From mtbiker@u.washington.edu Tue Mar 6 12:22:39 2001 Received: from mxu2.u.washington.edu (mxu2.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.9]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.05/8.9.3+UW00.12) with ESMTP id MAA107136 for ; Tue, 6 Mar 2001 12:22:38 -0800 Received: from femail4.sdc1.sfba.home.com (femail4.sdc1.sfba.home.com [24.0.95.84]) by mxu2.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.02/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id MAA23971 for ; Tue, 6 Mar 2001 12:03:33 -0800 Received: from c136409d ([65.4.25.60]) by femail4.sdc1.sfba.home.com (InterMail vM.4.01.03.00 201-229-121) with SMTP id <20010306200101.XIRL27553.femail4.sdc1.sfba.home.com@c136409d>; Tue, 6 Mar 2001 12:01:01 -0800 Message-ID: <001401c0a677$9df56cc0$3c190441@sttln1.wa.home.com> From: "busto" To: Cc: Subject: Date: Tue, 6 Mar 2001 11:57:04 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0011_01C0A634.8F8F0940" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C0A634.8F8F0940 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable This was my first college essay. That desire has died out a bit at = times, but their are a few new logs on the fire. Take from it what you = will. The season is upon us-now we see if all that training and prep has payed = off. Set some goals-it is an incredible feeling when you meet them. Busto =20 Wheels are Turning in My Head =20 I'm waiting on the start line, my heart is pounding. = Sometimes it pounds because I am nervous, other times merely because I = have just finished a good warm up. If I am indeed nervous, I am in my = own world, trying to focus. I close my eyes and think, visualizing the = course, trying to accept the fact that very soon my body will be in pain = from intense physical exertion. I let my mind know this, so that it = will not be stunned. I believe letting the mind know what will happen = beforehand will allow it to maintain focus once the race begins. An = early warning system of sorts. Heart still pounding, I check my heart rate monitor to = ensure everything is in order. The stopwatch is set, my heart rate is = where the physiologists tell me it should be, and I set the alarm to = sound in the rare event I am going to slow. Next I look at the clock. = The race will start soon, so I run through a personal checklist, making = sure everything is in order mentally. Then I look at the bike, checking = the brakes and ensuring I am in a proper gear. I give the rider next to = me a handshake and a good luck, before entering my starting stance. The = race director gives some final instructions before sounding the gun. The first few minutes of a race are hectic. The pace is = furious and one has to scramble through and around other riders to earn = their position on the trail. Sometimes, somebody pulls a bad move and = riders go down, creating a pileup and swearing and shouts of frustration = ensue. In the space of thirty seconds the body is catapulted from a = standing rest to the height of it's physical capability. Somehow, the = mind forgot the warning you gave it before the race. The pain can = become crushing, prompting the question, "Why do I do this?" Only two = hours to go. After a rhythm is developed, a comfort and calm appear in = the mind. The pain is still there but the mind blocks it. Even the = intricacies of dancing down a root covered descent or keeping momentum = up a steep climb are minimized to the electric currents carrying input = from the eyes to the brain and back out to the muscles. A simple = thought process presides..pedal, brake, pedal, eat, drink, pedal, = corner. =20 Soon, a new problem arises. When your lungs start to hurt = and your energy is depleted, self preservation leaps forward and lets = it's voice be heard. It tells you to quit before your body is broken, = it is not meant to be put through this sort of exertion. Muscles start = to cramp and a course that didn't seem so bad on the first lap suddenly = seems to loom ahead of you, laughing. Laughing at the rider for hurting = themselves so bad for nothing more than the sake of competition. The = mind starts to listen and thinks about quitting. It would be the = quickest way to the end of the misery, but then you remember something = and you do not quit. You remember all your goals and dreams and tell all = the voices to stuff it, you are not going to quit because these dreams = and goals are talking louder. The finish is not too far off and the = little voices telling you to quit subside until next time. If your = goals and dreams create a strong enough drive, the voices will fail next = time as well. That scenario is true at any age and at any level. Those = very thoughts entered my mind during the race I did last weekend and in = my first race at the age of eleven. Seven years ago racing was just as = hard as it is today, though the battles are different. I did the dishes = for three weeks to pay for that first race. I rode extra hard for = increased fitness and tuned up my bike, so no mechanical problems could = possibly slow me down. The day of the race was a nervous one. I was = fretting about when to get up, when to eat and how to prepare for the = race. I knew it was going to be hard as I was racing in an open age = class with men ten and twenty years my senior. Yes, this little rider = was the small fry of the bunch, but the crowd loved it. I got totally = psyched by all the cheering I received. No one knew my name, so they = just yelled, "Go little dude!" I didn't do well in that first race, I didn't even finish. Despite all = the hard training and preparation I put into it, I sucked. I didn't = give that a second thought; only the race itself entered my mind. I = loved going as hard as I could and riding with all those other people. = The atmosphere of a race was, and is, much different than that of just a = normal ride. The pace is heightened and pressure abounds. On the ride = home, I was already thinking of the next race. =20 It wasn't until the next summer that I raced again. That = first