Road Rash & Rehash

ROAD RASH ~ So in my last post, I downplayed the fact that I fell right in front of my garage, because I felt like an idiot! A friend of mine said, "37.5 miles of accomplishment diminished by 3.5 inches from your clip!" You may be thinking, "SOME FRIEND!" But truth be told, this person knew I was probably beating myself up about it.

But now I have my first road rash, as my brother informed me. He made it sound like it was some rite of passage or something. It's not a big wound. In fact - it's barely the size of a quarter. But it stings and feels like it's burning. My daughter said, "OH, YOU BIG BABY!"

And my right shoulder - I couldn't figure out why it was sore. Did I grip my handlebar too tightly? Did I lock my elbows when they should have been slightly bent? And then I remembered the fall. Applying the brakes to try and stop quickly, I didn't have time to let go of the handlebar to break my fall. So I landed first on my right knee, then on the upper part of my right arm. I fear my daughter will call me a baby again, so I keep my whining to a minimum :-)

REHASH ~ We're almost at the half-way mark for the Marin Metric training, and I am really loving this experience for so many reasons ... so much so that I'm seriously considering continuing my training w/ TNT after the Marin Metric to do the Honolulu Century (100 miles) at the end of Septemeber.

Anyway, back to my reasons ... first, I love the fact that I'm getting out there doing something I used to say I'd never be able to do. I love the "OMG" look on my daughters' faces when they see me all geared up getting ready to ride (that kind of "are you crazy" kind of look!?) (I'm still hestitant to take a picture in my spandex, but I'll post a picture of me and my bike soon.) I love the solitude when I'm out there riding. And I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I'm descending a hill at 25 mph, even if I had to stop 4 times on the ascent.

As much as this is a personal endurance event, I love how it's a constant reminder to me of those personally enduring their battle with cancer ... or ANY battle for that matter. We live in such a hurried, self-centered world that we tend to get caught up in our own madness alot of times. I appreciate how this experience has engaged my mind to think beyond myself more often. It seems like a contradiction, but in talking to people about my cycling challenge, it's opened up conversations where they're comfortable sharing their own challenges with me, whatever they may be, and it's given me the opportunity and the honor of praying for them.

I was posed with this question not too long ago, "In light of eternity, what do you want to accomplish in this lifetime?" And while biking a century is one of my "life to-do's," I want to be mindful of how my life can impact someone else's life for eternity at the same time.

Now I'm off for a ride ... well, after my honey-do's :-)