I figure that once I commit my hard-earned CASH, I won't back out. (Let's be real. We all know how, er, um, thrifty I am, right? Or cheap. I'm really just cheap.)
So that's what I did for the Tyranena Brewery's Oktoberfest Bike Ride that took place this past Saturday in Lake Mills. I registered early, sent in my Benjamins and set the training goal.
And then I didn't train.
Want to hear my excuses?
- Life has been a bit busy this past month ... I can do this without training
- The weather has been cold ... I can do this without training
- I have been running, so I'm sure my cardio strength is fine ... I can do this without training
- I'll have company in the form of my cousin Mary to keep me motivated ... I can do this without training
- I can always just do the shorter 50 mile route if I want ... so I can definitely do this without training.
Then Saturday rolled around. All week long the forecast called for cold and wet and the morning did not disappoint. Mary and I do a quick text session and decide it's too miserable to ride, but that we're going to go pick up our shirts/packets because, damn it, we already paid for them.
The whole way there, I'm still making excuses:
- It snowed on my way to Mary's house
- I don't have the proper biking gear for 40-degrees and rain
- I did wake up early enough to get RIPPED in ... so the day's not a total bust
- I don't HAVE to do this ride ... no one is holding a gun to my head
- Oh, and did I mention how cold and miserable it would be in the rain? How cold my toes would be? How not fun 4 hours in those conditions sound?
And honestly, I'm OK with not riding by the time we get there. It's a choice and we made it and life moves on.
Do I wish I had the fortitude to suck it up and ride? Honestly, yes. Mary's friend Jill rode ... in her ski jacket, mind you ... and part of me feels like I'm a jerk for not doing it.
(Nothing drives that point home more, BTW, than pulling into the parking lot and seeing a man with two prosthetic legs on his bike, ready to roll. Urgh. I'm pretty sure he'd tell me to stick my excuses up my ass.)
But there will be other rides/races/events on better days. Maybe there will even be a few like this where I'll make a different decision or I'll prepare better and get the equipment to eliminate the excuses altogether.
For now, I can't in good conscience wear the Tshirt without acknowledging the fact that I didn't earn it.
A simple DNF (Did Not Finish) isn't even accurate. It's a DNS ... Did Not Start.
2 comments:
Best line from the blog - I'm pretty sure he'd tell me to stick my excuses up my ass.
Ya think?...I am not one to talk but don't you think once you got going your body would have warmed up? Just saying....aren't you the same person that did the Jingle Bell Run in December 2013.....
1. Running in the cold is better than biking in the cold. You make wind when you bike. Your feet and hands, even with the proper shoe covers and gloves, get dang cold on a bike. I'll run at 18-20 degrees on a sunny day. I usually only bike to about 45.
2. Wet is miserable on a bike. Splatter from your own tires and from those around you. Wet and cold is a bad combo. Again, with the proper outerware, it's doable. But I don't have a ski coat that has wicking on the inside, etc. I have thin windbreaker and a sharp wool car coat.
What I mean is Jingle Bell in the wet snow was "warmer" than Saturday would have been.
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