By Joshua Stevens
I bought a camera recently. Not a point-and-shoot, no-brainer variety camera, but a real one that requires that I learn how to set the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO all by myself! I’m not sure where the inspiration for this maneuver came from, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. Until the writing of this article, I have not questioned its genesis, but it has been a game-changer for my life as an athlete.
Despite its technical complexity, I have noticed that my interest in photography has given me some new energy. Whether I am at work, hanging out with friends, or doing yoga, I have a new creative spark, and this spark is generating new energy in all aspects of my life. Not only am I more grounded, but I am able to give a lot more focus to my bike training. After all, it is cyclocross season, and a lot of my free time is spent wheeling away on grass and dirt getting ready for the season. In the midst of that riding I can’t help but compose a frame or two in my mind and wonder to myself, “What f-stop and shutter speed would I use in this evening light?”
The balance of learning something aesthetically and technically enjoyable with the nose-to-the-grindstone efforts of a daily training routine has proved a fruitful juxtaposition in my life. I feel more present to the tasks at hand, more focused, and more energetic all around. I am feeling more rooted in the present and less concerned about what lies ahead or behind. I feel at ease. It is like cross-training for my heart and mind.
Many of you are in the middle of training for a fall or spring marathon or preparing to race your brains out 15 times in four months on a bike, as am I. My suggestion is: Take time to learn something new in your training process. It doesn’t have to be a new hobby. Maybe it’s just a novel approach to your training, like adding a yoga class once a week. It could also be a weekly meet-up at Fullsteam Brewery with training buddies or swing dancing lessons with your girl or learning how to play golf (better)! It could be anything that would inject some new enthusiasm or appreciation for these active hobbies we all enjoy.
Activities like photography, golf, and yoga require patience and persistence on a different scale than marathoning or cyclocross. And I believe we need this perspective and distance to loosen our tight grip on goal times and placings and just enjoy the flow of life, of training, and of the beauty all around us.
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Joshua Stevens, D.C., is a holistic chiropractor in Chapel Hill and Durham, where he utilizes chiropractic, acupuncture, detoxification, nutrition, and cold laser therapy with patients. A two-time Ironman finisher, he focuses on racing cyclocross and mountain bikes … much easier!
