I think it’s safe to say that inspiration and motivation are basically synonymous words that work together to help each and every one of us make it happen.

If this is so, what are the ingredients that go into the whole inspiration/motivation melting pot?  Hold on a minute, don’t answer that quite yet.

Each of us are unique and different, so I’d say we’re all holding a slightly different pot.  The things that get me going and where I look for inspiration are likely much different from what does it for you.  There’s no right or wrong….if it inspires or motivates you, then it’s a bone fide rocking good thing in my books.

So I’m curious, what the things that fill you up, fire you up, and help move you towards your dreams?  I really want to know.  I’m talking about life on and off the bike here.  What is that one thing that gets you to dig deep and push the pedals just a little bit harder?  What things in your day to day life fill you with inspiration and the feeling that you can do anything?

Maybe you’re like me.  I know certain things motivate me, but to sit down and list them out is a little challenging.  If that’s the case, have a look at this little list of instructions provided by eHow and find out what motivates you.

Instructions:

1. For seven days, keep a running list of activities that spark your interest. On the eighth day, put these items into categories according to themes. For example, if your interest is captured by playing football, watching golf on TV and exercising at the gym, you may wish to group all of these into a category called “sports”.

2. Reflect on the things that bring you the greatest satisfaction in life. Assign them to one or more of these categories:

a) Things I want to accomplish in my lifetime
b) Things I will do to maintain balance in my life
c) Things I absolutely enjoy doing

3. Think about the activities you do at work and home that energize you. Each time you get a burst of energy from doing something, describe the feeling and make a note of the time you spend at this increased level of energy.

4. Discover your inner drive. This is your personal action orientation or the driving force that compels you to achieve and succeed. You will find clues to this drive even in the small things you do daily.

5. Now focus on your aspirations and sources of inspiration. Describe your wishes, wants and desires. How determined are you to get them?

6. Share your findings with friends and family as appropriate. Ask for their observations.

 I feel that Motivation and Inspiration are the building blocks of life.  May your days be full of both.

Photo c/o ptrenew.com

As part of our continuing series of inspirational guest writing we have a timely piece about the personal battles people face with parts of the Tour de France.  Having suffered a stroke, Kim battled with courage and strength to take on her personal challenge at the 2009 Tour de France.

“…the nastiest hill I ever climbed”

I cried today while riding the bike. Why? Cuz I made it to the top of Cole de Romme—a Cat 1 climb. It wasn’t pretty, I took a hike with my bike many times, don’t think I rode an entire km without stopping at least 2 times, but the point is, there are no mountains in Austin, so I rode like I had trained…up a hill, rest on the downhill repeat. Only this time it was ‘pedal up the mountain, stop and walk a bit, take a picture, repeat’. Back in Nov 15, 2007 I couldn’t walk and today I made it to the top of Cole de Romme! You do the math… 8.8 km from elevation of 502m  to an elevation of 1297 m! There’s about 3 feet to 1 meter!

I took my pic (below) at 5 km to the finish, then again at 1 km, by then I figured I would make it. I didn’t ride the entire last km, I stopped at least 3 times! The top was so crowded, I probably inched the bike across the line. I found someone to take my pic, then went over the line, then started crying. It was at this point that I realized I was going to be ok, I can survive a stroke & continue to live life.

I rode down about 3 km to a spot above a hairpin turn. I could see the riders coming up (a lot faster than moi) then, I would turn around and take pics. Haven’t looked at the pics yet, but I did get to see the Devil and the Norway chicken.

The race was incredible and in the words of Lance Butler, “…these guys are professional”

I think my overall time to reach the summit was about 2 hours.(I’ll let you do the math on the mph…remember I hiked with a bike quite a bit.) It didn’t take me that long to go downhill, rode the brakes the entire time down…the thought of road rash to match my 5” x 3” bruise on my butt will slow ya down! (the previous day I slipped on some stairs and landed on my right butt cheek..the blood thinners must have still been in my system, because the bruise is huge.

Mt. Ventoux is out of the question, it was amazing how long it took to go 5k and to do that 5 times on a steeper grade, not worth it.

I’m a very fortunate brain injury survivor. Thank you Alison and Mom! love ya!

Col de Romme, 8.8 kilometers, average grade nine percent. I think Lance Armstrong said, “Col de Romme, the nastiest hill I ever climbed.”

Thank you to Kim for sharing her story. I’m sure many people reading this will know someone who has been affected by a stroke and it’s a heartening story. Congratulations Kim, hopefully with some LovingTheBike and #bikeschool help we can get you scaling Mt Ventoux!

