In the sport of triathlon, everyone comes across the work "brick" eventually.
A brick is a back to back workout involving two diciplines, commonly cycling and running.
In an article on
www.beginnertriathlete.com written by Enrico Contolini states:
Bricks are a very important part of triathlon (and duathlon) training and they are sometimes overlooked. Bricks refer to training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between, just as you would do in a race (I am sure you knew this).
Nobody really knows where the name "brick" came from, but I can tell you that I have a hunch that it has to do with how your feet feel after you get off a bike ride. It takes a while for you to get your legs under you before you feel comfortable in your stride. Including bricks in your training will really help you over come that feeling faster.
But that is not the kind of brick I really wanted to write about in this post. I want to talk about how a real brick can be inspiring.
The oldest discovered brick is from 7500 BC in Tell Aswad, Syria. There is not much that is impressive about a brick by itself. It is just a small rectangular shaped piece of mud. Its use, individually, is very limited to jobs like holding up a flower pot, holding down something from being blown away, or maybe to break a window by someone being mischievous.
The famous architect, Louis Kahn, looked at a brick in a completely different way. He was once quoted as saying:
"Even a Brick wants to be something."
"it aspires"
"Even a common, ordinary Brick wants to be something more than it is."
"Wants to be something better than it is. "
"A that is what we must be!"
A few months in the early stages of my journey, I felt like a brick all alone. I sometimes would write a blog knowing that I may be the only person to read it, but something in my mind told me to continue. I inspire to be more than just one brick.
Today, I am surrounded by a few other bricks that have taken up the cause to raise awareness and money for the research that is desperately needed. A condition that was once isolated to my son, has now been found in other children. The research that was initially started by studying Shawn's case now has the potential of helping thousands of children all over the world. Thousands!
This movement will require a lot of bricks along the way. Much more than just the few bricks that we have currently. Bricks can come in all sizes and have different responsibilities to benefit the building of Shawn's Anomaly Foundation. Individually we are just bricks, but together we can create something beautiful!
Are you ready?
