February break week.  For those of us who didn't take this opportunity to fly off to a sunnier locale, Central New York can be downright depressing this time of year.  Particularly when every day this week has involved more snow, gray skies, and seemingly no end to this particular weather pattern any time soon.  Convincing yourself to head outdoors or to the gym for your daily workout this time of year is challenging for even the most motivated athlete.  So what can you do when your first impulse is to pull the covers over your head and refuse to leave your house until it's at least 50 degrees and sunny? 

 

Look for motivation wherever you can find it.  For me, the Olympics came at just the perfect time.  Watching world class athletes battle it out for a medal every night for three weeks is nothing short of inspiring. I love following the personal stories of the athletes, hearing about how hard they worked each day to get to the pinnacle of their sport.  And it's often the athlete who doesn't make it to the podium that inspires me the most.  American snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis had a huge disapppointment this past Tuesday when she lost her balance and made contact with a gate, disqualifying her.  She was already under tremendous pressure after the last Olympics in Torino, where she ended up silver instead of gold after attempting an unnecessary trick on her final jump. After she fell this time, Lindsey threw up her arms, dropped her hands onto her helmet in anquish, and then picked herself up and finished the run.

 

I loved ESPN's Jon Weisman's take on it: "Lindsey Jacobellis is my new role model. She threw herself into competition at a level few of us could possibly emulate, sacrificed so that she might be the best, and when that failed to yield the ultimate prize, instead of curling up in the fetal position, she had the self-esteem and presence of mind to appreciate the greatness of the effort and the joy of what she was part of, win or lose. I want my kids to be like her."  Nicely said.

 

And with that thought, I'll head down to my basement for a two-hour trainer ride, wishing I could be outside on sunny roads, but thinking instead about how Lindsey picked herself up and finished with style.  Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympics said it best: "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well." 

 

Happy Riding!

 SIGN UP NOW for the newest race in town - the "Du The Lakes" Duathlon!

 

Date: April 25,2010
Green Lakes State Park
  Time: 8:00 AM
  Cost: $55 before March 1st; $65 after; $80 per team
  Course: Run 3 miles ~ Bike 20 miles ~ Run 3 miles

 

Registration information available at www.duthelakes.com 
 

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