What Am I Training For?

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“Sometimes you have to travel a long way to find what is near.” – Paulo Coehlo

The summer before I got pregnant with Miss O, I did several long-distance bike trips with my friend, Eric. My first experience with a multi-day trip carrying only what we could stow in the bike packs was a trip where we cycled on a tandem bike from Burlington, Vermont, up into Canada to a small cheesery. Then we cycled back across the border into New York state, along Lake Champlain, rode a ferry across to Vermont, and then finally back to our starting point.

For this trip, I was riding on a tandem bike with Eric – a bike that supposedly Paul Newman once rode – a delightful bit of trivia that didn’t make the beast at all more comfortable. I figured biking was a lot like mountain climbing because it requires leg strength and an endurance mindset. And a sense of humor. Cheryl Oreglia (from the delightful and fun Living in the Gap blog) isn’t exaggerating when she says that everyone’s favorite joke for people on a tandem bike is, “She’s not pedaling.”

On that first day out, we rode for 81.48 miles which was a long day “in the saddle” as cyclists like to call it. When we finally reached our hotel for the night at some city in Vermont, I scooted off the back of the bike like it was on fire. If it wasn’t on fire, then my butt surely was. I followed my delightful teammates up to the registration desk only to find that the hot tub at the hotel was out of order. That was a deal breaker for Carol who was leading this trip.

She said we had to find a new hotel. Envisioning another mile on the bike that day, I think I just about fainted. Fortunately, we found a new place right across the street and I WALKED all the way there. When we went out to dinner, Eric found a metal plate chilling at the salad bar and gave it to me to sit on.

It made for a memorable trip – mostly because I was with a great group of people. But I swear what I remember most is the last half mile of each day as we ground out those last few feet to the blessed places we could rest our bodies for the night. That makes me wonder if I was training for endurance or enjoyment.

It’s the topic of my post for Wise & Shine today: Endurance versus Enjoyment

(all pictures from the bike trip – Vermont – Canada – New York 2014)

45 thoughts on “What Am I Training For?”

  1. LOL, both, I should imagine! It reminds me of how I felt training for and running my first marathon (of 2) at age 65. Definitely endurance as well as enjoyment, but the sense of accomplishment is the most important part of it, and if you can share experiences like those like with others, all the better.

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  3. Those kinds of memories can be used to remind oneself of what they’ve been through and what more is possible — what seems impossible. I bet you have more than a few, Wynne.

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    1. What a wonderful observation, Dr. Stein! That makes sense – experiences that expand the horizons of what we believe about ourselves. Thank you for this gift of a comment!

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  4. I’m sorry…I don’t know what struck me the most…the awe of 81.48 miles (don’t forget that blessed .48, I say — agree with you totally) and the giggle about Cheryl’s humor and tandem bikes…and the visual of you sitting on a salad bar “cooling plate”. I think I’ll stick to my little spin bike…I’m not cut out for the long-haul stuff…wowza! 🤣😘🤣

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    1. I’m glad you are giggling along with me. I remembered that first day as 81.6 but then found a picture I took of the device on the bike telling me the exact mileage… 🙂 And for the record — spin bikes count too!!

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    2. I’m giggling at this vision too! Seriously though, kudos for the awesome amount of miles logged! That’s awesome!

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      1. Well the cushion goes without saying, although I’m not sure about sweat mingling with fabric? At least the tractor seat could be wiped down 😉

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  6. Do you live in Burlington? My daughter goes to school there so I spend a good bit of time there. I love that town. I took a 3 month bike trekking meander around the US in the mid-nineties. It was a great experience, and my wife and I always thought we would do something like that when we retired. I doubt we will though. People are too crazy now. I could see easily winding up in unsafe situations. One more thing to mourn.

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    1. No, I’m in Seattle but I have a friend that lives in Burlington. I bet your 3 month trek was awesome, Jeff. I have friends who still doing some pretty great rides so perhaps it can still be done safely?

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  7. That’s a very impressive ride! I enjoy Cheryl’s blog too and her stories of riding in my old home town Palm Springs. I did a solo Tour de Palm Springs ride with my preteen daughter and one of her friends. They left me in the dust and I found them sitting waiting for me at the finish line.

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  8. I can’t even bike a mile and much less imagine doing 80+ miles for several consecutive days. What an adventure you went through Wynne! 🙂

    I like how you drew parallels from that with your life and parenting and the difference between enduring and enjoyment. It’s definitely a balancing act on most days and requires us to use different parts of our brains and hearts.

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    1. Different parts of our brains and hearts – what a great way to put it, Ab! And when we fail to pay attention, maybe our experience just misses the mark on both.

      Yes, it was a lovely adventure to try out biking. Grateful that these experienced cyclists let me come along! 🙂

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  10. Wow! That’s quite the bike trip Wynne. Talk about endurance. What a great sense of accomplishment you must feel. Along with your team. 👏👏👏👏👏 I feel the pain just thinking about it. Ouch!
    And look at that beautiful sky 😉.

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  11. This sounds like an award-winning bike tour in so many ways including the metal plate chilling at the salad bar you were given to sit on!!!!!! Thanks for sharing another of your globetrotting adventures with us!

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  12. Thank you for sharing your adventures!!.. decided to retire the bike and take leisurely walks so I can stop and smell the flowers and see things I would have missed… “Life gives us brief moments with another, but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a lifetime, So live that your memories will be part of your happiness.” (Author Unknown)… 🙂

    Hope your journey is paved with joy and love and until we meet again…
    May you always be blessed
    with walls for the wind,
    a roof for the rain,
    a warm cup of tea by the fire,
    laughter to cheer you,
    those you love near you,
    and all that your heart might desire.
    (Irish Saying)

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