The "back forty"

 

In one week I will celebrate my fortieth birthday.  A few people, even those I know relatively well, are going to be surprised at this news.  That makes me exceedingly happy!  Most people who don't know my age guess that I am under 30. 

The trick to staying young I think lies in living life by the seat of your pants most of the time.  Having a plan is always good, but often doesn't work out the way you hope it will.  Life is a balancing act, but it really helps to know how to fall, and sometimes it really helps to know how to throw yourself over the edge and trust your ability, your friends, your bike, or your instinct.

I started mountain biking seriously just before my 35th birthday.  Did a great amount of investigation on women who started biking later in life.  I was inspired by women like Marla Streb who discovered the sport a bit later and really killed it on the race scene up into her 40s.  I think many women struggle with social image during the teens and twenties and even into our 30s.  Even though I kind of broke the mold of a typical women as far as career and pastimes went, I still fell prey to societal norms and felt pressured to get married and start a family during my late 20s and early 30s.  My 20s were dominated by relationship goals and image.  Now I just don't give a crap.  Yes, I have a great relationship, but even if I didn't I don't think I would be worried about it much.  And I don't care how I look or what people say.  Getting older makes you worry less about society and more about how fully you are living your own life. 

A truck full of wheels > a cabinet full of lotions when it comes to obtaining a youthful glow.

I am so happy to be part of the mountain biking community, and especially the Downhill community.  It is such a rewarding and inspiring sport for women.  It forces you to focus on something outside of yourself while still being within yourself.  It helps you find flow and translate that to other areas of your life.  It teaches you how to fall and get back up and brush yourself off and move on.  If you recover from that tumble down a rock garden, then you will recover from that a**hole who actually wasn't even right for you.  If you can muster up the courage to conquer intimidating features you can muster up the courage to do just about anything.  The ladies who you connect to will become some of your best friends.  Women in mountain biking are down to earth and real.  We tell it like it is.  Even though some of us feel timid at times, deep down we are not or we would be at home on the couch, not on a bike.  We face life head on.  We love to ride and love to get other women to ride.  We want other ladies to worry less about society and more about how to really live life to the fullest.  We think the best way to do that is to be on a bike.

This weekend I will likely celebrate my birthday a few days early since I will be participating in the ProGRT race at Beech Mountain with many of my close biking friends.  I am heading up a "Ladies Lounge" at the race in an effort to introduce newer ladies to the sport of Gravity racing.  I am pretty excited about it and hope it will be a huge success and inspiration.  I would love to see this idea grow at other mountains.  For women to take the time to help other ladies out who may otherwise be too intimidated to come out to the races.  Sacrificing some of our own practice time to give other ladies a helping hand will make the sport a better place.  Sharing the Shred is the Fountain of Youth.