Last year, I raced the 6 hours of Frog Hollow race with my twin little sisters in the trio category. I started with the first lap and rode hard, giving us a few minutes on the other teams. Each of my sisters then took a lap and the other teams were within seconds of us. We had 1 hour and 50 minutes left when I went out for my second lap. My first lap took me over 55 minutes, so I figured it was potentially possible to do two laps in a row, giving our team one more lap, and allowing my little sisters to go have a fun lap together to finish out the race. I put my head down and went deep. I finished the first lap at right around 55 minutes, and so I had another 55 minutes to attempt one more lap. At this point I was already 30 hard miles in, and I didn’t know if it was possible, but I wanted to try. 

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a difficult assignment to finish in school today. As soon as I finished class I went straight for the TA lab, rather than the mountains like I normally do. I started doing what I could, but it was honestly going nowhere. I was feeling frustrated and was having a hard time staying mentally strong. I started having thoughts about withdrawing and taking it another semester, and I just didn’t feel like I could do it. I added my name to the bottom of the list for the TA to help, and when he got to me he was able to help me get the ball rolling. People are good. 

I made a little progress, slow progress. But progress. I kept chipping away at what felt like a sculpture the size of Mt. Rushmore, but I tried to believe I could do it. The TA helped me a few more times, and I kept getting a little bit closer. Then I finished the first half of the assignment and felt a little bit more hope. At this point hopes to ski today were out the window, because I had already been in there for almost two hours.

I was sitting next to another group of students who had just finished, and I asked for their help. They were angels. They walked me through step by step the entire second half of the project, not only showing me how to do it, but also teaching me. What could have taken me 6 hours was quickly whittled down to 30 minutes. I felt the stress roll of me like the snow melting on the south faces.  People are good. 

While I was there I also got a call from my Mom telling me that the bank had my wallet. Yesterday I had lost my wallet, but I hadn’t even started looking for it yet because I figured it was probably just in one of my jackets or something. It turns out that while driving home from the Quarry yesterday it fell out of my pocket, and a kind UPS driver picked it up and brought it to the bank. People are good. 

Today was one of the most stressful days for me in a long time. I think I was overwhelmed because I was lacking faith. I couldn’t understand how I could do it. It wasn’t that it was hard and would take a long time, it was that I had no idea where to even start or how to progress, and I lacked strong passion or desire. But other people made it possible. They helped me one step at a time and made it possible for me to finish. People are good.

At the 6 hours of frog hollow race, because my little sisters riding another lap was dependent on me finishing in 55 minutes, I maybe went deeper than I ever have before. I was within seconds the entire lap, and as I made it close to the bottom, I had to fight back tears of joy when I realized I was going to make it. I came in with just over a minute to spare, allowing my little sisters to go enjoy one final lap, helping us win the race by a whole lap. 

I believe we do better when we help others. It makes the impossible possible. People are good. And they’re great together.