The official Dancing Deer Baking Company Blog

Fairly late in the game, but just in time, I was fortunate enough to be introduced to Olympic Cyclist and Coach Nicole Freedman. She runs Hub on Wheels and the Cycling programs for the City of Boston among other things.  She offered to take me on through the home stretch to my ride. The first thing she did was make me take a week off!  I had the DT’s but she was absolutely right.  I’d been overtraining. Anyway, concurrent with this training my sisters and I have been managing my Dad’s failing health.  He took a sharp turn for the worse recently and I dropped my plans and went down to Old Lyme to see him and be there when he was getting a DNR bracelet and all the hospital bed/wheel chair set up, etc. Tough stuff getting ready to say goodbye to one’s parents. But of course it is part of the cycle of life and he has had a wonderful life which is what I try to focus on.

Nicole wrote me in the context of this life redirect in response to my concern about maintaining my training.  I thought it was such an exquisite little mixture of life and athletic wisdom that it should just be quoted in total. 
“I am really sorry to hear about your dad. Please understand that sometimes life gets in the way and life should be honored.  It is important to do all you can for your dad right now. You actually have all the fitness you need at this point and rest is the real key. Emotional stress is a workout without the fitness benefits, SO, please ride very light and easy at most and only when you sleep this week. You will be fine for the event so long as you rest. Trust me on this – and I know it is hard. I always say that the “A+/ perfectionist” personality is what makes an athlete great and keeps an athlete from greatness.  So, if we control the A+ ness you will thrive.”

So many useful nuggets in just one little paragraph. “life should be honored” YES. Stress – “a workout with the fitness benefits”  It never occurred to me before but so true.  And the whole A+/perfectionist concept – right down the middle. Made me wonder – was there an opportunity for me to achieve greatness if I could control my A+ ness and what might that look like?  Something to think about as I pedal up the East Coast. I wonder what my answer might be?