Share the Road - Today

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Revisiting the blog that was our 2005 cross-country journey was very interesting to me. I've never attempted something as large or challenging as that. I know, at the time I accepted the offer from Gary, I wasn't scared at all. I don't feel like on the road I was scared (generally), either. Certainly there were specific moments (watching my tire buckle on an asphalt grade while riding the side of a relatively busy highway, for instance), but overall I had a very peaceful confidence that I was there to do a job and I would get it done. In that sense, I was wrong -- I didn't get it done, we did.

I was never an endurance athlete before this trip. Although I've always enjoyed being athletic, the type of training and games I've played have been more immediate and fast-paced: basketball, football, sprints and throws in track and field. One takes on a different mindset when participating in an endurance sport. It requires me to be calm, to release, to allow my body to do what it does (slowly as necessary, while learning the new skill) and keep focused with my mind at the same time. This is one of the reasons I'm glad I never got into wearing an ipod while cycling. I never felt that disconnect. By listening to my body (and the ever-changing environment around me) I believe I gave myself the best chance to succeed. 

The tours continued officially in 2006, 2007 and in a very small way (a single 100 mile ride for Gary's birthday) in 2008. I trained hard for 2006 & 2007 (though not as hard as I did for 2005 because neither '06 nor '07 were cross country trips). I enjoyed the process -- they were different but still very enjoyable trips. As I write this, I realize I haven't ridden in nearly three years. That's astounding to me because the bike is still so familiar to me. I look at it hanging on the wall in my garage and I feel like I could just pick it up and ride 100 miles. That's folly, of course. What the mind remembers, the body needs time to catch up on. I know I could get back in that kind of shape, but cycling takes time and different priorities (namely the beautiful kids we now have in our lives) have taken over.

That's not to say I'm not still training or that I'm not still involved in endurance sport -- it's just taken a different and, once again, completely unexpected turn. More on that tomorrow.