My First Century: What I Learned

On March 17, 2018 I did something I never dreamt possible, at least not for me; I cycled 101 miles, in one day. I formed the dream almost a year ago when I bought my road bike. A century ride is a major mile stone for cyclists everywhere and was a goal I was eager to tackle. However, after purchasing a bike and going on a couple of rides, I began studying for my law school finals. After finals, I immediately began studying for the bar exam. After the Bar exam, I moved to an apartment, began a podcast, bought a house, and then moved again. Finally, this past December, I dusted off the bike and assembled an indoor trainer.

It had been almost a year since I had cycled and at the moment my longest ride was 42 miles. I decided I was going to train like crazy for the Restoration Ride on March 17. The Restoration Ride is an annual bike ride on the back roads of Alabama, and this year they were hosting a century ride. After picking my training plan, I began…and quickly failed. With 42 miles being my longest ride on the bike (and that being a year prior), I drove to Childersburg, Alabama to join hundreds of others in what was shaping to be a most miserable day. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t.

After eating my breakfast, which was fantastic, I joined the line of cyclists, the hundreds of people who would either remain a head of me or pass me before the day was over. However, around 9 hours later, I stood back in this same spot, but this time I was wearing a centurion medal…I had done it. I rode 101 miles, on my bike, in one day, and was not about to die.

What I Learned

Pace Yourself

When attempting anything requiring endurance, pace yourself. Do not go too hard too fast. For me, at the moment, starting off pushing 20 miles per an hour is a bad idea. I will not be able to sustain that speed for the entire 100 miles. If I try to sustain that speed at this point in my cycling I will fail. My body will give out and I will become fatigued way before I reach the 100 mile mark. For now, I try and pace myself at 12-15 miles an hour, at least for the first 50 miles. This ensures I have some energy left for the remaining 50.

What are you attempting to do? Are you wanting to read the Bible in its entirety?  Learn to pace yourself. You don’t need to read the entire Bible in one sitting. Start by just reading 30 minutes a day. Are you working on writing a book? Learn to pace yourself. You don’t have to write the entire book in one weekend. Maybe start with just writing 500 words a day. The average mystery novel is around 60,000 to 80,000 words-meaning you can have your first rough draft finished in 120 to 160 days if you pace yourself by writing only 500 words a day. 120 to 160 days is only 4 to 5 months.

Just pace yourself and the finish will come. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare? Every time I read it, the tortoise wins.

Realize You Can Do More Than You Know

Your mentality plays a huge role. You have to know you can do it. I had to know it was possible for me to ride 100 miles. I didn’t have to believe it’d be fun, just possible. I almost ended my ride at mile 72; however, some fellow cyclists met up with me and encouraged me to continue. They continually told me, “You’ve come this far, you can finish!” You know what? I did. But I had to believe I could. If it wasn’t for them, I would not have finished, simply because I had begun believing the lie that I couldn’t.

You can do more than you know. You can always go a little further and a little faster as your body and skill develops. I think the same is true with most sports as well as creative pursuits. Don’t let not knowing how to paint stop you from painting. You can learn. Don’t let not being a good writer stop you from writing. Its a craft. You can learn and develop it. Stop putting limitations on yourself. I would like to really do this, but I know I’m not good at it. So what? Go for it. You will learn and develop the skill along the way.

Be Kind

You are not alone on the journey. There are others working towards the same goals. Be kind. Help them. There are others following in your footsteps, lend them a hand. I’m currently a youth pastor. My goal for the youth is for my experiences to be their floor to build upon. I want them to go further than I. Therefore, I use my experiences to help them miss some of the pitfalls I found. Like I mentioned above, I was about to end the ride at only 72 miles; however, some extremely kind cyclists helped me finish.

I would not have finished without their help. They saw my struggle and recognized it. They rode with me, encouraged me, and even pushed me. When I say push me, I literally mean push me. My body was about to give out as I approached a giant hill at mile 80. Chris Cole, an amazing cyclist (and even more amazing person) rode beside me, put his hand on my back, and pushed me up the hill. What would have been near impossible for me to accomplish alone, became a reality between the two of us…I made it up the hill.

Later in the ride, around mile 90 I believe, he rode beside me again, put his hand on my back, and told me to stop peddling. He realized I needed to take a break. He pushed for maybe a minute, but it was exactly what I needed. I gained more strength and finished the 101 miles. Not only did he give me a chance to breath and rest my legs, he reminded me I was not alone. There were others with me. Be kind to those pursuing the same goals. Maybe they just need some encouraging words, a simple push, and to know they’re not alone. Be that person. Be kind.

Victory. Photo taken by Alabama Backroads Century Series

The Last 20. Photo taken by The Restoration Ride.