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Very early on the perfect weathered morning of Sunday, August 21, 2016, I did something I’ve never done before: participated in a 15k bicycle race. Not only have I never been in a race before, but I’ve also never even ridden my belt driven cruiser with pedal brakes (or any bicycle) that far before! In the summer of 2014, I was single and in Boston for a work trip, so naturally, when I got back to my hotel room for the night after an evening out with co-workers, I browsed Kickstarter campaigns to see what was new. Lo and behold, the Priority campaign caught my eye. Handcrafted, simplistically designed bicycles for the casual rider. I’m sure others have ridden their Priority Bicycle in a long ride before, but my legs hadn’t pedaled that far in … well, ever. But my legs and I did it and I finished the last uphill climb to the finish line to greet the rest of my team of co-workers with a smile! They finished 4th place and had to wait on me for 30-45 minutes to finish when I came rolling up the hill.
Throughout the couple of weeks leading up to the race, a road bike to borrow was offered to me to use, but it was too small for my height. Panic set in, just a wee bit. “They expect me to be fast. Oh sh*t. What have I signed up for?” I thought to myself when the emails came through. “I should go ride my bicycle around the area” crossed my mind a few times, but alas, working on my blog and making leather wallets took priority over that idea. Before I knew it, Saturday evening was here and my tires weren’t even inflated! Doing what any self-respecting procrastinator would do, I waited until almost bedtime to get out the air pump and … I got winded airing up my tires. HA! This was not the most motivating indication of what was to come when I had to pedal that bad boy for 15 kilometers (about 10 miles), and many of those uphill! To test it out, I rode it down the hallway of my building and took a lap through the parking garage. Perfect. I rode about 1/20th of a mile and wasn’t even breathing heavy! This race will be a breeze.
And a breeze it was … right after the first turn, it was windy, as my teammates had talked about before we took off. They were all dressed in their cycling gear, on their cycling cycles, with their cycling shoes with their cycling clips, while they discussed cycling strategy. “Strategy?” I thought to myself while they mentioned words like leading and drifting (or is it drafting?) and pushing and pulling … “Just follow me and we will win this thing!” I offered in the currency of humor since my athleticism was clearly lacking in comparison to these master cyclists. (Who knew that was even a thing?)
After over an hour of hanging around just as the sun was rising, it was finally our turn to take off. We walked our bikes up the starting line and the lady counted down … 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO! And that moment was the last I saw of my teammates until I made the route back around almost an hour later. The first bit of it off the starting line was downhill, slightly, but I pedaled to get myself going with some speed. Speed is such a funny term here, I was getting passed by bikers that started behind me within minutes! Then people much older and that appeared to be more out of shape than me soon after that. And this pattern continued for 15 kilometers as I stopped every couple of hills to catch my breath, stretch my tight leg muscles and get a sip of the lemon water I’d prepared for myself that morning.
It really was a nice ride, throughout the whole route. Slight hills, plenty of flatter stretches and a few downhill coasts made it enjoyable, plus the Modest Mouse and Kings of Leon that blasted in my earbuds. I wanted to sing along, but didn’t want to punish the other bikers as they passed me, nor did I want to exert that precious energy I desperately needed to make it back in one piece!
“Donuts” was the last status update I sent to my parents.
15 Lessons of what I learned during that 15-kilometer ride:
1. Getting started is the hardest part.
2. Stop and rest, catch your breath.
3. Drink water, plenty of water, when you need it.
4. You can do what you put your mind to and your focus on, don’t doubt yourself.
5. The 7 P’s apply to many things: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance
6. Seek the good in everything, and carry a positive attitude wherever you go.
7. Be bold enough to try new things, regardless of your experience level, you’ll enjoy it and have a great story and memories for the rest of your life!
8. Find things you enjoy, with people you enjoy them with. Having hobbies and activities outside of your career and home are empowering, enlightening, thrilling, cultural, confidence building and soulful.
9. Stretch and move your body, even if just a few minutes a day.
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Photo provided by the author.