It is Scarrry!!! This past weekend, I did something totally fun. It met all of my requirements of recess. It was outdoors, involved physical activity, downhill movement and the company of other women. I took an Introduction to Mountain Biking Course for women only through REI. The minute I learned about this course, I was in. Even though I was totally excited, I was also very nervous. Would I break something? Would I be the oldest person in the class? Would I be able to keep up? Was my bike helmet too old and uncool? Would I get out there and have to use the facilities?
Some of the questions were answered right away. No, I was not the oldest person in the class, yes; I would be able to keep up because they promised no rider would be left behind. Some of the rest I learned later. No bones were broken, the class was built in a way that we would get back to the restrooms at regular intervals and my helmet – well, it was too old and that really wasn't as humiliating as I originally imagined.
I had the best time and was so grateful I didn’t let any of my fears stop me from taking the class. It was a picture perfect day. The humidity was low and temperatures were in the low 80’s, rare for the Mid-Atlantic in July. We spent the day learning techniques and riding in the woods. We went over logs, through streams, up and down hills and watched our confidence grow with each new challenge. When we couldn’t make it up a big hill, we came back down and tried again and felt the rush of getting it the second time. By the end of the day, logs that seemed like mountains earlier were simply bumps on the path that we conquered with ease. We laughed at our mistakes and kept a beginner’s mind throughout the day. We came back a bit cut up and bruised, tired and spent but fully satisfied and for me, ready for more.
One of the reasons, I love mountain biking so much is it brings me back to those totally free days of childhood when I could ride my bike for hours in the woods behind our house or all over the neighborhood. The thrill of going down hills and going fast always motivated me to go on.
As an adult, I believe riding through creeks and up and down hills and coming back covered with mud is just plain good for my heart, spirit and soul. And it is so much cooler when you don’t have to beg your parents to buy you a new bike if you want an upgrade.
The hard part of being a 47-year-old Recess Girl is finding others to come out and play with you. One thing I learned in the class is plenty of women are getting into mountain biking and with the Internet; it is so easy to find people with similar interests, especially if you live in a metropolitan area.
So my message for the week is – get out there and do something you love. Come at it with a beginner’s mind, explore and have fun. You are never too old to give your inner Recess Girl a treat. Our instructors assured us that the confidence we gained as our skills increased would carry over into other areas of our life. And hey - if you can build your confidence through recess, what could be better?
Julie:
I want to play! You have inspired me to take yet another step on my journey. Tomorrow I will take my bikes that were under 8 feet of water in Katrina to a bike shop and see if they can bring them back to life. If so, I will be riding on the beach bike path in a week or two, if not, I will put bikes on our Christmas list for next year!
Bike riding is something we used to love to do as a family and I love that you have reminded me of that. I am ready to get out and play!
With Love
Jille
Posted by: Jille | July 26, 2007 at 12:33 AM