My cycling level: Casual, amongst the seriously competitive 

Very early on the perfect weathered morning of Sunday, August 21, 2016 I did something I've never done before: participated in a 15k bicycle race. Not only have I never been in a race before, I've never even ridden my belt driven cruiser with pedal brakes (or any bicycle) that far before! In the summer of 2014, I was single and in Boston for a work trip, so naturally, when I got back to my hotel room for the night after an evening out with co-workers, I browsed Kickstarter campaigns to see what was new. Lo and behold, the Priority campaign caught my eye. Handcrafted, simplistically designed bicycles for the casual rider. I'm sure others have ridden their Priority bicycle in a long ride before, but my legs hadn't pedaled that far in ... well, ever. But my legs and I did it and I finished the last uphill climb to the finish line to greet the rest of my team of coworkers with a smile! They finished 4th place and had waiting on me for 30-45 minutes to finish when I came rolling up the hill.

Throughout the couple of weeks leading up to the race, a road bike to borrow was offered to me to use, but it was too small for my height. Panic set in, just a wee bit. "They expect me to be fast. Oh shit. What have I signed up for?" I thought to myself when the emails came through. "I should go ride my bicycle around the area" crossed my mind a few times, but alas, working on my blog and making leather wallets took priority over that idea. Before I knew it, Saturday evening was here and my tires weren't even inflated! Doing what any self-respecting procrastinator would do, I waited until almost bedtime to get out the air pump and ... I got winded airing up my tires. LOL! This was not the most motivating indication of what was to come when I had to pedal that bad boy for 15 kilometers, and many of those uphill! To test it out, I rode it down the hallway of my building and took a lap through the parking garage. Perfect. I rode about 1/20th of a mile and wasn't even breathing heavy! This race will be a breeze.

And a breeze it was ... right after the first turn, it was windy, as my teammates had talked about before we took off. They were all dressed in their cycling gear, on their cycling cycles, with their cycling shoes with their cycling clips, while they discussed cycling strategy. "Strategy?" I thought to myself while they mentioned words like leading and drifting (or is it drafting?) and pushing and pulling ... "Just follow me and we will win this thing!" I offered in the currency of humor since my athleticism was clearly lacking in comparison to these master cyclists. (Who knew that was even a thing?) 

After over an hour of hanging around just as the sun was rising, it was finally our turn to take off. We walked our bikes up the starting line and the lady counted down ... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO! And that moment was the last I saw of my teammates until I made the route back around almost an hour later. The first bit of it off the starting line was downhill, slightly, but I pedaled to get myself going with some speed. Speed is such a funny term here, I was getting passed by bikers that started behind me within minutes! Then people much older and that appeared to be more out of shape than me soon after that. And this pattern continued for 15 kilometers as I stopped every couple of hills to catch my breath, stretch my tight leg muscles and get a sip of the lemon water I'd prepared for myself that morning.

It really was a nice ride, throughout the whole route. Slight hills, plenty of flatter stretches and a few downhill coasts made it enjoyable, plus the Modest Mouse and Kings of Leon that blasted in my Nike earbuds. I wanted to sing along, but didn't want to punish the other bikers as they passed me, nor did I want to exert that precious energy I desperately needed to make it back in one piece! 

*One of these things is not like the others* Photo credit: VCE 2016 cycling team, dressed in their cycling outfits, on their cycling cycles, with their cycling shoes and their cycling clips and their cycling helmets in their cycling bodies.

Before I left home that morning, I was dressed in a VCE t-shirt with cutoff sleeves, for better aerodynamics of course, workout shorts and sneakers when my girlfriend said if she didn't know any better, she'd think I was an athletic and sporty lesbian! "I'm not that kind of lesbian!" I told her later that evening, when my butt was still too sore to walk normally. 

"Donuts" was the last status update I sent to her after the race before I drove out of the parking lot. 

What I learned during that 15 kilometer ride:

1. Getting started is the hardest part. 

It came much easier after the first mile or two was behind me, and to be quite frank, the first couple of miles were windy and slightly uphill and I wanted to turn back for fear of not making it the full ride. But I stopped to take a breath and have a sip of water, and it was a motivating morning! 

2. Stop and rest, catch your breath. 

You don't have to kill yourself at the first try of something, nor are you required to do it on someone else's limiting terms. Break things down into consumable pieces, and take it step by step, pedal by pedal, bit by bit. Life doesn't always have to be a rush of a race to get from one place to the next, take time to enjoy the journey and smell the flowers.  

