Friday, January 8, 2010

Inspiration

So many things are inspiring me right now but nothing more than watching people accomplish things they didn't know they could. To watch someone reinvent herself, make their own action plan, or do "it" their own way is giving me a HUGE energy boost! The timing couldn't be better for me to become energized as I'm entering a tough phase of my training. The miles are long and, for the last month, mostly sans companions. All of this time alone, and all this inspiration, has given me time to philosophize a bit and the following is a list of what I've determined:

1. It takes way to much energy to get mad and so I'm going to try to avoid anger.

2. Being nice, even overly nice and happy, especially when it's not really expected, is energizing and uplifting not only for the person I'm being nice to, but for me too!

3. I'm not going to resolve to learn Spanish for the 6th year in a row...someday, I'll get it down...I'm giving myself a pass on this one for the year.

4. There are some things you just can't force, like your health, no matter how strong your will is; you're best bet is to treat your body well all the time.


5. Watching other people achieve their goals is so rewarding and it's definitely worthwhile to invest in dedicated people.

6. I really do love riding my bike. And I can do it forever if I want to.

The credit for my list should be giving to a lot of different people and in the weeks to come, I'm going to tell you more about some of these people. In addition, Vera Bradley and the Vera Bradley Foundation have signed on to sponsor my team and they are nothing short of inspiring! Talk about inspiration, they epitomize it: the Foundation is solely for the purpose of fighting breast cancer. Breast cancer has probably touched the lives of everyone I know in one way or another and so I'm thrilled to support the cause and Vera Bradley's efforts. Ironically, Specialized, our equipment sponsor, also has a breast cancer support initiative. So this year will be a special year, not only about me, but about people like my Aunt Carolyn, who is a survivor, and numerous others. Thinking about what she's been through makes my job as a professional bike racer sound easy.

So, while I try to control my enthusiasm (and not overtrain!), I'm pretty fired up about the year. I'm putting the list above front and center in my life and giving myself perspective, which has me really motivated. 2010 is going to be a really happy year!