Progress is as easy as falling off a bike
[Warning: due to the graphic nature of the picture of my bloody knee (not to mention the blinding white skin pallor), viewer discretion is advised.]
Cyclists are crazy. They raise the seats of their bike so high that they can’t touch the ground with their feet when they’re stopped, then they LOCK their feet into the pedals. Does this make any sense to anybody?
I’ve been resisting using the pedal clips since I got my new bike, seeing as I’m already having enough trouble starting and stopping without being locked into pedals. I was petrified of falling, horrified of failing. But this weekend I forgot my tennis shoes and had to take the plunge. D.J. helped me clip in and set me free in his neighborhood. My job was to circle the block then come back to the house for a smooth stop.
I knew I would fall.
I knew I would fall.
I knew I would fall.
No big surprise here: I fell.
I crashed unceremoniously in D.J.’s driveway, just a slow, clumsy, quiet fall, still clipped into the bike.
And guess what? Nothing happened. A crowd of hecklers didn’t emerge to laugh and point. The “Dumb Cyclists Protection League” didn’t show up and confiscate my bike. My legs lost some skin here and there (plenty of DNA on the bike in case CSI needs to investigate), and I was a little embarrassed. But the world didn’t come to an end.
Because I had been so afraid of falling, I was actually relieved when it happened. I suffered a setback, but it wasn’t a complete failure. It just meant that I was now able to put the fear of falling behind me and learn how to fix my mistakes.
Think for a minute about a fear you have, something that’s preventing you from taking a risk. Are you scared to start your own business? Are you worried about starting that novel because you aren’t sure you can actually write? Do you want to make a commitment to someone you love but are afraid you’ll be turned down?
What if you confront a fear and the worst does happen? Chances are your world will not be tragically altered. Chances are you will find a way to continue on. Your one setback may even give you the courage to keep taking risks.
Just because I rode the bike clipped in one morning doesn’t mean I’m done with my fears. I want to write a book — several books, in fact, but I’m afraid they’ll suck. I want to start speaking and consulting more often, but I’m afraid people won’t hire me or won’t find value in what I have to say. But I keep working forward, making mistakes, addressing fears, and slowly things are starting to happen.
What is a fear you have that keeps you from moving forward?
Beth on 03 Nov 2008 at 9:09 am #
And a few words from Lance Armstrong:
“If you worried about falling off the bike, you’d never get on.”
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
“You have to live with the crashes, and hope you don’t get into one.”
And, finally, on the difference between running and biking:
“Armstrong said there’s no comparison between running a marathon and cycling, either physically or mentally.
‘You can’t compare the pounding or running with the efficiency of a bicycle,’ he said. ‘Nothing even comes close to comparing the pain, especially it seems like this course, with a significant amount of downhills … that really take their toll on the muscles.’”
Yet, I’ll always choose running of cycling.
chris uschan - Omnipress on 03 Nov 2008 at 9:29 am #
I just think it would have been funny to see you fall, knowing that you knew you would fall anyways. LOL
Seriously, my fear is my arthritic burdened 3 year old daughter will have joint problems so bad she will miss out on things healthy kids do (take for granted).
She’s battled learning to walk twice and I am sure will have more issues… Like your falling, we too get back on that bike and keep peddling.
And as my kids would say… “Beth, you need a bandaid.”
Dale Gilchrist on 03 Nov 2008 at 1:00 pm #
I cant out run a dog…but I sure as hell can out ride one.
ps. I didnt see you actually fall Bethy…but i did see you ride over 2 hours. Good on ya!!
steph on 03 Nov 2008 at 1:41 pm #
Oh, I much prefer to be on my feet. I’m not crazy about bikes, rollerblades, anything with wheels, pretty much, except cars. That was my biggest fear: driving. But when I’m alone in the car…I could actually go forever, it seems.
I think my biggest fear, aside from vomit, is of failure. Something like that. But maybe also success. And the extreme emotions that I tend toward.
steph on 03 Nov 2008 at 1:42 pm #
Wait – was that last sentence grammatically correct? Hmmm. Another fear.
steph on 03 Nov 2008 at 1:43 pm #
And DUH. I suck. What I meant to say right away is congrats on talking down your fear and putting it into perspective!
