"But to say that the race is the metaphor for the life is to miss the point. The race is everything. It obliterates whatever isn't racing. Life is the metaphor for the race."
-Donald AntrimI find something very unsettling about this quote. It's not that I think Antrim went over-the-top with his assessment, or that the sentences prove irrelevant for our generation. Instead, the quote rattles my mind because it resonates with my ideals; I believe it whole-heartedly. Each time I read this quote, I immediately reprise my week at the Trans-Sylvania Epic and the ensuing lethargy of the week after. I feel like Tyler Durden after his first bout in Fight Club, desperately trying to recapture the magnificence of the experience when every element of the world seems muted and deflated in comparison.
And what competitor doesn't undergo this experience? It seems almost universal for those truly engaged in their activity. We seem to revere our activities with a level of grandeur that reaches religious sentiment, so much so that we can easily loose sight of the big picture.
Even though I experience this degradation of importance in day-to-day routines after competition, I like to think I maintain a fair degree of balance. I know my paycheck does not depend on racing, and with that knowledge I am able to enjoy competition for the sake of competition rather than stressing over results (which may also be why I suck).
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