Friday, December 11, 2009

The Most Interesting Man In The World

In the last week, I have been going back and forth on whether to man up and do Ironman St. George in May. As an unreformed addict, I'm a bit lost without an Ironman, but I think one of the main reasons Ironman is going on hiatus is that there are other things I want to try that would be impossible if I were training at an Ironman level.

For one thing, it is high time I got serious about working on the craft of writing. I have signed up for a fiction writing workshop, and I want to put in the effort of writing and rewriting that it deserves.

And remember in my last post where I mentioned "professional obligations" that I ought to be attending to?

Well, some of you know that when I doff my cape and super hero tights, I take on the secret identity of a mild-mannered lawyer.

In fact, I am an appellate lawyer, which means I read, write and research about the courts all the time.

When I have spoken at seminars on the law and the courts, I often get "best speaker" awards and high marks for content and entertainment.

(To be fair, law nerds are easily entertained. We don't get out much).

And some of the marketing people at the firm know that I blog.

So, if you combine my legal savoir faire and my mad blogging skillz with my dashing good looks and razor wit, do you know what you get?

The Most Interesting Man In The World.

As if there were any question.

Or at any rate you have the makings of a legal blogger.

Or blawger.

Maybe even a blawger that lawyers and clients would want to read.

So, as it happens, the firm has asked me to start a legal blog in the area of my professional expertise, Texas and Federal Appellate Law.

For the last several months, we have been trying to set a legal blog in a fashion where it could be done properly, and it looks like we are about to hit the ground running. Very soon we will launch a law blog called:

The Appellate Record
Because if it's not in here, it didn't happen.

Consistent with my history of biting off more than I can chew, I intend to make that legal blog the most authoritative and useful and entertaining voice on its subject matter in the Great State of Texas.

Yeah, let me know how that works out.

I say that to say this. I am expected to post regularly to the law blog without decreasing my billable hours or my collections. And I don't think I can post regularly there and write fiction and make speeches and write scholarly articles and continue developing as an athlete and be a good father and husband all while continuing to post here two or three times a week.

Not to mention the fact that this blog has largely been about me, and I have thoroughly exhausted that topic.

So, while I hope that this blog is not ending entirely, it is definitely going on a hiatus and at minimum is probably changing its focus. After the law blog gets going, I have some idea that I might repurpose this blog as a place for once weekly posts to encourage and instruct the new athlete who wants to get up off the couch of doom and reclaim their life and their health. I might even start a fiction blog to write a wovel.

And I'll probably maintain this space as one method of shouting out to my virtual friends so as to arrange races and events across the country.

So, don't delete me from your RSS feed or your google reader just yet.

But, trigreyhound, as it has existed before, a self-absorbed blog focused on my multi-sport mediocrity, is coming to an end.

It is time for what's next, and that "next" requires room. That means, at least for the moment, I pause and put down my pen.

I put it down grateful beyond words. The comments I have received on this blog tell me that this blog has mattered to some of its readers. Some are better off for having read it. Some have dared do great things that they might otherwise not have done. Some have broken beyond their comfort zones. In that, I have succeeded beyond anything I would have imagined when, 603 posts ago, in March of 2006, I first said . . .

So, here goes . . .

It has been a great ride, and I prize the friends this blog has brought me more than you can know. Those I will keep long after this URL dies. A mid-life that could have been colorless and dead has been made vivid and life-affirming.

You did that, not me.

You have taught me how to be an encouraging friend, and if you find me on Facebook, I will ever be that still. There is nothing more precious than a true friend to walk beside you, and with love, I will always be,

Your faithful friend,

Greyhound

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are going out at the top of your game and I wish you well in your next phase of life. I'll miss your writing but we'll always have facebook.

Coach Liz said...

Argh!!! Say it is not so! You and everyone else are forcing me onto Facebook. I guess I will have to fold to the peer pressure.

