So, this whole biking thing is completely new to me. I've had my bike for exactly 75 days now. In those 75 days, I've put on close to 700 miles, fallen once (nearly breaking my 3 day old Droid X), and have learned that I have no clue how to bike.
"But, Pat..." I hear them snickering... "Didn't your parents ever teach you to ride a bike?" Thanks for the bucket of confidence. Yes, I know how to ride a bike, but for any of you who have never ridden a road bike w/ clip in shoes for extended periods of time... It's very different.
I'm still learning... Learning when to shift gears. Learning what my optimal cadence is. Learning that thin tires plus uphill gravel dirt path = fall-go-boom. Learning is fun!
Anyways, I'm not a 'strong' guy by any means. As the title may allude to, I'm the scrawny Asian on the bike. All buck-thirty-five of me and 5% body fat (if that). But I do have one factor that helps me train. This factor was the main reason I won the NAC fencing tournament in 2008. Determination.
It's weird, but I guess unless you've experienced it, you'll never believe the expression "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." Well, I had that mentality for the NAC. In April I told my coach I was going to win it, and 6 months of training later I did.
As for the Pelotonia, I'm more scared for this than I was for the NAC.
I'm not sure why... I've trained. I've been eating right, drinking plenty, etc... But this time, it's me vs. me... Not me vs. someone else.
Yet, I am confident that I'll successfully traverse the course, and cross the finish line triumphantly on that Sunday. But the triumph isn't for me and finishing the race... It's for raising the money to help with cancer research.
I will finish. Don't think I will? Let's put a bet on it. Money goes right to my Pelotonia fund. We'll know the results in about two weeks.
As always, to make a donation to my Pelotonia Ride (100% money raised goes directly to cancer research), or to learn more about Pelotonia, please visit: http://www.pelotonia.org/ride/riders_profile.jsp?MemberID=55449
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