It's not a Trek Speed Concept - Haha

So here's one of my big announcements that I've been toying with over the last few weeks. Rumour control had it that I'd ordered a new Trek Speed Concept but come on guys, how could I do that to Black Beauty? What I actually bought was a Trek Elite 9.9 Hardtail Mountain Bike. GORGEOUS or what?

I've decided to do Xterra Philippines on March 6th and was quite happy to do it again on Shilpa's Trek 1400. It is basically an entry level bike and takes two people to lift it. However, I came second in my age-group and qualified for the worlds in Maui two years ago when I last rode it so I wasn't really fussed about the weight. I've only ever ridden a mountain bike 3 times in my life I didn't think that a heavy bike would make much of a difference.

What I wasn't prepared to do though is take out a loan to be able to pay for the excess baggage charges going to the race. So I asked around for a loan of a friends bike and although a couple of people were kind enough to volunteer I know that if something was going to go wrong and the bike get lost or broken it would a borrowed one.

Not only that but my stable of bikes was severely missing a high end MTB. So, what the hell I thought and made the plunge. Now all I have to do is learn what to do with all the hi-tech stuff on it, learn how to ride it and then justify having sent so much money on it - all of this by this Sunday hahahahahahahahaha!

On the serious front though, I really do have another couple of amazing announcements to make, hopefully I'll be in the right space to make them next week.

FIRED

(Courtesy of Ian - I guess you've got to be a Star Wars geek to appreciate this one - luckily I am)

The Luckiest People On Earth

(Courtesy of Bryan Payne)



AMAZINGLY LUCKY PEOPLE. Personally, my favourite was the bank robbers although I've no doubt it was staged (probably a commercial I'm told).

A national hero? A world hero me thinks

Azizulhasni Awang had a bit of a crash at the Track Cycling World Championships in Manchester yesterday. He ended up with this "little" splinter in his leg and can you believe it, he got back on the bike and finished the race? He received the Bronze Medal for the race but more importantly the overall crown as Keiran World Champion for the series.

He was front page news yesterday in Malaysia and deservedly so but what an athlete, what a man. Someone for us all to look up to, respect and emulate (His courage I mean, no need to go to these lengths haha).

The Patient Grandfather

(Another classic from Disco Dave's Mum - particularly relevant as my Mum and Dad have just been over to visit and although they love my boys to bits they do think they're a little loud sometime).


A woman in a supermarket is following a grandfather and his badly behaved 5 year-old grandson.

It's obvious to her that he has his hands full with the child screaming for sweets in the sweet aisle, biscuits in the biscuit aisle; and for fruit, cereal and pop in the other aisles.

Meanwhile, Granddad is working his way around, saying in a controlled voice, "Easy, William, we won't be long . . . easy, boy."

Another outburst, and she hears the granddad calmly say, "It's okay, William, just a couple more minutes and we'll be out of here. Hang in there, boy."

At the checkout, the little terror is throwing items out of the cart, and Granddad says again in a controlled voice, "William, William, relax buddy, don't get upset. We'll be home in five minutes; stay cool, William."

Very impressed, the woman goes outside where the grandfather is loading his groceries and the boy into the car.

She said to the elderly gentleman, "It's none of my business, but you were amazing in there. I don't know how you did it. That whole time, you kept your composure, and no matter how loud and disruptive he got, you just calmly kept saying things would be okay. William is very lucky to have you as his grandpa."

"Thanks," said the grandfather, "but I'm William . .. . the little bastard's name is Kevin."

Broken Bike Trainer - Awesome Customer Service

Now despite the continued abuse that I get from my Canadian Twitter buddies I still swear by my one (and soon to be two) indoor turbo sessions per week. They're part of my Ironman training plan and they are a miserable painfest workout - my favourite kind of workout.

Basically after a warm up you do maximum resistance intervals at a super slow cadence of 50rpm - not much choice on the rpm anyway, as I mentioned they're maximum resistance. Finish off with a cool down.

