what’s your motivation?
Went on a long ride, longest of the year too. Started out with a loop in mind around the north end of Lake Washington. The first twenty plus miles being on the relatively flat Burke Gilman Trail. Kept the pace up and averaged about 18 mph. The second half of the 4 hour ride (3:15:22 actual rolling time) I was up and over several hills so the pace slowed and by the time I found myself climbing up the last hill home I was pretty sapped!
Throughout the ride I found myself looking for the motivation to keep going with the loop. At the top of Juanita Drive, the first climb I had to fight off turning around and heading back home via the flat trail along the lake. I had to dig down a couple of times in order to keep up a decent pace. Kept thinking about what was going to get me through a long ride and what was keeping me going through every other day for Beth and I. Its really hard to say what powers me through any particular moment in daily life. Love, hope, determination, sometimes anger and sadness. On the bike I find that I have an overwhelming streak of competitiveness that comes out. On this particular ride no one passed me. I joined up with a couple of groups even and once I was out in front setting the pace, they all dropped off…
I see what the metaphor is here and hope that I don’t do this in other parts of my life. I do sometimes feel a little out there, alone and peddling like mad for something I can’t seem to catch. If I am leaving anyone behind out there please grab my shirt tail and ask me to slow up.