season I only did one race. Over the years, as my dedication to = the sport has become stronger, the tally has gone up. In season number = two, I did two races, followed by five in 1992. Five races was what I = did for several years until I reached high school. Once I was fifteen I = really started to race a lot more. First it was thirteen races in 1994, = then eighteen the following year. 1996 was a breakthrough year, as I = did forty-two races in the course of the season. Finally, this year, I = will have completed just under fifty races when the season ends at the = end of the month. Fifty days of racing is a lot; it means an incredible = amount of time spent traveling, preparing and cleaning equipment and = many nights spent on somebody's couch or on the ground. These are great = times though, and I am always thinking about them. In fact, racing is pretty much all I think about. There are always = visions of glory floating around in this head of mine. I dream of = winning, crossing the line with my hands raised in the air. I dream of = winning everything from local races to the Olympics. When I think like = this, I always get a chill up my spine and my skin tingles. This is how = I know how important cycling is to me. There is nothing else that I = focus on more or has the same skin tingling effect. Nothing. Success = in cycling is what I want most at this point in my life, and I want it = so bad I can taste it.=20 My goals are large, easily resisting the urges to quit. It is not hard = to be a competent cyclist, but it is hard to be a great cyclist. I train = much harder than most other racers, thus I am faster than most. Eleven = months a year I train full time. I do four hour death marches in forty = degree rain in the winter and intervals out my ears in the spring and = summer months. Sprints, grueling climbs, and all out repetitive efforts = are all part of the repertoire. Sometimes I will even do four races a = week. Though this causes extreme overtraining, timed right it will = leave a rider on peak form after several weeks of recovery. I spend ten = to eighteen hours on the bike in a normal week, and this doesn't even = include the time spent stretching, lifting weights, preparing for a ride = and maintaining bicycles. Even in December, my rest month, I am still = training, just doing different things such as running, skiing and more = weight lifting. I work hard. However, it seems as though no matter how hard I work, there are always = people faster than me. Many of them work even harder than I do, but = some of them do not. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing the = success I desire come so easily to other people. Sometimes it is merely = a matter of physical maturity, especially at my age. Unlike women's = gymnastics, a cyclist is fastest between the ages of twenty-five and = thirty. There are exceptions, though. The top two riders in the world = this year are only twenty, and at eighteen were already international = stars. I wonder if the fact they were so far ahead of me at my age = tells me I will never reach the top levels or if I simply need to wait = seven years until I reach the peak age of twenty-five. =20 I am a good cyclist, but not a great one. I am still at the bottom of = the climb to greatness, but I have such a tremendous lust to see the top = that I do believe I will get there some day. I will need all the = patience and focus I can muster to get there. =20 For seven years, it has taken a lot of patience to overcome the = frustration of being a boy in a man's sport. When I see guys my own age = rise to the high levels I so greatly desire, patience is needed to = realize that I'll get there one day. Patience is needed to step back, = and look at how far I've come in seven years, instead of crying about = not being the best already. Patience will be needed to continue to = invest huge quantities of time and energy for the next decade to realize = my dreams. However, I have seen many racers who received instant success drop out = of the sport. They started to realize natural talent could carry them = only so far, and realized to go any further they would have to start = working as hard as the rest of us. They didn't have the drive and = dedication to do that. I haven't had the success I yearn for, so I keep = on training and working, making steady improvements every year. If I am = to go anywhere, I will have to work tremendously hard to overcome all = the riders with a lot of natural talent. Those who possess enough = natural talent and a lot of drive are the ones who become champions. Champions are the ones who followed their dreams, and = invested in them. They probably would understand my fixation on the = sport, but many people do not. Though not in these exact words, I've = been asked many times, "Why are you doing this? You put so much into = it, but what does it really get you?" Immediately when I hear this = question I realize explanation is futile. Investing in a dream outside = of education is not a traditional route, and many don't think it is a = credible one at that. Usually the folks who have to ask that question = think it is a waste of time. I try to explain anyway. I figure I owe = it to them as well as myself. I usually try something a little like = this. =20 "Well, success in this sport is a dream I've held for a long time, and = it's something that I believe I can achieve with the right amount of = focus and effort." =20 Blank look. =20 "It's what I want more than anything else at this moment in my life, and = I'm more than willing to sacrifice the normal path to achieve these = goals." "Oooooooooookay," accompanied with more blank looks. It = seems sad that most don't understand. Does this mean that they don't = have a dream, a passion, of their own? ------=_NextPart_000_0011_01C0A634.8F8F0940 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
This was my first college essay. =20 That desire has died out a bit at times, but their are a few new = logs on=20 the fire.  Take from it what you will.
 
