I had wanted to bike once again for the last few years, but it was one of those things where it was a lot of talk and little action. Finally last year I told some friends of mine who are more than avid bikers that I wanted to get back on a bike. It was my lucky day. One of them gave me a bike, dubbed the "Pony," and they only charged me for some new tires. The Pony is a bit older, but she rides nice and smooth.
Throughout the remainder of the year I biked aplenty. I returned to the Olentangy Trail and was on it as often as I could find time. This spring I was right back on the bike and I trained for TOSRV, a ride that goes from Columbus to Portsmouth and back. I would only attempt the one way trip. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate on the day of the ride. The weather was gorgeous earlier in the week, but a powerful storm rolled through the day before leaving behind cooler than ideal temperatures (high about 65), and more problematically, 30-50 mph winds. I went three of the four legs of the trip, a total of 83 miles before quitting. I would have attempted to finish, but I did not know if I had enough daylight remaining.
I heard about Pelotonia. The real selling point was a ride to Athens. Anyone who knows me has seen my love of that town. I was a Bobcat myself and enjoyed about four years of Athens. But Pelotonia is not just about the ride. It is about committing to raise funds for cancer research at the James Hospital, and it was no small total either.
My life has not exactly been glamorous the last few years. I have been in a twentysomething phase, trying to deal with the punches life has thrown me. My career path has changed over the years, I've been laid off, and my most recent job was more of a temporary solution than a career. A commitment to raise $1,500 to go to Athens was a tall task for a couple of reasons. 1) It is no small task to raise that much. It is a heavy time commitment. A commitment that would take time away from training and from the job hunt. 2) If I don't make it to $1,500 I would have to make up the difference, and trust me, I am not in a financial position to do that.
But as my life has seemed half empty rather than half full lately, I decided I had to commit to this. I had not felt like I had made a positive impact over the last couple of years. I had hoped I would find a job that would fulfill that void, and I must admit my most recent gig as a camp counselor made me feel like I was in fact making a difference. But why wait any longer to make the difference? I have been disappointed numerous times that an employer had not given me the chance to show I am capable. Why not make my own luck and give myself the chance to have that positive impact? So I did.
As for the fundraising, I like to live by a line from President Kennedy: "We do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard." I would just find a way.
And as for cancer, sure, I want the world to be rid of this disease. I consider myself lucky that I have had a mostly clean bill of health in my life. Not everyone can say that. And almost everyone knows someone who has fought the disease, successful or not. Either way, there are many people who would like to ride and cannot because of the toll cancer has taken. I felt I could definitely do the ride, so it almost felt like a duty, the right thing to do.
After wavering at the commitment I was left with just one month in which to raise the funds. That sounds like it wasn't much time, but I had been planning what I could do to raise funds for a while.
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