Endurance Dad-By Brad Cole

That’s just the way it is….

Racing a mountain bike for 24hrs takes a lot of time. Well, race
day, duh, but the training that goes into it adds up quickly.
Lucky for me, I am surrounded by people who love to ride and are
as equally dedicated to being the best they can at it. For me,
there is an added incentive and thats setting a good example for
my kids. Both  my son and daughter need to see that you can do
anything if you set  your mind to it. Okay so my daughter is only
six, but she is already passionate about gymnastics and spends
most of her days cartwheeling and back handspringing around. My
son, he’s eight and its great to see his dedication to everything
he does, and I’d like to think leading by example had something
to do with it.

Raising two kids and training for 24hr solo racing really don’t
mesh  all that well.  That is until, like anything, you get
yourself in the  right state of mind.  For me my family has been
and always will come  first. The trick is how does quality
training fit into that  equation.  The reality is it doesn’t fit
in, it has to fit “around”  it.  The day I actually embraced that
concept, my racing improved ten  fold.  I remember the Cool XC
race in 2008, I hadn’t been on my bike  at all that week.  I
arrived late to the venue waiting for some  friends who were going
to watch the kids while I raced.  I warmed up  for about 20
minutes and staged for the start.  Brian Joder took a  picture at
the start.  In it was me in a sea of people and I was the  only
one smiling, in fact I was laughing.  A sea of fellow racers  with
their game face on.  That was the first day on the bike I truly
did not worry about not riding going into a race.  Now if I
hadn’t  ridden because I was lazy or tired because I stayed up all
night  playing xbox, that would be a different story.

My weeks going into the season are definitely abnormal: 300 miles
one week, 100 the next.  At first I really stressed over this.
Now I  embrace it.  24hr racing is a very physically demanding
discipline,  but your state of mind, in my humble opinion, is huge
too.  Now I am  in no way patting myself on the back or asking for
an ounce of  sympathy from anyone, I am however telling you, the
person who has a  million excuses of why they are too busy, to
push yourself and go for  it.   Whether its training for a century
ride, a xc race or an ultra  endurance length race…just go for
it. I am a single father of two  children who I hold dear to my
heart and will do anything for them.   I am blessed to have them
under my roof every other week and my sole  responsibilty, while
the other weeks I am active in their school  events, sports, and
other activities.  What message do I send if I  fall back on the
excuse that I am too tired to do an interval workout  on my
trainer that night because I was going back and forth between
gymnastics and baseball practice that evening and then had to
make  dinner and correct homework.  Don’t get me wrong,
sometimes…well  okay, most times… I climb on that trainer
kicking and screaming to  do a Spinerval workout in the garage at
9:30 at night when I would  rather be curling up in bed.  But the
one time I chose not to ride  the trainer on a Wednesday night,
the next morning my daughter asked  me why I didn’t ride my bike
in the garage (her room is above it).  I  asked her what she meant
and she responded that she never heard me  get on the trainer.  So
when you think your kids aren’t paying attention or listening,
think again.

What’s the point of this babble?  I really don’t know.  What I do
know is a whole lot of people whine these days about a whole lot
of  things.  I also know that   last year this 38 year old father
of two  working full time, coaching youth soccer and driving all
over the  Sacramento Valley for gymnastics was able to finish on
the podium one  step below Tinker Juarez in the Leave No Trace
Series…on a single  speed.  Now if I can do this, I can’t
imagine the talent out there  that is missing out on this type of
success because they are “too busy.”

As a good friend says in jest, “…I have responsibilities Brad,
you  just wouldn’t understand.”  He has three kids and races 24hrs
solo  too! There’s hope…