Beth on 03 Nov 2008 at 1:43 pm #
Chris, consider me a permanent member of Team Kasey. I think positive thoughts for your family all the time.
Dale, and I saw you ride like the wind with D.J.! You guys smoked me.
I had a blast, though. (Thanks for not laughing at me, by the way)
Beth on 03 Nov 2008 at 1:44 pm #
Steph, I used to say I had just three fears: success, failure and mediocrity. Yep, that about covers it.
D.J. on 03 Nov 2008 at 3:19 pm #
My stroll down Ave. Z has sped up recently. True, Beth did stare into the eyes of the monster, but she persisted, overcame, adapted, and is a stronger person for it.
I am very proud of her. She will make a very good cyclist once she stops the silliness of running. I did two marathons and countless half marathons and 10ks. That was a very long time ago. I came to my senses when I was in my 20s. It has taken Beth a bit longer, but I am sure she will come to hers.
I think bikes are a welcome addition to Ave.Z
D.J.
Centurion
Mel on 04 Nov 2008 at 6:06 am #
Beth, I have the same writing fear. Not only do I personally think my ideas are awesome, but also that they suck. I am constantly in a battle with my creative ideas.
I can’t even tell other people my grand plans, for fear they look at me all “ew. that’s dumb.” LOL
BTW, a couple times riding my bike, I have “almost” fallen. I look around for that same crowd of hecklers. Maybe it’s trauma from junior high, when I tripped and fell, and everyone laughed.
Kimberly on 04 Nov 2008 at 9:53 am #
Beth,
After being a roadie for a few years, at 31 I let my friends convince me I should become a mountain biker. I fell so many times in the first season that I would brag if I came home from a ride where no blood was shed.
But never once did my friends laugh. (They did, however, take pictures for a morbid journal that we keep of the best bruises). And they were always amazed and impressed when I would show up (usually bandaged) for the next ride. Persistence is usually admired.
Towards the end of my first season I was riding with a friend on Mt.Werner, fell on a rock and nearly broke my pelvis. I had to be taken off the mountain in an ambulance. Not a proud moment.
But as soon as I was off the crutches I went riding in Winter Park. My girlfriend has not rode a mountain bike since. Her fear has caused he to miss alot of fun times.
By the way, I rarely ever crash anymore. I think I only fell once this season. Do you know why? Because I believe that I can climb over logs and rocks. I tell myself I can do it–not that I can’t. This was your mistake. You said to yourself, “I’m going to fall.” And so you did. We usually prove ourselves right.
Your other mistake was clipping in and shoving off. I always teach people to clip in and out of pedals while they are hanging on to a fence, preferably on grass. That way they can practice while having something to lean into on one side or something soft to fall onto on the other.
Also, cycling is a very good counterpart to running. No pounding on the joints and it is a nice rocking motion for your hips. So ride on….
Rebecca Smith on 04 Nov 2008 at 1:23 pm #
Wait — the Dumb Cyclists Protection League didn’t show up and confiscate your bike? What am I paying my dues for, then?
Congrats on facing your fear, Beth. I had to give blood yesterday and I walked out of there with a huge smile on my face because I faced my fear and did it!
Blog About Publishing: Life on Avenue Z « TSTC Publishing’s Book Business Blog on 08 Jan 2009 at 11:23 am #
[...] a more personal nature: her wildly successful Avenue Z food drive, health issues in her family, and periodic updates on her biking and running [...]
Sandra on 30 Jan 2009 at 11:22 am #
I am a beginner cyclist and have fallen twice, second time suffered a minor fracture in my elbow and broke my helmet in several places (road burn in several places)…. I haven’t been brave enough to get back on..but 2 comments since my fall will help me get back on the saddle…one mentioned above, ‘if you believe you will fall, you will’ and a friend said, cyclists will fall, learning how to fall and minimize injury is learned, and you are learning… lol….
Natalie on 24 Jun 2009 at 2:21 pm #
I really needed to read this today. I’m doing my first triathlon in 3 days and riding my bike is the scariest part of the whole event for me. I did not anticipate all the steep downhills. I can’t explain I fearful I am, yet I’m still doing it. So crazy. Thanks for your blog and quotes, I don’t feel so alone anymore.