Quest for Knighthood

Twenty miles, one hour, so begins the Sufferfest

"Challenge is a dragon with a gift in it's mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours" - Noela Evans

The journey continues. It has been a little while since I was on the bike. I have not been physically feeling good the past few months and I have not been motivated to ride.  What could I do to help me to push myself to get on board and start riding again?

At 270lbs I am not a small guy. Most would say that I did not want to be on the bike because I was being lazy. Not so, I love cycling! I was doing well on the bike. I was losing weight, cardio was great, and I felt comfortable in the saddle, but there was no joy. Not wanting to think that I was being lazy or unmotivated I pushed myself to ride and all that helped me understand that I really was not enjoying myself.

Cycling is a very important part of my life. My father got me hooked on the sport as a child by taking me to the velodrome, going to races and riding together on our own. After his death when I was a teenager, cycling was the one thing besides photography that brought me comfort.  It is interesting that the two things that bring me peace, Photography and Cycling were the gifts my father gave to me and nurtured.

So what could I do to bring back the joy of cycling? I decided to go to the extreme. I would set some major goals to challenge myself.  I decided to do two major events this year (a Duathlon and a Triathlon) and earn my Knighthood next year. The duathlon and the triathlon are just the first two major stops along the way to reaching my ultimate goal of achieving Knighthood. 

(Yes, I said knighthood. Am I crazy, maybe)

I have accepted the quest to be a Knight of Sufferlandria. Ten Sufferfest workout videos in one day. Ten videos you say, no problem!

Last night was my first step towards this quest. I placed my dragon jersey and my full bike kit on to motivate me and I hopped on the bike for an hour.  The dragons on my jersey to me represent the guides to my goal. My goal is to be at 240lbs by July. I know it is not going to happen overnight but hopefully through this process as a squire I will see and feel the physical and emotional changes in myself and my life.

After being on the bike for an hour (didn't hurt as bad as I thought) I could feel the joy coming back.  I was not falling off the bike with joy but in the pain of the workout I felt a peace that I had not felt in a long time. The quest has been accepted, now it's time to earn the title!