Missing the Trees through the Forest

No, I don’t mean missing the Forest through the Trees.  That’s more applicable to nursing – getting so overwhelmed by the smaller details that we miss the overall goal and purpose of saving their life (or curing the common cold… you know, same same). 

I overheard this little backwards pearl from Steve while he was chatting with a friend about long distance hiking. People can get so focused on the goal of summitting Katahdin that they miss the beauty (& struggle) of the daily challenges.  You’re so focused on accomplishing a 3000-mile hike that you don’t enjoy the $1 slushies at the gas station on July 11, or the roadside paintball course, or the ice-cold lake waiting to help you cool off from a long day on your feet. 

So that’s what I’ve been focusing on for my bike training. Enjoying the trees. The flowers. The rocks. Appreciating the short rides. Discovering the town of Great Falls. Taking in the scenery of central Montana.  I haven’t gone too far on my adventures, as many of my rides are short blips for an hour before I go in for my night shift.  I’ve found a few safe routes to buzz around on for my hour, about 10-12 miles.  Enough to get my booty off the recliner and into the bike saddle.

For me, training for this trip is more mental than physical. I need to break the routine of doom scrolling and lounging by finding a route and pedaling.  Then once I’m over the hurdle of getting out of the house, my next focus is to appreciate the surroundings.  I stop often not to catch my breath (thankfully), but to look around.  Admire a funny statue in a person’s yard.  Ogle the enormous houses along the river.  Listen to the multiple waterfalls that give the town its name. 

I’m not out here preparing for the Tour de France or following Lael Wilcox (IG @laelwilcox) 18,000 miles around the world. I’m just rediscovering a method of travel and exercise that I enjoy, which allows me to explore the road less traveled. 

Sidenote: 18,000 miles is her distance to circumnavigate the world by bike, but was also the distance Spencer McCullough (IG @spencexyz) biked around the United States to all the National Parks in the Lower 48 this year. Wild! Great adventures to follow! Amazing cyclists!