Little throwback moment to my first Time Trial race. – this was an important lesson about change and growth.
Although cycling was never a part of my fitness life growing up it has recently really grown on me. On the subject of growth- it is extremely important to try new things as it’s difficult to know whether or not you have passion for something unless you try. As the matter of fact for longest time I frowned upon cyclists.
I remember when I was into weight lifting I would always point out cyclists on the road and think to myself “why would anyone do that just go to the gym and get strong”. Funny thing is I said the same thing about runners, hikers and I even made fun of parents who took too many pictures of their children. Well guess what… I am all those things now and then some. I think I came up with this saying because of this experience. “Be careful who or what you make fun of – as you might join them”.
Cycling didn’t just make me into a better cyclist it also improved me as an athlete increasing my VO2 Max and my lactate threshold. I haven’t ran much more but I have been cycling allot lately and at my last half marathon I had improved my PR from 1:44 to 1:35, that’s 9 minutes faster by just spending more time on the bike. I could never imagine to have a half marathon time of 1:35 as a 200lb runner. So improvements don’t always come from doing more of one thing, it’s often best to mix things up- and this doesn’t just apply to fitness- this also applies to family, relationships and in business.
My encouragement with this message is try new things, experiment, get out of your comfort zone and always push your boundaries as your next passion and new limit might be hiding in that new commitment. And stay uncomfortable as comfort comes with 0 growth! 