Pride, PR's, Trophies..

Today I took off on my bike heading into a storm front. I knew I wasn’t going to get to ride as far as I was planning, but was content with that as it was to be a ‘hard’ ride not a ‘long’ ride. (It ended up only being 10 miles as I rode from my house and out part way across the dam before turning around as I was overtaken by the dark clouds and edge of the storm – seeing the rain in the distance but approaching quickly.) It is my practice to ask for safety and when it starts to sprinkle I am even more mindful of slippery conditions.

Since I was still pretty fresh and was in a hurry and had a slight tail wind as I was heading up the final hill I figured I’d go for a PR (personal record). So I pushed the lap button and took off accelerating down the short downhill section before starting the climb. I was in a higher gear than normal and pushing a good pace – which I could hear in my breathing, especially towards the top where my HR was in the low 170’s. Once I crossed the mark at the top I knew I hadn’t gone up that hill that fast in a long time – maybe even ever. I couldn’t read my lap time but figured I’d look at it when I got home. When I got home I gave thanks for a safe return and for the staying off of the hard rain – which followed very shortly after my return (as happens frequently). I reviewed my laps and was disappointed to see that my initial pressing of the lap button didn’t take and I did not have the information for the climb - no PR.

What is the value of a PR? Is it a trophy? Should it be? These are tough questions for one who has a collection of PR trophies over the years. But not having this one was a good eye opener and thought provoker: I really don’t want to have PR’s as the end goal, but I do want to continue to improve or at least continue to give maximum effort at times. And that’s usually what a PR is – a point of maximum effort. Today motivated me to push harder up that last hill as I can do it faster – I just have to be willing to work that much harder. It’s one thing to say you want to improve and it is another to work hard at doing it.

I have no trophy from today’s ride. But I do have some motivation for the next one to work hard and do it again – just to see how quick I can do it when I give full effort. I think that’s the better goal and I'm glad that my button didn’t work today. I’m at a place where I think I can continue to improve (even if I am a grandpa) as long as I’m willing to work hard. I think I have many more PR’s out there waiting for me...and that hill may be the next one.