The season is upon us-now we see if all = that=20 training and prep has payed off.   Set some goals-it is an = incredible=20 feeling when you meet them.
 
Busto
 
 

Wheels are Turning = in My=20 Head

 

           =20 I’m waiting on the start line, my heart is pounding.  Sometimes it pounds because I = am=20 nervous, other times merely because I have just finished a good warm = up.  If I am indeed nervous, I am = in my own=20 world, trying to focus.  I = close my=20 eyes and think, visualizing the course, trying to accept the fact that = very soon=20 my body will be in pain from intense physical exertion.  I let my mind know this, so = that it will=20 not be stunned.  I believe = letting=20 the mind know what will happen beforehand will allow it to maintain = focus once=20 the race begins.  An early = warning=20 system of sorts.

           =20 Heart still pounding, I check my heart rate monitor to ensure = everything=20 is in order.  The = stopwatch is set,=20 my heart rate is where the physiologists tell me it should be, and I set = the=20 alarm to sound in the rare event I am going to slow.  Next I look at the clock.  The race will start soon, so I = run=20 through a personal checklist, making sure everything is in order = mentally.  Then I look at the bike, = checking the=20 brakes and ensuring I am in a proper gear. =20 I give the rider next to me a handshake and a good luck, before = entering=20 my starting stance.  The = race=20 director gives some final instructions before sounding the=20 gun.

           =20 The first few minutes of a race are hectic.  The pace is furious and one = has to=20 scramble through and around other riders to earn their position on the=20 trail.  Sometimes, = somebody pulls a=20 bad move and riders go down, creating a pileup and swearing and shouts = of=20 frustration ensue.  In the = space of=20 thirty seconds the body is catapulted from a standing rest to the height = of it’s=20 physical capability.  = Somehow, the=20 mind forgot the warning you gave it before the race.  The pain can become crushing, = prompting=20 the question, “Why do I do this?” =20 Only two hours to go.

