Adventures of the First Lady- Being Fear-LESS
Mind you, I was able to experience the Home Show for about an hour and a half last year, but I was not fully employed at the bike shop. Well, employed, but I was hardly ever there simply due to my previous job and lack of time.
The Home Show is a bustling event where you could visit many assorted vendors. I, myself, get a bit overwhelmed with so many people in one place- but I managed to make it work out alright. It was also an experience where I was interactive with others- you don't have a choice! It was good for me to get used to talking to people in a different setting than behind a cash register. We made notes on what worked for the show and what we could improve on for next year. (Trainer pricing for example: have prices there at hand rather than trying to memorize off the top of our heads...well...my head.)
This year we did something different, we gave out $10.00 coupons if people got on one of the trainer bikes. We have an interactive booth and people (minus the kids) seem to shy away from wanting to ride a bike, on a trainer, in a public area. Well, guess what?! More people got on bikes! Plus, you get $10.00 to spend or give away to someone. You really can't go wrong.
Wednesday proved to be a very positive sales experience. Travis and I worked together and got a lady hooked up with a great closeout road bike! Mainly Travis helped with the sizing and fitting of the bike where I handled the accessories. See, I still am not great at remembering my road bike size. It's bad enough when I have to remember I can fit about a 15/15.5-16 inch frame...depending...or a Small...but remembering a 2-digit number is not in my cards (yet.) This coming from someone who used to remember 2-4 digit plu #'s at her previous job.
I will say, the sales experience wasn't terrible by any means. It's helpful when you know the person has a friend along who has already prepped them with the idea of buying accessories. However, when you are getting a new bike, depending what the bike is for- you may find yourself adding up far more accessories than anticipated. This is where I would venture to say, could get a little stressful. It's not such a big deal if the items are being rattled off by the customer, but making even more suggestions....yeah...that can be a little nerve-wracking. It went well, tho, and it was great to see a woman making good decisions and seeming to be very happy with her purchase! When buying a new bike (at any time other than our Spring Sale) you get 10% off of accessories. So it's a great idea to buy what you can the day of the purchase.
I guess it's all about not being afraid to offer suggestions.
Well, the other big news is that I will be participating in my very first bike race on Saturday. More or less I will be riding as well as I can- if I place at all...we'll see. Travis and I tested out some of the trails on Tuesday and it was definitely a challenge. There are some climbs that will really take it out of me, that's for sure. If all possible- walking is faster/better than standing around. So I have to keep moving somehow, in some shape or form.
The decision to do this race is something that I haven't taken lightly by any means. I'm not really a "racer" per-say...I don't feel I hate the thought of friendly competition, but I do care about the fact my body retaliates against me...and that makes me (I guess) feel a bit self conscious. The only thing I can promise is that I will go out there and do my best! And yes- I will write posts on my pre-race and post-race experiences, you can count on that!
All I can say is I wish the race was tomorrow, simply so I could just do it and get it out of the way. Waiting for race day gives me some mild anxiety. Ironically this week there have been a couple of fantastic posts written that work with what I'm experiencing right now in life. Post 1 & Post 2
My very first race/competition was originally going to be the Time Trials, and Travis was going to join me. Why did I suddenly get the wild hair to participate in something solo? I have no, flippn' clue. I guess we'll see how it goes. I'll see how strong I can be, but beyond anything- I'm going to finish no matter what!
Sometimes I think, the idea of pushing myself out of my box happens randomly just to help me grow as a person. Sometimes with decisions you just have to leap. Go for it. Stop hesitating. Hesitation and worry that I wasn't ready or "prepared" is what had me stall out my job transition for so long. Hesitation and worrying about if I'm "ready" for a race will continually keep me from participating.
It's like a person making the decision to have a kid or get married (Granted, I have firm and solid decisions of those to things.) You may never "be ready" but you can be as ready as you possibly can be.
Plus? My main reason for participating in the Pugsley World Championships is to increase the number of women participants. Saying I did it, too, is also rad. So there. Those are great reasons if I do say so myself.
Thus concludes my weekly update. Woo!
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