Perseverance

Perseverance has been my best friend since I was a teenager. Have you ever heard that the teenage years are the best years of your life? Whoever said that was wrong. They sucked. I persevered through them. OK, OK--they weren't that bad, but the 20s were much better.

Enter college. That was rough too. Working full-time and attending classes full-time was certainly a test of perseverance. Knowing I was successful the first time, I signed up to do it again when I got my Master's degree.

That's the neat thing about perseverance; it taught me that if I stick with it, I'm not going to die. It's that simple.

So, the second DINO race was this weekend at my home course: Brown County State Park in Nashville, IN. I woke up nervous and queasy. There is some inherent pressure in those two words, "home course." So, I turned on some tunes to help me get some attitude. Thanks, Eminem & Beastie Boys! The pre-race chatter from the girls indicated they were going to take the steep, b!tch of a hill at the start easy. I hadn't decided. However, at the start, I felt good, so went for it.

Success was mine! And it was very short lived. I think I was 3rd up the steep part but quickly started losing positions as the hill continued. What was wrong with my legs? "Hello? Didn't I tell you we were racing today?" Ouch. It hurt. Finally - into the woods I went with a little downhill to help recovery. Only I didn't recover. Everyone who hadn't passed me now caught up to me in the singletrack. Again, "hello legs?!?!? Lungs? You guys can join in too!" I was thinking--must recover, must recover. It wasn't happening. So, my handling was sloppy, and I wondered how I would fare on the Aynes hill; another scorcher.

Unfortunately, it took me a while to find out. Just before the big climb, I felt my rear wheel sliding around. I pulled over; yep--the tire was low. I grabbed the pump and put some air in. About a 1000 feet later it was low again. This time I stopped to put a tube in. Let me tell you I am SLOW at doing anything mechanical. I knew my hopes for a great day were dashed as everyone rode by. By the time I got the tube in, the pro/expert guys were coming back around. I pulled over every so often to let them by.

I still rode hard to put in a good day. And I gained 193 points for the X-wing fighters, the team competition within the DINO series. That's where perseverance paid off--still getting points. Still getting in a good ride. Still enjoying the trails. Still better than a DNF like the last race.

I rode home from work on Tuesday thinking about Sunday's race and how much my legs still hurt. While I didn't consider the race a success by any means, I learned a huge lesson. Take the hill easier at the start. My move was risky and it didn't pay off. I found a boundary by pushing myself to the edge of it or past it. Small victory.

Always persevere. You may not always get a win, but you'll still get through it with a sense of accomplishment.