a tailwind and a rabbit

I have a story to tell about last saturday's ride, but I'm not quite ready to do so yet.
instead, I'll tell you about rabbits and tailwinds.

the predicted overnight low last night was about 47 degrees, so I slept in (first day of summer break for my high schoolers!) and didn't ride until the temperature crept its way past 65 and sun filled the skies.
I chose to head up my favorite canyon, and started feeling the little push from behind before I even reached the mouth of emigration.
I seldom---okay make that never---mind a tailwind, even when I know it's going to hit me in the face the moment I turn around.  it's just plain old fun to go faster and work less as you're heading, well, anywhere, whether it's up a hill or on a flat stretch or even downhill.
about a mile into the canyon I caught site of two cyclists ahead of me.   the gap lessened and lessened, and soon I could tell one was male and one was female.  when I was almost within jersey-reading distance, the female took off ahead of the male.
I offered a hello as I passed the gentleman, and was just a couple bike lengths behind the female as she settled into a nice pace.
I was close:  I thought about passing her, but didn't want the pressure of knowing she was just right behind me for the rest of the climb, so eased off a bit.
and then had to step on it.
she kept going, and fairly soon I was 3 bike lengths behind her.
then 4 or 5, then 3 for a while, and then 4 or 5 and darn her, then about 6.
7.
8, maybe 9.
then 10.

it's fun having a rabbit, someone out there in front of you.
I tend to work fairly hard when I'm on my own (or with others who are better than me), but sometimes that complacency kicks in and I slack a bit, as I told you the other day.  but this woman today made me work harder than I otherwise would have, and I have a new record for my 23-mile ride for the season.
which is great fun.

no slacking today.
not with a tailwind and a rabbit.

slipstream

ah. it just sounds good.
the word is smooth, fast, it pulls you along with it.
slipstream.

I came across this word yesterday in a book describing a swimming scene, "he moved into her slipstream, following her in the narrow lane," and I immediately felt the protective cushion of air, the lightening of the workload that I feel when I've moved into the slipstream of a cyclist in front of me.
it's like a tailwind: a magical push or pull that makes life dramatically better.

that might sound over the top, but the impact of these things---a cyclist in front of me, a tailwind behind---is powerful. it's said that drafting another cyclist cuts your workload by 20 percent or so, and a good tailwind could certainly do the same. 20 percent is significant.
but of possibly even greater importance, the slipstream and the tailwind give you a partner out there.
someone on your side.
someone (or thing) helping you out, sharing the work, partnering up with you.

this is the beautiful thing about partnership: you get to be each other's slipstreams. one buoys the other up, one clears the path for the other, one gives a push or a pull. the sense of shared purpose, task, duty, or even fun enhances the experience for both.
the one in the lead can feel proud, generous, strong, while the one behind is able to feel gratitude, admiration of the other, appreciation, perhaps relief.

life is filled with opportunities to provide slipstreams for others.
last night I was that for my daughter through listening, providing options, offering assistance.
often you can create a slipstream simply by smiling, by holding a door open, by accepting someone into your awareness.
you can be a tailwind by providing tools and backing away. by teaching and then letting go. by holding on until its time to give one last push, then release your grip.

slipstreams and tailwinds.
they are beautiful things, and today, I am going to remind myself to be one or the other, all day long. it might be interesting to see what would happen if we all did.

namaste.

cycling with a tailwind is like . . .

the first bite of a triple layer chocolate chocolate cake
receiving good news
standing at the top of the hill, looking out over the world
floating in warm, gentle water
having a surprise show up in your mailbox
being in love
being given a promotion
being surrounded by your very favorite people on earth
knowing you get to sleep in
actually being physically able to sleep in
nothing but green lights all the way home
swinging on a park swing
licking the brownie batter off the spoon
curling up on the couch with an incredible book and no time limit

yep, had one today, and loved every bit of it. didn't even mind its opposite on the way home . . .
well, not too much, anyway.

a break in the clouds

it's rained all day.