Stevie

As promised, we have some brilliantly inspirational stories coming up in a series of posts from the #bikeschool & LovingTheBike.com communities. First up is Part 1 of  ‘Century’ by Aaron Madrid (@Aaronthestrong). Our thanks go out to Aaron for putting a load of effort into his writing, I’m sure you’re going to enjoy what he has to say.

Joining the Century Club- Part 1

This past Saturday I accomplished one of my major cycling goals… I rode a century.  For those that might not be up on the “lingo” a century means 100 miles. Yes, I know…I am awesome.  Forgive me if I sound a bit egotistical, but as I write this it is still only a couple days since the big ride, and I feel like I am pretty much invincible.  Those that have been there will likely understand, and the rest of you can just think I’m egotistical for a bit.  For me it wasn’t just 100 miles that made it such an accomplishment and memorable day, but I’m getting ahead of myself.  I’m writing this for you for two reasons; 1) everyone can and should feel like I did crossing the finish line that day. 2) If I write this out then maybe I will quit talking about it to everyone I know and some of my friends will hang around me again (but probably not).

So you want to ride a century, huh?  Well I have news for you, my friend, you can…and you will.  I would like to first take this time to remind you of who I am. My name is Aaron and I started riding a bike the week I became a father.  I had been talking about needing to get in shape ever since my wife got pregnant. When my daughter was born in February of 2011 I weighed 320 pounds. I started a blog called TheVerbingNoun.Tumblr.com that I don’t keep up much anymore, but if you go to that site and dig you can find my first posts where I talk about how exciting it was to ride my first 10 miles at 12 miles an hour.  Now I weigh 230 pounds and I’m writing to you today to talk about the 100 miles that I just rode at an average speed of 20 miles per hour.  My wife and I both work full time jobs and enjoy all the stresses that come with them as well as being new parents.  I am telling you all of this so that you don’t try to give any excuses as to why you can’t accomplish this, or any other goal.  The first step is just wanting it bad enough.

I know, I know… you are saying “Aaron, that’s all fine and good with the positive thinking, but get real!”  There are some simple things to do to help you along the way.  You know you want to do this, but you don’t want to just go out and ride 100 miles on your own, that’s no fun!  Find an event!  A quick search on Google should provide you with some local or at least close, sponsored rides.  I find that most clubs hold sponsored rides at some point during the year which provides a great opportunity to meet your local club anyways.  Building a support group is truly critical to long term goal accomplishment, in my opinion.  I have recently discovered, with much glee, that many breweries also hold or are affiliated with some truly amazing rides.  Let me tell you this, nothing is better than a delicious craft beer after a long ride!  Ok nothing is more delicious than a craft beer period…but I digress, this isn’t LovingtheBeer (though I would totally write for that site too, Darryl).  Events will provide you with pre-planned routes.  Your route can really make a difference because 100 miles of climbing is a lot different from 100 miles of flat roads. Most of the time these pre-planned routes will contain detailed profiles of the entire route, so take advantage of them!

I chose the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure because their cause is one that is close to my heart.  There are countless charities that offer similar such rides all over the country.  Not only are you given an opportunity to ride, but you can raise money and awareness for a cause you believe in along the way. Taking this approach is a great way to give yourself an extra push, because once you sign up for something like that, it’s not just about you anymore, it’s about something bigger.  Take your time and choose an event that means something to you.  As you have undoubtedly already learned (or will soon as you ride more) mental power and heart are almost as important as physical training.  A ride you truly believe in will only help you focus and dig deep for that extra power. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time before the event.  My training plans will be useless to you if you don’t get out much and you choose a ride that takes place tomorrow.  The nice thing about many of these events is that they often offer multiple routes for various levels or riders.  I actually rode the Tour de Cure in 2011, but only did about 20 miles.  Trying the event last year allowed me to know what I was getting myself into this year and helped me visualize my goal.

Look out for the next part of Aaron’s write up coming soon. Leave any comment’s you have for Aaron below or catch him over on Twitter – @Aaronthestrong

Stevie

]]> http://lovingthebike.com/bikeschool/bikeschool-joining-the-centuary-club-by-aaron-madrid/feed 8 http://lovingthebike.com/bikeschool/winter-riding-wednesday-4 http://lovingthebike.com/bikeschool/winter-riding-wednesday-4#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 11:11:34 +0000 Myron http://lovingthebike.com/?p=2729 Share/Bookmark

In the final installment of Winter Riding Wednesdays, Kip gives a few more tips on how to navigate snow covered streets. “You’re curious…do you think you’re going to try it this winter?”

See all four parts of Winter Riding Wednesdays on Loving The Bike’s YouTube channel.

My Twitter friend…turned good close friend, @PedalmanTO, supplies a guest post today that will change the way you look at your life.

