I have a poster in my basement gym with Jess Sims sayings that I custom ordered from Etsy in late 2020. It may be time for a new one that features “Being ready is a decision, not a feeling,” because that got me on my first Conte’s Hill Ride of 2022 when my confidence was waning.
Being Ready Is A Decision
The first weekend of the month there’s a low-key version of the Falls Church Conte’s Hill Ride, with no “A” group to try to keep up with and more rest stops. I was planning to join this weekend for the first time in 2022, but found myself losing confidence as the weekend approached. My husband was away. It was going to be really warm and muggy. My friends weren’t going to be there….
As I faced my final decision point Saturday morning, I found myself analyzing why I didn’t feel ready for this ride. Then Jess Sims popped into my head, saying:
Being ready is a decision, not a feeling.
That was just the kick in the shorts I needed to shrug off my self-doubt and get ready for the ride.
And it was a great ride. There were a total of 10 of us, including several “A” riders who volunteered to lead us, and a few people who hadn’t done this ride before. We chatted as we rode and caught our breath at the rest stops—and over coffee and scones back at the bike shop. I was pleased to learn that between Peloton Climb rides and riding up my own hill after weekend rides, my legs can still handle the steep Quebec St. and golf course hills.
I wish I could decide that my foot is ready for running, but in that case it is a feeling I am waiting on—or a not feeling sharp pain when I run. 😉 It is getting better—slowly—so I’m 99.9% sure there’s no stress fracture, but I haven’t cancelled my MRI yet.
Weekly Run Down
This week Peloton wrapped up it’s celebration of Pride Month with a few more Pride-themed classes—including a walking class with Matty in drag as Mara Thoner—the 40-something mother of twin boys from New Jersey who taught Becs Gentry everything she knows about running. 😉
Throughout the class s/he talked about the history of drag, and emphasized that the drag community has been a safe place and chosen family for people who cannot find acceptance anywhere else. The timeliness and importance of that simple message of acceptance hits hard with Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act (a/k/a the “Don’t Say Gay” law) going into effect, and Texas investigating parents for child abuse for seeking gender-affirming treatments for their trans children. 🌈💔🌈
Monday: Core + FB Strength
After longish rides Saturday and Sunday, my legs were ready for a break. I really like Jess Sims’s 45 min FB strength classes. She programs them with enough variety that the time goes by quickly.
Tuesday: 20 min FB Strength + 30 min Ride + 10 min ALW
I had heard good things about Jess King’s ride, which was from the day after the Dobbs decision. She did a good job of venting and rallying support to persevere without saying why, so you can take the class on-demand anytime you want to blow off steam.
Wednesday: 30 min Strength + 30 min Tread Walk
I also had heard good things about the Milky Chance core class, but it was not my favorite. I don’t mind the non-English rides when I can read the on-screen captions, but I can’t do that when I’m crunching or planking. Also, there was a lot more rest than I need in a 10 min class. I took Matty’s class on Deborah’s recommendation, and it was tough in a good way. He tends to program longer work intervals than others (60 sec vs. 45 or 30), and I often am reaching muscle failure by then.
While walking Scooby hasn’t bothered my foot lately, walking on the tread did—probably because I pushed the pace and incline. I didn’t feel it during the workout, but my foot bothered me the rest of the day 😕
Thursday: 25 min Strength + 30 min Ride
Cliff had a new English-language ride out, and I needed his positivity after a rough day at work Wednesday I tacked on Hannah’s Climb Ride to burn off a bit more stress.
Friday: 20 min Walk + Run + 45 min Strength
Yes! My foot felt better enough to test it out on a short Walk+Run class. I felt my ankle twinge a bit while running, but not while walking. To make sure I didn’t try to squeeze in another Walk + Run class on my treadmill, I took a 45 min Jess Sims FB Strength class—and ended up bookmarking it as a favorite.
Saturday: 20 min Walk + Run + Conte’s Hill Ride
Since my foot didn’t complain after Friday’s Walk + Run, I did it again on Saturday. Then I braved conquered the Falls Church Hill ride.
Recovering after the golf course hill.
