one last epic year
It all started back in November of 2016.
Before then, I hadn't ridden my bike very much since arriving in Japan in the summer of 2014 (for reference, in 2015 I only logged a little over 600 miles). I found a million different excuses to not ride; riding by myself was lonely, the summer was too hot, the winter too cold, the rainy season too rainy...I could go on forever. If I had to pinpoint a single reason as to why I stopped riding, it would have to be the lack of motivation from the lack of cycling friends I have in Iizuka.
My life from 2012-2014 consisted only of bikes. I worked at a bike store, I rode nearly everyday, and almost every conversation I had with friends had something to do with bikes. It was my life. Then suddenly, it was all gone. The motivation I had when I first arrived in Japan quickly ran out. I wouldn't say my time from 2014-2016 was sad, but I definitely feel like a lot of time had been wasted.
Back to November 2016. My friends from ITB got together and came to Tokyo for a few weeks for the Cycle Mode Bike Expo (I've posted a little about this before here, Post from Nov. 2016). I only rode twice, but I had forgotten how much fun it was to ride. But it wasn't just the riding, it was the entire experience. At the expo, I was surrounded by new bikes and people who loved bikes more than me. I watched a semi-professional CX race that had some excitement. Every conversation I had for those 3 days was about bikes. It was a great 3 days.
When I arrived back in Fukuoka, I was motivated again. I wanted to ride my bike more. I wanted to find a reason to ride my bike.
So I did the unthinkable.
I signed up for a race.
I saw a post about a race in 2015 and thought at the time, "this would be cool to do". Of course, I didn't think I'd actually do it someday. It's expensive, it requires a lot of logistical planning, and purchasing new gear.
But the truth is, this race, is crazy.
In early December, I inquired, then soon after registered for the 2017 Mongolia Bike Challenge.
I don't know what's crazier. The fact that this race will take place on the steppes of the Mongolian wilderness, or that the race will involve 6 days of mountain bike racing (each day is around 80 miles in distance with over 6,000 feet of elevation gain).
Information about the race can be found here.
http://www.mongoliabikechallenge.com/
I've been on a bit of a journey since then. More miles on the bike and in turn, more happiness.
I went home during Winter as planned from earlier. While home, I picked up a new mountain bike for Mongolia and also rode with friends in the warmth. It was a great time.
When I arrived back in Fukuoka, I found it a little difficult to ride. I don't like riding in the cold and I didn't really have the proper gear for it. In addition, riding in the morning or in the afternoon means riding in the dark. Rather than use it as an excuse, I bought cold weather gear and rode my bike. It was tough, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I tried riding two times a day, before and after work. I figured if I put in a lot of miles now, I'd have a solid base for training more as it got warmer. While I was confident in myself to plan my own training rides, I wanted to feel as confident as I could heading into Mongolia.
I shopped around for a bit and weighed options, but finally decided on receiving coaching services online through Carmichael Training Systems. I was paired with a coach and it has really helped me thus far with riding. If anything, one of the best things I've found about having a coach is that they hold you accountable for riding, sort of. I guess at the end of the day, it's not their job to care if you are following the training plan or not, but what I found is that when you pay someone else money to tell you to ride, you will force yourself to ride. If you didn't ride, you'd literally just be throwing away money.
In all seriousness, I have felt much better since having a coach and although I'm still incredibly nervous about what lies ahead, I am perhaps more confident than I would have been without a coach.
But just as things were seemingly going to plan, a couple of unfortunate roadblocks occurred. About 5 minutes in to one of my afternoon rides, I felt as if something had flown into my cycling jersey. Sure enough, within seconds I started to feel a burning sensation on my chest. Somehow a wasp managed to fly into my jersey and sting me. I panicked. The sting hurt for a few hours and I think the most disappointing thing that happened was that I couldn't finish my ride. On the bright side, I suppose I learned that I am not allergic to wasp stings.
Sadly, the worst that happened occurred a week later. One of the highlights of my week happen every Thursday night in Tagawa. That's when I play futsal with friends. It provides a great 2 hours of cross training and fun. The fun ended on this day when I rolled over my ankle. I immediately knew that my night of fun was over. I sat out and hoped that I'd recover soon enough.
Three weeks later and I still can't move my ankle properly. And yes, that means that I haven't ridden my bike in 3 weeks either. I am taking care of my ankle and doing all that I can to make sure it will be okay. On the bright side, I can tell that it is recovering much faster. I hope that I'll be fine. I have my doubts, but I remain confident.
There are so many unknowns that await me. I'm nervous about traveling alone to Mongolia. I'm nervous about riding alone. I'm nervous about whether or not I'll finish.
Will I suffer?
Absolutely I will.
If I don't suffer, then there's no accomplishment. There's no satisfaction.
I look forward to the suffering. I look forward to the fun.
Before then, I hadn't ridden my bike very much since arriving in Japan in the summer of 2014 (for reference, in 2015 I only logged a little over 600 miles). I found a million different excuses to not ride; riding by myself was lonely, the summer was too hot, the winter too cold, the rainy season too rainy...I could go on forever. If I had to pinpoint a single reason as to why I stopped riding, it would have to be the lack of motivation from the lack of cycling friends I have in Iizuka.
