LIFE LESSONS ON THE ROAD.
So, I got up early today to get on my bike and get on the
trail and OUT/past people because I know the trail can get busy early weekend
mornings and well… I don’t like to be slowed down too much on my bike😊 Plus, it was supposed to be super hot, so I
thought I could get more intensity in before the heat started pushing down on
me too much.
So, I get less than 5 miles out on the W and OD and I see a
cyclist up in front of me, he’s sitting up in the saddle and it appears that he
is maybe typing something on his phone.
And I notice in front of him is an older couple taking a walk on the
trail. I’m watching thinking SURELY THIS
DUDE WILL LOOK UP???!! And he is getting
closer and closer and I’m like he’s gonna hit them, so I yell out “HEADS UP”!!! He swerves, misses them, and carries on
sitting upright maybe still typing.
I go to pass him, and call out “on your left”. He stays flat out on the center line, and
even slightly LEFT of it. (no one is at all on the right side of him, but I’m
not going to pass on the wrong side because that is when things get dangerous).
So, I call out again, and I yell it, there is no mistaking that
my voice is audible to him. He doesn’t
move.
A third time I call out and just go ahead and pass him, and
mention as I pass him that he almost hit two people back there.
Well, so then we get to an intersection and he says
something to me that I couldn’t hear. We
are waiting and so I question him, I asked him to repeat it. Apparently he didn’t hear what I had said to
him as I passed, and since he is acting all asshole-y to me, I let him know
that he almost ran into two people while he was not looking up, and that THEN,
he could have moved over when I yelled out THREE TIMES on your left. Then, we are at the intersection and I’m pissed
but I do NOT feel completely safe with him being BEHIND me… so as the light turns,
I finish with, “Now I’m going to let you go ahead”….
(It didn’t actually end there, but that was the big part of
it and so I’m like 15 minutes into my ride, which was a BEAUTIFUL MORNING and I’m
like irritated, (also a little scared because then he pulled over, said some
nasty things as I passed him and now I don’t want him to be behind me as I get
out into less populated areas.) But I
find myself RUMINATING over this scene. Ruminating. Wondering if I was wrong to address it, and
also just flat out pissed that some people are like this and don’t think of
others. And I’m getting pissed at myself
because of these bad feelings inside.
Feelings of annoyance and negativity, but also, I realize that I’m like
not letting it go. (letting it go…. Something
I work on….. ewwwwww it is not my strong suit to let things go).
Anyway, so that is when it hit me: THIS IS MY LESSON today.
I firmly believe that we can gain so much from the life
lessons that training, racing, being awake and aware in life offer. When I did a full IRONMAN, when I do
marathons, when I do shorter/faster races—there are ALWAYS LESSONS. Lessons I didn’t even know I needed. Lessons on race day, but lessons DURING THE
TRAINING. Lessons on waking up and
getting my butt out there when I do NOT feel like I want to, lessons on
realizing I am maybe scared of something in my training, realizations where I
am able to connect that my tendency in life is maybe something I find along the
way in my training or racing. Lessons on
being in the moment. And on and on.
Well, so this was my lesson today, something that I am
always working on anyway---- it is so easy to overfocus on the negative. These negative things just STAND OUT to us,
at least me😊 There
can sometimes be like 4 great things that happen, and then the 1 negative and I
just all of a sudden don’t even CONSIDER the good things! I’m all into the ruminating of the negative,
making that stand out, making that be my story. Ugh.
So, while I biked for a little (I was going moderate
intensity so not needing to fully push and focus here!), I reminded myself of
already like 5 good things that had happened in my ride- I had seen someone I
know and it was so great to see him out running strong and smiling so early in
the morning, I had passed a few people who- with just little connections had
smiled and shared a look of acknowledgement ,etc. I had passed a bunny hopping along the side
of the trail. All of these things that had
already made me smile! So, I tried to
give those the recognition and attention where I wanted to be spending my time-
on the positive.
It is not as if I believe or expect every training session,
every day, to provide some miraculous life changing realization. But, I do believe that there is so much we
can be awake to in our movement, in our journey and paths. While teaching a yoga practice last week, I
was reminding us to not just be in a position with our bodies, but our minds,
our attitudes, our open awareness to what we needed from that position, what
our bodies felt in that position. (As an
aside- this is really the BEST THING to ask a kids yoga class, I have found—we will
do a position and I ask what does this feel like in your body? And they have the best answers- they say they
feel “free” “playful” “happy” in various positions- isn’t this so cool???!)
So, as we begin a week, I thought I’d share this and maybe
we can even set as an intention to try to see 4-5 positive and great things for
every 1 negative experience that we might have a tendency to ruminate or focus
on…. (and maybe we can not be on our phones while riding our bikes, ahem….)
