“I had made the lift a million times in my head. I felt confident and let my body go to work.”

Cecily Basques-Champion Weightlifter

Even with the best support, equipment and teammates in the world, you still have to suffer to accomplish anything. I raced Wente Vineyards Road Race Sunday and got to suffer with the best ladies in the NorCal peloton. That is, I suffered with them until I gave up.

Our course was four laps on a 14 mile loop that took us over Altamont pass, up steep pitches and into grueling headwinds. This was my second road race of the year, and I was looking to improve on my last outing at Copperopolis. Which went something like this: Holding Katerina Nash’s wheel over the cobbled pavement to the bottom of the climb on the first lap and them blowing up and proceeding to ride 60 miles solo to finish the race. So I figured that if I could at least hang on for the first lap at Wente I would be showing some progress.

The first time up the Wente climb was pretty mellow. It hurt, but more like a soft hurt. There is a sweet descent on this course, but I was in poor position the entire time. This lead to wasted energy spent catching back on. I would definitely need that energy later. When we got to the climb the second time it really hurt. Like being turned inside out. My body burned, I wanted to throw up, I could barely see.  But I managed to stick on over the top. However, this is racing and relief is always short lived. I was still gasping and at the back of the group, when some attacks were launched and the whole group sped up. My treacherous brain said, “I want to give up” and just like that I did. No second chances and no make-ups. My body quit and wouldn’t work for anything.

I know how important it is to train and have well-maintained equipment. But knowing how to suffer, knowing how to turn off that traitorous brain is essential. The best equipment and focused training are no help if you won’t suffer. And this goes for any challenge in life. The brain will always quit before the body does, it’s evolutionary. All those pain signals from the body make the brain think I’m dying and have to quit. But I’m not. This kind of aerobic pain doesn’t mean injury or danger or death, just muscles working hard, doing what they do best.

The race continued. The rest of that lap I was able to work with a girl who caught up to me. We took turns in the wind and the third time up the climb, we were in sight of other girls who had fallen off. Making good progress. Then up a steep section I lost concentration and dropped my chain. It immediately wedged itself in there and I had to get off my bike to free it. There went my chance at getting back in the race. The girl I was working with would go on to catch several other women. I completed the last lap solo, in the wind and up the hills. Painful and slow, but I finished what I started.

I  chose the quote at the top because it reminds me to visualize success and believe in myself. Suffering and sacrificing over and over means my body knows better than my brain what needs to be done. And knowing the exact moment my brain gave up helps me prevent it in the future. Next time my brain wants to quit, I’ll turn it off and let my body go to work.

Thanks for reading!

 

 

People and things that remind me why I suffer:

My Team: Mike’s Bikes. I couldn’t ask for better support from the shops and camaraderie from my teammates. Classy ladies who know how to work together and encourage others.

Equipment: Atom Composites Inc. Stunningly fast wheels that look great and perform better. The highest quality builds and parts. And great people standing behind their work.

Family and Friends: Surrounding myself with people who respect sacrifice and suffer for their own goals. Always setting the bar high for success and following through.