I Earned A Solid C+ Today.
Updated: Jul 17
If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work. There are no limits, only plateaus, and you must not stay there — you must go beyond them.
Turning 40 seemed like the right occasion to go test some personal limits. As a board member for a nonprofit that hosts some of the toughest cycling races in the country, the obvious move was to race one instead of working it.
The day started with a scheduled training ride in the mountains above Lake Davis, California — rain, 30-mile-an-hour wind, sideways precipitation, and a temperature hovering around 40 degrees. A hot tub back at the house was making a very loud argument for staying home.
With half the group dropping out before the start, the ride happened anyway. It was, honestly, an exercise in pain — cold enough by the end to border on hypothermic, hard enough to throw up partway through, and full of moments that made stopping feel like the obvious choice. Nobody did.
The Grading Breakdown
Starting late: F
Starting at all: A
Clothing choices: C
Finishing: A
The overall grade landed at a solid C+ — and that's more than fine. The clearest satisfaction tends to show up exactly when a plan doesn't go as expected but gets finished anyway.
What's the push worth testing this quarter?
