Had a good experience this afternoon.

[mav]

Before it got too hot today I decided to drive over to Enterprise South http://www.hamiltontn.gov/esnp/ and do a little trail riding.  It didn't appear to be very crowded so I decided to listen to some music while riding.  I put on the soundtrack to American Flyers (yes, it is dated, but I love that movie and soundtrack) and hit the trails.

 

I did a quick jaunt through the Black Forest, and I noticed I was the only one on the trail outside of a few walkers, which is great because I can go as fast or slow as I want to.  I was little peppy today, so my speed was a little faster.  As I started climbing into the TNT trail I cursed the people who laid out the trail as to why they couldn't have made it downhill both ways. :)

 

About 4 miles into the trail I came across a couple of early 20-somethings resting on the side of the trail.  They waved me down, so I stopped and asked if there was anything wrong.  There was nothing wrong.  All they wanted to know was if I knew a shortcut out of the trail as they couldn't go anymore.  I gave them a little pep talk and encouraged them to finish out the trail as there were only a few more challenging spots remaining and they were past the halfway point.  I am not old by any means, but I am not in my 20s either.  Inside I was relishing the moment.  :)

[EMB145]

You should of went in Drill Sergeant mode on them! Just kidding, I absolutely hate running, but in a formation being motivated or just what you did with these kids helps. A positive thought goes along way.

[mav]

You should of went in Drill Sergeant mode on them! Just kidding, I absolutely hate running, but in a formation being motivated or just what you did with these kids helps. A positive thought goes along way.

 

Oh, I wasn't running.  I was on my mountain bike.

 

The only I reason I created this thread was because I was talking to a friend of mine this morning about general fitness and she told me I was in better shape than a lot of people half my age.  I thought this incident was an affirmation of what she told me.  It just made me feel good. 

 

As far as the pep talk and encouraging them to finish, I hate seeing people give up especially when they are over the hump.  Just dig a little deeper and finish it.  They always feel better when they do, and oftentimes people are amazed at what they did.

Edited September 1, 2013 by mav

[UncleJak]

I had a similar experience while hiking clingmans dome. On my way back down I found a few out of shape people who looked like they were about to give up. I stopped and said " not much further and the view is worth it"
Even a small bit of positive influence can go a long way!

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee