Well this is year three of riding Ragbrai with Pedaling for
Parkinson's. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue the blog because I've had
trouble the last two years being able to update the blog while on the ride. But
I went back and read some prior posts and decided that, if for nobody else but
me, I would continue the blog, it's kind of like keeping a journal. So here
goes. Ragbrai, season 2, ended on a challenging note. On day six of the ride I
had an accident and broke my arm. The road to recovery from this event was a
far greater challenge than I ever would have anticipated. The injury was a
challenge, but a post surgery drug reaction was brutal. I spent a good part of
the year recovering and then rebuilding. It's been almost a year now, and I'm
able to look back to reflect and realize that every challenge, great or small,
has silver linings. Life is never meant to be easy; without the challenges we
face, we can't grow. So I thought I would start my blog this year emphasizing
some of the silver lining's that I was able to experience because of this
challenge.
1. Found out that people are awesome. I would love to
write the name of every person that helped or influenced me over the last year,
but inevitably I'm sure I would forget someone. Most of you know who you are,
family, friends and even strangers. I can't thank everybody enough.
2. Learned that the most important muscle in my body is my
brain (stole that from Kerry Treichel). By the time I was able to get
back to the gym, I felt a little bit like a beat up ragdoll. If zero was the
starting point 2 years ago when I began cycling, I was now starting at about a
negative 200. I had never been in such poor physical condition my entire life.
Building back up from that was a challenge to say the least. But having a
vision in my mind of where I wanted to be kept me going. It was hard, and often
times discouraging, but eventually I became stronger and stronger. I still have
a ways to go to be where I want to be, but I do feel ready to go to Iowa and
tackle Ragbrai again.
3. I made a new friend. Luke Altman was the paramedic who
took care of me at the hospital in Iowa. He was calm and collected and took
great care of me while I was a mess. He also was interested in Pedaling for
Parkinson's having had a family member who had Parkinsons. We've had the chance
to keep in touch over the year and he will be riding with us at Ragbrai this
year.
4. I learned to ALWAYS announce myself when riding and Pat
learned the importance of holding his line!!!!
5. You have to face your fears in order to move forward in
life. A lot of people have asked me if I'm scared that I might break my arm
again. Well, I don't want to break my arm again. I don't want to crash or hurt
myself in any way whatsoever, nobody does. But what I really don't want is to
give up something I love. And cycling is fun, just ask anyone who does it.
In the words of Dr. Seuss, “If you never did you should. These things are
fun and fun is good”
6. Lastly I thought a lot this year about other people close to
me that are battling their own challenges right now. No one is exempt from
them, they happen to us all. It's part of the human experience. I've come to
really appreciate how important it is for everyone to join together and help
each other. We really can't do this alone. We all need others to bouy us
up doing challenging times and in return, we need to buoy others up when they
are struggling. I love this silly picture from The Emperors New Groove.
What I see in this picture are two people completely dependent on each
other. If they work together, they can succeed, if either of them gives
up, they both will fail.
12 days and counting!!!!
