Still Smiling

I think I can honestly say that Saturday’s performance, while disapointing, was not something I need to get to worked up over. I appreciate the comments and emails I have recieved, as well as the words of encouragment that people said to me during the event. Thanks for the morale boost 😀

After the race I went and spoke with a friend of mine who was riding in his first solo endurance race. He was totally cooked, but he was smililng ear to ear despite the fact that he was still cramping and hurting. He had surpassed his goal by two full laps, and was thrilled with how the day turned out. He said to me that there were times when he “really had to look inward” to be able to keep pressing forward. I was proud of him for his race, and knew that he had experienced the true beauty of endurance racing. Brad, great race, you should be proud of what you accomplished!

These events are a lot of fun. I love the competition, the sustained effort, the fine balance between success and failure…but for me the great part, is how these events test every aspect of our person. Our physical, emotional, and mental faculties are all brought together in an effort and battle against themselves. To have control over each of those things is an amazing and admirable trait.

All is well right now. I am not dwelling on Saturday, nor I am obssesed with how to fix what happened. I know what I am capable of on a bike, and I am looking forward to the next chance I have to show myself just what that is. I think Dave Harris said it best, he said “you are a victim of your own enthusiam, we’ve all been there”. For some reason I took that as a great compliment.

Here’s to future rides, future races, and many more good days on the bike!

Check out E12 photos here