Wednesday, September 19, 2012

A Year of Exceeding Expectations

The comments from nearly all of my parent-teacher conferences growing up read as such, "Ashley does well, but does not work up to her potential."  Starting sometime in the 1st grade and haunting me all the way through high school, that was the theme.  If my college professors remembered who I was based upon my spotty attendance, I'm sure that they would have the same thing to say.  I've always done the bare minimum...and gotten away with it.  I didn't have the best attendance, but would still come away with good grades; I didn't read the whole book, but could write an A paper; I can spend a ton of time procrastinating, but always get the job done.

When it comes to sports, there is no shortcut.  You can't do it well (or sometimes at all) if you don't put in the work.  So, to compete in sports, you have two options: 1. Work hard and see what your "potential" is or 2. Don't work hard and make excuses for why you're not as good as you "should" be.  But, there is no cover-up.  Of course, working the hardest will never guarantee that you're the best, or even that you're good, so to protect your ego, #2 becomes the safe option.  This year I made a pledge to myself, that I would try, even if my potential isn't what everyone expects it to be, or thinks they see,  to not cheat and make excuses, but to truly try my best.

Below is my Feb 2012 - June 2012 Racing Schedule with the results of "trying."

February
11 - Cupid's Chase 5k - Philadelphia (goal = sub 26 min) - 25:43 J

March
18- Anthem Half-Marathon - VA Beach (goal = sub 2 hours) - 1:53:28 J

April
1 - Cherry Blossom 10 miler - DC (goal = sub 1 hour, 30 min) - 1:28:17 J

May
6 - Broad Street Run 10 miler - Philadelphia (goal = faster than Cherry Blossom) - 1:30:48 L
13 - Komen Race for the Cure 5k - Pittsburgh (goal = sub 27 min) - 26:53 J
20 - American Zofingen Duathlon - Catskills (goal = finish) - I finished the Short distance, but took a DNF on the Middle Distance.  Very 
J I made it that far.
June
3 - Nav-E Sink or Swim 2.4 miler - Jersey Shore (goal = sub 1 hour, 20 min) 1:29:16   
L 
24 - Syracuse 70.3 - Syracuse, NY (goal = finish)  The real goal here was sub 7 hrs.  - 6:44:35 
J


I still have a few races left in the 2012 calendar year, mostly notably the Poconos 70.3 in a week and a half.  I'm also signed up for a full Ironman for 2013 (more details on that soon).  I'm still learning what this "potential" thing is all about, how to understand why people "see" what they see and have slowly accepted that my ego can handle laying it all out there, even when the results aren't what you wanted.  I've always had this confidence and cockiness that I was able to be lazy and still accomplish what I wanted, I'm finding that the fulfillment of hard work brings a different, yet equal satisfaction...and so far I'm liking it.  


Friday, September 14, 2012

Return of the Yinzer

So, I really didn't think it had been since January when I last posted, but alas, that's the case.  I quit blogging for a number of reasons, most notably was a struggle for clear direction of this thing.  I was worried that some people thought this self-described Yinzer should write mostly about Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Sports, and that others wanted to read more about adventures in Triathlon.  I also know that people read their friends' blogs while procrastinating at work and don't give a damn what the blog is "about."

So after 8 months of thought (ok, I didn't think about it that long), I've come to realize a few things:


  1. Not many people read this blog.  
  2. I don't care how many people read this blog, I enjoy writing it.
  3. It's my blog and I'll blog what I want to.
  4. Maybe, just maybe, I'll post something interesting enough to inspire, motivate, or in some other way provoke thought, discussion, or action.
  5. I'm still a Yinzer, I still live in Philly and I still have lots to say about that.

So there it is.  I've got a few topics lined up over the next few weeks including an update on my January race post (2012 Racing Schedule), my quest for a 2013 Ironman Race (To MDot or MNot), politics, the NHL lockout, and, most importantly, my pet rabbit Mr. Hunny Bun...cause that's really what most of you want to know about anyway.