In preparation for this weekend’s
SheROX Triathlon, I have been riding my sister-in-law’s TREK mountain bike to
work. It is a 6 mile ride one way or 12 miles roundtrip.
Besides for honing my cycling skills
and giving me a good cardio burn, I’ve picked up some important lessons from
riding on the Prairie Path.
Lesson #1:
Keep
my mouth shut. This one is hard for me to
do, even when I’m by myself. Yet, it offers multiple benefits. Such
as, it prevents bugs from flying down my throat (I think I’ve swallowed about
20 so far). And, it helps me tune in to the beautiful soundtrack of the
path (i.e. frogs croaking, the wind in the trees, distant traffic, children
playing, fellow travelers bidding me a good day). There is a lot to hear,
if one is willing to be quiet for a while. And I haven’t even mentioned
the spiritual implications of taking time for silence. How many times
have I accused God of not communicating with me, only to realize I haven’t taken
the time to listen.
Lesson #2:
Focus on the path ahead. My first ride on the Prairie Path
drove this lesson home. I was riding along, minding my own business, when
all of a sudden I came across a large (disgusting) snake slithering through the
gravel. I swerved last minute to avoid flattening the snake’s middle, but
my front wheel caught in a pothole. I almost flew over the handlebars and
I thought I was finished, but I managed to recover and was able to continue on
my way as if nothing happened. It was a humbling experience, but now I
know I need to keep my eyes focused on where I’m headed. It is so easy to
be distracted and wind up in treacherous situations.
Lesson #3:
I
will only move as fast as I’m willing to pedal. This seems obvious, but every once in a while I need
a reminder… If I want to excel at the triathlon for example, I need to
put in the difficult, sweaty hours training. If I want to get home in
time to watch an entire episode of Chopped, I have to pedal in a lower
gear at a faster pace. A lot of people ask me what my weight loss secret
is. They seem to think I have some magic answer and I wish I did, but the
truth of the matter is that it takes a lot of hard, tedious work. You
have to be willing to put in the effort. If you do—The reward is great.
Lesson #4:
I
am capable of so much more than I ever imagined. This is a lesson that has been slowly revealing
itself to me over the past year and a half. As I’ve lost weight and been
working out in new ways, I’ve discovered I can handle and finish a lot more than
I ever thought I could. I never thought I’d be able to run. Now I
run up to 4 miles at a time. I never thought I’d be running up and down
stadium stairs, but the other week I ran the equivalent of an 83 story building
over my lunch hour. I never thought I’d be riding my bike to work, let
alone competing in a triathlon.
I realize now that I tend to
underestimate myself. I’ve set my goals too low and I’ve missed out on a
lot of experiences just because I didn’t believe in myself. In other
words, I can accomplish a heck of a lot more than I give myself credit
for. When I think about it—I’m pretty amazing. I understand that may come across as pretty narcissistic,
but it’s something I need to hear every once in a while. I think we all
do.
…That is why the next time I pass someone
on the Prairie Path, I am going to tell them they are amazing.
If it just so happens to be you that
I pass on the Prairie Path, feel free to wish me luck this Sunday. Just don’t expect me to take my eyes off of
the trail. I don’t want to run over any
snakes.
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