Written by Preparing for the Portland-to-Portland ride has reminded me of the power of support of friends and family. I have been tremendously fortunate to have an amazing group of people surrounding me, and some who have come out of the woodwork, as I’ve inched my way towards dipping my tire in the Pacific Ocean making my way towards the Atlantic.
I have an incredible husband who has cleared the path for me to undertake this once-in-a-lifetime challenging adventure. He understands my need for personal challenges as part of my fulfillment and has accepted this as part of my continual path of growth and self-discovery. Taking a nearly year-long sabbatical and putting life on hold for 47 days isn’t easy for anyone, much less their spouse. Aside from the obvious financial challenge, there is the challenge of the logistics of being on the road for 47+ days from coast-to-coast. That’s the ride itself, but what isn’t always appreciated is the day-to-day impact on life leading up to this ride. I’ve trained for Ironman and Half-Ironman races since meeting my husband, making him already familiar with the early morning commitment I make to my bike, bike trainer, treadmill and the pool. This has been a similar journey – but a longer one as the training started in earnest in January to prepare for the ride in August.
Shortly after meeting my husband, I asked him if he liked early mornings. He smiled and said ‘yes’. At the time, he wasn’t aware of just how early my mornings were and that it was a regular pattern and not just a now and then thing. Over time, he learned that I wasn’t kidding and that there was good reason as I was wholly committed to my routine as part of my lifestyle. Knowing that my routine wasn’t for everyone and could be considered disruptive, I wanted to lay it out on the table as we began our relationship in order that it wouldn’t become an issue later. It’s not for everyone, and that’s absolutely okay. While he doesn’t fully understand it and sometimes suggests that it’s a bit crazy, he – thankfully – has accepted it and stuck around.
Throughout the journey of preparing for this undertaking, there have been cheerleaders both loud and vocal, as well as quiet but equally encouraging. At first, I’m not sure people believed that this was real and that I would go through with the trip. Once people accepted that I really was going to do it, they started asking questions. “Where does it start?” “Where does it finish?” “How long will it take?” “Will you get breaks along the way?” “What if you are too tired to ride on a particular day?” “Where do you sleep at night?”
What’s been interesting is that very few asked how to prepare for such a venture – but more about the ride itself. Understandable and no issues with it, simply an observation of the questions that I have received. For those observing the ride, the questions are largely about the ride and ride logistics. For those doing the ride (me), there is the additional consideration of what I’ve needed to do to be ready to ride an average of 70-80 miles per day. It’s not important to me the questions that people ask, but the fact that people ask. It means they are curious, and they care.
Aside from questions and curiosity, those in my most immediate circle demonstrated support by being accommodating my training schedule. This consideration has been greatly appreciated. They’ve understood that dinners may need to be a little earlier, or I may need to leave a little early to allow for the early rising. Or, in some cases, dinner is a little later because I have a late afternoon strength workout in addition to the morning workout. Training for 2.5 to 3 hours a day has been a part-time job in and of itself given the time commitments and the understanding of those around me has been unwavering.
Throughout the training period as I readied myself to launch into the ride today – TODAY, the encouraging texts from friends and family have been amazing. As the departure date has drawn near and I began to share where I’d be posting updates, photos and all things ride related, the support from people I know has been both heart-warming and empowering. I’m sure some will follow because they believe the idea is somewhat crazy, but will cheer me on from the sidelines, nonetheless.
The power of a few simple words, or of someone taking the time to share those words cannot be described. I smile as I read each and every one of them. My face lights up when I see a text alert on my phone, a LinkedIn message, a comment or direct message on Instagram, an email received or receive a phone call or voicemail. This idea, the idea of the power of words of encouragement, is something that we all know intellectually, but we often forget in the day-to-day travels of our busy lives. How wonderful it would be if we could apply this idea to every interaction we have with everyone with whom we encounter. How much does it take to say something nice to someone at a grocery store? To a waiter? To a random stranger?
Years ago, I read a wonderful little book called ‘Radical Hospitality: Benedict’s Way of Love‘ and recommend it highly. It is a spiritual book, but if you aren’t a spiritual person, I wouldn’t let that deter you as the concepts are beautiful whether rooted in a spiritual origin or not. The book discusses the idea of embracing our humanness through the welcoming of others throughout our lives. While not directly related to the aspect of support, there is a correlation given the idea of the importance of human connections – something we’ve rapidly lost in recent years as our lives have become increasingly insular as a result of technology in spite of having access to individuals across the world. We’ve also, at times, lost sight of the simplicity of the little things such as an encouraging text in the increasing busy-ness of our lives.
The support I have received reminds me of the importance of human connection and the acknowledgment of who we are as human beings doing real things living very real lives – and of being more than mere pixels on a screen. While the words of encouragement received have come largely through electronic means, they have been a validation of my humanness as I begin this journey pedaling across the real-world with my very real legs. They have been a reminder to me that I exist in someone’s mind or heart, and they have taken their very important time to share that with me through the questions they ask or the words they share. These words have been imprinted on my brain and in my heart and will be carried with me for the next very real 3800 miles.