MS150, Flat Tires, & Reaching Goals

Last year I set a goal for myself: I would complete the MS150 bike ride in 2010.

That goal was born days after Brian was diagnosed with MS last Spring. By the time we were both out of tears, and in true Stacey fashion, I decided I had to take action and do something to help fight this life-altering disease.

(Let me just pause here and say that I’m aware that any good psychologist and most rational people would agree that I was deflecting my own feelings of helplessness away from the situation and pouring my efforts into the futile cause of training to ride a bike for 150 miles in one weekend – and for the most part they would be right. However, it seemed like a good idea at the time and proved to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.)

But, underlying psychology aside, three big things stood in my way; 1) I hadn’t ridden a bicycle in years 2) I was deathly afraid of going down hills on a contraption with only two wheels and no seatbelt 3) I didn’t own a bike

At the urging of my friend Darcy, I, quite impulsively, purchased a road bike. I happened to mention this fact to my friend Jen, who, as fate would have it, agreed to “teach” me and Katie (also a new cyclist at the time) the ins and outs of road biking. Jen taught us everything from how to clip in and out of our pedals to the proper way to scare off a crazy dog chasing us through the back roads of Pennsylvania. And, after a year of training, my goal actually seemed attainable.

The three of us, and Jen’s wonderful friend Brie, formed a team called “The Flying Pigeons” (yoga friends, feel free to roll your eyes) and managed to raise $1,270 for the MS Society. (Thank you, sponsors!)

The ride started off great. But as the first day continued it was getting harder and harder for me to keep up. I couldn’t figure out what was wrong, but my legs were more tired than normal and I felt like I was working twice as hard as the cyclists passing me. Still, with the support of my team, I finished that first day with a smile on my face.

The second day of the ride started out the same as the first until a friendly cyclist whizzing by me grunted, “It's none of my business, but your tires look really low.”

And, in fact they were. As it turns out, I had ridden nearly 80 miles on practically flat tires making the job of propelling myself forward much harder than it needed to be. Jen seems to think there’s a lesson here, offering the motto, “When the going gets tough, check the air in your tires.” And maybe I too will see the metaphor when my legs stop hurting, but for now I’m just grateful to have accomplished my goal.

So, why bring all of this up on a blog about not buying new things?

Well, because I’m learning that the things that really matter in life can’t be bought or sold, they can only be lived and experienced.

~Stacey