I
like to say that I was born without the competitive gene, and it's
true. If you want me to cycle even slower than I normally do, then
just tell me it's a race. But I do seem to be prone to setting
personal challenges. They're not the sort of challenges which might
impress people, and this I have to stress. In fact, I can't stress
this enough. After all, your challenge might be simply impossible for
me and my challenge might be out of the question for someone else. If
I meet someone whose challenge is to ride 10 miles for the first time
ever, then I'll be the first to congratulate that person when they
meet that challenge. My own challenges relate to me, just as yours
relate to you.
So
I have just returned from a fabulous six-week stay in Spain and I had
a vague aim when I went there - I wanted to pick up a bit of the
fitness I lost due to my surgery. That's not a very quantifiable
challenge, but I soon found that three particular measures of it
crystalized in my mind.
Let
me warn you before you read any further that what I'm about to tell
you might sound like nothing to you, but to me, it's a reason for me
to feel proud. On 3 March 2016, during just one ride, I ticked off
all three of the particular measures of my challenge in the following
order, with one extra for good luck:
- I completed my 1000th mile of 2016;
- I rode my longest solo ride since my operation;
- I rode more than 50 miles solo in one day; and
- I completed the 1000th mile of the holiday.
The
challenge now is to keep some of that fitness, as the British weather
adds a level of difficulty which stabs away at motivation!
