MiXercise
Bank2Bush
Journey leading up to Bank2Bush
My conditioning journey started about 2 years ago but I want to focus on the training I did in the 6 months prior to Bank2Bush. On the 30th of November 2023, I started my own personal Crossover. The Lord had started to speak to me about very specific things he wanted me to leave behind and some of the areas He wanted me to cross over in. Conditioning was one of the areas He wanted me to give attention to in December.
In December, my sister, Bernice and I decided to cycle every day (excluding mandatory rest days) and to complete the 600km challenge in December. Matt had set up a training program for us with longer rides and shorter zone 2 training days. I followed the program he set up on Intervals and joined all the group long rides that were made available for members of MiXchange. I remember suffering on the bike during the long rides but I kept going regardless of how fit I felt. Before the end of December, we decided to do our first 100km in one ride – which was also a barrier-breaking moment for me.
During the months of January, February, and March I felt really strong on the bike and I was having the time of my life. I always looked forward to being on the bike. I even started cycling in the A-batch because I didn’t feel challenged enough in the B-batch. Right before the Epic Training Camp, I went on a Shell ride with the A-batch and Pastor John. They dropped within the first 10km and I didn’t take it well. My confidence really took a hit that day.
On the Epic Training Camp, I decided to cycle with the B-batch again. I did break barriers due to the consecutive riding days but I felt that I had fallen into a slump. I also felt that I didn’t want to chase the A-batch for the wrong reasons. When the announcement for Bank2Bush was made, I started seriously looking into my heart so that I could prepare with the right attitude and intentions. I also started amping up my training slightly
My experience on the trip
I thoroughly enjoyed the fellowship on this trip and had many laughs on and off the bike. I was so focussed on being prepared for each ride that I didn’t really have time to think about whether I was sleeping in a tent or in a dorm. The food and the accommodation was good and I had great bunkmates the whole trip long. It was really drama free and a calm environment for me to mentally prepare for the next day of riding.
The cycling component was actually very enjoyable – although I had to dig deep on some of the hills. I never felt like giving up, but I had to push through some challenging sections. The downhills were quite technical and I honestly said, “Jesus take the wheel” on most of them. My angels really protected me and helped me get through some rocky sections that I’m not skilled enough to handle. On the uphills, I had many people supporting me and talking me through the pain. Mathew, Drew, Tish, and Anke all took turns to help me when they could see I was suffering. Sunelle was my guardian angel on this trip and made sure her little sister had a wheel to sit on on every tar section. I had this notion that I wanted to do Bank2Bush without being pushed or towed, but that is actually such a stupid goal. I honestly couldn’t have done it without the help of these people, OR the support crew, OR Matt, OR Pastor John. I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do it if I didn’t rely on the GREAT HELP of the Holy Spirit.
I give God all the glory for an enjoyable trip and for keeping me safe. I definitely want to do Bank2Bush again. My expectation for this trip was to learn a spiritual lesson by experiencing it physically on the bike. On the 2nd and 3rd day, there were some mean uphills and Pastor John made the call that some of us should get off the bike and then get back on after the hills. He also got off on those sections and said, “You aren’t supposed to suffer on the bike all the time. Cycling is supposed to be fun too.” This really made an impression on me, not only because he also got off the bike to protect those who physically couldn’t do it from feeling ashamed but he also helped me realise that Christian living is also not supposed to be hard all the time. God intended Christian-living to be fun too. There are certainly some uphills in life and sometimes you just have to endure the hardship because the waterpoint is just around the corner. But there are also some downhills with a spectacular view and the momentum of it just takes you into the next hill you have to tackle. God was speaking to me about en-JOYing life in Him more. Pastor John also said, “What you discover on the journey is just as important as getting to the destination.” I want to endeavor to simply enjoy the journey instead of getting worked up about getting to the destination. In hindsight, I could have enjoyed the journey and the landscape on Bank2Bush even more than I did.
I also literally experienced SKIPPING THINGS on the bike. Instead of cycling through the pain, God LITERALLY had me SKIP the uphills. Praise God! I know this is something that God declared would happen spiritually in our lives almost a year ago. I believe that this experience only heightened my expectation because I skipped things in the natural. I believe I will be SKIPPING THINGS in every area of my life from now on.
