Touring: What have I got myself into?

The PLAN is to ride to Pine Mountain this weekend for the Cox Atlanta Bike MS event.  I’ll describe elsewhere, how I intend to do this.  But suffice it to say, I am now wondering if I can pull this off.  That’s not unusual.  Every tour event I’ve ever done has had this feeling about it.  It comes on just before the event.  Doubts.  Can I do this?  What have I forgotten?  Did I train enough?  Is the rig too heavy?  Should I leave more out?  Should I carry more spares?  Will my legs handle the loads?

I see this in lots of other folks too.  I think it’s sort of natural.  We look forward to an event.  We plan for it.  We work to make it happen.  And then, close to start time, we begin to have doubts and worries.

Some of this is performance anxiety.  The “Am I going to screw up and let myself and everybody else down?” kind of worries.  Some of it is the “Night before Christmas” kind of anxiety.  Some of it is, for athletes, a product of the necessary shape of training.

Wise athletes, and all coaches know that training must end.  It must end a good bit before the event.  If not, the athlete will not be well rested.  But that leaves the athlete with a problem.  He or she has been dedicated to following a rigorous training schedule.  Athletes are accustomed to having little time, and working under demanding loads.  Suddenly, training tapers off, and time, free time, is available.

Two temptations occur.  The first is to go out and do something!  The second is to worry.  Both are unhelpful.

In my case now, as in the case of a lot of adult amateurs, there is really little to worry about.  This is a fun event.  There is absolutely no pressure to perform.  It’s just that I’m in the habit of preparing for demanding events, with set goals.  Worse, now that training is over, and resting is the rule, I have time to worry.

And that, in a nutshell, is what stops a lot of us from truly enjoying the recreations we pursue.  We’re in the habit of setting and meeting goals and expectations.

The cure?  Simple.  Sit back.  Take a deep breath.  Let the worry go.  And now go out and have a grand old time with it.  In the long run, it doesn’t matter whether it’s glory or goof, and both make good stories for Winter “bench racing.”

I'll let you know how it goes.