My life from 2012-2014 consisted only of bikes. I worked at a bike store, I rode nearly everyday, and almost every conversation I had with friends had something to do with bikes. It was my life. Then suddenly, it was all gone. The motivation I had when I first arrived in Japan quickly ran out. I wouldn't say my time from 2014-2016 was sad, but I definitely feel like a lot of time had been wasted.
Back to November 2016. My friends from ITB got together and came to Tokyo for a few weeks for the Cycle Mode Bike Expo (I've posted a little about this before here, Post from Nov. 2016). I only rode twice, but I had forgotten how much fun it was to ride. But it wasn't just the riding, it was the entire experience. At the expo, I was surrounded by new bikes and people who loved bikes more than me. I watched a semi-professional CX race that had some excitement. Every conversation I had for those 3 days was about bikes. It was a great 3 days.
 |
| riding through tokyo. skytree. |
 |
| a great group of friends. |
When I arrived back in Fukuoka, I was motivated again. I wanted to ride my bike more. I wanted to find a reason to ride my bike.
So I did the unthinkable.
I signed up for a race.
I saw a post about a race in 2015 and thought at the time, "this would be cool to do". Of course, I didn't think I'd actually do it someday. It's expensive, it requires a lot of logistical planning, and purchasing new gear.
But the truth is, this race, is crazy.
In early December, I inquired, then soon after registered for the 2017 Mongolia Bike Challenge.
I don't know what's crazier. The fact that this race will take place on the steppes of the Mongolian wilderness, or that the race will involve 6 days of mountain bike racing (each day is around 80 miles in distance with over 6,000 feet of elevation gain).
Information about the race can be found here.
http://www.mongoliabikechallenge.com/
 |
| there i am. number 64. although i'm not japanese. |
I've been on a bit of a journey since then. More miles on the bike and in turn, more happiness.
I went home during Winter as planned from earlier. While home, I picked up a new mountain bike for Mongolia and also rode with friends in the warmth. It was a great time.
 |
| riding with friends in hawaii. waiting for sunsets. |
 |
| inspired rides with inspiring individuals (owner of MAAP) |
 |
| testing out the new mountain bike in the mud. |
When I arrived back in Fukuoka, I found it a little difficult to ride. I don't like riding in the cold and I didn't really have the proper gear for it. In addition, riding in the morning or in the afternoon means riding in the dark. Rather than use it as an excuse, I bought cold weather gear and rode my bike. It was tough, but I enjoyed it a lot.
I tried riding two times a day, before and after work. I figured if I put in a lot of miles now, I'd have a solid base for training more as it got warmer. While I was confident in myself to plan my own training rides, I wanted to feel as confident as I could heading into Mongolia.
 |
| in this instance, i had a lot of fun riding in the snow. |
 |
| no matter the weather, i must ride. |
I shopped around for a bit and weighed options, but finally decided on receiving coaching services online through Carmichael Training Systems. I was paired with a coach and it has really helped me thus far with riding. If anything, one of the best things I've found about having a coach is that they hold you accountable for riding, sort of. I guess at the end of the day, it's not their job to care if you are following the training plan or not, but what I found is that when you pay someone else money to tell you to ride, you will force yourself to ride. If you didn't ride, you'd literally just be throwing away money.
 |
| i've spent many hours riding in the rain. |
In all seriousness, I have felt much better since having a coach and although I'm still incredibly nervous about what lies ahead, I am perhaps more confident than I would have been without a coach.
But just as things were seemingly going to plan, a couple of unfortunate roadblocks occurred. About 5 minutes in to one of my afternoon rides, I felt as if something had flown into my cycling jersey. Sure enough, within seconds I started to feel a burning sensation on my chest. Somehow a wasp managed to fly into my jersey and sting me. I panicked. The sting hurt for a few hours and I think the most disappointing thing that happened was that I couldn't finish my ride. On the bright side, I suppose I learned that I am not allergic to wasp stings.
Sadly, the worst that happened occurred a week later. One of the highlights of my week happen every Thursday night in Tagawa. That's when I play futsal with friends. It provides a great 2 hours of cross training and fun. The fun ended on this day when I rolled over my ankle. I immediately knew that my night of fun was over. I sat out and hoped that I'd recover soon enough.
Three weeks later and I still can't move my ankle properly. And yes, that means that I haven't ridden my bike in 3 weeks either. I am taking care of my ankle and doing all that I can to make sure it will be okay. On the bright side, I can tell that it is recovering much faster. I hope that I'll be fine. I have my doubts, but I remain confident.
There are so many unknowns that await me. I'm nervous about traveling alone to Mongolia. I'm nervous about riding alone. I'm nervous about whether or not I'll finish.
Will I suffer?
Absolutely I will.
If I don't suffer, then there's no accomplishment. There's no satisfaction.
I look forward to the suffering. I look forward to the fun.
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