Damned Irish Pride

10 min warm up
Stretch
25 meters high knees
25 meters butt-kickers
25 meter karaoke step(each direction)
4x 200 meter sprints
4x 400 meter sprints
1 mile jog
4x 45 sec planks
2x 25 straight leg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch


It's a day early but who the hell cares. I've been in Chicago for a few days and can't help but notice the Irish pride literally running right through the middle of this city in the form of a green river. I love this holiday, St, Patrick's Day, for a slough of various reasons but mostly because I am almost entirely Irish. The only other blood in my veins is of Scotland, another country with a bold and troubled past. Both of my parents are the first generation to be born in the USA and I can remember as a child all of the stories that my grandparents would tell, war and tyranny, bloodshed and guilt. The problem is you never really know how much is true and how much is not because the Irish do have a knack for embellishing. We also have a pension for being stubborn beyond what anyone could ever think possible. Both of these are qualities that I have a strong serving of in my personality and generally I love it. I have to say that there are times when my strong willed, stubborn pride gets me into trouble. One problem that continually presents is the idea that not everyone can read minds as well as we Irish can. Talk about caring for someone, their importance to you on an emotional level, or anything else of the sort is not really our strong point. I personally leave those things unsaid way more often than is probably good. On the other hand, "Go Fuck Yourself" is practically a term of endearment by Irish standards. It is moments like this that I better understand how my ancestry has had to struggle with war and fighting for most of it's existence. If you want to avoid this malaise, particularly in a team setting, set your pride aside and compliment one another. Sounds ridiculous and I am certainly not suggesting that we should just give the world a hug, but I can say personally that most of the struggles that I have dealt with (and am still dealing with) are a direct result of my proud mentality and a sharp tongue to unleash it. You may want to avoid these this if possible. I'm just saying!

Eirinn go brach,

J