#1 I'm 63 years old, for Pete's sake.
#2 I didn't do my yoga this morning.
#3 I didn't have my yogurt this morning.
#4 I only do this for fun. My score for the day doesn't matter. I've had enough fun now.
#5 I didn't get out and practice this week so I'm not tuned up for racing.
#6 On the whole, I would rather be in Philadelphia.
#7 I only race to learn what skills I need to improve. I've learned enough skills I need to improve now.
#8 I haven't checked Facebook for over two hours.
#9 I'm really struggling these days with gusty, shifty breezes.
#10 I should really get out and practice this week in gusty, shifty breezes instead of trying to race any more.
#11 I didn't have any lunch.
#12 The tallest blade of grass is the first to be cut by the lawnmower.
#12.5 No, I have no idea either why that last excuse is relevant. Except I am fairly tall.
#13 The wind just picked up. People ahead of me in the fleet are starting to capsize and crash into each other.
#14 I don't want to capsize. The water looks wet.
#15 I don't want some idiot to crash into me.
#16 I haven't checked Twitter for three hours.
#17 I'm really slow downwind today. I have no idea why.
#18 I haven't been DFL yet. If I quit now, I'll never be DFL today.
#19 Some other old guy has already quit. I won't be the first old guy to quit.
#20 It looks like it might rain.
#21 I'm not sailing well today. If I keep on not sailing well, I will effectively be practicing how not to sail well.
#22 These sailing gloves are very stiff and tight. They are making my hands ache.
#23 I did a couple of hours gardening before I left home this morning. That makes almost fours hours of exercise altogether. That's enough for one day.
#24 Because soaring with the eagles requires so much more effort.
#25 There's a bone in my leg.
#26 I'm a wimp.
#27 I'm planning to run a half-marathon next weekend. I mustn't do anything too strenuous today. I need to taper.
#28 I'll be 64 this year, for Pete's sake.
#29 If I only sail three races I can write a blog post titled 30 Reasons Why I Only Sailed 3 Races Today.
#30 At some point, hanging in there just makes you look like an even bigger loser.
#31 I've already beaten everyone who didn't show up at all today.
OK. I know that's 31, not 30. So shoot me.
8 comments:
#32: The Brick Alley early bird specials require that your party sits by 5:00 p.m. And they will not seat said party until ALL of the guests have arrived. Also, you must mention upon checking in that you are participating in the early bird program, and present your current AARP card at that time. No exceptions. No substitutions. Offer expires 4/2/2012.
Nr 1 on my list, when in extremist, is to ask if I'm still having fun. If the answer is "no" the very next question is "then why are you doing this?"
Deliberate practice is important for skill development but at some point fun has to enter the equation or this old dawg is lookin' for the porch.
If your three races were satisfying and you weren't competing in a big deal event then to bail while you were up was probably a good strategy, assuming you had another fun activity competing for your time. I tell myself that my time on this planet is also a nonrenewable resource.
Re #6: I'd rather have them on the half in Philadelphia.
#31... turns out I had never realised how successful I am.....
#33: You can type faster than you sail.
As luck would have it, Trophy Wife was reading me these lines of reminiscence from Olin Stephens II, All This and Sailing Too:
....I was responsible for general design, particularly the lines. I have from those early days concentrated on hull shapes and on their influence on performance. The subject still fascinates me, although increasing age has brought with it a loss of agility as well as less tolerance of discomfort, and my active enjoyment of sailing has become less. Reluctantly I admit today that the important place in my life once occupied by sailing has been replaced by a computer.
Yeah, but Olin did live to be a 100 and wrote that book the year he turned 92. I think it's OK to say that you prefer a computer to a Laser when you're 92!
So now that April Fools Day is over, how many races did you really sail on Sunday?
Three.
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