The Lessons of "Bikekwondo"

Recently, I completed the MS150, which is a two-day I50 mile course through the rolling hills, (did I mention HILLS???) of PA. This was around 29 combined total hours of riding so I had A LOT of time to ponder all kinds of things. But one thing that occurred to me was how this bike ride reminded me of Taekwon-Do. For example:

Lesson #1: It’s essential to have the right equipment.

Before the race, I purchased a bike helmet, gloves, arm warmers, handlebar bag,, windbreaker, and perhaps the most important purchase of all, the padded bike shorts! I’ll be honest – the cost of bike equipment left a void in my wallet. But once on the course, these things were invaluable. The weather was sunny, but windy, and chilly most of the time, which made the windbreaker essential to have. The arm warmers underneath served their purpose well, keeping me cozy. As for the padded bike shorts…well they were the best investment of all! Thinking about my bicycle equipment brought me back to a segment of the instructor’s course in Philly where Sabumnim Marcello spoke about the fact that, as an instructor you may often have to explain to students and parents, the need to buy equipment, and that this is often met with opposition due to the impact on the wallet. It’s not inexpensive to buy the necessary gear, as well as breaking boards, but these are necessary tools to have in Taekwon-Do. Testing and tournaments cost money too. However, they are part of the "equipment" that we need to be successful in Taekwon-Do. After all, Taekwon-Do more important that a few less weekends eating out, or stuff that we might buy on a whim and quickly become bored with? The outfit you splurge on may be out of style in a year, unlike the functional dobok and protective gear that are ALWAYS in style in the dojang. If you realize what your priorities in life are, it’s easy to see how equipping yourself serves your best interest.

Taekwon-Do gear – X amount of dollars
Monthly Taekwondo payment – Y amount of dollars
Being able to protect yourself in a life or death situation: Priceless

(The padded bike shorts also belong in the "Priceless" category!)

Lesson #2 Take the time to say "thanks."

There were a huge number of volunteers to help direct traffic, provide food and water, equipment, and moral support along the course. The other cyclists and I would thank the people we saw along the way who provided support because without them, there would be no race. Obviously, we’re thankful for Sabumnim, but there are many other people involved: parents who take kids to class each week (and to Philadelphia in May), and other students, both higher and lower belts, who work with us during class segments and help us perfect our skills. When I say "thank you" to my partner, for sparring or other segments, it’s not just a formality, I am truly thankful because each practice session whether it be 2 minutes or 20 gives me more experience and incrementally improves my skills. In addition to Sabumnim, it’s important to say thanks to your fellow students, and of course, our webmaster for taking his time to create and update the website. It’s surprising how good a little bit of recognition and gratitude can make one person feel, both in and out of the dojang.

Lesson #3 Don't look at the top of the hill!

There were many hills on the course, and most were not small. One of the more brutal of these was aptly named "Cardiac Hill" by the riders. If my quads and hamstrings could talk, they would have accosted me from being so cruel to them. For me, looking at the top of the hill is discouraging (and quite frankly, just plain frightening!) Instead, I paced myself and tackled it one segment at a time, being careful to look only so far ahead and not at how far I had yet to go. Before I knew it, I was up the hill...well, hills. Life presents us with many "hills," and we have to pace ourselves adequately to go up them. Go too fast and you may get tired and run out of steam before you finish. Go to slow, and you may not have enough push (motivation) to keep going. Go at a steady pace, and you’ll be up that hill before you know it! Taekwon-Do (and life) is like that too. Looking at the entire challenge like say...going from white to black belt, is a long, often arduous process. We may be intimidated, thinking it’s too long and hard of a "hill." However, if we conquer each piece at a time (i.e. belt level), and use that success to motivate ourselves towards the next segment, we’re well on our way. Like parts of the bike course, sometimes you conquer a hill, expecting to coast down the other side, but alas, you immediately come upon another hill. Take you time, push onward and you will get there. Once there, take a look from the top of the hill, look at how steep it was, and be proud of yourself for the accomplishment. That motivation will help to push you up the hills that you inevitably will have to climb as life goes on.

Lesson 4: Don’t Compare Yourself to Other People!

In biking as well as Taekwon-Do, there are many different skill levels. During the MS 150, I was passed up by hundreds what I call "Lance Armstrong’s" or the pros at biking. However, it’s one thing to get passed up by these people, and quite another to be passed up by cyclists who, for example, have probably been alive before the television was invented and riders whose gluteus maximuses’ are, well...maximus. It is discouraging, but serves as a good reminder not to compare yourself to others. It’s difficult to see people who may spar better than you, or perform flying kicks with ease while you have all the grace of a turkey trying to take flight. But each person has their own unique talents and abilities. Comparing oneself to others is simply unproductive. I still do it, but I have to jerk myself back into reality. I often have to remind myself what my mom used to say when I griped about my sisters being taller, beating me at sports, having a better report card than I did, etc... "Comparisons are odious...that means they STINK." At the time, I would roll my eyes and groan, but I knew that she was right. When I find myself preoccupied with how so-and-so is way better than me at a given Taekwon-Do, or other skill, I regroup, focus on my own achievements, and then of course begin the obvious strategy: PRACTICE, PRATICE, PRACTICE. During the race, I had to remind myself that in this context, I am only competing with myself. Years ago, I did a 67 mile charity ride where I was the last rider completing the course, long after the victory dinner at the finish line was gone and the crowd had dispersed. So it goes: beating others – irrelevant; beating my old, less fit self – awesome!

Lesson #5:If at first you don’t succeed...

Don't use the F word! And by that I mean the ulgy word, "FAIL." Sometimes when we set out to do something, and we don’t accomplish it, we feel that we have failed. This is true even when something out of our control happens and gets in the way of completing our goal. Riding along the course, riders would often see the SAG wagon passing by with bikes whose owners, due to equipment or physical problems could not complete the course. I have to admit, that I was glad it wasn’t me. However, I chastised myself for thinking that way as I realized:

1. Each rider, whether they finished or not raised at least $200 towards MS (often much more), which is an amazing benefit to the cause.

2. Whether it was 5, 10,20, or 149, they accomplished more than the average person could ever do. Rather than looking at those who did complete 150 miles, and thinking "those people did it, why can't I," they could say "look at what I accomplished, and I’m going to do even better next year.

In Taekwon-Do, there are setbacks as well. Maybe an injury sidelines us, or keeps us from performing at our best. Perhaps you might have a less than stellar testing, tournament performance, or just have that one day in class where nothing seems to go well (I've been there, believe me!) The worst part is that in many of these situations, everyone else seems to be doing so well, further adding to our frustrations. It’s important to remember that this happens to all of us at one time or another. So realize this and don’t beat yourself up if you give something your best effort, and it doesn’t work out the way that you expect. If you think about it, you probably learned something along the way. Know that we have our families AND our Taekwon-Do family to be our "SAG wagon" - to pick us up and give us a lift when we need it.

Ok, so who’s riding with me next year??!! :)