3. Drink water, plenty of water, when you need it.

We are made of mostly water, the earth is made of mostly water and yet we still neglect to hydrate ourselves. Or when we do, it's with subpar quality water or chemical induced drinks to make us think it tastes good so we can drink more of it. Pure, charcoal filtered water infused with lemon, basil, cucumber, berries, whatever fruit or vegetable you prefer really ... drink up and drink often! Bottled water is, for the large majority, a terrible purchase and of terrifying quality. Plain tap water is best, and adjust your filtering and infusions as you see fit.

4. You can do what you put your mind to and your focus on, don't doubt yourself.

During those first couple of miles, I kept eyeing the side streets, curious if they led back to the university parking lot where we began. Back to the safety and comfort of my SUV. Back to familiarity and laziness. That serves no one well, and I'm a perfectly abled body that can do a fucking 15 kilometer bike ride, just not as fast or as easily as the more experienced riders. My ego was throwing punches at my confidence and self-empowerment, nagging that I wasn't in shape enough and wasn't fast enough. STFU I thought, quietly and calmly in my head. I've never been one to make a big deal of things, or be overly dramatic in response to things. My nature is generally quiet and calm, polite and resilient. I'd rather spend my energy doing something, enjoyably, than making a fuss of it and hemming and hawing my way through life. Fuck that noise. 

5. The 7 P's apply to near everything: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance

This little helpful ditty was a gift from a therapist I saw in my mid-20s and has stuck with me ever since. We were discussing me possibly moving to Cork, Ireland for work and planning travel while I was abroad. She used an example of her own family's trip to London and how they planned it for years. YEARS! My trips to London & Cork during that time were usually last minute and not at all planned until the day I had free time outside of work to enjoy the city and countryside.

6. Seek the good in everything, and carry a positive attitude wherever you go. 

I've gone through life with negative attitudes and piss poor approaches, and I've also gone through life on the other side with positive attitudes and a happy outlook. It is much easier, and much more enjoyable and joyful to do the latter. Think of when someone does something, in traffic let's say, that you find offensive. You yell and shout and scream and slam your steering wheel and flip them off. Sound familiar? Okay, now think of this. You just drive, and allow others to get in front of you when they need, while you listen to your audio book or music, and don't think anything else of it. Which feels better? Getting angry in traffic is not at all productive or beneficial to either you or the other drivers. Approach it with loving kindness, patience, the benefit of the doubt and relaxation and you'll feel much better at the end of your drive than you would otherwise. 

As this applies to the bike race, if I had given into the negative ego throwing punches at my confidence, I'd have gone back to the starting point and not finished. Sure, that was the easier thing to do, but it wasn't what I signed up for, half-ass prepared for, woke up early for, nor was it even necessary! 

7. Be bold enough to try new things, regardless of your experience level, you'll enjoy it and have a great story and memories for the rest of your life!

How do you know what you enjoy doing, if you never try anything new? New experiences and activities are instrumental for our personal development and growth, as well as contributing monumentally to our happiness and youthfulness. Making new friends, connections, seeing new places, feeling new feelings, proving you can do something you've never done before, being outdoors, exercising, holding your commitments among numerous other benefits can be reaped when trying new things. Just do it! 

8. Find things you enjoy, with people you enjoy them with. Having hobbies and activities outside of your career and home are empowering, enlightening, thrilling, cultural, confidence building and soulful.

Change is life, stagnation is death. To keep busy gives us something to look forward to, and to bring excitement, imagination, focus, possibilities, hope, anticipation, dreaming and promise of future. While it's important to be present in the moment, it's also vital to have things to look forward to, both individually for your personal time alone, as well as with your partner, friends, family and large groups. In short, live your life and have fun! 

9. Stretch and move your body, even if just a few minutes a day.

Without getting into too much depth of detail about health, let's just all understand that our bodies are flexible and movable and need to be stretched, pulled, pushed and massaged. Moving your muscles activates your organs, promotes blood flow and gets your endorphins going. Sitting for long periods of time does near irreparable damage to your body. As we sit in front of computers for hours on end, stare at the TV for the evening and weekends, and sit on long flights without moving about the cabin, it's killing our bodies. Get up and move, stretch from your chair, move your body! 

Photo credit: Priority Bicycles

Photo pictured above is the model I proudly own and love from their 2014 Kickstarter campaign. They can now be purchased at prioritybicycles.com