SUN AND STEEL

i firmly believe in the concept of "parallel process".

what happens in one realm of endeavour can be reflected, in a simultaneous but separate "process" so that the two become mirrors of one another.  two phenomena become metaphors for each-other; one informs the other, illuminates it in ways that often make things more clear. this relationship is particularly powerful when the two processes in question focus around a certain goal, dream or ideal.

there is no doubt that there exists a parallel process between ironman and life outside of ironman. i will leave it to the individual reader to agree or disagree, or to figure out what this means to them.  for me, this is an oblique, yet highly relevant introduction to the rest of this post.

last friday i went to an iron maiden concert. for me, it was one of those events that you enjoy more upon reflection than in the moment. i was amazed to see how many maiden fans there still are out there. there were 15 000, largely middle aged, somewhat scraggly people, in various states of dishevelledness and tattooing. i felt at home, yet like i don't belong. weird how i feel the same way at a race.

it dawned on me that a rock concert and a race share many of the same elements, much of the same atmosphere, except that at a race, we are all rockstars, we are all literally on the stage. there is no need to project ourself into the musicians or to live vicariously through their experience. a race is sort of like a rock concert where everyone is in the band.  people who race in triathlons are a lot like, both rock stars and people who attend rock concerts. they are attracted to a space and time where everyone gets to be larger than life. except that at a triathlon we all have guitars and there is no need for playing air guitars.

i, as a person, somehow feed on an energy like this, but feel isolated within my own head at the same time. perhaps that is why i do more triathlons than rock concerts. a triathlon is more like parallel play. everyone is doing the same thing, but everyone is in their own head. a rock concert, on the other hand  is a lot more like day-care. everyone is doing the same thing. period.  it is more of a mob, through and through. both require endurance. it takes endurance to stand in one spot for 2 hours on a hot summer night, while inhaling second hand marijuana fumes and being overwhelmed by the sonic assault of six other people who are demanding your full attention. compared to that, in some ways, a triathlon is easy.

iron maiden have been around for 34 years. wow. it takes endurance to do the same thing, so well for so long. they were the first rock show i saw, more than 25 years ago. it was interesting to see how they have matured and gained in complexity yet maintained a solid energy. they are, without a doubt, one of the best oiled, loudest, most powerful machines in live music. iron maiden stand as an embodiment of the concept of endurance itself.

this weekend is the inaugural toronto triathlon festival. transition will be within 500 meters of where iron maiden played just the week before. i will be there to "toe the line". it promises to be a very cool, urban race experience, with the bike portion taking place almost exclusively on toronto's major freeways. i drive these same freeways to work almost every day of my life, and i can't tell you how many times i fantasized about racing my bike along there. i can't' tell you how many times i have cranked maiden in the car on the way to work while driving on this same freeway.  racing my bike on it will be like disney world.

the gardiner expressway and the swim portion clearly in view

so what exactly is this blog about? the intersection between heavy metal and triathlon; one of the best bands on the planet; a new race in one of the coolest urban settings on the planet, the psyche of a middle aged endurance athlete and some raw data about how images, sounds and metaphor mix in his head; something about carl jung and synchronicity and parallel processes and meaning, and how a city freeway, an open air rock concert, an iconic band and a brand new race can all be associated, somehow, together. that's all. 

rock on. race on. and i guarantee you that maiden tunes will be buzzing through my head as i swim in lake ontario, ride on the highways of toronto, and run on trails that are only a stone's throw from where i was part of an iron soiree just 8 days before.