We had almost four total pages of questions this month, which makes April one of the larger Ask Reba months we have ever had. Thanks for sending in your questions, it’s always fun for me to read through and choose the winner. It did take me a bit longer than usual to get to them, as the trip to Morocco delayed my schedule a bit. Nevertheless I think this month’s question is hilarious, but at the same time represents a key skill/talent needed to excel at racing or any mentally draining event.
Lauren Updyke nailed it this month! So congratulations on your new Smith Pivlock glasses, you will be thankful you won them when they arrive in the mail.
Q: Hypothetically, if you were in a race and the S@#! was hitting the fan and you saw a hat rack at the top of a climb and it had a cheerleaders hat, a firefighters hat, a police officers hat, a teachers hat, or a mentors hat, which one would you choose to put on and finish the race and why?
Oh, I’d probably take the whole rack with me and pull from all of the hats. It often takes a smorgasbord of tactics to keep ourselves motivated when we need it the most. Beeing a cheerleader for myeslf is essential in so many races. I’ve even said out loud “come on Rebecca!” The firefighter’s hat is important for methodically putting out all the little fires that are going on. Take one thing at a time and fix it, then move onto the next. Police officer’s hat to make sure I’m really following my own rules like not quitting, trying to stay positive, just taking one pedal stroke at a time. I sometimes have to remind myself of those personal rules when I really need to remember them most. Teacher’s hat because I feel like in 20 years of being a pro athlete, I’m still learning lessons every single day. As soon as you stop learning, life will get a bit boring. The mentor’s hat because I have to remind myself that I am no longer racing just for myself. There are other people who find inspiration from me and I would not want to let them down. My most recent local XC race was one such experience where I was having a terrible race and getting down on myself. The option of quitting popped into my head and then not 30 seconds later, there were a couple of junior race kids by the side of the trail cheering for me by name. Seeing those kids knocked me out of my pity party and made me realize that if I quit, that’s what those kids would remember from me.
We are all mentors and teachers to people around us. I have a responsibility to myself to feel good about my experiences and how I handle them. I want to look in the mirror and be OK with how I conduct myself when things are the most challenging. I also want to be able to turn the mirror around and have other people see strength in themselves.
Thanks again for sending in the questions, I truly do enjoy reading and picking the winner. Don’t forget to send in for this months giveaway too! Also, remember that I do answer every question, so even if you did not win, make sure you check the archives for your answer.
