There is one moment when your thoughts are the most pure and uninhibited. The first couple seconds after you wake up in the morning, before your mind is flooded with every aspect of the day ahead. Before your inner voice starts telling you to get moving. That single moment is when everything is perfect.
I had that exact moment yesterday morning. The previous day was particularly difficult. I was letting every little thing weigh me down and couldn't seem to get out of that rut. I dozed off feeling frustrated and confused. Normally I can kick myself out of those hard times and realize how silly it is to dwell on the negative, but I just couldn't convince myself I wanted to be "undepressed".
But that single moment in the morning gave me hope. Hope that everything I was worrying about the previous day didn't really matter that much. It wasn't going to help me be a better person, a better father, a better husband or better at my job by focusing on the negative. It gave me the clarity and the confidence to break out of my funk and know that it was going to be a better day.
Just know that no matter how bad it seems, there is no reason to dwell on it. Make a change and get on with your life. Which brought me back to one of my favorite quotes from one of the best movies of all time, The Shawshank Redemption "Get busy living or get busy dying."
Friday, December 2, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
One Lap of America at Summit Point, WV
It's that time of year again for the One Lap of America race. My uncle Wally and cousin JC are taking part for the 3rd consecutive year. They had a great first day with Walt placing tied for 31st on the wet skid pad, which was a huge improvement over last year. Then JC finished 35th in the autocross in the afternoon at Grissom Air Force Base. JC felt he could have done better, but it was a solid effort.
Myself, Nicholas and my Aunt Mikki left Saturday early evening to head down to West Virginia to see the race on Sunday. It was a pretty uneventful trip, with Nicholas only complaining about how uncomfortable it was to try to sleep in the back sleep. If he would only grow some, we could get rid of the booster seat and he'd be comfortable.
JC had the first run at Summit Point Motorsports Park. It is a 2.0 mile course with one fairly technique section. He came in tied for first in their class (Vintage Foreign) with an '89 BMW 535i. That BMW started ahead of JC in their group and JC ran awesome. He ended up passing the BMW on the front stretch of the 2nd lap. He ran splits of 1:34, 1:30 and 1:29 to finish 23rd overall (out of 69 finishers).
Walt was having a good run too, but unfortunately he started last in the group and the lead car in the group passed Walt as he came down the front straightaway and Walt saw the checkered flag and thought he was done too. The results show him with a finishing time, which I'm not sure why that is, but he was pretty upset with the mental mistake. But I know he'll recover and do well in the future events.
In the overall standings Krueger Tuned Racing is 36th and 2nd in their class. They are 130 points out of the top spot in their class. That is a realistic margin to make up, but they'll need to be on their A game the rest of the way.
I also had a blast checking out other cars and talking with some drivers.
One in particular was Steve Burke. Steve lives in Rochester and I've been following his progress with his 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X. It was great to get to meet him and he had a very good run today too. He is currently sitting in 7th place overall and 1st in class. One of Steve's main sponsors was Magnus Motorsports. Maybe I'll get a free shirt from posting some pictures of his car :)
Myself, Nicholas and my Aunt Mikki left Saturday early evening to head down to West Virginia to see the race on Sunday. It was a pretty uneventful trip, with Nicholas only complaining about how uncomfortable it was to try to sleep in the back sleep. If he would only grow some, we could get rid of the booster seat and he'd be comfortable.
JC had the first run at Summit Point Motorsports Park. It is a 2.0 mile course with one fairly technique section. He came in tied for first in their class (Vintage Foreign) with an '89 BMW 535i. That BMW started ahead of JC in their group and JC ran awesome. He ended up passing the BMW on the front stretch of the 2nd lap. He ran splits of 1:34, 1:30 and 1:29 to finish 23rd overall (out of 69 finishers).
Walt was having a good run too, but unfortunately he started last in the group and the lead car in the group passed Walt as he came down the front straightaway and Walt saw the checkered flag and thought he was done too. The results show him with a finishing time, which I'm not sure why that is, but he was pretty upset with the mental mistake. But I know he'll recover and do well in the future events.
In the overall standings Krueger Tuned Racing is 36th and 2nd in their class. They are 130 points out of the top spot in their class. That is a realistic margin to make up, but they'll need to be on their A game the rest of the way.
I also had a blast checking out other cars and talking with some drivers.
One in particular was Steve Burke. Steve lives in Rochester and I've been following his progress with his 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X. It was great to get to meet him and he had a very good run today too. He is currently sitting in 7th place overall and 1st in class. One of Steve's main sponsors was Magnus Motorsports. Maybe I'll get a free shirt from posting some pictures of his car :)Good luck to all drivers the rest of the week! Have fun, drive fast and stay safe!!!
