Dreaming of Success

A few weeks ago, I watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi. A number of friends had recommended it, and I finally bit.

Now that I've given it some time to digest, I feel the same way I did when it ended - having a strong urge to write but not knowing where to begin; wanting to draw together the parallels of a documentary about an 85 year-old Japanese sushi chef and my life, but again - not knowing where to begin.

So, I did what most bloggers would do. I read what other people were writing, hoping to find an angle to kickstart this thing from. Reviewers, bloggers, and anonymous Wikipedia editors - all fair game. Unfortunately, I screwed up my thought process in the process. I tainted any good ideas that I may have possibly come up with, because there was a lot of material out there, and I read it all.

But who is Jiro and why is he dreaming of sushi? If you haven't seen it - it's a documentary. That, I am sure of. It's not even so much about sushi, though. It's not even a pursuit of happiness. It's a pursuit of perfection. A man that has simply focused his entire life on one thing - making good sushi.

This quote from Jiro essentially sums it up:

Once you decide on your occupation you must immerse yourself in your work. You have to fall in love with your work. Never complain about your job. You must dedicate your life to mastering your skill.

That's the secret of success.

Strong words. Almost demanding.

Really, though - what is success? Mastering a skill and dedicating a lifetime to it, according to Jiro.

And falling in love with your job? That's a tough one to swallow. Definitely tougher than his O-Toro.

When I finished school, I got a job. It wasn't the job I wanted, but it was a job nonetheless. Website and graphic design. Programming. Geek stuff. I can't say anything negative about my first "big boy" job, because it supported me for three years. Sure, it had its ups and downs. But, I met so many great people. Older people. People with more experience. People who helped me learn.

Developing a career was hard. Getting hired, noticed, promoted - all hard. I caught a few breaks, but I also had my fair share of stumbles and screw-ups. My job required work that was "good enough". It wasn't worth doubling our time just to eek out another 5% in quality.

I didn't see that. I couldn't understand it. I wanted to dedicate more time and create something better, but it wasn't my call. I was green; more outspoken with raw, unpolished ideas.

But time went by, and I learned to listen. When I spoke in meetings, it seemed to mean more. It carried more weight. People left the company, and I took advantage by jumping in their void.

Before long, I had enough experience and an opportunity to get a better job, so I took it. And I learned more. But after a couple years, I left. I struggled inside. I was burnt out at 27, not knowing what I wanted to do. All the hard work, time, sacrifice - it didn't bring me a feeling of success and fulfillment. I knew if I continued down the same path, I would live a life of professional misery. I had no other outlet, and I needed to find one.

I got into cycling and became more grounded. I was more appreciative and focused on simpler things. I started to make a lot of new friends who had the same simple minds. I felt I was a better person. I felt successful. I felt good about sleeping outside on the ground.

But, I didn't have a job.

So, like Jiro's son, I went into the family business.

And it truly has been a great opportunity. I get to see my two brothers every day and make decisions that affect the livelihood of many wonderful people. It's hard work. It can be stressful, and there are times I complain. There are times I feel great, but there are also nights when I go home and tell Ry I want to throw my hands up, move to Oregon and open a coffee shop.

My job isn't perfect. I love my job and I strive for what most people view as success, but it's not perfect, and I'm not going to be perfect at it. No job is. Not even Jiro's.

That's why at 85 years-old, he's still in the pursuit of perfection. It's his direction, but not his destination - he'll never achieve it. He is trying to achieve success and perfection in his own mind, by his own rules, and I am content to measure success by my own rules.

If I never got into cycling, I'd still be that web designer walking down Baum Boulevard, listening to my coworkers talk about stuff like the optimization of database scripts and hidden Qdoba menu items. More striking is the plethora of friends I wouldn't have met. Amazing to think about.

A few weeks ago, I met some friends at the cabin. It was the night before our ride to Southern Tier. My friend Joe handed me this:

There aren't many words to describe how I felt. Any words that I could muster in my moment of disbelief, I shared with him.

Now sitting on a bookshelf in my living room, it doesn't remind me of the path I took from DC to Pittsburgh, but instead the path I took in life to make such a great friend.

Not a dream. Real. My own success.

Video: http://instagram.com/p/ebFWL9SYum/

Or: http://distilleryvesper6-2.ak.instagram.com/e9d9bee620c811e3a8e322000a9f13d9_101.mp4

Satisfied.

