Rocky Theme Song (Day Five)
Note: The above pic is a respectful gesture; it’s of me ‘pouring one out’. This means: ‘To pour a drink on the ground in tribute, typically to respect a deceased friend or figure. The drink symbolizes one which should have been enjoyed by the absent person.’
Great day! But…rough start.
Rough start: I only slept for around three hours. I was tossing and turning, as I couldn’t put aside some troubling thoughts about a miscommunication with a very good friend. I would have rather lost the sleep because of infestation by ants. Then, first thing in the morning, I was late to be ready to get outta Carson City, so Mince was barking at me. I didn’t like that very much. Within moments, though, Kevin and I were on the same page and moving forward. It’s good it didn’t escalate, because it wouldn’t have been good for my well-being to tangle with a guy who has been to war and then taught hand-to-hand combat when he was back stateside. I would have tried to smile him to death if it came down to it. That’d show him!
Great day: We started by heading out on Route 50, Eastbound. Felt like I was back in Annapolis headed to Ocean City. Then, reality sank in and I realized that I wasn’t going to the ‘Redneck Riviera’, but instead leaving civilization; making tracks on ‘The Loneliest Road in America’ (it’s true, that’s what they call it). But…we crushed the course today. I can honestly say that I have never felt stronger as a cyclist or in any sport as I felt today. On a slight but long hill, I looked down and the Garmin told me that we were at a steady 28MPH. We pulled each other into some pretty strong headwinds and never slowed down. At the end of our 62 mile day, we laughed and knew that we could have done it twice more. So…the Rocky Theme Song. You know the one! It was like that today. I finally feel like I can do this task. Special thanks to those who’ve helped me get ready: Mike Seilo (strength training) Rob Demick (making friends with the pain), Nicole Sylvester (just being excellent at everything and allowing me to see it), Katie O’Farrell (teaching me to breathe), and mostly, my coach Dorothy Sager. Coach Sager has been by far the biggest influence on my game, and she’s taught me how to train, think, rest, eat, push it to the limit and trust myself. It’s no wonder why her business is called ‘Synergy Wellness’.
The route itself was pretty tame, though it was hot. Lots of wide open desert plains that led to distant, fuzzy looking mountains. Lots of shrubs. Prickly-looking ones. It would be great to play a prank on my friend Jesse Evavold: somehow ‘borrow’ his house key and fill his bed with these dried-out shrubs. Extra for his pillow (inside joke). He’d be itchy for six or seven weeks. He’d love it!
It’s great to see Kevin reaching out more; he’s pretty fired up and when it comes time to describe the origin of The Team Jesse Foundation, he talks about the mission itself, then says that were doing it in honor of his friend. The subtle tone of the latter statement can be very sobering. For those who know Kevin, you’ll know what I mean, here. Pity the fool that would try to stop this guy from rolling into NYC on 9/11. I’ll leave it there.
Tomorrow is our first rest day. So, laundry and a few conference calls look to be on the agenda. Wait a minute…sounds like it would be better to be out there on the trail!
The day after, though (Day Seven) is a 110 mile, 5,500 foot-climb day. And, it’s supposed to be hot (go figure, Nevada in mid-June). So, while the Rocky theme might have been playing today, it’s still early in the first movie. Ahead is another bout with Apollo Creed and then there’s Clubber Lang and Ivan Drago. Let’s just hope Sylvester Stallone doesn’t try to resurrect the franchise prior to 9/12/11. We have enough to deal with!
Opportunities:
1) Today I had the opportunity to support a friend and be on top of my game in doing so.
2) Today I had the opportunity to see a wild horse become reunited with his family after he dashed across the freeway, slamming what few cars/trucks that were there to a halt. (The rest of the family dashed across to join him once the cars cleared; my daughters would have been in awe).
3) Today, I thought (many times) how great it would be for everyone who has served or sacrificed a loved one for our country would have the opportunity to see Her the way I am this summer.
To opportunity. For the Families of the Fallen. To the Limit.
Care Creates Community,
Matt Sauri