Spin inside at the PTC with a movie? or...Hit 360 and Parmer with wind gusts over 20 mph with air temps in the low 40s before the wind was factored in?
Seems like an easy choice, right? Anyone in their right mind would choose inside, in the warmth where you could feel your fingers and toes and lips, without the risk of getting blown off the road, right?
Clearly, I've lost my mind. Me and about 20 other T3 folks who braved 360 and Parmer which, by the way is one of the more hilly rides that we do...we've all lost our minds. But we've lost our minds together, and I dare say we all feel more alive for the ride that we did today. For me, there is something oddly invigorating about a ride like this. It felt like an accomplishment. It was a big mental leap. Physically, for some strange reason, I didn't question if I could do it. I figured that I could, even if it took me a long time. (And it did...just shy of 4.5 hours for 6o miles...geez. Let's hope June 21 in CDA isn't this windy...otherwise, I'll be yanked off the bike course!) I guessed that my fingers and toes would be cold - and they were. And I hoped that my layering up top would keep my core warm - and it did.
But I really wasn't sure what I would tap into mentally to keep going knowing that the PTC was a few miles away full of other teammates getting in a good trainer ride and that I could just join them and still get my hours and miles under my belt. I still don't really know what keeps me going in circumstances like this except for that I'm pretty darn stubborn sometimes and I sometimes tackle more than I have any business tackling. (Note: this does not always serve me well!) And when I set my mind to doing something, to pushing myself in some way, I turn things into "non-negotiables".
And so that was my attitude today. Once we got going, whether or not we would finish became non-negotiable. Along with Dionn and JR...we were going to finish, by golly, even if we were the very last ones out there (we were). And the hills on 360 didn't kill me like they usually do. And the wind was wicked on the way out Parmer and beautifully silent on the way back. (Think Simon and Garfunkle "The Sound of Silence"...) And we finished. Me with a HUGE smile on my face and a shout-out to JR and Dionn in the parking lot. D probably would have done a cheerleader jump if she'd been able to feel her toes!
Some wonderful folks were still around waiting for us - Performance Wellness to give some quick massages and Logan. And other folks called or texted to check in on us - Erin, Laura, Liz, and Yvonne. And Joe even swung back by our starting point to give us a "high five" for finishing the ride. What a sweet way to end.
And if there was anything remarkable about today it was this ending. Not the fact that the ride ended - I knew it would. But that upon pulling into the parking lot - that I expected to be empty except for three cars belong to Dionn, JR, and me - in the cold and wind, hungry and probably only wanting to be eating or to be at home getting a warm shower, there were still a couple of people remembering we were out there and wanting to make sure we were okay. I wished that everyone who doesn't always feel like T3 really does look out for all of its athletes - fast or slow, young or old, newbies or veterans - could have been there.
We got through our ride today because as a group we can accomplish more than we can alone. We were out there at all because of teammates and coaches saying, "Let's do this!" And I, for one, think that it's easier and certainly more fun to keep coming back for more because of people like my T3 teammates and coaches. For all of you T3ers reading this, thanks for the ways in which you make me a better, more confident, stronger, more resilient athlete - and person.
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