Blog neglect

Lake Tahoe, 6:30 a.m., July 18, 2009

I fully admit my guilt. I’ve been neglecting my blog. Is this what falling off the exercise and/or diet bandwagon is like for the New Year’s Resolution folks? You begin to neglect your commitment and the further and further out you get from it, the scarier it is to get back to it. That’s happened to me with swimming before.

You think “oh god, I haven’t been in the pool in 3 days. What’s one more at this point?” Then it’s a week. “Now I can’t possibly go back to master’s – I’ll be too slow for my lane!” Two weeks ago by: “Am I even going to remember how to swim?”

After the first leg of my relay swim.
Yes! I DO remember how to swim in open water!

Of course I will. But it’s been a similar thing with writing and the excuses flow even faster than all the topics I want to write about. “I can’t possibly blog now because there’s too much to write about. Where do I start?” “Don’t have enough time. This post will take forever.” “I haven’t even uploaded my photos from the Trans Tahoe Relay, how can I write about it yet?” Then I begin to become scared of checking my site meter because I figure nobody is even reading my blog anymore due to inactivity. “It better be one damn good piece that you write so you can make up for weeks of NOT writing, Sarah.”

So the endless self-feeding cycle goes.

There is also the issue of blog-volution. As we grow, change and embark on new paths in life, for many of us who only have one blog, those blogs also begin to develop and change. I began this as a way to record my triathlon adventure. When I first began this path 4.5 years ago (yikes!), it was all brand-new to me. My life was completely different! As I look back to old posts, it’s exciting to see how much my life has changed and evolved and it reminds me that I AM making forward progress.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about where this blog is headed. My triathlon future is uncertain but not being counted out. My cycling future is cemented and it is without any hesitation I can say that I continue to love it more all the time. After Sunday’s ride I realized that my cycling fitness is quite possibly the best it’s ever been and that it’s really fun to climb monster hills and go 27 mph on flats when you’re in good shape.

I’ve briefly visited this topic before when I pondered renaming my blog. But should I rename it? Or start a new one? Or just amend it slightly? And how can I make it more meaningful to ME? Writing my cycling race reports is quite enjoyable, as I learn so much with each one I do. Still, I wonder if there’s more I should be saying than simply recounting my experiences.

This is where this post begins to take a personal turn. There are a lot of big changes happening in my life right now – many positive, big changes. As we get ready for them, I’ve begun to think more about my strengths as an individual, as a friend and as an athlete.

If I could somehow use my blog to extend those strengths to others through the web, then wouldn’t that be awesome? People who read this and know me in person know how dearly I love teaching spin and cycling out on the road. Lately I’ve been hearing people talk to me about my ‘energy’ and how positive I am. But how can I extend that through my writing?

Should I share more spin workouts/playlists? Mental training? Be better about sharing what I learn all the time so maybe I can help others? Post more riding routes in Sonoma County and file them for visiting folks to find? More cooking recipes?

Mmmm tomatoes are finally here!!

This is all just stream of conscious writing here. I don’t expect answers. Simply writing about wanting to find ways to inspire and influence those who care to read this. If I wanted to write about my experiences solely for personal gratification and the memories, I might as well keep it private. I know it’s a way for friends and family to read up on what I’m doing, but as Facebook has grown over the past year, I see that friends and family tend to stay up on what I do through that medium (which is totally fine).

Maybe this all just means that I should learn how to write shorter posts so I don’t feel like each time I write it’s a time suck. :)

In any case, I just wanted to check in. Life’s been a blast lately. Had Trans Tahoe Relay two weekends ago (and THAT was an adventure I will be posting SOON!), went to Vineman the next day to watch Beth, Ron, Rocketpants and a few other friends finish. Got to hang out with Beth and James, as well as Rocketpants a few days later. Last weekend was packed with more cycling. And of course, let’s not forget that this little race called the Tour de FRANCE was filling up my mornings over the past three weeks! That was an incredible race to follow.

Life is good. The blog will continue, in whatever direction it evolves. For those of you out there with blogs that I haven’t been too up on – don’t take it personally. I would love to be reading more race reports, adventures, recipes, gadget reviews, travel stories and just general life stories from all of you. I really do enjoy it but the next couple of months are about to get REALLY nuts. So if I go away for a bit, just know I’m sending great energy to all of you and keeping you in my thoughts.

Oh – and don’t forget to turn the corners of your mouth up several times a day. It really WILL improve your mood!

Nothing better than cycling with friends and
stopping at the best bakery in Sonoma County for an espresso and a scone!