Motivation

I didn't forget about my blog, I just had no motivation to post. I think I may have written about lack of motivation before, but it really extends to all areas of my life. As for the blog, since very few people read it, and even fewer comment, I simply haven't bothered putting posts together recently. During my job search, the blog wasn't about communication; it was a quasi-therapeutic journal, mainly intended for documentation purposes.

I had the same experience with a physical journal I kept during my semester/travels abroad during college. I wrote in it constantly during the trip, a few entries a week, and intended to continue writing in it after my return. Although, like my blog, it has always been with me, a sometimes tangible companion and useful reference for times of discomfort or desperation, I haven't touched a pen to its paper in months.

I'd like to keep writing, but even I can admit that without the motivation of an audience, this blog may suffer. I think, ultimately, one obstacle is that although I write, I'm not a writer. And many of the bloggers with a constant readership consider themselves writers. I consider myself many things, most of them pejorative, but "writer" does not appear on the list.

I fear that my motivation issues may carry over into my running, which has become a steady addition to my athletic hobbies, behind ultimate frisbee, but alongside cycling. Until recently, I had the race to lever my motivation. Now, I feel as if I need another specific temporal goal to work towards, or else I simply won't bother.

Race Results

Thanks again to all you guys who donated to the cause. I'm still a bit sore today, but I'll give you a run-down of the day.

I woke up at 4:30 AM and met up with the rest of my team to drive up to Bear Mountain State Park. Since several of my team members are Avon employees, Avon sponsored a 12-passanger van for the trip. We arrived around 6:30 AM, and cleared up all the logistics, and since I ran the first leg of the race, my team departed for the exchage area prior to the start. The race started exactly 7:30 AM on a cool, sunny morning with strong breezes. My leg took me across the Hudson on the Bear Mountain Bridge, along the river for a while, through Peekskill, and ending at the Blue Mountain reservation. (This is a gross approximation of the route)

It was an 8.2-mile run, and a literal uphill battle. I finished in 1 hour and 2 minutes and passed off the "baton", which was actually a wristband with a computer chip timer, to the next runner. For the rest of the race, there were a few mishaps along the way: one teammate passed off his watch instead of the wristband, and another teammate actually beat the van to the exchange point costing us a few minutes. We finished the entire 60-mile relay in almost exactly 8.5 hours ending up in New Rochelle.

The team finished 23rd overall (out of 70-something teams) and miraculously (don't ask me how) managed to place at the top of our division. We were pretty surprised when we got called up on stage to receive our medals. Overall, we thought this was quite a feat from a group of non-runners.