Going for it

Do you remember when you were a kid, out on your bike, or out running around - you would be going for the entire day, and on and off, you would pedal or run as hard as you could.  I'm not even sure why I would do it, maybe just because the hill was there, or because I wanted to feel the wind in my hair, or maybe just because I wanted to.  Whatever the reason, it was a way of life, attacking physical feats with tenacity, only to slow down and enjoy the small victories.

A few of the more hardcore cyclists on the trip have talked about going after a hill, and I hate to confess that I was mystified by the idea at first.  Over the days that we have been riding, we have all been getting stronger, and with that, we have developed the attitude of going after it, whether it's a big hill, a little hill, a long straight away, you name it.  It came with our development and of our comfort on our bikes.

I love rediscovering things that I knew so well when I was a kid.  I knew how awesome it was to fly as hard as I could go, spend myself, and collapse into a reasonable pace as I recuperate.  I think they call it interval training now, but, as with many things, adults have just renamed something that kids have always known.  In fact, we have just come up with a fancy name for playing.

And that is what it has been.  Many of you have asked me how I could possible do this.  It's easy, I try to remember what it was like when we were kids, riding our bikes all day long, stopping now and then to take in the scenery.  I try to remember what it was like to play.  Children are so much better at life than we are, and they know so much more than they even know they do.  This isn't a job, it's an adventure, and I get to play every day.

Don't get me wrong, there is a very serious aspect to what we do.  There is an inherent danger to riding on the road, a gravity to our cause, and responsibility to those wonderful enough to support our trip, but in some way, we have the responsibility to have fun and to rediscover ourselves, the world, and inevitably, a love for play and exhaustion.

The next time you have the chance, whatever it is that you are doing, go for it.  Push it as hard as you can, and then push it a little more.  Feel the blood pumping through your veins, the air heaving in your chest, the purifying aspect of exhaustion.  Return to your childhood, even if just for a minute, and spend some exhausting moments there.  Remember how to play.