Birthday Ride: Level 69
/One thing I’ve put a lot of thought into but haven’t decided on yet is my favorite metaphor for aging. Should I approach it as a laboratory experiment (What can I still do and what adjustments do I have to make to keep doing it?), or as a spiritual pilgrimage (Who will I become; what sort of man will I be?) Aging is a privilege, and I don’t want to waste it.
Several years ago, without considering I was making my future harder, I decided to ride my age on my birthday. I’ve continued the practice almost every year since. It’s been pointed out to me more than once that I set a goal to do something progressively harder each year of my life, which may be unsustainable. Will I ride 90 miles in 2046?
Maybe.
A phrase I learned last week, used by Neel, my new friend from Dripping Springs, to explain why he always took the hotel stairs: Do it “While you can, until you can’t.” In the past two months I’ve learned I can still cover big miles, whether hiking on a mountain trail or riding city streets, as long as I pace myself and take more breaks. I don’t know how many years I’ll be able to ride my age, but I’ll ride while I can until I can’t.
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Last Monday, June 23rd, I rode another birthday ride and I gathered this collection of random thoughts from the day. At least, the thoughts I remember and feel at liberty to write down. Other thoughts still stranded in the back of my mind may never break into the open and should be forgotten and never repeated.
I doubt I’d’ve tried this ride had I known the wind would be blowing 18 to 19 mph all day. Sometimes it’s better not to know all the data.
Sixty-nine miles shouldn’t have been such an ordeal for me, and wouldn’t’ve been had I been training, but as it turned out, it was further than I’ve ridden by 3xs since last November. I’ll be walking stiff-legged for the next couple of days.
To my non-cycling friends, 69 miles sounds like a death wish and why would I take on the added risk in this season of my life? But to my cycling friends, 69 miles sounds merely like a solid day’s ride and why am I going on and on about it. Well, (1) going on and on about things is what I do, and (2) the ride actually had less to do with mileage more to do with choosing the harder yet more fulfilling option.
From my house, I can’t ride more than 40 miles without crossing busy major highways or making mind-numbing back-and-forths through residential neighborhoods. To get 69 miles I had to ride multiple laps around Green Tree, Fasken, and Greathouse. And I took 3 breaks at different Kent Kwik convenient stores where I bought soft drink, salty snacks, and energy snacks.
Mile 20 was a major decision point where I almost talked myself into turning back toward home. My butt and shoulders were aching, and the wind was pushing me around, and besides this was a stupid goal anyway.
But I told myself this might be more important than one bike ride. Going on without turning back will set the pattern for the rest of the summer and predict how hard I’ll work to accomplish my goals. Will I push through the hard parts, or turn around and give up? I knew I had to decide at that moment. And then, before I knew it, I was at mile 30. Decision made.
Anytime I ride more than 60 miles I earn a milkshake. So there’s that. A Vanilla shake at Texas Burger is a worthy goal and sweet reward.
For me, my birthday always accompanies personal analysis, and I’ve realized there are some things I do better nowadays than I did when I was younger. For example: playing trombone, teaching, and writing.
There are plenty more things I can still do but they take longer, such as: hiking, walking, cycling, recovering from injury, sitting down on the floor, or getting up off the floor.
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Thank you, God, for giving me the physical ability, health, and resources to do something long and stressful like a birthday ride. Thank you for giving me the desire to keep doing hard things. And thank you, especially, for giving me one more turn.
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“I run in the path of Your commands, for You have set my heart free.” Psalm 119:32
