Accelerated Healing

I had a bad day yesterday, and while on my way to the fridge to grab a beer, I saw an empty water bottle on the counter. Normally filling it up and drinking water would do nothing, but when you put that water in your cage and go ride it’s better than all the drugs in the world. If you ride hard enough, it’s impossible to think or feel anything other than what’s happening at that moment. And at that moment, the entire world is reduced to nothing more than filling your lungs with air and pushing through the pain in your legs. Pedal stroke by pedal stroke everything is washed away. I made it from my house to the top-top of Flagstaff in 45 minutes! That means I went from 17th ST to the top in about a half hour which would put me among the fastest climbers in the country. Normally it takes me around 34 minutes. I think my new record time can be contributed to a combination of rested legs and briefly riding on pure anger. Anger buffers pain better than anything I know. In fact my best cross season two years ago, when I finished in the top 20’s for every USGP, was pretty much done exclusively on anger. The five steps of healing are Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. They say this process can take weeks or months depending on the circumstances, but for daily stressors, it can be dealt with in a few hours on the bike. By the time I start feeling angry I’ve typically already put my carbon sole shoes on and have opted for a bottle of water over a bottle of beer. Not only have I made myself healthier in everyway but I feel much better in a short amount of time. All Hail The Bike Gods.