Going Uphill
I was supposed to do a triathlon this past April with a friend of mine, before the COVID-19 orders hit. I wasn’t planning on doing it because I am a great athlete (I’m not), and in fact, the tri itself was pretty minor as far as distances go. I wanted to do it because it was a new challenge to face and a goal to grab. And as it turns out, even training for minor distances is a lot of work.
With the triathlon getting canceled and the gyms being closed, it probably sparked my interest in cycling more than I anticipated, leaving me with some sore legs, a newly bought (to me) Cannondale bike, and lots of introspective thoughts. The first thought is this: it is hard to ride a bike that is too small for you and be effective in where you are going.
My gracious sister-in-law lent me her bike to train and use. It’s an awesome bike. It’s a bright cherry red, has a carbon fork for smooth riding, was hand constructed by my brother for her, and worked wonderfully. But nevertheless, at the end of every ride, my quads would scream, and my mind felt slow. I didn’t realize that the bike I was riding and training on was about 6 centimeters too short for me until I was introduced to a bike that actually fit. All of a sudden, the distances I wanted to ride were no longer painful, and my time to get there was more effective.
“what was supposed to help propel me forward left me sore and hindered”
There was nothing wrong with the bike I had started riding in itself; I didn’t realize I had outgrown it, and what was supposed to help propel me forward left me sore and hindered. This begs me to ask myself internally, and you; what are you training on or using to get you to the next point that is leaving you sore and hindered? Sometimes something that may look so pretty and shiny and smooth isn’t meant to be pretty or shiny or smooth in our lives. And what we try to use as leverage for momentum leaves us with torn muscles and a discouraged spirit.
It is okay to look for the right fit to get you where you need to go, and it is okay to appreciate what got you to where you are now. True internal growth is being thankful for whoever or whatever got you to where you are but recognizing that everything has its season (Ecclesiastes 3).
The second thing I learned in my short time riding is this: you can make it uphill with the right pace and the right gear. If you’ve ever ridden a bike or ran, you know that inclines can feel very close to meeting eternity at times. I personally, always avoided a giant hill right past my house. The thing is, on the other side of that hill were country roads that expanded for miles and would give me a beautiful view and uncharted territory. But I feared the hill. I feared the way it would make my legs feel or the cars that would have to pass me or worse – falling at my slow trudge up it. And because of this fear, rather than going to a vast expanse of ridable road, I stayed biking circles around my neighborhood.
“We can’t claim new territory if we don’t go there first.”
We can’t claim new territory if we don’t go there first. There are likely going to be hills that we must face to get to what is on the other side. The Bible is full of battles and struggles and thorns in sides that give examples to what we may face. But both the ride downhill and the new territory are worth the work going up.
On my most recent ride, I finally faced the hill. I was on a bike that fit me, it was a chilly morning for riding, and I felt that I could conquer the 811-foot gain to see what was on the other side. As I rode towards the base, I downshifted slowly and began to haul my bike up the hill with a gentle and slow cadence. My position and my pace had to change to get to the top. It hurt – heck yeah it hurt – but the victory at the crest was worth it. The pain of going uphill is rarely not worth the view and celebration afterward.
To encourage you today: start moving forward with what fits you and be confident that with a change of position and pace, you can conquer any hill in your path. Whatever is in front of you, you’ve got this because God has you. Keep moving forward, keep cheering yourself on, and keep trekking up your hills.