Final Spring Football Game
Saturday was the last game / scrimmage for the spring 2011 football season for Nicholas and Michael. They both played very well. Both teams played against the Hamlin Recreation team at Brockport's home field. Even though Nicholas' team lost, they still played well. Even more so when we found out that several players played in both the younger and older kids game and they were supposed to be in the older age-group game.
Michael's team won and it was due to a very strong second half. Michael scored a 2-point conversion on a flanker reverse. He was really pumped to get the ball and did a great job finding the end zone. The game was called shortly after that due to some over spirited parents on the Hamlin side. The boys were getting a little out of hand with some pushing and trash talking, so the Brockport coach called the game.
Both boys had fun and improved as the season went on. Michael will be playing for the Ogden Bears in the fall. Nicholas has decided to not commit to football and wants to focus on basketball and running some races this summer and fall.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
It's going fast...
Forgive my somewhat scattered thoughts in this post. I'll do better in the future.
For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed doing a very wide range of activities. Growing up I played baseball, football, basketball and raced motorcycles. Later in high school I ran track and then in college I continued to play football for a couple years, ran cross country for two years and ran track for four. After college I continued my love of running, mostly through coaching and some running of my own. Although these are some very different activities, there is a common theme.
My family has also had a love of car racing. My dad raced cars at some of the most famous tracks in the USA, including, Watkins Glen and world famous Daytona International Speedway. My oldest brother, uncle and cousin also raced cars and although I haven't yet, it is on my list of things to do. Going fast is in the Krueger blood. Whether it was on the track, football field, on my Felt Z6 bicycle, a motorcycle or a car, we've always wanted to be as fast as possible. Speed is the name of the game.
Krueger Tuned Racing is our family race team. My uncle and cousin have taken part in One Lap of America the past two years, winning the Foreign Vintage class each year in their Mazda RX-350. I can't wait to go watch one of the first days of this years OLoA in West Virginia at Summit Point Raceway.
So what's the point of this particular blog? Well, when my dad passed on December 26, 2009, it was an eye opener. It really made me reflect on my life, my choices and what really matters. In my own way, I went through the grieving process and have come out stronger. My dad was a very important person to so many people. He was always willing to help, give advice and he always did what was right. This is how I want to be remembered, but I needed to make some changes in my life first. My family had to come first, which I can honestly say they do now. Next, I had to embrace the values my father had, hard work, loyalty, determination and a love for cars.
I've reworked my life to reflect my dad's values and will continue to do so. For now, I'll end with a look at my newest car. It's just a 2008 Pontiac G5, but it really is fun to drive and maybe I'll be able to put some upgrades into it soon. Although I may have to sell my 1996 Honda CR125 to fund them.
For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed doing a very wide range of activities. Growing up I played baseball, football, basketball and raced motorcycles. Later in high school I ran track and then in college I continued to play football for a couple years, ran cross country for two years and ran track for four. After college I continued my love of running, mostly through coaching and some running of my own. Although these are some very different activities, there is a common theme.
My family has also had a love of car racing. My dad raced cars at some of the most famous tracks in the USA, including, Watkins Glen and world famous Daytona International Speedway. My oldest brother, uncle and cousin also raced cars and although I haven't yet, it is on my list of things to do. Going fast is in the Krueger blood. Whether it was on the track, football field, on my Felt Z6 bicycle, a motorcycle or a car, we've always wanted to be as fast as possible. Speed is the name of the game.
Krueger Tuned Racing is our family race team. My uncle and cousin have taken part in One Lap of America the past two years, winning the Foreign Vintage class each year in their Mazda RX-350. I can't wait to go watch one of the first days of this years OLoA in West Virginia at Summit Point Raceway.
So what's the point of this particular blog? Well, when my dad passed on December 26, 2009, it was an eye opener. It really made me reflect on my life, my choices and what really matters. In my own way, I went through the grieving process and have come out stronger. My dad was a very important person to so many people. He was always willing to help, give advice and he always did what was right. This is how I want to be remembered, but I needed to make some changes in my life first. My family had to come first, which I can honestly say they do now. Next, I had to embrace the values my father had, hard work, loyalty, determination and a love for cars.
I've reworked my life to reflect my dad's values and will continue to do so. For now, I'll end with a look at my newest car. It's just a 2008 Pontiac G5, but it really is fun to drive and maybe I'll be able to put some upgrades into it soon. Although I may have to sell my 1996 Honda CR125 to fund them.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
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