give some of the NW stage races a go… Walla Walla, Enumclaw, Wenatchee, etc. and to bring some A game to the NRC races I’m at.
photo: Bill Quinney
And of course to carry my form into the Harcore Hop ‘n Hurl before shutting it down. I want to ensure that I have the skinsuit to trump all skinsuits for this one (hopefully something with a unicorn, liger, or some other kind of mythical beast.)
SAdamson. Those are some big aspirations. You must have had a good 2009 to come up with those, what were the highlights?
Jamie.
photo: Monica Brooks
SAdamson. Definitely a good 2009. What has been the key to your past successes?
Jamie. Pounding pounding techno music.
SAdamson. What do you think about while you race?
Jamie. Usually the race itself. Sometimes I just people watch and give people nicknames in my head (eg. EP LOpez or Underbite or Snaggletooth or Old Man Bissell. There are lots.) The peloton can provide people-watching on par with airports.
SAdamson. Describe your most epic ride.
Jamie. Probably riding to the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii (4300m) from sea level. SNAPPPP.
SAdamson. What do you do when you’re not riding your bike?
Jamie. Mix music, hit the mountains, walk around downtown with a briefcase and a cellphone.
SAdamson. What did you have for breakfast today?
Jamie. A couple of tic tacs and some amphetamines.
SAdamson. I hear you and Alison are back together again. What’s the perfect date for you guys?
Jamie. A nice bottle of Perrier, some lettuce leafs, and an excel spreadsheet.
SAdamson. If you could choose where you were born/lived/grew up, where would it be?
Jamie. Scandinavia. I love it.
SAdamson. Coffee or Espresso?
Jamie. Both. A couple shots in the dark is always a good call.
SAdamson. What is the last song you listened to?
Jamie. The Twelves Esssential Mix (best one since ’07)
SAdamson. Scenario: The world is ending tomorrow. Describe your last 24 hours.
Jamie. Minigolf, diet Dr. Pepper, and a Miley Cyrus Marathon.
SAdamson. What would the J Sparls theme song be?
Jamie. And I was a boy from School – hot chip (it is my all time favourite song.)
SAdamson. What advice would you give to all the kids who want to be just like you?
Jamie.
Jamie can be found writing crazy blog posts and uploading his mixes to jsparls.blogspot.com and tweeting on twitter.
Thanks Jamie and stay tuned for the next edition of What up?!?
::SAdamson
I ran into an old friend at work the other day. One whom I hadn’t seen in years. And I wouldn’t even say that we were that close before, but I remember having a lot of respect for him and what he was about and his dreams.
Life goes on.
Things change.
I still hope we can hang out, have coffee, and catch up with each other’s lives.
But that led me to search a few things and names on google. And I found a lot of people out there offering coaching…
Is it just that everybody and their dog is trying to make a buck wherever they can?
Or is there a legitimate need for all these coaches? Is there demand from more and more people trying to be healthy? active? competitive?
Is it just the internet?
Or is it just me?
It makes me question what I’m doing. I’ll admit that I have been questioning a lot of things recently, many of which have found their onto this blog. But this has been a big thing for me for the last little as I try and figure out what the rest of my life is about. Or at least the next little while.
I am finishing my Phys Ed degree at the UofA this April. I have taken a lot of interest in endurance training in those years. I always find myself looking for those little advantages. Those things that not everybody is trying yet. But does the knowledge and experiences I have separate me from everybody else? I don’t know.
But I am confident in what I know. I’m confident in what I can offer. I might not be the best or I might not be the perfect fit for every single person, but I’m confident I can and will do a good job.
::SAdamson
As Movember was coming to an end last year (weird, it’s 2010 now!) Matt was growing out his usual beard, calling it no shave winter. He was rallying to get me on board. I was not convinced.
December 1, I shaved my mo. I let my usual scruff grow (I’m a little lazy, and only shave once a week or so). Then I just let it go. The second week was rough! Luckily I was working full days at United Cycle by this point and Matt and Josh’s beard-growing experience kept me going. The itch was killing me! Oh man. It was bad. They just kept telling me it would get better.
At one point, Matt sat me down at the computer and forced me to look up How to grow a beard. I found this article.
The itch was gone the next week, and actually felt pretty cool. Then I started riding my bike in the Edmonton winter, and the beard actually helps. Who’da thunk?
::SAdamson
ps. Now 7 weeks in, it’s looking a little ragged. I’m tempted to trim it, but that just wouldn’t be right. A little over 2 months to go.
The training in Edmonton has been quite interesting thus far…
Last week I’m pretty sure I got frostbite and this week I’m riding around in gloves. What the heck?!?
But the things you can see around Edmonton in January can be quite interesting:
Do people actually hit that?!?!?
Mill Creek... not looking so good!
But this guy sure does!
Keep rollin’ along!
::SAdamson
Haha, oh boy. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too funny to contain myself…
But really, there seems to a ton of new literature out there about nutrition.
Everybody seems to be pointing towards keeping your diet simple.
Eat less sugar.
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Don’t starve yourself, keep everything in moderation.
All those and more are good things. When I started racing I got really intense and I didn’t limited myself from lots of foods and ate really healthy. And I was 16. What the heck?!?!? Be a kid.
Now I struggle. I have a really bad sweet tooth. And when I’m sitting at home, I feel like getting up every 5 minutes to get another snack. It doesn’t work so well.
Eat foods that fill you up. Eat foods that taste good. Sit down and enjoy your food. Eat breakfast.
If you want to be at the top of the sport, you need to be looking into every little cutting edge strategy to lose those last 100g of body fat and gain that last watt. On that note, I’ve always loved Chris Horner. And I always remember him eating a burger and fries before a race in Pro. But he just wrote an interesting blog post about his eating habits. Enjoy.
::SAdamson
Coaching advice from the mechanics at work: 
“Go faster.”
“Do better.”
Thanks guys, so helpful. But really, mechanics are awesome!
And Embrocation recently wrote a post about respecting the mechanics you interact with. They’re all nice guys, but you just have to treat them with the respect they deserve. Thanks boys!
::SAdamson
