GHTA © 2006-2011
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10% Grease - An Essay
on New Year's Resolutions
The past twenty years, whenever I made New Year's resolutions, I'd stick with the traditional standbys: Spend more time with the family, lose weight, ride my bike more, get in shape, earn more money, etc… This past summer, I learned that successful resolutions come not only from self motivation, but also from the support of friends and family. External support is as important as what lies inward. One cycling goal I set last January was to complete the Death Ride held in the Kansas Flint Hills. It was billed as 70+ off-road miles of hills and rocks, and, being held late in July, promised to be extremely hot. I let my cycling friends know about my goal and started putting in a lot of training miles. But, in mid-June, my training came to an abrupt end. The day after Father's Day, my mother fell and broke her wrist, leading to a series of medical complications. The most dramatic was a Life Flight ride to a Kansas City hospital when a massive blood clot threatened her life. After a few weeks, she was also diagnosed with a recurrence of a previous cancer she battled. Through prayers, physical therapy, competent medical care, and her own determination, she was eventually released back home after two months. She continues to improve. During those summer months, I put my training on hold and spent my days driving back and forth to the hospital offering whatever support I could. In the forty-two days prior to the Death Ride, I only spent three days at home. There were a few rides, but my fitness was definitely slipping. I obviously didn't have any regrets about how I had spent those forty-two days, but I started wondering if I should back out of the Death Ride. I had been planning on taking the family along and getting a hotel room the night before in Emporia, KS. But now, I wasn't sure if I was in good enough shape to justify the cost of the room, restaurants, gas, plus the entry to an event where a claimed 25% DNF'd. In addition to my inadequate fitness, I didn't have the right kind of tires and my bike was having some serious mechanical problems in the wheels. When I let a few of my cyclist friends know about my problems, I had not one, but two, offers of better tires than the ones I had. Others offered me support and advice on what to eat and how to ride the endurance event. One buddy had actually ridden the race before and told me what to expect. All asked about the welfare of my mother. One friend, with a lot more mechanical ability than I had, said he would check out my bike and see what he could do with the hubs that were loose. He took the entire bike and repacked the wheel bearings with new grease making it run like new. After fixing the bike, my mechanic friend and I went for a "shake down" ride: a thirty-mile gravel road ride. The bike worked flawlessly as I thanked him again and again for fixing the problem with the hubs. As we were peddling along, he said, "You know Tim, I used a special kind of grease in your hubs." "What are you talking about? Special grease?" I asked. "It's called 10% grease and it makes things 10% easier," he said with a straight face, then added, "but it really won't kick in until you're on the Death Ride." For a moment he had me - hook, line, and sinker. Then I saw a hint of a smile on his face and I knew "10% grease" was in the same category as left-handed hammers and sky-hooks. There was no such thing as "10% grease", but by the time we finished the ride, he had given me enough confidence to commit the following weekend to the Death Ride. The Death Ride almost lived up to its name. I got lost, missed a SAG due to the wrong turn, ran out of water, and had one flat, all while the temperature rose past 103 degrees. At mile 35, all the riders were given the choice of either going east taking a shortcut back to town, or turning south to get in the required miles of the entire loop. The heat that day made more than 25% of the riders choose the shortcut. I was tired and whatever speed I had was diminishing. I thought about taking the short cut. Then I remembered the special 10% grease and all the support it represented. Call me crazy, but maybe my wheels were turning easier. I turned south and headed out for the long loop. From start to finish, it took me over seven hours to complete the Death Ride. Could I have made it without the loaned tires or support from my friends and family? How about without the 10% grease? The truth is, without both the tangible items and words of encouragement, I don't think I would have made it. The line separating the decision to give up, or continue, is a fine one. Never underestimate the power of encouragement. Am I making a New Year's resolution this year? You bet. It is my daily objective to give a little of my own 10% grease to someone in need. I guess losing a few pounds wouldn't hurt either. Tim Riekena © 2007 |
