Motivation

There are a lot of familiar faces on my bike rides at night. Though the crowd is always changing, there are a few people that I see almost every day. People of all ages and sizes. All sweaty. All making strange faces. There is one man in particular that has caught my attention over the last few weeks.

The trail around Kearney is more than 10 miles from one end to the other. I have seen this man on every inch of the trail, sometimes coming, sometimes going. He caught my attention because, although not obvious at first, he is clearly in his 60's. He is never riding at high speeds, just a methodical ride with his legs pumping at a cardio pace. This guy is 'rip' too. He is obviously in great shape. One day, when I noticed him about a quarter of a mile ahead, I slowed to his pace and shifted into the lower gears to match his cadence. It was very low resistance, very heart-pounding, and obviously for guys with a longer attention span and greater focus. I like speed, and that style is obviously not about speed.

I have been inspired, and a lot humbled, to see a guy of 'his age' in such great shape out pounding the pavement day after day. He fills an image in my mind that I have tried to hold on to for the last few weeks. This exercise routine, and healthy lifestyle, are a necessity for me. If I wish to make it to his age successfully, I have to do exactly what he is doing. It has been almost poetic for me to see him day after day. Inspiring and motivating don't quite cover it.

Yesterday I decided to ride the trail until it ended. I discovered that the trail went farther than I originally thought by looking at it on satellite a few days ago. It actually extended about 3 miles farther than I thought. It ends (at least for now, plans are in place to extend it almost 10 more miles over the coming years) at a nice little monument and bridge at the doorstep of the Platte River Archway Monument. When I arrived there last night, I stopped to stretch for a second and was startled by a voice right beside me. The gentleman that I mentioned above was there sitting on a bench by the monument. It started with a random pleasantry, but it turned into a short conversation. We talked about the trail, and the future plans to extend it. I decided to take the opportunity to tell him that I have found his presence on the trail to be an inspiration. He thanked me, and asked me what got me riding, because he has only seen me for the last few weeks. I chose to skip the whole N.A.S.H. explaination, and just tell him that I wanted to lose weight. He asked me where I start riding at, and we talked about length of rides and stuff like that. He complimented me on my progression over the last few weeks. He complimented me on my new-found dedication to exercise, and he threw in a few other encouraging comments along the way. I mention that he complimented me for a reason. Not to toot my own horn, but to praise him just a bit more.

He obviously had the 'upper-hand' in the conversation. He is clearly more fit, he is obviously more dedicated, he rides the trail in its entirety it seems, and he is twice my age! I have told many people time and time again that our society has totally lost sight of what it means to be a man. We have left chivalry, respect, courtesy, and many other things in the dust in exchange for an image of manhood that more closely resembles gorillas. Chest thumping, 'I'm-the-man' attitudes rule the day. This gentleman was in a situation where the conversation started out with me bowing to him, and he chose to encourage and compliment instead of puff out his chest and swell his pride. Rarely found anymore.

Yesterday I respected him as a cyclist, today I respect him as a person.