Making the right turn…

As I descended the hill out of my neighborhood this morning, I had a decision to make. Go left and it’s easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Go right and I was in for 10 hill loops and some acute pain climbing out of the river valley. I know, I know this is central ohio we’re talking about…

I made the right turn.

Remember, “acute pain is weakness leaving the system.” I wanted less weakness in me and turned into it. Funny, huh.

The first one didn’t hurt much and I felt fairly good going up. Loop two came around and it too felt fairly pain free. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad afterall. Loop three I noticed a couple guys were digging in the ditch and watching me as I went by. They appeared to be talking about me, or so it appeared. I assumed it was the typical construction worker making fun of the lightweight in lycra. Heard it all before and expected to hear some coming from a ditch near me real soon. No bigee, I thought to myself. I can take it…

On loop five I was beginning to think that 8 loops might be good enough. Four had begun to hurt and my shirt was wide open now and dripping wet. As I approached the end of the .5 mile climb, inspiration struck. Markelville was waving at me from his truck as he went down. My spirit soared. I couldn’t quit now that I had seen him. Funny, huh.

As I pushed it up loop seven I noticed that one of the construction workers was halfway down the hill and staring straight at me as I slowly made my way up the steepest pitch in the road. He yelled at me as I got closer and I couldn’t believe my ears. “How many times you gonna hit the hill,” he bellowed. Ten, I shot back. “WOW,” he said as he smiled wide at me just as I passed him on the right. I smiled too, somewhat in disbelief.

My brain was confused and hardly noticing the pain.

Loop eight I hit a little extra hard, now that I noticed that I had an audience. Yes, I’ve got issues…

“Pretty impressive,” he shouted as I went ’round. My legs felt a little lighter and I hardly thought about the shortness of breath and sting of lactic acid piercing my tiny twigs. Loop nine was over in a flash and on loop ten I veered left midway up the hill toward my target, my new friend the construction man. I was barely turning the cranks, he was now on his mobile, but I didn’t care. “Thanks for the encouragement,” I shouted through my smile. “You got it man,” came thundering back as he covered his phone with his left hand.

I made a decision this morning to choose a solo ride into some acute pain. These are the worst kind. It’s so much easier to deal with the pain when you are with another. Today, however, Markelville was with me and construction man was too. Construction man, the kind that normally wants to run me off the road or at least shout something inflammatory out the window, was with me.

Choose to ride into some of your acute pain, today. Make the right turn, if you will. And, when the pain recedes, you’ll feel that good kinda feeling that comes when you know you made the right turn. And, the next time, in the next minor moment of truth, it’ll be that much easier. And, if you really open your eyes, you’ll notice some kinda encouragement being sent your way. You just will.

Today, construction man sent some to me. Thanks man…