Inspiration - Where does yours come from

Take pause for a moment and ask yourself what inspires you?

On the weekend the family and I watched the end of Road cycling event held in Toowoomba aptly named 'Ride the Range'. The event is a 100km road cycling ride that finishes with a gruelling 6km climb that reaches 15% gradient in parts.

I decided to be a spectator for this particular event rather than participant due to my strict training plan which has me focusing on an easy week on the bike and I could see nothing easy about the range race. I am currently on a two week taper leading into a timed event called the Noosa 160km, which you have probably guessed starts and finishes in Noosa and covers 160km's of distance.

I found it difficult on the weekend not to compete especially given how many people I knew riding in the event. However I took something away from watching that I haven't experienced in awhile. I was really inspired especially by what I saw. It wasn't the local fast riders who got me thinking about inspiration but the every day rider who had never achieved a goal of this magnitude before.

A few examples in point: I was really moved by an inspirational Baby boomer who clearly had bitten off more than she could chew but kept on going in the face of difficulty. I could see her determination to finish even though her aching muscles were probably screaming to stop.

Another chap who was carting what appeared to be a Sherpa's backpack also impressed me. I could tell he was new to the sport by the fact that he was engaging in the act of maximisation not minimisation. I remember one of the first races I ever contested wearing a backpack with everything from food and water to a first aid kit contained inside. Over the years I have reduced my cartage to a pair of water bottles a few power bars to keep my weight down. Either way he was smiling despite his weight burden. 

Perhaps though my biggest inspiration came from a friend who completed the ride in a very respectable position. What was so motivational from his ride was perhaps the absolute satisfaction beaming on his face from having completed the ride and to have done so with very little preparation. I could sense the absolute wonderment of having done something that not everyone can do. It reminded me that anything is possible and I look forward to experiencing the same emotion at the end of my 7 days in Canada.

Best of luck with what motivates you.