The Tri Town Times: 5/6/24
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- By Antonio Gonzalez
- Posted in the tri town times
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Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
Hi all,
Here is your weekly Tri Town Times newsletter:
Last week's highlights:
- Sam Long won 70.3 St. George in a record setting time of 3:39:17, beating Lionel Sanders prior fastest time set back in 2018. Paula Findlay won the women's race in 4:09:27. Local professional Danielle Lewis, who raced Ironman Texas only last week, took 6th overall, and currently leads the Ironman Pro Series standings.
- The Giro d'Italia is currently underway with Tadej Pogačar leading after two stages.
Quote that struck a chord:
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." -Aristotle
I had an interesting experience the other week. I went to a small tailor in town to get fitted for a custom suit. Although I'm not burdened with having to wear suits often, and if I'm being honest I try to avoid it if at all possible, I was nonetheless intrigued by the experience and process. It turns out getting fitted for a suit is very similar to what I do at the shop: a high-end tailor needs to thoroughly understand their product and how to fit and size it for various body types, not unlike the high-end bicycle industry.
What stood out to me was not the clothier's thorough knowledge of the various fabrics, patterns, and fitting techniques, but rather the other, smaller details that made up the experience. When I walked in, I was surprised to find his small shop in complete disarray, with articles of clothing strewn everywhere, a cluttered desk covered in miscellaneous items, floors that have not been swept, and even a random bike sitting in the corner. Furthermore, the tailor himself appeared rather unkept, which I wouldn't typically care about, but I was placing my trust in this man to dress me well for a special occasional.
Over the next couple hours, he gave me an excellent overview and education on fabric, patterns, and fit. I learned a ton and overall enjoyed the experience, feeling confident that my money was well spent. As we got to know each other during this time, it became apparent that he was someone who loved certain aspects of his job but definitely not all aspects of it.
I believe that if one commits their life to something, they should strive to find pleasure in all aspects of it, both the glorious parts and the less glamorous ones. By not finding pleasure, or even worse, ignoring certain aspects of our work, we end up that much further away from "putting perfection in the work."
One of my employees gets upset when he sees me sweeping the floors at our shop. He says there are better things I could do with my time. He may be right, but a long time ago, I learned to find joy in even the little jobs that contribute to the overall experience our clients feel when they visit our shop.
As athletes, it is critical to find pleasure in the small, daily workouts, not just the big races or training camps. Every athlete gets excited about the pomp and circumstance on race day, but it's the great athletes that get excited about their regular Wednesday morning swim, or bike, or run. Once you feel like that, then race day will truly become just another training day, and your performance will be that much better for it.
Have a great week!
Antonio Gonzalez
Tri Town Bicycles
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