But WHY?!?!
WHY?!?!
It's a great question. But why the hell not?!
Knowing full well that "because I want to" is not a good enough answer, I have spent some time trying to figure it out myself. In September 2014, I read about someone on Strava who had ridden 205 miles as sort of a tribute to Tommy Godwin, the world record holder for the men's distance record, a ridiculous 75,065 miles, which averages out at 205 miles per day. Having read Tommy's story, and with 205 miles per day in my head, I came across the women's record, which was 'only' 82 miles per day. "I could do that!", I thought, and once the thought had entered my head, I couldn't shake it off.
But why even do it? Wouldn't it be cool to hold a Guinness World Record?! When my brother and I were kids, he used to receive the Guinness Book of World Records for Christmas every year, and I found the contents fascinating. All records are incredible, some are just insane. I mean, who grows their finger nails to a total length of 8.65m?! And there's a guy who has the World Record for the most World Records, which is about 200, including furthest distance cycled under water.
Then of course there are the more 'regular' records, ones that we see on a somewhat fairly regular basis, such as running records (gotta love Usain Bolt!), or the Hour Record, a cycling record to set the furthest distance cycled in an hour. Now, I'm not ridiculous enough to grow my nails so long I incapacitate myself, nor am I talented enough to break any 'regular' records, but I am stubborn, and Billie's record is pretty much just that - the most stubborn woman in the world. Maybe they should rename the record that.
And then there's the fact that some people may even be inspired by it. After all, I was inspired by Billie! If just a few people realise at least some of their potential by attempting to do something they've never done, then I'm happy. Because we're all so amazing! Our bodies can do the most incredible things, if we make them. More on that in another blog.
But the main reasons? I want to know if I can, and I want something different from life. I don't have kids, so maybe it's about a legacy. Or maybe it's just my sense of adventure that drives me. To be honest, I'm not really sure. I'll let you know if I figure it out between now and the end of 2016. Until then, does it really matter why? Is doing not enough?
