Cleaning the "Gunk" Off

Monday afternoon I was scheduled to do an easy recovery ride. Although it was very hot (around 91) in the mid-afternoon, it seemed like a nice day to ride. I have a route (headed east out of town into the country - site of the previously mentioned Mama bird attack) that I use for shorter rides. The distance varies between 15 and 20 miles, depending on where I turn around.

As I started riding, I noticed how much tar and oil was on the surface of the road. The glistening black tar was enjoying the bright sunshine and warm temperatures. My tires quickly became coated with the tar and oil. My speed which had started out at about 18 mph, dropped to around 15 mph, which I thought might be due to wind or fatigue from Saturday's race. So, I continued to ride to my turn around point at about 8 miles east of town.

I turned around (now into a headwind) and noticed my speed was continuing to drop. About 3 miles from my destination, I discovered new chip rock laid down on the sticky, tar-slickened road. Those little rocks stuck to my tires like nuts to an ice cream cone. My skinny little road bike tires soon resembled mountain bike tires because they had so much tar and rocks stuck to them.

This presented more than a minor problem. It was almost impossible to ride faster than 8 mph. I did not want to shift to another gear out of fear that one of the many rocks flying around would happen to land in my chain. I considered calling home for a ride, but that would only mean one of our cars would have to encounter the same tar and rocks. I considered taking an alternate route, but the traffic was beginning to pick up with the end of the work day. Cutting over to a different road would take me on more heavily traveled roads. I was also concerned about the status of my bike - a flat or other mechanical problem wouldn't be unlikely.

Eventually I made it back. It was one of the most frustrating, tiring rides I have ever done. The clean up of my bike took about an hour once I was back home. My husband helped with the clean-up - amazed at what a mess I had created. First he used a plastic ruler to scrape some of the tar off the tires. Next we used wd-40 and some scrubbing with a rag to clean more of the tar off. Finally the entire bike had a nice wash.

I've considered the take-away from this experience. I remember reading in one of my coaching books (Even Eagles Need a Push by David McNally) about the process of "dry docking" a boat and similarly "dry docking" ourselves. Boats are taken out of the water periodically in order for the hull to be cleaned. Over time, various forms of debris accumulate on the hull, slowing the boat down because of the increased resistance in the water.

Each of us has debris which accumulates layer upon layer over the true essence of who we are. The debris comes in the form of our past experiences, self-limiting beliefs, negative self talk, assumptions and opinions of other people, set backs, and a host of emotions.

Emotions such as anger, resentment, a sense of entitlement, jealousy, frustration create a sticky surface on our frame. As we travel down the road of life and encounter rocks (obstacles in our path), they stick to us rather than falling off. The resistance is increased and we find ourselves slowing down even more. It can become almost impossible to keep moving forward along the road.

What is the solution? Certainly it would be wonderful if we never encountered any sticky tar in the road. The truth is that we all encounter it and wind up with tar on our tires. Until the repair and cleaning work is done, unnecessary resistance holds us back from using our full potential. We all need to spend some time in "dry dock" periodically. It's useful to scrape off the gunk that doesn't serve us.

Also on the topic of oil, I found this other excerpt from Even Eagles Need a Push:

"A positive attitude is like the oil in an engine. It is the lubricant that enables the mind's creative, solution-oriented power to respond to your command. A negative attitude drains the mind of this essential lubricant, freezing and shutting it down. A positive attitude sees a problem as an opportunity, a difficulty as a challenge. A negative attitude does the opposite and is the prescription for defeat."

I guess the oil and tar had a lot to teach me during Monday's ride. Now if I can just remember the lesson when the going gets tough.