The whole idea is to engage ALL of the muscles in the legs which helps create awesome leg strength. The only problem is that by 50 minutes into a 91 minute session you would happily take a bullet between the eyes to put you out of your misery rather than even contemplate finishing. Of course I always finish and feel like a superhero for doing so.

I was a few minutes in to a session about three weeks ago and the drive band broke between the roller and the magnetic resistance. So you can imagine I had rather mixed feelings of relief and loss.

The trainer is a Minoura that I bought in Australia over ten years ago. I've rarely used it until the last couple of years but I have found it invaluable once I worked out what training to do with it and why. (Most people use a turbo because it's too cold, wet, icy, windy, dark etc but in Malaysia there's no winter and not much need for a turbo other than for strength sessions and single leg drills, I've never done the latter but know I should).

So I went onto the Minoura website and was impressed to see all of their obsolete models listed for the last 10 years as well as their current models. Ah-ha, mine was so old it wasn't even listed. So I emailed their USA and Japanese offices. The USA office was closed for two weeks but they still replied to me the next day! They asked if the band had teeth or was smooth. I replied it had teeth and they wrote straight back apologising that they no longer made that band. They did say the smooth band might work but they couldn't promise.

In the meantime Takashi Minoura wrote back from Japan asking the same question and my address. I explained that the band had teeth and he replied that they didn't make that anymore but he'd send me the smooth one anyway without charge. He didn't remember whether it would work or not.

It arrived a couple of days later, I fitted it and it worked. What a result! You'd think so at any rate, HOWEVER, half way through the session the resistance knob broke - I guess I can't complain with such an old machine - I've had my money's worth.

However, I wrote back to Takashii and explained the problem and insisted that I'd pay for a replacement. His reply was unbelievable, he'd sent one straightaway by courier and once again free of charge. Don't worry about it just tell your friends about us he said.

It was on my desk when I came into the office this morning, so I'm telling you about this amazing experience, not so much as returning the favour to Takashi Minoura but because this type of service is almost unheard of these days and I think many of you would like to know and I suspect will take this into account when you buy your next turbo. I know I shall.

Minoura trainers can be found in Malaysia at: -

MALAYSIA Gin Huat Cycle
Selangor / 03-6038-3703

KSH Bicycle
Selangor / 03-7877-0450

Montana Cycle
Kedah / 04-7143071

Their website is www.minourausa.com
Their facebook page is Minoura CO., LTD.

The only other similar experience I've had was with Cat-eye the bike light and bike computer maker. Funnily enough another Japanese company!!!!

3 Awesome Beer Commercials - What?

(Courtesy of Ian Hay)

When I was a boy

Some dastardly "friends" uploaded some old images of me on Facebook from my sailing club days (probably 15 or 16 years old I guess). Thought I'd share them for a giggle plus some of the comments.

And yes that is Carlsberg Special Brew at 9% alcohol (Please take note Bryan "Coors Light" Payne).

And yes I did own a ferret but that is teenage acne not ferret bits!

And no my hair wasn't permed - I can't help it if I've got naturally gorgeous hair!

Run NYC Half Marathon and support The Fresh Air Fund

Simon says: -

I have received this email request from Sara Wilson of the Fresh Air Fund again. A great cause and for anyone thinking of running the NYC Half Marathon then you should seriously look at supporting this wonderful organisation.




"Hi Simon

The Fresh Air Fund is looking for runners and sponsors to join our Fresh Air Fund-Racers team for the NYC Half-Marathon this coming March 20th and I was hoping you might be able to post something about it on Tritwins to share with your readers. This is a great way to participate in NYC's premier road race while helping Fresh Air Fund children. Please feel free to repost anything from our news site here:

freshairmarathon.com

We are also in need of host families for this Summer. Host families are volunteers who open their hearts and home to a child from the city to give them a fresh air experience they never forget. Please let me know if you are able to post or tweet and if you could send me the link that would be wonderful. Together we can help make sure these children have everything they need!

