Source: Carol Cooke – Becoming an Elite Para Cyclist – Part 1

I ‘ll admit, I’m scared to death of what I’m trying to do. In a way, if my regular life wasn’t already killing me, I might not have had the courage to even try.

But the best way to deal with fear is to prove to yourself that you’re not alone, others have come before you and succeeded, you, too, can achieve the impossible.

So I would like to share the story of Carol Cooke. In many ways she and I fight against the same obstacles. Fatigue is one of the hardest things that I deal with. I am always looking around and seeing people carrying bigger loads than I do and seemingly doing it with ease. I, on the other hand, work just shy of twenty hours a week, sleep between eight and ten hours a night, and spend all the rest of my time either eating or riding a bicycle and yet I constantly feel on the edge of oblivion.

Seeing Carol succeed with the same difficulties plus a hefty helping of her own unique challenges gives me hope that I, too, can make this happen.

One day, sure, I might have to make the decision to not ride a bike anymore, but that day is a long, long way off. One day I might have to make the call that my dream is beyond my reach. I might have to decide that reality is just too harsh for me to ever make something of myself as an athlete.

That day is not today.

Ride on.