           =20 After a rhythm is developed, a comfort and calm appear in the = mind.  The pain is still there but = the mind=20 blocks it.  Even the = intricacies of=20 dancing down a root covered descent or keeping momentum up a steep climb = are=20 minimized to the electric currents carrying input from the eyes to the = brain and=20 back out to the muscles.  = A simple=20 thought process presides….pedal, brake, pedal, eat, drink, pedal, = corner. 

           =20 Soon, a new problem arises. =20 When your lungs start to hurt and your energy is depleted, self=20 preservation leaps forward and lets it’s voice be heard.  It tells you to quit before = your body is=20 broken, it is not meant to be put through this sort of exertion.  Muscles start to cramp and a = course that=20 didn’t seem so bad on the first lap suddenly seems to loom ahead = of you,=20 laughing.  Laughing at the = rider for=20 hurting themselves so bad for nothing more than the sake of = competition.  The mind starts to listen and = thinks=20 about quitting. It would be the quickest way to the end of the misery, = but then=20 you remember something and you do not quit. You remember all your goals = and=20 dreams and tell all the voices to stuff it, you are not going to quit = because=20 these dreams and goals are talking louder. =20 The finish is not too far off and the little voices telling you = to quit=20 subside until next time.  = If your=20 goals and dreams create a strong enough drive, the voices will fail next = time as=20 well.

           =20 That scenario is true at any age and at any level. Those very = thoughts=20 entered my mind during the race I did last weekend and in my first race = at the=20 age of eleven.  Seven = years ago=20 racing was just as hard as it is today, though the battles are = different.  I did the dishes for three = weeks to pay=20 for that first race. I rode extra hard for increased fitness and tuned = up my=20 bike, so no mechanical problems could possibly slow me down.  The day of the race was a = nervous=20 one.  I was fretting about = when to=20 get up, when to eat and how to prepare for the race.  I knew it was going to be hard = as I was=20 racing in an open age class with men ten and twenty years my = senior.  Yes, this little rider was the = small fry=20 of the bunch, but the crowd loved it. =20 I got totally psyched by all the cheering I received.  No one knew my name, so they = just=20 yelled, “Go little dude!”

I didn’t do = well in that=20 first race, I didn’t even finish. =20 Despite all the hard training and preparation I put into it, I=20 sucked.  I didn’t = give that a second=20 thought; only the race itself entered my mind.  I loved going as hard as I = could and=20 riding with all those other people. =20 The atmosphere of a race was, and is, much different than that of = just a=20 normal ride.  The pace is = heightened=20 and pressure abounds.  On = the ride=20 home, I was already thinking of the next race. 

           =20 It wasn’t until the next summer that I raced again.  That first season I only did = one=20 race.  Over the years, as = my=20 dedication to the sport has become stronger, the tally has gone up.  In season number two, I did = two races,=20 followed by five in 1992.  = Five=20 races was what I did for several years until I reached high school.  Once I was fifteen I really = started to=20 race a lot more.  First it = was=20 thirteen races in 1994, then eighteen the following year.  1996 was a breakthrough year, = as I did=20 forty-two races in the course of the season.  Finally, this year, I will = have=20 completed just under fifty races when the season ends at the end of the=20 month.  Fifty days of = racing is a=20 lot; it means an incredible amount of time spent traveling, preparing = and=20 cleaning equipment and many nights spent on somebody’s couch or on = the ground.=20 These are great times though, and I am always thinking about=20 them.

In fact, racing is = pretty=20 much all I think about.  = There are=20 always visions of glory floating around in this head of mine.  I dream of winning, crossing = the line=20 with my hands raised in the air.  = I=20 dream of winning everything from local races to the Olympics.  When I think like this, I = always get a=20 chill up my spine and my skin tingles. =20 This is how I know how important cycling is to me.  There is nothing else that I = focus on=20 more or has the same skin tingling effect. =20 Nothing.  Success = in cycling=20 is what I want most at this point in my life, and I want it so bad I can = taste=20 it.