Thank you so much,

Sara
--
Sara Wilson,
The Fresh Air Fund
sara@freshair.org
www.freshair.org"

A Postcard from Kona

Hey how cool is this? A postcard from Bryan Payne when he was at the Ironman Worlds in Kona Hawaii 2010. He sent it to my Mum and Dad's address so I only just got it.

I shall be sticking it on my bathroom mirror to help inspire me to qualify this year too.

Thanks Bryan

Belgian Stefaan Engels completes record 365th marathon

(Courtesy of Chantal and the BBC)

A Belgian runner has set a new world record by completing 365 marathon races in a year.

Stefaan Engels, dubbed "Marathon Man", began his challenge in Belgium a year ago and has since run a marathon every day across seven countries.

He crossed the finish line in the Spanish city of Barcelona after running 15,000km (9,569 miles) in a year.

"I don't regard my marathon year as torture. It is more like a regular job," the 49-year-old said.

He averaged about four hours to complete a marathon. He said his best time was 2 hours and 56 minutes.

Engels suffered from asthma as a child and had been told by doctors to avoid sport.

Before Engels, the record marathon man was Akinori Kusuda of Japan - who ran 52 races in a row at the age of 65 in 2009.

Simon says: - Very cool

I thought they were supposed to get smaller

(Courtesy of Shilpa)


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Altitude Tent - shall I? Mmm?

(Sent by Mohan the Great)

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Just kidding - I'm not really thinking about getting one. (Not for now at any rate - haha)

Australian School Answerphone Message - Classic

(Courtesy of Ian Hay)

Cold Turkey - a retrospective

I've been meaning to write this article for a while but wanted to make sure that I was where I wanted to be before I penned it. I came up with the title at Christmas and since the title is very apt for the content the Christmas pun also amused me.

So, you may have seen one or two (or far too many for that matter) witterings from me about having lost my MOJO. If you don't know what MOJO is then let me explain. First off I googled it and realised it has hundreds of meanings and nothing specifically along the lines of what I and others in sport have been using it for. My MOJO (or lack of it) related to loss of motivation, fitness, interest, energy, drive and most of all EXCITEMENT about my sport of triathlon.

The loss of any one of these elements can cause you to derail but when you lose all of them then you're really in trouble. What comes with losing my MOJO is also rapid and monumental weight gain - you can only imagine how that compounds things!!

Last year I competed in Ironman Langkawi, Ironman China, Ironman Kentucky and represented the British Age-Group Team in the ITU World Long Distance Championships. Plus many other run races and triathlons. I was ninth amateur in Langkawi but only 5th in my age-group so didn't qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.

I talked my way into Ironman Kentucky after it was full in a last ditch effort to qualify. I had a good swim and bike but was destroyed on the run and was so far down the field that I didn't bother going to the Hawaii roll down. You can imagine what a gut wrenching feeling I felt when a few weeks later I viewed the results to see that a qualification place rolled down to an unbelievable 130th place in my age-group - Arrrrrgggggghhhhh!

After all this I was physically wrecked and knew that I wasn't in great space mentally either. I bluffed the Miri Sprint and Olympic Distance tris with a 2nd and 3rd place respectively but had to pull out of going to Powerman (dualthon) as I doubted I could have even finished let alone defended my title.

Every night I struggled to sleep with intense pain pulsating through my body and especially through my legs. This was the case EVERY NIGHT pretty much from September through November and I was only training twice a week, one bike and one run.

I thought that as soon as Kona came and went in October that all my issues would fade away and I'd get back into training. After all, I'd set out in 2010 with a 2 year plan to qualify for Kona. If I made it in 2010 then it was going to be a bonus but my real target was 2011.

Kona came and went but if anything, things got worse, mentally, physically, the pain at night and to top it all the weight started to pile on. For Ironman Langkawi I was 69kg by Christmas Eve I was 82.5kg. OH MY GOODNESS!

A friend of mine who did actually qualify for Kona had to pull out of the race a few weeks before, due to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. How dreadfully sad was that? Listening to the symptoms I seemed to be suffering from some of them and ultimately I concluded that I also had CFS, albeit a milder form than my friend's. I started sharing that conclusion with people and convinced myself this is what was wrong with me.

