Flashback Friday is a place for all things reminiscence. Flashbacks can be personal recollections or they can also be looks back to the “Good Old Days” of our collective past. |
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| The pic that started it all! |
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| James is in the black shirt holding #82 Felisha is on the bottom left. |
You may be like me, who had no clue who The Iron Cowboy was until just a few months ago. James Lawrence, aka The Iron Cowboy, is this amazing individual who is doing 100 full triathlons in 100 days. That means he swims 2.4 miles, bikes 112 miles, and runs/walks 26.2 miles(yes a marathon!) Every. Single. Day. When my friend, Felisha, told me about James a few months ago(she is also one of his massage therapists and his friend), I got interested and have been following him and his journey to "Conquer 100" since. If you would like to know more about James and his journey to 100 full triathlons, click HERE.
So, after that ten mile ride on April 3rd, I was thinking: What could I do that would push myself and actually get me more motivated to be moving? I came up with 1000 miles before summer was over. Yeah....that would be a lofty goal, but then I instantly remembered that May 17th was the day of my hysterectomy to rid myself of the fibroids and ovarian cyst that have been making my life horribly uncomfortable. I was going to be down for a bit this summer and maybe wouldn't be able to get in those miles, but wait, I could set a goal for the next month.
So, I thought about it for a little while and came up with 200 miles before May 17. It wasn't 100 miles a day or anything, but for me, a non-trained cyclist, it was a great goal. So, I wrote it down and planned it all out. I had to get in 30 miles a week, which is about 3 hours on a bike each week. 3 hours to squeeze in with my two full time jobs: teaching and momming.
The bike.
An adventure with a good friend.
So, I started on my journey. In just a month, there were tons of highs and lows. Two great rides with one of my friends from work, Kristen, definitely a high. Sunshine on my face and getting to look at this all the time:
Utah is pretty!
Definite high! But then there was the wind: low. The rain and cold that would shatter my motivation some days: low. The day I found out one of my students had died of an accidental overdose the night before: huge drowning low.
Therapy ride.
I remember almost that whole ride that day. I took a different route. I didn't wear my helmet or my clip in shoes. I rode slow. I cried. I swore. I mourned. And I healed, a bit. The sunshine was out, it was pleasant weather, a homeless man told me to have a good day, and the river rushed by. I am so glad that my boss was okay with me taking the time in the middle of the day to have the tender mercy of that release ride.
He also allowed an early ride the day a fight broke out in my class. Wowzer, I had forgotten how exhausting a five minute situation can truly be. That ride was another one that happened to seem low at the time, but pedaling as fast as I did that day made it easier. Movement definitely can be therapy.
On my last ride I also took that different route. It was a short ride, only 4 miles left to my goal. I was so proud to have made it. The week before I had to push myself a little harder and ride a little further than I had the previous weeks. I wanted a celebration, so I asked for it. Nobody was thinking, hey, Alice should have a party after her last ride. It just wasn't their journey, it was mine.
So, I had a coworker be in charge of the ribbon I would ride through at the finish, and I had another make signs with 200 on them. I also invited anybody who had actually stayed a little late at our school that Friday to come and celebrate with me. On the ride I also reached out to Reuben and my kiddos, remembering I hadn't invited them, and they all came!
Crossing the finish line!
The support
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| My Biggest Fans. |
