Ready vs Prepared
This year's Rise 2 Ripple Challenge is a solo adventure since my wife is staying home with our furry creatures.
Cycling the entire Erie Canal has always been a goal. My first bike race had a segment on the canal's trail, and I rode some of it with my friend David, his wife, and friends prior to the pandemic. Plus, it was my mom's favorite place to ride and a way to honor her passing two years ago.
It makes sense that I got excited when New York completed the Empire State Trail linking NYC to Albany, stretching north to Canada and west to Buffalo, making my 1,200-mile trek over eight days relatively car-free.
This week, I've been asked plenty of times if I'm ready, and as I shared last week, readiness is more of a decision than a feeling. Although, as I write this, readiness feels like one of those Sex in The City cosmos filled with excitement, sweetness, and delight with a twist of worry and apprehension, wondering how my body will respond.
I've cycled for twenty-four hours straight and crossed the country in forty-one days last year, averaging nearly one hundred miles per day. This ride will be shorter, but I will average one hundred and fifty miles daily, but I'm confident that I'm prepared.
Being prepared is different than being ready.
Click Empire to discover the difference between being ready and prepared and the importance of the first mile.