A few weeks before Christmas I mentioned it to my unfortunate friend and was told in no uncertain terms that I didn't have CFS, she was blunt, too the point and there was no doubt in her mind that wasn't my problem. So I did a little more research and concluded that she was probably right and so my only conclusion was that I was suffering from CHRONIC BURN OUT. Pretty obvious now, although the pain at night wasn't totally resolved and I theorise that this may have been due to muscle atrophy due to the massive reduction in consistent training.

So, a little more room for optimism you might think! BUT NOT AT ALL. I just had a different name for it, the feeling was the same. During these months I did a few 10k run races and as time went by my results went along these lines 7th, 37th, 84th, 191st.

The last race I did was the steepest, hilliest run race I've ever done, it was a 12k hillfest. I'd had 3 hours sleep the night before due to a dinner party and I was sporting a hangover from hell. I was well over 80kg at this point (see photo above) although I'd stopped weighing myself (always a sign that things are very very bad).

I somehow managed to run from start to finish without stopping but it was miserable, I met up with loads of really cool running and tri friends but still I was so down, I wished I wasn't there.

AND THEN CAME THE TURNING POINT...As I was running down the very step hill to the finish, overtaking a lot of people but only because it was downhill and I desperately wanted to put an end to it, I ran past someone who shouted out "Hey Simon, it looks like you've found you're MOJO". I felt like stopping, I needed to explain to them that they couldn't be further from the truth, in fact my primeval instincts were far more angry than simply wanting to explain - I wanted to scream it at best and explode into a violent rage at worst (violence isn't my thing so there was never a danger of that happening but I am just trying to share my emotions of the moment). I certainly felt like crying, literally. (The photo above was taken less than a minute later).

It happened in a split second and soon passed and within a dozen strides I was ashamed of myself, here was someone (sorry I've no idea who it was I didn't even get a look at your face) who clearly new me, a friend, they knew about my loss of MOJO so probably read this blog and to cap it all they were enthusiastically encouraging me as I went by, happy that I seemed to have come through my dark period and rediscovered my MOJO. I felt 2inches tall.

I don't recall when the eureka moment hit me but it was within minutes or just a few hours of that moment. I suddenly realised that what had angered me so much was not that my friend had got it wrong, not that I hadn't found my MOJO but that MY MOJO HADN'T FOUND ME! It dawned on me (as I well know anyway), that nothing in life comes easy, nothing worth having anyway. I'd actually been waiting for my MOJO to find me but I needed to pick myself up, kick myself up the behind and really go find my MOJO.

And so I did, the very next morning I forced myself out of bed at 5am and did 1 1/2 hours hard interval swim, followed by a spin class at lunchtime and then a 1hr11min maximum resistance turbo session in the evening. Day 1 of Ironman training was in the bag - no easing into it, just full on, I went COLD TURKEY, hence the title. This continued the next day and the next and has continued ever since.

Yes I've found my MOJO but only because I dragged it kicking and screaming back to the core of my heart and sole. Fortunately I started the week before Christmas which minimised the negative impact and potential overindulgence's of the festive period and as I usually do I stopped drinking on January 1st. Usually I do this until March 18th which is my birthday but I have now committed to giving up the booze until I qualify for Kona. It might be at Ironman China on 29th May or it might be 5 years time...haha. I have also given up pizzas and ice-cream. Desserts and sweets too, although I don't really like those anyway.

So far it's been 6 weeks and I've lost 6.5kg (14 pounds). I'm eating 5 small meals a day, working out 2, 3 or 4 times everyday. I feel great, I'm looking much better and I had a good result at the Singapore Duathlon on Sunday despite still being many kilos over race weight.

The only issue I have is that I'm not sleeping well and I can only put that down to the huge increase in training and the reduced food intake. Some people would (and have) called that over training but then none of those people have trained to win their age-group in an Ironman. I'll stick at it and the sleep will come I'm sure.

