What Mountain Biking Taught Me about Resilience in Life
Now, you’re probably looking at the title of this article and wondering if you’re in the right place; well, you are. Because we’re human and humans are social beings, I just thought it would be nice to share my holiday experience with you as you relax and take a break from the books…at least for most of the day. Happy Africa Day to you all as we celebrate the natural wonders, mineral riches, the Big Five, arts and crafts, culture, and lovely, diverse people who inhabit this continent and call it home. Let me give you some fun facts, did you know, over 2000 languages are spoken in Africa, with Zimbabwe proudly boasting 16 official languages? Now you know. So before I get too carried away with my raving about Africa and its stunning landscapes, let me get into the details and the lessons learned
Just so we could catch a breath of fresh air away from the rush and bustle of city life and check in on our adventurous side, we decided on a short drive, mountain biking, and a (late) lunch would justify the holiday vibes and suffice for the day. Let’s get one thing straight, I hadn’t ridden on a bike since my pre-teen years, so I assume you’re already anticipating chaos. Thankfully, I didn’t fall off the bike, however, I did have a rocky start because it had been aeons since I last steered a two-wheeled vehicle with “horns”; but I got the hang of it eventually after several kickoffs and pushes from my partner. We set off in style on the African soil, helmets on and ready to go; a group of 5 enthusiasts ready to sweat and push through the challenge. Do take note that this road is one I wouldn’t drive on leisurely (unless necessary) and is advanced for mountain biking amateurs. Now, combine that with someone who derives their dose of exercise from a few walks and some light-duty house chores (not the true definition of fitness now, is it?) and you have a recipe for disaster brewing.
The ride uphill was so tedious my poor legs were screaming to keep the engineless piece of metal that was my mode of transportation going. The descent at almost every point required one to strap their heart to their chest. Don’t worry, I still have my heart as I type this, which shows I made it in one piece, but the joyride quickly became a ride to hell. I couldn’t take it anymore and it became a battle of “mind over body” and my body won…and we turned back in the middle of the trail and headed back to camp. I have had several gravely disappointing moments and this was one of them, however, I felt I would have endangered my health had I pushed on. My throat was severely dry as we had left our water in the car, my brain was steaming and threatening to blow my scalp apart, my legs had turned to jelly and I had to walk back to camp, the sun was roasting the life out of my face.
I coughed and sputtered like a dying engine till we reached camp with the smell of blood lingering within me; I ignored and suppressed any possible chance of nausea even as I slouched in the car and took sips of the “Elixir of Life” (water) I had been dying to drink. It took a good 30 minutes, if not more, for me to get to an almost normal state where I could get up and walk again and still think about food. Of course, I knew I was not dying, but I was in a lot of pain. A special thank you to my partner for nursing me back to life…or at least a regular state of being where I could walk and talk. We, later on, took the sore walk of partial victory to the restaurant and ordered our food. Would I go back and do it again?…Only when I have sufficiently prepared myself both mentally and physically, but I have learnt something interesting from this experience and I salute all the heroes and heroines who propel themselves to various destinations aboard the engineless bicycle.
Lesson 1
Never underestimate the challenges that appear to be less scary. This activity was one of the cheapest on the list but oh goodness the labour of propelling oneself up and down that trail is something I did not see coming. So at the end of the day, do not underestimate and under-prepare yourself for the tasks that have been set for you. Always be prepared for anything and have a strategy that can see you through so that you do not burn out midway without completing your task.
Lesson 2
Fitness is paramount. I’m not only referring to physical fitness here, but also for one to ensure they are mentally, emotionally, spiritually and financially prepared for the challenges life dishes out. With regards to one’s studies, you can never be 100 per cent ready for a prescribed or surprise test, however, make sure your knowledge is a good way above the halfway mark. I know that this may not always be the case as — let’s be frank — we do not live life in a vacuum; there’s always something happening adjacent to what we regard as important.
Lesson 3
Be brave. Ok, I’m not asking you to be Superman and save the world from all the bad things. We’re all human and we have fears, however, it’s also important to be conscious of the “fear of failure” syndrome that drives some to be obsessed with perfection. Life is not perfect and neither will everything that we come across in all spheres of our lives. There will be a time when the trail will go downhill and it’s up to you whether you choose to lose control and fall off or you gain a level head and control the situation. You will fall, sometimes pretty badly, but you have to get up in order to keep going. The pain one goes through to achieve a life-long dream makes the journey all the more memorable and worth it.
Lesson 4
You can always try again. I must admit that I am not one to back out of a challenge, but this particular mountain biking one was hard and it will take some practice to win. It’s totally normal not to get things right in one shot (even though there are those opportunities that come once) but most of our lives are spent learning to perfect an art, task, chore, building habits, and just on self-improvement. So when things go wrong as they sometimes will, head back to the drawing board, reflect on what you did wrong and right, come up with a better plan and give it another shot until you hit the bull’s eye. My advice to you is to exude positive vibes and enjoy that new chance to try again as it is an opportunity to do your best.
So really, at the end of the day, we realise that we can always derive something and associate it with the numerous experiences we have had in life and improve on what we are currently working on. That’s the jot of learning as an adult because everything becomes an intertwined cycle as everything we do is interrelated. Will I go back and master that trail, probably at some point in the future when I have figured out the most strategic way to do it. For now, though, let me recover both physically and mentally.
Happy Africa Day once again and I hope you have had a splendid read. Happy learning.