Oh, the St. George thingy, I think you got caught up in FOMO or the Fear Of Missing Out when everyone else was jumpping on the bandwagon. You do not have to do it just because you signed up for it. It is already been proven that you can do this Ironman thing three times already. You have a lot of other things that you seem to be interested in at the moment and ramping up the training again in a few weeks will cut into that writing and bloging. Just remember how much fun we had doing those 90 minute intense bricks and joking about how this would be our big workouts for an Olympic distance race. When you ;have a lot on your plate, a 90 minute workout sure beats a 6 hour and 45 minute workout.

Spokane Al said...

. . . and another one bites the dust!

Good luck buddy!

21stCenturyMom said...

Wow - I kind of abandoned my blog without apology and with no higher ambitions. You rule!

Actually, I said I would quit blogging because no one was reading and then a bunch of people said, "no no - we're reading - keep blogging" Who knew?

Looking forward to your new adventures in writing. And thanks for the new word "wovel"

Anonymous said...

Oh, Geez. I hope it's not because I didn't answer the phone last night...

Sigh...

Because, I know I'm the reason you do EVERYTHING, eh?

All is good; can't wait to see you NEXT WEEK.

Runner Leana said...

Way to leave us on a high note after IM Cozumel! Best of luck in your future endevours!!

By the way, did you train with my friend Lori Rempel, back when she was living in Houston I think? She and I used to work for the same company and she's one of my triathlete inspirations!

SWTrigal said...

OH no!!

SWTrigal said...

I will miss your blog-darn it!

Fe-lady said...

Further up and further in!

Write on Mr. Greyhound. Write on.

:-)
Catch ya on FB!

Benson said...

What the FFFFFFFandango!
This is gonna really screw up my time wasting at the office. When I'm in the office.
It's beer great fun keeping up with you on this blog.

Best wishes and continued success.

Alili said...

Crap! You're feed the intellectual aspect of my google reader who am I going to follow for verbose inspiration?

Seriously, I'll miss reading along but it sounds like amazing endeavors are on your horizon. Best to you.

Lisa said...

This makes me so sad, although I hope through this and facebook, I can keep tabs on your future and new exploits. ... And I don't believe you are haning up your ironshoes forever. Not for one second.

skierz said...

your blog has been inspiring, educational and entertaining! anytijme I may nned to know about Texas appelate law I certainly know where to go! Good luck, I am certain that your new blog will be a hit! Cheers

Trishie said...

good luck with the blawg !!

Jane said...

Keep in Touch! Come do CapTex or Austin Tri again. You have followed my from my infancy in my tri journey to most recent IM.
Crap - now next time I see you Emma will be all grown up and I will feel really old....

jeanne said...

what happened to my damn comment?! oh well...
what i said (or a reasonable facsimile) was...
love the title of your new blog. Excellent.
I hope you inject your personal style and wit into it.

But regarding your current blog...is there ever such a thing as too much about MOI??! come on. Surely not!

I too just signed up for a writing workshop (personal essay). At least I don't have family obligations (that's a good thing? sigh). We shall see how it goes.

And thanks to the person above who introduced me to FOMO! love it.

Speed Racer said...

Wow.

As someone who's been facing some similar things... time constraints, other demands for my writing time, and so on, I think you might find that you miss it. At least I did.

We'll definitely miss you.

Don't delete the URL yet... Maybe you'll find time to post from time to time, and when you do, we'd love to hear what you're up to!

Speed Racer said...

PS I LOVE Forever Fitness! It's the first podcast I listen to every time I synch!

Captain Cactus said...

I miss you posting Greyhound. I would have loved to hear your version of the events that unfolded in Utah last weekend!

kizzy said...

Nice post...

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare."
- Juma Ikangaa, Tanzania ~chaco sandals

Afternoon Tea With Oranges said...

Greyhound, are you really not blogging anymore??? Dang, Cous. I just stopped in since it had been a while and all...and I get a goodbye post. Not that I have any room to talk, but... :(

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