10/1/2018 VT 50 Recap

I was so fired up to ride this event again this year. The day was set; chilly morning temps, to great New England riding weather with temps in the high 50’s, partly sunny day with no rain in the forecast and most of all, an awesome cause in Vermont Adaptive. I started off slower and a bit more patient then the year prior even though I was feeling pretty good and much more confident riding my Giant Trance then my hardtail I suffered on last year. I had goals, objectives that were lingering in the back of my mind, maybe my first mistake. Feeling like I was keeping my tempo, kcal intake, sharpness on some of the early single, things were going what I would call well. As I was closing in on mile 30 my mind started to wonder whether or not the legs were really there. After the 31 mile aid station things went down hill fast. The single track sections between mile 33 and 41 seemed much more slick then I was expecting and I didn’t recall it giving me such trouble in 2017. This is the time that you can really crush yourself with negative garbage passing through your mind; thinking too much, wondering, getting angry at yourself and your equipment. It’s hard to stay positive and keep giving it your all despite all the setbacks, but you can often surprise yourself by just keeping at it and not giving in.

This is exactly what raising a member of your family with a rare disease trains you to do every day. You become resilient, stubborn, unwilling to be satisfied with OK and keep pressing on for hope, answers, treatments, patience, help and anything to makes things a little kinder, a little happier, a little more positive.

jb