There are many times through our lives, when, if we really stop and think about it, we meet people who are worthy of a little bit of hero worship. As per my usual, this is my post MS150 evaluation - but with a twist: this one is about all the heroes I met this weekend. These are in no particular order, other than how they're coming to my mind.
Hero #1: Spider Man/ Batman.
This guy was wearing a Spider Man kit (kit = the jersey and shorts you wear) on Day 1, and a Batman kit on day 2. He's a big fella, and looked pretty muscular and fit. Spider Man pulled a good ride on Saturday, but it looks like he emptied the tank. Sunday, he really suffered. When I met him the first time, I couldn't resist but to sing the Spider Man theme song, and he told me to practice my Batman theme song for the next day. I was told that at every rest stop on day 2, even though he was suffering, there were kids who were THRILLED that Batman was there. They were in awe of this guy. He drew his strength from there, smiled, persevered, and finished.
Hero #2: Air Force Veteran.
It's easy to say a Vet is a hero - he/she actually is, on many levels. I came up on him and mentioned his Air Force jersey. I asked if he was a Vet, and it turns out, he was in Vietnam. We chatted for a short time, and he told a couple stories of how the USAF would station him in 6-month shifts in one location, then off to another, then back, etc. He said, "There's nothing like getting to a new location like Japan, getting your combat pay, and blowing it all in a new city." I think he said he was there from '72-'74. I told him that my own father never talked much about it, stating to me once, "There's nothing good to remember about it, so why bring it up?" He agreed.
Hero #3: HandBike Guy.
It's one thing to ride those miles using your legs - arguably the strongest muscles in the body. But to do that in a handbike, where your arms are the driving force to propel you up all the hills??? That is courage and guts. I don't know whether the guy's legs were paralyzed or not - and I thought it was rude to ask, and frankly, none of my business. But the weight distribution is so vastly different on the handbike, that it takes some serious cajones to even try it. He finished.
Hero #4: Fixed-Gear Riders.
Kind of like the handbike guy, fixed gear riders are in for some pain on this ride. Not being able to drop the gear on climbs pretty much states that you are a badass. Seriously. Tough stuff. I shall never attempt anything like this.
Hero #5: Schmoopsiepoo.
OK - the Fat Kid is gonna get a little sappy here, perhaps to the point where you will want to vomit. You've been warned. But my bride-to-be did this event with me. Shad had not slept well for the previous week. Her nerves were shot with worry. She had some biological x-chromosome-related issues. And then - to top it all off, when we got to the starting location, she realized she forgot her cleats. OK, for those who don't understand the importance of cleats, here you go: cleats enable you to stick your feet into your pedals so they can't come off with the generic movement of a pedal stroke. It enables you to not only push DOWN on the crank, but to pull UP as well. This decreases the pressure on certain muscle groups, saving your strength. She didn't have her cleats, so she could only push down.
We had a strategy going in that relied on her having cleats. Suddenly, that strategy was gone. This is unsettling, to say the least. She felt unprepared, nervous, and generally ill before this - now, she was approaching scared. And she got on the bike, anyway. Day 1 was 85 miles - and a lot of that was uphill, where being able to pull up on the crank is just as important as being able to push down. She was in a lot of pain.
Day 2 dawned and we were some of the last to make the start - seriously, there were maybe 10 people left on campus after us.The terrain was much simpler, though there were still a couple of nasty climbs to be ridden. But on she pushed. She found a group of riders to go with, and they pressed on. The rain began when she still had 22 miles to go. They actually closed the course because, well, it's NOT good to be on aluminum bikes in a lightning storm. They eventually re-opened the course and let them finish in the rain. She finished the course with a smile on her face. Despite the problems - of which I only touched on - she still finished. Heroic.
Thank you, my love, for being my partner in this, as well as in life. I've never had a partner in ANY of my riding efforts - just to have someone who will try it, let alone persevere the way you have...just one more reason you are my hero. There are many more reasons.
OH, and for those wondering - I had a pretty good ride, too. Ain't no shame in my game. The course was very tough, once again, and there were moments when I really didn't want to keep going, but I did my damnedest. For my team, I finished a very close second on Day 1 (only second by about 20 feet) and third on Day 2 by about 10 minutes. Not bad. Certainly acceptable. I have yet to crunch the numbers, precisely, but I'm sure I will be pleased. Possibly a new PR? We'll see.
Thanks to all those who've supported us, both in monetary donations and in good wishes and positive thoughts.
Thanks for reading,
The Fat Kid
