Tuck Roll on Radner

Almost made it home.  First time to upd coming home on Radner was last week.  The heat got to me.  Today, it was pure exhaustion.

There are numerous routes I can tackle on any given day.  Some have more traffic, some have narrower, tree-lined roads with little space to ride.  Some have sidewalks with lots of traffic lights and annoying push-button-and-wait-thirty-seconds crosswalks.  Today was trees and no space day.

Its actually the route that takes me to my church, about 1.5 miles.  It involves some hills that I don't get with other routes.  I also flail my arms a bit more when traffic drives by, just to let them know that something odd is nearby.  When first attempting this route years ago, it took me many tries to successfully make it to the church without falling.  Now, on my first attempt in a few years, there was only one fall, and it wasn't a hill, it was a storm drain.  My goal on this route is secondarily to not fall, but primarily it is to ride up the church driveway.  The exit is a bit steep.

I have done it before a few times, but not many.  My legs are usually burnt from the hills, and the on-average uphill ride there.  Today got me halfway up the exit side of the driveway.  I pondered tackling the other half, but an emotion washed through me.  I was ok.  I was ok with not pushing the limits, not bursting through the imaginary boundaries that I had placed before me.  I would save the next attempt for another day.  I rode down the drive, walked across the busy street, hopped on, and wondered when my next break would be.

Well, I kept wondering, because my legs kept pumping, my core kept balancing, and my brain kept telling me I could make it home.  On this, there was no emotional give.

The physical give did, however, come.  I was almost within sight of my house.  One last corner, and the triumphant ride onto my driveway.  Nope.  My legs finally gave out, I went down, and thus the title.  I did a decent tuck roll on the asphalt, stood up, and, like the day of much heat, walked my unicycle the rest of the way.

Now, you may ask, I've blogged a lot about goals, and making sure to reach them, be successful, etc.  What makes today different?  What makes not finishing off the church driveway ok?  What makes walking 500 feet home ok?

You would need to see me when I walk up the three stairs to my porch.  Today, I didn't roll the unicycle up the stairs.  I dragged it.  I didn't sit down in the chair.  I plopped.  When I walked into the house, it wasn't really walking.  It was at least as difficult to walk then as it was to ride just before the upd.  I was absolutely exhausted, and loving every bit of it.

This is a journey.  Not every day is going to show ultimate goals attained.  The success for today is getting on the stupid thing and riding.  The success for today is beating a mental roadblock that said the route is too intimidating.  The success for today is riding myself to exhaustion.

My wife pointed out the road rash on my shoulder and above my knee.  I was wearing a shirt and kneepads, so it could have been worse.  My response to her was, "If you don't have scars, then you've never tried."  Yeah.  T'was a good day.

"Knowledge is power, and action is powerful."