I have an overriding philosophy in life which is this: - "The point of life is singular and uncomplicated - TO BE HAPPY"

Now I AM HAPPY AGAIN - I have my MOJO back. I'm still a work in progress but that's called life!



POSTSCRIPT
I love quotes and there's a couple that I've come to love in the last couple of weeks. One was posted on Bryan Payne's Blog: -

"ALL OR NOTHING" - sadly (or happily) that's who I am. The switch is either on or it's off. If it's off it's not pretty but if it's on I'm happy and I can do amazing things - as indeed anyone can.

The other was posted by Jocelyn Wong (The Wongstar) of TBB. I think she was quoting Brett Sutton (arguably the best tri coach there is): -

"MODERATION = MEDIOCRE" - I've been told more times than I can possibly recall to live my life in moderation and I've never had a good retort, now I have. Moderation is just not me, it's not how I tick, yes that's how I became a 107kg (235 pound) fat slob but remember "ALL OR NOTHING" is who I am. So if it's channelled in the right direction then I'm gonna be unstoppable and I downright refuse to leave this planet as MEDIOCRE.

Thus the sermon ends.

Singapore Duathlon - 23rd January 2011

(Photos courtesy of Tey - Huge thanks from us all Tey, you really are a fantastic guy and your continued support to all athletes in Malaysia and Singapore is greatly appreciated)

I entered this race some months ago when I was sure that my missing mojo would have long since returned and I'd be in real good shape. Alas I got that wrong and believe me, a duathlon hurts far far more than a triathlon ever will. It's not a race to arrive at out of shape.

But hey, here I was toeing the start line with the biggest wave of the day, 40-44yo age-groupers. I was burnt out, fat and unfit. I was not even close to being race ready but my biking and running mojo have returned and so it was time to test the legs, lungs, heart and most importantly the spirit.

I went to the front of the start chute, no point in hanging back. It was a 10k run, 40k bike and 5k run. I have a theory with duathlons that the race is pretty much won or lost during the first run. It's certainly lost during the first run if you don't lay it all down and take it easy. Pacing therefore is easy, red line it all the way (without going into oxygen debt too often).

The gun went and before I knew it I'd gone from having no one in front of me to about 20th place within 200m. But did I mention don't go into oxygen debt? Even in my depleted state of confidence I knew that many of these "fast out gate" guys would be reeled in long before the end of the run. Having said that, the real runners were unbelievably fast and within a small number of minutes were lost way ahead of me in the crowds of the earlier waves.

The race was 4 laps of 2.5k; by the end of lap 2 I was hurting bad and it became a mind game to keep the effort levels, cadence and thus pain levels high. (Sorry I forgot, we don't call it "pain" anymore we call it a "high level of discomfort" - haha).

By the time I got to T1 the "level of discomfort" was off the chart but I reckon I was in around 10th place at this point - and now to bring down the hammer, it was now my element, my territory, THE BIKE.

The bike was 6 laps and I caught about 5 guys in my age-group on the 1st lap including a very very tall guy who I assume was first after the run - you couldn't miss him and he was running at an unbelievable pace. His cycling however...mmm! First of all he was drafting in a none drafting race but since he was about 8 feet tall and he was drafting behind a little Chinese girl of about 4 feet 6 inches I was chuckling too much to bother shouting at him. Not to mention that his cadence was about 120rpm (ridiculously fast) and he was only going about 25kph.







I reeled in some more guys in my age-group on lap 2 and then it was impossible to tell who was who and whether they were in front of you or behind. So I just kept concentrating and putting the hammer down. I couldn't believe how many brand spanking new Trek Speed Concepts were there. I went past quite a few and couldn't help complimenting the riders on their steeds - awesome bikes.

I finished the bike in a little under an hour, hit the ground running (for half a second), then walking and then hobbling. The first run had taken its toll on my feet, especially the recent Achilles Tendinitis injury in my left ankle. T2 was a long run/hobble but I struggled through, got my runners back on and I was off on the last 5k run.

