Au Revoir and Merci Beaucoup

We have all experienced times when, instead of being buffeted by anonymous forces, we do feel in control of our actions, masters of our own fate. On the rare occasions that it happens, we feel a sense of exhilaration, a deep sense of enjoyment that is long cherished and that becomes a landmark in memory for what life should be like….. moments like these are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times…the best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Such experiences are not are not necessarily pleasant at the time they occur, yet these could have been the best moments of life.
-Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi

This is the final installment of my In The Arena blog. It has been an incredible experience and I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to serve a greater good while pursuing my athletic goals. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

As I type, I am in the midst of packing up my life in Park City in order to move it out to San Francisco. I will begin working towards a MFA this coming fall at the Academy of Art University and joining my girlfriend, Crystal, in the bay area. At the moment I have no plans to continue competing, though I wouldn't be surprised to find myself pinning a number on before the year's end in any multitude of sports.

I really just want to thank Amory Rowe, the In The Arena board members, donors and supporters of the organization, as well as Jeff Schwalbe and Ecker Hill Middle School.

I look forward to seeing you all again soon. If you need to track me down in the future, you can find me at simons(dot)zack(at)gmail(dot)com.

May 23

I just arrived to ecker hill middle school this morning to 3 inches if
snow on the ground... On may 23!

The kids are getting used to the drill but that does t mean they are
excited about it. We are in the middle
of a track and field segment and that means we'll be runnin the
hurdles inside today. Wedenes day is the mile run, hopefully the
weather clears up or that means a lot of laps in the gym!

In other news, I have decided to call it a career. The time has come
for me to move forward and I can't wait. I will be joining my
girlfriend Crystal in Berkeley, CA and am
planning to begin grad school in September.

Sprinter.

I am back in Utah after a wonderful month in California. The day before I left California I sat by a lake with my dog and Crystal under warm skies and 80 degree temperatures. Pretty much the ideal weather for this time of year... The day after I arrived home to Utah I woke up to snow blowing against my windows...

I had travelled from Spring and back to Sprinter, the dreaded Utah shoulder season.

Utah is notorious for fooling its inhabitants into thinking that summer is nearby with temperatures reaching the high 70's and slapping them back to reality with 12 inches of snow the next day.

That is exactly what is going on here right now. its not really spring and its not really winter. its sprinter... and its terrible.

this weekend was the utah state crit championship, held on a day that could have been mid june. and tomorrow it will snow...

and for those of us who want to ride fast this summer, we will be out riding in the snow in Mid May.

California might have been a better choice for spring time cycling. I miss those rolling green hills already.

Rolling.

I've relocated to Berkeley, CA for the month of April. I'm here riding
my bike, making up for lost time with my special ladyfriend and
getting some work done away from the snowy mountains of Park City.
There are some great roads to ride in the East Bay area....

Bump in the road...

I've had a great week here in the Engadin valley of Switzerland. The
weather has been fantasic, the company is always great and the valley
is gorgeous as ever.

I've been feeling great since the week of the Birkie. After some bad
luck that kept me from completing the race and grabbing the kind of
result I know I was capable of that day, I have been anxious to have
another shot.

Well my shot was coming at one of the most competitive races in the
world , unfortunately I woke up the morning k the race as sick as a
dog. I could hardly breathe, my sinuses ached and my throat was raw.

An unfortunate turn of events. I do feel fortunate however that this
is the first time I've been sick in Europe and also the first time in
almost a decade that I have been sick twice in the same season.

Just a bump in the road... And I can feel the motivation building for
the coming season. I'm hungry for more race wins and I feel like I
have something prove.

I can't wait to prove it.