Have you ever quit anything? I have. Not a good feeling. In
the area of life failing at anything is a downer, it sucks!
I have yet to ride a 100 mile MTB ride, hell a 30 mile bike MTB ride yet, I am
still learning how to control my bike, shift when needed, take turns at higher
speeds, just stay on the bike in situations where everything in your head says
to ditch it.
So I can’t yet speak on a
ride where everything aches and I wanted to stop but pressed on to finish in a
personal record time. But I can talk about not having quit in you.
What is funny is I really had to think about the times I did
not quit but remember most of the times I did.
High school I ran on the track team for all of a week. I thought well
here is a sport I can play that only involves running. Being that I had not played
a sport in a few years, and was out of shape running was a bitch. And although
I somewhat enjoy a nice run these days it bored me to death. So I quit. My thought was I should only have to run while playing a sport that was not, well just about running.
Kickboxing/Karate, prior to and during my Air Force stint I
worked hard in Martial Arts. I went through a lot of pain to be as quick and
strong as I could be. At the my peak I was moving at a hundred miles an hour
while it seemed everyone else I competed against was moving in slow motion.
Till the dreaded injury. I had a hernia and was laid up for a few months not
able to train or workout. Coming back I started to compete and it felt like I
was moving in slow motion while everyone else was moving at a hundred miles an
hour. Now this was not the end all be all or the biggest reason I stopped. The
pain was what ultimately ended my martial arts career, I just could not fight
through it. Very depressing. Should I have quit? No! I should have pushed at my limits and finished what I had started.
And that is what this post is about, it is not about quitting, it is about having the
courage and strength to fight through those moments when you want to quit but
coming out at the other end, win lose or tie you finished what you started.
One thing that stands out is my Military service.
Yes there was Basic training when I got to San Antonio after being delayed in a
snow storm getting gin at about 1 in the morning, getting screamed at, going to
bed by 0300 (that's 3 am) and getting up with yelling, trash cans and pounding two short
hours later, to eat, get our heads shaved, get our uniforms, and thinking man I
am starving it must be noon, only to find out during my first day it was only
0800 (that would be 8 am). I thought Oh my God I am never going to make it. Well as the men and women who were weeks ahead
told us, “It never gets easier you just get used to it.” Weeks later we were
saying the same to the younger recruits coming into Basic Training.
Another day that comes to mind is while out on training exercises,
while guarding the armory, in 110 degree weather (that was the humidity at
night) with all my gear on, looking over my M-16 with mosquitos, biting the
shit out of me, because the Bug repellent would come off due to the sweat, you
could feel every second tick by just lying there watching for aggressors. The
thoughts always creep in to just get up and lose it, scratch the hell out of your back and put more bug repellent on, but you have too many
people depending on you to do your job. No technically this was not a combat
situation, I am not even a combat vet (something I live with all the time and
have had to get over) but that moment taught me a bunch about myself. Never
quit! Finish what you started!
From then on I have used moments like that or thinking about
my friends who were in combat zones and could not give up, to push me through
so many different situations.
I do not want to drone on about all the times I
thought I may give up and move on, that would be boring. The most recent and the
one that could sum up every other time was the Half Marathon I just ran last
year.
I trained the best I could, with the time I had, things
like life got in the way, but I still found time to push my 41 year old body
from 4 miles to about 9 and a half prior to the race. That morning I started
out great pushed myself at a very good pace through mile 8 then, the thoughts
started to trickle in. “Fuck still 5 to go!” “Damn! Still 4 and half to go”
Then I hit “The Hill” on mile 10 I was warned I should have known, and my only
mistake was looking up when I was half way up the hill. I walked, caught my
breath got some water and pressed on. My body hurt, my lungs at points were
saying “fuck this” but I pressed on and when I hit that last length of road and
saw the finish I pushed with my family cheering me on.
My daughter Ali and me
I am not one for getting an award if you did not win, but in this case just finishing a Half is a win. It is a win over your body, your mind and I finished what I
started. I hurt (for days my body hurt) I was tired and good lord I was hungry.
But I accomplished something thinking back on those days on the high school
track team I thought I never would. I ran 13.1 miles.
So the whole reason for writing this post (other than the
fact I have not had much to write about other than beer lately) is to show when
you focus and put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything. My future goals
may not include a 100 mile MTB race, but I know it will include smaller ones. I
know in life I am going to face other things more important than races, and I
will push through. I know I want to set the best example for my kids that when
you start something, no matter what it may be. You finish what you start. So
what does this all mean in the world of beer and Mountain biking?
Not a fan of PBR but the picture worked
Well on the
beer side finish what you start (unless it taste like puke then dump that shit
see I had to dump it) But more so in
Mountain biking, weather you are pushing up that hill by yourself or riding
with friends, in the words of Jim Valvano and his fight with Cancer (yes real life that has nothing to do with riding a bike up a hill) “Don’t ever
give up!” or in my words Never quit! Finish what you started. (for you younger riders out there who do not know who Jimmy V was watch the speech)
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