Small but Mighty!

The phrase is so simple, yet it can say so much.  Small but Mighty.

Like celebrities, or iconic figures whose names become known as 'household names'...the phrase Small but Mighty could be considered a household phrase.  A phrase that has been used by so many people, to explain or define so many different things.

Today's post is going to be just that...small but mighty.  Okay, you're right...that's not proper grammar.  What do you expect?  I'm not a writer...just a blogger.  I don't have to, nor am I expected to use proper sentence structure when I put pen to paper, so to speak.  

Did anyone see that squirrel?

Hang on a second, while I circle back to what I was writing...sorry, blogging about.  Small but Mighty...yep, that's it.

Many of you who follow my life through the crystal ball of the 21st century - Facebook - know that I am involved with an amazing charitable organization; The Free Wheel Foundation.  You also know that the Free Wheel Foundation raises money for our countries fallen heroes, and their families, through a cycling event that is now known as The Ride 430 Challenge.  Last but not least, you also know that our team's training and fundraising efforts are in full swing, as we approach the start date of our 2014 Ride 430 Challenge...which by the way begins on October 8, and ends on October 11.  

Okay, one more thing!  You also probably know how passionate I am about this charity, and those who our efforts benefit.  When I tell you that, as I write this post, my eyes literally fill with tears as I think about the experiences I have had...in just my first year...I am being completely honest with you.  

Anyway...

Saturday mornings are Ride 430 team training days, and by the time October 8, 2014 rolls around, our team will have logged, literally, tens of thousands of miles on their bikes in preparation for our ride.  I tell you this not to boast, but to give you a better understanding of just how much this means to all of us...to honor, and to give back to those who have sacrificed so much for the freedoms that we, so often, take for granted.

I'm not going to lie...it's not always easy rolling out of bed at 4am to drive for an hour, to meet my teammates - my family - for a ride.  This morning when my alarm went off, I walked over to the window, and prayed that it would be raining outside.

It wasn't.

I loaded up and headed out to east Mesa, where many of our team rides begin...and of course, end.  We typically have anywhere between 10 and 20 riders.  Today however, our turnout was a bit small.  Small but Mighty.  There were only five of us today.  We did hook up with another one of our teammates along the road...and then we were six.

Small but...Mightier.

It's very fitting really.  You see, The Ride 430 Challenge team in it's entirety, is relatively small.  Make no mistake however...we are mighty!  The best way for me to drive home just how mighty we are, is by providing some comparative statistics.  Again, I'm not boasting here...well, maybe I am...and justifiably so.

From year to year, our team could include anywhere between 40-60 riders.  Many of us are from Arizona, but we are joined by some incredible people who make the journey from as far away as the East Coast, to be a part of this amazing journey.  Comparatively speaking, at most cycling (charitable) events, you could see hundreds...even thousands of riders ready to take part in either a race or a 'fun ride' that benefits a particular organization, or even an individual person.  The national average for the amount of money raised by any given rider (for the charitable cycling event) is just under $190 per rider.  In 2013 our team's average was nearly $7,000 per rider!

Small but Mighty.

Collectively, in 2013, our team raised nearly $550, 000 for our three partner charities...of which, roughly ninety-cents per each dollar raised goes directly towards supporting those charities.  The national average for charitable cycling events is about $12,000 per charity.

Small but Mighty.

I'm close to wrapping this up, but I feel the need to share one more thing with you before clicking on the publish button.  

As we were riding today, I couldn't help but think about another Small but Mighty team, who fought to protect the freedom of people they never knew, and will never have the opportunity to meet.  Many of those who protect our freedom from the front lines, work in Small but Mighty teams...often covertly.  If you have never read the book, or seen the film Lone Survivor, I encourage you to do both.  It is the real-life story of a team of four US Navy Seals whose mission was compromised, ultimately forcing them to make, quite possibly, the most difficult decision of their lives.  Three of the four were killed as they bravely fought off an army of roughly 100 Taliban soldiers.  The lone survivor, Chief Petty Officer Marcus Luttrell, lived to tell the story and honor is fallen brothers.  Many others also died during efforts to rescue these heroes.

As I rode today, legs screaming at me,  and my body wanting to give up and quit...I kept repeating to myself the words of US Navy Seal, Lt. Michael Murphy shortly before his death.  He told Marcus Luttrell "You're never out of the fight".  

While my fight today, was certainly nothing like what they experienced, or what our troops experience daily, it was a battle that I needed to get through.  Those words, and the thought of those men making the ultimate sacrifice for my freedom...kept me going.

Small but Mighty.