2014 Race Across Oregon

That gripping fear… your heart is racing, your thoughts wander, and your palms are damp with anticipation for the future. We have all experienced moments like this. It could be those passing seconds during that high school track meet where you are getting ready to take your place at the starting blocks before the gun fires signaling you into a dead sprint, or the seemingly hours that tick off the clock as you wait for an interview for what could be that next big move in your career. As time gets closer I feel that “fear” creeping up inside me again. I don’t like to call this feeling fear, or anxiety, or stress. I choose to call it anticipation, and I like to think of it in my head as similar to the actions a horse when you see it in the starting gate before a big race… It weaves its head back and forth waiting to let loose and show its speed. It is a feeling that all of us need to learn to keep in perspective and to put it into check or let it take us over and consume us.

For almost nine months now I’ve been training for the Oregon Cycling Challenge, a 400 mile cycling race that cuts through the interior of Oregon before looping along the coastline of Hwy 101. I reflect on the numerous evenings on the trainer watching Battlestar Galactica while plugging out the miles with the winter weather and cold chill safely held outside the nearby door. As the days get longer I transition the training to more outdoor rides. Figuring out my water bottle situation, adding new tires, CO2 pump, replacing parts, and slowly becoming more in tune with my chosen bike for the event. In preparation I chose a beast of a hill (6 miles up and 1,800 feet of elevation for my 2 months of weekly hill rides), along with 2 other easy weekly rides, and the long ride every other weekend.

As the days get close and now being within a month of the event it is time to wind down the training. There is very little benefit to trying to add any more distance or speed to what I’ve already accumulated so all I have to do is eat healthy and balanced, drink lots of water, sleep well, keep my nerves in check, and wait for the event to start. I find myself starting to map out the 400 mile course in my head, blocking it into 8 manageable 50 mile sections, taking special note of each hill along the way. I have convinced three outstanding people to join me as my support crew, which puts my heart at ease knowing I will have people I trust and have history with within reach during the event at all times. Even the presence of those close to us when we can’t talk to them and they can’t personally experience what we are going through is still such a great blessing and source of strength during events like the one quickly approaching.

In life if we are going after goals and striving to be the best version of ourselves it is necessary that we train ourselves to rise to the occasion in times when we have anticipation, and that fear creeps up within us and often captures our thoughts. I choose to view these situations as opportunities, adventure, and chances to test my skills and grow out of whatever happens. I find it imperative to enjoy the journey and remind myself that all I need to do to be a success is; sign up, show up and start moving… If we allow this fear to dominate our lives we miss out on some of life’s great encounters.

The race is long, and I may not make it to the finish line in the 32 hour cut off. There is no failure in not reaching the goal for me, but in not positioning myself to where I could even have a chance to go after it. Half the riders aren’t expected to finish on courses like these. In fact my last attempt to qualify for the Race Across America ended up with my first DNF of my career. As in many things in life all I had to do was rest up, pull myself together and start training again for the next thing, making the necessary adjustments along the way to ensure future success on the courses ahead of me. Here I am again, anticipating the race ahead. Hopeful for a great performance, knowing in my heart that I will leave every ounce of passion and tenacity I can muster up on the course. My heart leaps with the anticipation of wondering if it will be enough. The thought of having a likely chance of not reaching that finish line for a myriad of reasons making the prospect of finishing all that much more exhilarating.