Friday Ramble 08/05/22

This week: Conquering fears, one bike ride at a time. Plus, first thoughts on my fancy new shoes.   

Last weekend, I finally accomplished a goal I’ve had in mind for more than five years when I biked to and from a trailhead for my morning run. The ride itself wasn’t that long – less than 10 miles round trip – but the road to complete this journey stretched endlessly in my imagination. 

In the spring, I’d think about riding when it warmed up, and in the summer, I’d vow to go after it cooled off. In the winter, after another year passed by without resolution, I’d think, well, there’s always next year. 

Next year finally became this year, mainly out of necessity. My family was out of town, which left me without a car. With a fairly important training run on the schedule and no other way to get there, it was now or never. 

That’s when my anxiety kicked into overdrive. I had spent so much time debating whether or not to bike places, I had built up an alarming number of doomsday scenarios in my mind. Not that it’s far fetched that some Masshole would come flying out of an intersection or clip me coming around a turn. I’ve seen way too many near-accidents, and heard far too many horror stories. 

Still, the odds of a successful venture were in my favor, especially on a Sunday morning when traffic would be light. Aside from nearly running over a dead rat near some train tracks, everything went off without a hitch. I was hyperaware, but never felt unsafe. The road was pockmarked and uneven, as I knew it would be, but my bike handled all of the terrain without a problem. 

I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that my body felt amazing when I started running thanks to the 15-minute warmup on the bike, and that it felt even better after the cooldown ride home. All in all, the whole experience was incredibly rewarding and remarkably normal. 

It struck me that when we spend so much time worrying about things that might happen, we miss opportunities that are right in front us. With a few deep breaths and a good plan, we can pretty much accomplish anything.