My goals are = large, easily=20 resisting the urges to quit.  = It is=20 not hard to be a competent cyclist, but it is hard to be a great = cyclist. I=20 train much harder than most other racers, thus I am faster than = most.  Eleven months a year I train = full=20 time.  I do four hour = death marches=20 in forty degree rain in the winter and intervals out my ears in the = spring and=20 summer months.  Sprints, = grueling=20 climbs, and all out repetitive efforts are all part of the = repertoire.  Sometimes I will even do four = races a=20 week.  Though this causes = extreme=20 overtraining, timed right it will leave a rider on peak form after = several weeks=20 of recovery.  I spend ten = to=20 eighteen hours on the bike in a normal week, and this doesn’t even = include the=20 time spent stretching, lifting weights, preparing for a ride and = maintaining=20 bicycles.  Even in = December, my rest=20 month, I am still training, just doing different things such as running, = skiing=20 and more weight lifting.  = I work=20 hard.

However, it seems = as though=20 no matter how hard I work, there are always people faster than me.  Many of them work even harder = than I do,=20 but some of them do not.  = There is=20 nothing more frustrating than seeing the success I desire come so easily = to=20 other people.  Sometimes = it is=20 merely a matter of physical maturity, especially at my age.  Unlike women’s = gymnastics, a cyclist is=20 fastest between the ages of twenty-five and thirty.  There are exceptions, = though.  The top two riders in the = world this=20 year are only twenty, and at eighteen were already international = stars.  I wonder if the fact they were = so far=20 ahead of me at my age tells me I will never reach the top levels or if I = simply=20 need to wait seven years until I reach the peak age of twenty-five. 

I am a good = cyclist, but not=20 a great one.  I am still = at the=20 bottom of the climb to greatness, but I have such a tremendous lust to = see the=20 top that I do believe I will get there some day.  I will need all the patience = and focus I=20 can muster to get there. =20

For seven years, = it has=20 taken a lot of patience to overcome the frustration of being a boy in a = man’s=20 sport. When I see guys my own age rise to the high levels I so greatly = desire,=20 patience is  needed to = realize that=20 I’ll get there one day.  = Patience is=20 needed to step back, and look at how far I’ve come in seven years, = instead of=20 crying about not being the best already. =20 Patience will be needed to continue to invest huge quantities of = time and=20 energy for the next decade to realize my dreams.

However, I have = seen many=20 racers who received instant success drop out of the sport.  They started to realize = natural talent=20 could carry them only so far, and realized to go any further they would = have to=20 start working as hard as the rest of us. =20 They didn’t have the drive and dedication to do that.  I haven’t had the = success I yearn for,=20 so I keep on training and working, making steady improvements every = year.  If I am to go anywhere, I will = have to=20 work tremendously hard to overcome all the riders with a lot of natural=20 talent.  Those who possess = enough=20 natural talent and a lot of drive are the ones who become=20 champions.

           =20 Champions are the ones who followed their dreams, and invested in = them.  They probably would = understand my fixation on the sport, but many people do not.  Though not in these exact = words, I’ve=20 been asked many times, “Why are you doing this?  You put so much into it, but = what does=20 it really get you?”  = Immediately=20 when I hear this question I realize explanation is futile.  Investing in a dream outside = of=20 education is not a traditional route, and many don’t think it is a = credible one=20 at that.  Usually the = folks who have=20 to ask that question think it is a waste of time.  I try to explain anyway.  I figure I owe it to them as = well as=20 myself.  I usually try = something a=20 little like this. =20

“Well, = success in this sport=20 is a dream I’ve held for a long time, and it’s something = that I believe I can=20 achieve with the right amount of focus and effort.” 

Blank look. 

“It’s = what I want more than=20 anything else at this moment in my life, and I’m more than willing = to sacrifice=20 the normal path to achieve these = goals.”

           =20 “Oooooooooookay,” accompanied with more blank = looks.  It seems sad that most = don’t=20 understand.  Does this = mean that=20 they don’t have a dream, a passion, of their = own?
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