Encouragement and Other Anecdotes to Pain

I was a little emotional when I left Vancouver last Thursday afternoon. Maybe it was the culmination of a year's worth of planning or the fact that I was past the point of no return...I don't know...but I got a little weepy as I headed south through the Willamette Valley. I was thinking of the things I was going to miss...grandsons' Little League games, picking cherries with my daughter, the ongoing war with the bunnies for my strawberries. My early summer would've been relatively mellow, and a day might have had me riding 30 miles, putzing around the yard, and then sitting on the deck with a michelada. Not that any of that made me turn around...but all of it was rolling through my mind.




I met a young fellow from Spain who had been staying with Smitty and Roberta. His name is Alvaro and he is cycling around the world with no plans to stop. His load? 165 pounds. I took a picture of him at Mauna Kea State Park where he was fixing his rear rack. He was heading to the top of Mauna Kea to see the sunrise...yes...with his entire load. He contacted Smitty and Roberta today to say that it had taken him 6 hours to ride 7 miles.




Encouragement can come from unexpected places. In the past month, I have talked to several people who barely know me that have said, "I KNOW you can do this.". Really? How do you know...because I don't even know! I hope I can remember their words when I'm out in the middle of the lovely panhandle of Texas, tired and hot, and have 35 miles yet to ride. I hold in my heart comments that have been made to me over the years...and they encourage me...stretch me...motivate me.
I don't usually listen to music when I ride because I need all of my attention on my riding and the environment around me. But I did bring an iPod along on this trip with several playlists...hills playlist, kick it up a notch playlist, sing-a-long playlist, etc. And I have found that music encourages me...now...don't laugh at my choices, but Josh Grobin's "You Lift Me Up" is easily worth another 10 miles...Rufus Wainright's "Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road" is worth 5, and some of the songs from Bill's memorial service...well, I can finish the day if I'm listening to those.












I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in Hawai'i. I was fortunate to be here for an outdoor concert honoring King Kamehameha IV. There were several groups of hula dancers, and I thought it was wonderful...reminded me of sign language. There is a piece of me that whispers, "you could just spend the next 50 days here, you know...". Smitty and Roberta have been wonderful hosts and I will come back to Kona...to relax and drink in the history that is here. But I am going to ride a bit today, and perhaps get in a short nap...for the adventure begins at midnight. Mahalo...and Aloha.
maybe you can't...because you won't...