Ok, I (Jo Jo) am NOT one of those cyclists. Unlike running I don't get the zen moment on my bike. I spend most of the time in fear of potholes, flat tires and oncoming cars. Basically I live in constant fear that my life could end at any moment. Not a stress reducing event. I also know that running isn't for everyone and maybe, just maybe, getting on two wheels might be your thing. This is where the good news comes in... I know someone who is to biking as I am to running. Without futher ado, I'd like to introduce our new Biking Diva, Emily M....
Intimidating? Only for a minute.
I am one of those cyclists. The ones you see biking around in a pack with matching kit. I ride on a team. I have a USA Cycling racing license. I was even in a road race recently with Levi Leipheimer. Of course, I never actually saw Levi. It was a mass start – he was at the front of the pack and I was at the back. The back of the pack, that is. That is where you will usually find me.
When I was in college, I remember happening by a triathlon as it was getting underway in our small town. I watched the runners and bikers blast around the course in their shorty shorts with numbers inked on their arms. It looked so cool. I wanted to do that. But I was also intimidated. Everyone looked so fit and serious. I wasn’t sure how to even go about it. I am reasonably athletic, but have never really stood out in my athletic pursuits. Team sports involving a ball absolutely confound me. My top end speed is not so very fast.
I finally got up the nerve around November of 2000. My friend Chuck and I signed up for the 2001 Escape from Alcatraz triathlon. A first for both of us. An Olympic distance event where the swim starts in the middle of the San Francisco Bay just off Alcatraz Island. If I was going to do it, I was going to do it big! A few days before the race I checked out the finishing times from the year before – not the winning times, mind you, but the back of the pack times. Finishing was my first goal. Not finishing DFL was my second. And you know what? I did it. I finished and with a spring in my step even. It was hard. It was fun. It was motivating to hear spectators call out my number from the sidelines as I passed by. What I realized is that I don’t have to be an outstanding athlete to participate and to have fun at events that may initially have seemed intimidating. Preparing, showing up and putting your heart into making the best effort you can is outstanding in its own right.
I did the Alcatraz tri a few more times along with a few other triathlons and now I mostly just ride my bike. A lot. Around town. To work. On race courses. Speed is relative. With my bike commuting group, I can smoke a few of them as we charge up the hills. In a road race, I am the one waving good-bye to the peleton as they drop me on the first big climb. But I still show up. I still pay my entry fee for the opportunity to hang out with like-minded people, ride courses that I ordinarily wouldn’t find, and, yes, to go as fast as I possibly can with full permission to blow stop signs, run red lights and not worry about hikers and horses on the dirt trails. So what if I am not winning? I get better with every race. My skills improve. I have a hell of a lot of fun with my teammates and fellow racers.
So inch by inch, day by day, race by race, I get stronger, stay healthy, and keep having fun…
What challenges do have your sights set on?
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