Part I: Preparing for your First Century Ride, Respect the Process
On December 20, 2020, I rode my very first century ride—100 miles.
One hundred miles. WOW. Honestly, even days after accomplishing this feat, I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around the fact that I did something like that—ME.
I pedaled, on a bike for 7 hours and 20 minutes through the desert with my good friend Lizzy Picardi, unsupported with just the water and food we could carry and WE DID IT.
We did it without the help of anyone else and that’s not to say it wouldn’t have been nice or that we were unprepared by any means. Being able to do something like an unsupported century ride in the desert where the first 50 miles were literally in the middle of nowhere takes a great deal of planning, conditioning, confidence, and what I would like to say is a respect for the process.
And that is exactly what I want to focus on here—a respect and reverence of the process when embarking upon an endeavor like this. First, riding 100 miles IS A BIG DEAL. When I started riding my road bike in late June, early July of 2020, the thought of being able to ride that far for that long was so abstract I couldn’t comprehend it. Like I saw people doing these rides, or heard from friends about ‘the century they did once and how horrible it was’ and I nodded, then responded with, “Wow, that’s so cool” but not only did I not truly understand it, what baffled me the most was how people seemed to brag about how unprepared physically they were to ride 100 miles. Almost like a badge of honor, I continue to hear and learn about how many people have rode 100 miles without riding more than 20 miles. And sure, I applaud your can-do attitude, but it’s like the student in my class who does zero work the entire semester then during the last two weeks of class, asks how they can raise their grade and if they can make up all the work.
Ummmm, NO, you cannot condense my four-month course to two weeks; and the fact that you think you can is insulting, devaluing the work of others, minimizes the planning I’ve invested in your education, and is a blatant lack of respect for the time, effort, and perseverance that comes with navigating through content and projects for an extended period of time.
The same is with endurance sports like running and cycling. The training IS the process. The training IS the journey, not the race day. Anyone can show up and run 26.2 miles and ride 100 miles. But what kind of showing are you putting up? How do you feel during the race? How do you feel after the race? The purpose of sport is not to wreck yourself and proudly brag about that time you didn’t train for a marathon but ran one anyway. If the aim is to gloat about how tough you are for doing these things, I implore you to look a little closer and dig a little deeper with the lens of looking to respect the process.
Respecting the process means putting in the work, the daily work; the real training which is the grind of being athlete that sets you up for success. Anyone can show up for one day, but I dare you to train and show up 6 days a week, sometimes for two-a-days when life is hitting you hard, when you are tired, when you are simply not feeling it; but alas you do it anyway.
Respecting the process means you look at those 100 miles the way I did: Something I want to do, but I want to do it well. Because the way I see it, if I am going to do something in this world, I cannot and will not show up and embarrass myself. Period.
But, respecting the process is about tapping into your WHY. Why do you want to run a marathon? Why do you want to ride 100 miles? Knowing and understanding your why becomes your North Star, your guidance on those days when you don’t want to train and show up. I have found that a fierce conviction and anchoring in my ‘Why’ is what drives me to train to the best of my ability. So, what’s my ‘Why’?
I like working hard to show myself that I’m strong and capable. I like doing hard things I’ve earned through my hard work. And through my hard work, I hope that I inspire other people to do things that are unfamiliar.
That’s my ‘Why’, take some time to think about yours. Like reallllllly think about it beyond the surface of needing accolades and likes on an Instagram post. Because the truth of the matter is this: When you are hitting the pavement, there is no one there alongside you. It is just you, your body, your thoughts, your training and preparation, and that’s it. It is during those parts of your competition where your want becomes a must. Therefore, respecting the process is about respecting yourself enough to know that you are worth investing the time into your physical and mental self so that you can be your best self for that race or ride.
Stay tuned for Part II: Preparing for your First Century Ride, Ensure Your Success!