More often than not, I’ll sign off an email or phone conversation with a friend by saying “Keep the Rubber Side Down.” I can’t nail down a date when it became the phrase that my friends associated with me but I can remember how the phrase took hold, and it’s meaning changed over time.

A few years ago when cycling became a more prominent fixture in my life, I was asked to take a few colleagues out for a ride. Many were new to cycling and as we were reviewing the rules of the road and a few safety tips I got asked, ‘What’s the most important thing to remember?’ Without thinking I responded with ‘Keep the Rubber Side Down’. We all started to laugh and after that it turned into the joke at work when moments got tense.

Like most lifers in the world of cycling, I take every opportunity to jump on the bike. I use it for fitness, pleasure, and (depending on the work season) a release to clear my head. I find that after a good ride I have a clean slate and can think through challenges that were brought by the day. Riding grounds me and initiates the reset switch.

I’ve had some pretty difficult personal challenges. I’ve lost some great people in my life and was personally faced with the same demon that took them away. Questions started to flood my mind – all those annoying ‘what-if’s’ in life – and  they began controlling my thoughts all the time. It was after midnight on a Friday and I was getting ready for bed. I was thinking of the email I had just sent a friend moments before explaining what had been happening. I broke down in front of the mirror.

My roommate’s dog came in and started whining because she could see I was upset. I bent down, scratched behind her ear and whispered “everything will be alright”. When I sent her back to her room, I told her to have good dreams, protect her mommy, and Keep the Rubber Side Down. She trotted away and I stood there in my bathroom as it dawned on me.   This whole time I hadn’t been Keeping the Rubber Side Down. I had been riding everyday but I hadn’t grounded myself. I was letting my thoughts and actions go in every direction and blow me off course. Keeping the Rubber Side Down meant more than just going for a ride and staying upright.

Whether you ride or not, every time life throws you a curveball or tries to knock you down, take a moment and hit that reset switch. Do that simple act which helps ground you and puts things in perspective.

Keep the Rubber Side Down, my friends.

Ian, aka – Pedalman, is from Toronto, Ontario.  He is an all weather cyclist and lives a life where helping others comes before anything else.  And, of course, he always Keeps the Rubber Side Down.

With a huge event like the birth of our third child happening this week, of course I just had to blog about it.  So here I am.  My son, River, was born at 7:23AM Wednesday morning….and just started his training for the 2030 Tour de France.  You gotta start ‘em young these days.  Seriously though, it has been such a joy to welcome him to our family.  His name is River and he is Amazing, Beautiful, Peaceful, and resonating with Love.

This week, I was once again reminded just how incredible the human body actually is.  For something that I walk around with each and every day, I somehow forget just how intricate and perfect the body really is.  Watching him come out…his little toes and fingers, his healthy little body, the miracle of life….totally blew me away.  And it’s not only the fact that we can recreate such perfection, it’s also the amazement of how a mother’s body adapts to be everything a baby needs.

After the birth….after all the tension and emotion of the event had slowly slipped away…I had to just sit for a moment and let all this wonderment settle back down for a second.  When I stood back up, the only thought in my mind was of how our bodies truly are walking miracles.

Then today, with images of perfection still sprinkled across my mind, I sat there on the seat of my bike demanding more from myself.  We were made to be great.  Built to live.  Born to do more.  So as my joints all moved in unison; and my muscles, veins, lungs, and everything else provided me with all I needed to ride; I rode with all I had.  Loving the Bike.  Loving my Family.  Loving Life.

To My Boy

You’ve been in there so long, we couldn’t wait for you to come out.
Already grown so much….in more ways than just size.
Started your wonderful adventures.
Living as a Pirate in the Caribbean.
Traveling many miles across land and sea.
Changing the lives of those around you.

You are my Boy.
Already making me emotional.
Bringing happiness, panic, and wonderment.
Totally unsure of how any of this is going to be.
Hoping that you’ll help show me the way.
Already loved more than you’ll ever know.

Unknowingly, Unwillingly, Unsure…
…but nevertheless born a gypsy.
What else are you going to be?
What will your personality be like?
Will you like blondes or brunettes?
So many questions.  I’m only curious about the answers.

Some theorists say that you chose us as your Parents.
Selecting us because this path will teach your spirit what it needs to learn.
No matter why…we are happy that it is you we can call our Son.
Knowing you’ll teach us as much as we hope to teach you.
Wishing you worldly knowledge, not only that found in a classroom.
Always wanting the best for you….always.

Holding you in my arms for the very first time.
Making your mom cry with emotion
from my first kiss.
I Love You So Much.
You’ll always be my Boy.  You’ll always have my Love.