The first 500m were genuinely a hobble and a limping shuffle but the ankles then warmed up and I was able to turn over a reasonably fast cadence. After the turnaround half way through lap 1 I saw a guy in my age-group moving very fast not far behind me - my heart sank a bit but I told myself that the second run was all about keeping focused and doing whatever the body was capable of - the mind gives up before the body! There was another guy in front of me (not in my age-group) who looked like he was flying but amazingly I was reeling him in. I used this knowledge to convince myself that I could still do it.


I really am in terrible shape, I'm 77kg whereas in February last year for Ironman Langkawi I was 69kg. So I had no illusions as to my current form...BUT...this race did seem to be going very well, I passed guys on the bike early on who'd creamed me on the first run and I was fairly confident that I was in the top 3. No way was I going to let myself down for the last lap. At the turnaround half way through the lap I saw the guy behind who seemed to be flying, he was a couple of hundred metres further behind than last time - awesome! Just goes to show what you can do if you believe (or at least convince yourself to believe - DENIAL is a wonderful thing).













I cruised down the finishing chute to be greeted by the winner who was looking disarmingly fresh and chilled out. I was 2nd and comfortably ahead of 3rd. I was very pleased with that as a result - a huge confident booster and this just 5 short weeks after I decided to go looking for my mojo. I'm 5kg lighter than then but still 10kg more to lose (I need to be 67kg for IMChina) and a massive amount of training a.k.a. pain, misery and suffering to go but we're on the right road for sure.

Also Having just checked the results, I had the fastest bike split of the day out of the entire field not just my age-group, so I'm pretty stoked about that. And amazingly not only was I second in my age-group but second overall. 40-44 age-group ROCKS!


POSTSCRIPT
Although I had to leave Shilpa, Sid and Seb behind in India to attend this race I did have the pleasure of driving down and back with Disco Dave and Lydia which made the weekend a real joy. Not to mention Dave won his age-group and Lydia got 2nd in hers. Thanks for the company guys and well done on your superb results.

Benefits of Yoga and/or Drinking

(Courtesy of David Clenton)

Research confirms that drinking gives you the same benefits yoga does !!!

Savasana
Position of total relaxation
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Balasana
Position that brings the sensation of peace and calm












Setu Bandha Sarvangasana
This positioncalms the brain and heals tired legs











Marjayasana
Position stimulates the midirift area and the spinal comumn











Halasana
Excellent for back pain and insomnia











Dolphin
Excellent for the shoulder area, thorax, legs, and arms











Salambhasana
Great exercise to stimulate the lumbar area, legs, and arms











Ananda Balasana
This position is great for massaging the hip area











Malasana
This position, for ankles and back muscles

Security Alert Announcement

(Courtesy of Steve Dennison - please blame him, I'm just the messenger)

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved."

Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out.

Terrorists have been re-categorized from "Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a "Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years.

The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from "Run" to "Hide." The only two higher levels in France are "Collaborate" and "Surrender."

The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability.

Italy has increased the alert level from "Shout Loudly and Excitedly" to "Elaborate Military Posturing." Two more levels remain: "Ineffective Combat Operations" and "Change Sides."

The Germans have increased their alert state from "Disdainful Arrogance" to "Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs." They also have two higher levels: "Invade a Neighbor" and "Lose." [Sorry Angela, Marcus and gang - I'm just the messenger]

Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels.

The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy.

Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from "No worries" to "She'll be right, Mate."

Three more escalation levels remain: "Crikey,!" "I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend" and "The barbie is cancelled." So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level

The Ashes - gloating time

(Courtesy of the Telegraph online)

1) What do you call an Australian Cricketer with 100 by his name? A bowler.

2) Why can't Aussies open bottles? Because they don't have any openers.

3) What do you call an Australian with a bottle of champagne in his hand? A waiter.

4) What do you call a world class Australian Cricketer? Retired.

5) What do you get if you cross the Australian cricket team with an Oxo cube? Laughing stock.

Priorities

A Professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the Professor then picked up a box of small pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The Professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The Professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the space between the grains of sand.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions - things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff.



"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Stay physically fit. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house, fix the lamp, wash the car. "Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."






One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The Professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."