Sunday: 30 min Walk + Run + 26 mile Bike Ride
My ankle didn’t flare up after the 20 min Walk + Run workouts I did Friday and Saturday, so I chose a 30 min Walk + Run and it seems to have gone well. It was so humid, I welcomed every walk break—as did Scooby!
After breakfast we headed out on our bikes for a bit of an exploratory ride. We found the “back” entrance to LBJ Grove from the Pentagon parking lot, and took a wooden bridge over to the main park where we could cut under another bridge and pick up the Mount Vernon trail.
A huge thank you to Deborah and Kim for hosting the Weekly Run Down link up.
![The Ultimate Coffee Date](http://got2run4me.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Ultimate-Coffee-Date.png" "The Ultimate Coffee Date")
I love that quote. Everyone needs to remember that.
Glad to hear your ankle is improving. I welcome walk breaks and I’m not injured. Lol.
Enjoy your holiday.
That is a fantastic Jess quote and it is so true. I have no doubt you were ready for that ride. You have done it so many times and the confidence to do it is a choice. That golf course hill though!
Sounds like a fun week! I love the message from Matty’s class. Glad the ankle is feeling better! Your Jess Sims poster is awesome.
Ah, well just when I was feeling pretty good you had to remind me of everything that’s wrong with Florida (sigh.) You really find the best Peloton classes- I’ve never done a Peloton walking or running class, but I might have to do Matty’s drag class just for the fun of it. I love him!
Nice job on the bike ride- it’s very true, if we always waiting until we feel ready, we would never do anything. Glad to hear your foot is getting better. Yes, I doubt it’s a stress fracture. I think it would be hurting more if it were. But it might be worth it to get the MRI anyway, unless it’s 100% better by that time.
Matty’s Mara classes are a hoot — with a serious message worked in. You have to watch them though, so maybe play it on the app while you use that stair climber? 😉
I certainly feel you on that confidence thing. I was so nervous for my 5k this morning! I guess my mindset is that feeling nervous or under confident means you care about the outcome. I like your quote though and will use it in the future!
You won’t know if you have a stress fracture unless you get the MRI–I’d do it so you can at least know what direction to head in! Says the runner who taped her knee for her race today…(insert eyeroll here)
I’m glad that your foot is slowly beginning to get better.
I struggle with confidence in other areas of my life, but sometimes, as you pointed out, being ready IS actually a feeling. Other times it’s a decision! Glad you also had a great ride despite those little voices in your head. Funny how that works sometimes, right?
What a great quote!
I love that Peloton isn’t backing down from the hard conversations. Things are a mess, and I kind of hate it here.
I hope your foot and ankle are better soon.
26 miles. Holy shit.
I never knew glazed donut was Jess Sims. Matty uses is A LOT and for some reason I’d associated it with him. Now that I’ve probably done something like 700 different classes, it’s fun to hear the patterns/quotes.
Way to go on the solo rides and listening to your foot
I guess my previous comment went hiding in Cyberland 😉 Anyways, I mentioned how welcoming most cyclists are to newcomers. When I did my day of RAGBRAI last July, I was on my own much of the day, but never ever felt alone. There was always someone next to me, commenting on my jersey (or me on theirs, LOL)…plenty of awesome small talk amongst all of us like-minded peeps 😉
How I wish I had a group of riders I could join on a Saturday morning, with “A” riders, hills and scones!
I understand how you didn’t feel confident or ready – I would have probably even been more scared. But so good that you went! Yay!
All the best for your ankle, Coco!
That Jess quote is a favorite of mine!
Fantastic job conquering your rides! I hope your foot continues to heal quickly.
You know how much I love Mara Thoner. Matty truly is a gem and has an awesome way of mixing in comedy with facts. I just love him!
I feel like Jess has a saying for almost any situation. Her sayings have really provided me with lots of motivation at different times.
Being ready is a decision, not a feeling. What a great quote, I love it. Sounds like it was a good decision to go. I really hope your foot will be okay, but sounds like the biking cross training is going well.
I love the trans class you mentioned, not just that s/he was in drag, but explained the view. It amazes me that people don’t just let people be themselves.