Side Work

Side work is what servers have to do at the end of the night before they can go home after their shifts. I have been a server, and understand that this stuff generally sucks. "You mean after dealing with Nebraskan tourists all day I have to refill the ketchup bottles, restock the beer cooler and roll 30 silverware??" (Thanks, Rob)

As far as my current life is concerned, "side work" is everything else I have to do besides training and racing. Some of it sucks, and thus falls by the wayside. Yeah, things like shaving, cleaning up after myself, and doing laundry get left behind on busy days and after a couple weeks I am forced to play the How Much do These Bike Shorts Smell Like My Grundle game... which is not a pleasant game to play. 

...Similarly, I didn't always clean the ketchup bottles after busy shifts during the 4th of July week! (Sorry, Rob). 

On the other hand, there is a lot of "side work" that I love doing, and which provides me with some much-needed balance. 

 Snowboarding... The adrenaline is only matched in races. Love it.

Cooking... My gold-medal, Godfather-Style meatballs with spaghetti. A favorite pre-race meal, or a mid-winter indulgence. (In my Don Corlione accent) "I never wanted this for you..."

Being a roommate... Here is me probably doing a bad job of it... Sorry Libs and Sev, we are watching Food Network and listening to the hum of my fluid trainer for the next 2 hours! Love you guys.

There are many other things I love doing besides triathlon, like being a boyfriend, a son, a brother, a friend. I need them to keep me sane.

So in conclusion, I need to maintain my balance and still be better about getting the crappy side work done, even during busy shifts. Because ultimately, the Nebraskan tourists will be back tomorrow, and if those ketchup bottles aren't full and clean, I won't make as many tips! Until next time, FOLLOW THE PACE RABBIT!