about 5 o'clock I saw a break in the clouds: I made a run for it.
not my best decision ever.
let's just say I got wet.
very wet.

but I did have a glorious two miles without rain, out in holladay, with a beautiful storm-driven tailwind at my back . . .
of course, you know what that means, and I paid the price all the way home.
the scary thing? I returned home soaked, dirty, a bit cold, and so very glad I went.
yikes.

riding north

today was an excellent day to ride north.

and not such a great day to ride south. unless, that is, one is desirous of a good training ride.

you should know by now that "training ride" is my euphemism for a ride that is full of misery. which for me usually involves wind.

today there was a wicked wind from the south. during the hours I was riding it was a fairly consistent 22-26 mph, with gust up to 34 or so mph. admittedly, it could have been worse. but it was just about at my outside limit of tolerable windy conditions.

not only is it more difficult to ride into the wind, it's just purely disappointing. as strong as you may think you are, that headwind is just out to prove you incorrect. it holds you back on what should be a lovely descent, and it slows your progress on flats and hills so devastatingly that no matter how hard you push, your speed is decreased to numbers you're embarrassed to experience.

but, as with everything in life, there is a yin to the headwind's yang, and that would be the tailwind. and today my gift was that the first half of my ride was into the wind, so the second half was blessed with one of the strongest pushes I've ever had. I hit new personal land speed records for certain stretches of road, and was getting such a great boost from the wind that working in zone 4B was well worth it just to watch that mph number creep higher and higher.

and because I was in such a pleasured state on my return trip, I was able to let my mind drift into the more metaphysical concept of tailwinds.

earlier this morning I'd read a brief essay by steven taylor in which he discussed how we receive help from others in our quests and desirings and movements forward into that which we strive for. as the wind was so gently pushing me toward home, I thought about all the other tailwinds in our lives that help us toward our goals. I often speak about "the universe" listening to me, teaching me, guiding me, and the way the universe most often works is through other people. (though I believe it sometimes works through things such as weeds.) we might say it's a "situation" that benefits us or gives us that push, but the situation comes about only through the workings of other humans. therefore, all of the many tailwinds that help us navigate and stretch and grasp our next desires come from the strivings, the consideration, the help and the compassion of others. and none of us will ever know how much our own efforts toward our own quests become tailwinds for other people. how amazing and awesome is that?

riding north today was pure pleasure. I felt supported, my mission was eased, and I reached my goal in less time than ever before. I had to work hard heading south before I reaped my reward, but my reward was huge and fabulous and a reminder of the fact that whatever my dreams, my movements, my desires, I am not alone in bringing them to fruition.

best yet

possible reasons for my best-of-the-season-so-far ride today:

the 70+ degree weather and clear blue skies
my yoga class this morning
the fact that I had yesterday off the bike
the ibuprofen I took right before I left
all the food I ate yesterday
the great tailwind most of the way up
that kale

unlikely reason:

the chocolate bridge mix I ate at 9 pm last night

whichever of these events are responsible, I am exceedingly grateful to them. today's ride was great. I felt good the entire time, my heartrate stayed below the crazy zone, and I felt strong and capable.
I am mentally crossing my fingers that this is a sign of things to come, not just a fluke.

most gratifying was the heartrate: my average heartrate was a good 5-7 points below what it has been on other rides. I still pushed it to the top a time or two, but it easily sank back down and stayed at a better place. and my recoveries were strong as well: quickly dropping down 30 points or so.
how do I keep this going?
do I have to duplicate everything I did yesterday??
I know better.
but wouldn't it be nice if you could always connect your performance with what led up to it? what if you always knew the circumstances that result in your best outcome? what if, say, I knew that it was last night's chicken dinner plus this morning's yoga that worked together to foster my great ride? I'd replicate those activities, wouldn't I? how much simpler would life be if there were always direct correlations between our actions and the outcome?

I think it's likely that the day off the bike helped, as did the kale. and the tailwind, and the warm and thrilling weather. and probably the chicken and the tortillas.
but probably most of all, it was the
chocolate.