I've been essentially wheat free for the past couple months. I have the standard, negative thoughts and feelings on GMOs that most other people have. Those knowledgeable on the subject, at least.

Also, I just wanted to try it.

And honestly - it is really upsetting to me that I went through withdrawals from it. Withdrawals from the types of food that are generally perceived as normal, run-of-the-mill consumables. Cravings, brain fog, exhaustion. It sucked.

And it's not like I was eating a lot of it, either. Our diets are pretty simple. Spinach salads, whole foods, a little bit of fruit. Most every night, dinners are essentially grilled or sautéed vegetables, sweet potatoes or rice, then some sort of protein.

I unexpectedly lost a little weight and went from 146 to 142. But more importantly to me, my appetite is a little easier to control. I'm eating foods with more fat in them and feeling generally better. Definitely a plus.

So, about the crazy ride this weekend. Some random thoughts:

I was really concerned about the weather leading into the weekend. The northeast had been getting a lot of rain dumped on it, so I was constantly checking out my RadarScope app. The C&O ended up being the muddiest I had ever seen it, but it was still a non-factor.

I remained wheat free the entire time. I was worried how my GI parts would hold up on such a long ride with my relatively new eating habits. This ended up being a non-issue.

Well, pretty much...

Except in Hancock where I quickly downed a sweet potato and some pineapple, then had the feeling of my stomach getting squished between an anvil and something else really heavy. I was at the nicest town in 125 miles and still no bathrooms around. Of course.

I grabbed the most-precious cargo from my frame bag - baby wipes, duh - hurdled past a group of two dozen small children and galloped off into the woods like a guy in lycra about to shit his shorts (Sorry, I can't think of a good analogy. I just have to tell it how it was.)

Although wheat free, I still ate a lot. I had prepped most of my food beforehand, so I was able to somewhat accurately assess the damage done between setting off in Georgetown and ending on Carson Street.

For breakfast, I had a Chipotle burrito bowl along with two bananas and peanut butter.

On the ride:

• Ten Lara Bars, six Kind Bars, five Almond Snickers
• Eight bananas, eight Tbsp of peanut butter
• Four sweet potatoes, three cups of brown rice, a can of black beans
• Two hamburgers (no buns), a cup of french fries, chicken breast w/ bacon, cheese & guacamole
• Five ham, turkey & cheese sandwich wraps (brown rice tortillas)
• Two bottles of coke, six Gatorades, some GU Roctane mix
• Handful of Jolly Ranchers, two packs of honey stingers
• A bag of blueberries, bag of cashews, some pineapple, an avocado, 2x espresso

Double burp.

No terrible wildlife encounters (human or non-human).

No mechanicals.

No chamois cream.

I had a goal time in my head. I really thought I could do the whole thing in 30 hours in relatively good conditions. I gave Ryanne the names of the trailheads I'd stop at for food and water along with my estimated pace between various stops. I gave her a more aggressive schedule with an overall 28 hour time, and a more conservative list at 30 hours.

Ry also used the Find My iPhone app to check out my location from her phone, which ended up being super helpful. It's difficult to describe the level of support she gave me. Food, planning, driving, etc. Willing to ride with me in the middle of the night for some time, only to turn around in the darkness alone was not expected, but appreciated. I enjoyed the short times together, and although concerned for her well-being, remembered that she pretty much does whatever she wants, so I wasn't about to start it up with her : )

I started at 3:50AM on Saturday morning. Finished at 7:14AM on Sunday. Start to finish time of 27:24. Had pretty good luck. Mud, yes. But never had a cramp and didn't really get tired. The stretch from Connellsville to West Newton was strewn with fallen trees from storm damage. The section between West Newtown and Pittsburgh sucked, as it usually does.

I had so many people send me text messages before and after the ride. I found out later there were a bunch of group text conversations between friends and family at 2:00AM, close to the end. Pretty darn thoughtful. I love my friends.

All-in-all it was difficult, but as much mental as it was physical. The first day of Trans North Georgia is still the hardest thing I have done physically. I was probably in my best shape when we were in Georgia, and that had us doing 26,000 feet of climbing bombed-out dirt roads over 116 miles in 18 hours. All on packed down mountain bikes. Fueled by cryptosporidium-riddled stream water.

I don't know what's next. This Team Schlup member found some glory this weekend, and that's enough to keep me going for a while. Wherever it may be, I'll be sure to make it an adventure.