Going on two decades ago I was a bike racer who trained nearly 7 days a week. My training regimen took 3 – 6 hours out of each day. There were two categories that I would put all of my rides into. Every day I was either “Getting Stronger” or “Getting Tougher.”

You see, there were days when it all seemed to fit together and I can remember flying up hill in the biggest gear I could find. The speed was coming from god knows where. My legs just felt great and the burn was actually a feeling that was a welcome, controllable, excellent feeling. Where these days came on training or race days, I purposely made everyone near me as miserable as I could. It’s a strange sickness we bicycle racers have. You know the bad days are near so you take every advantage of the good ones. These are the days that would go into the category of “Getting Stronger.”

Then there would be those days where even though my training was dialed in and I’d been doing everything I was supposed to, my legs would still feel heavy like concrete. They could not spin up the high RPM’s. Whether while training or racing, the idea of acceleration was just a myth to my body. These were the days that tested my mettle. These were the days that I’d want to quit and hang up the bike forever. Every athlete deals with this. There’s an ebb and flow to your training once you reach a certain point. You get to where you’re making monumental efforts for small gains. Then, if you’re lucky, you can apply some strategy to just barely hang on for dear life. These are the days I would put into the category of “Getting Tougher.” Because I certainly did not feel “Stronger.” Nothing would make sense and the mental perseverance of hanging in there was just an exercise in, well, NOT QUITTING.

The days of “Getting Stronger” were the days I’d cherish and they were the ones I held in highest regard. These to me were my most valuable category. The days of “Getting Tougher” were just miserable days of pound/flail, hack pack, 12k Dreaming — these were episodes I’d like to forget in my training.

What’s all this mean and how does it relate to the year 2009? In retrospect, 2009 was a year for “Getting Tougher.” I mean this in every sense, both personally and professionally.

We started the year out with a strategy. We defined our market, discussed our approach and refined our processes. The market continued to change around us and we had to evolve in ways that challenged us. It was like feeling our way around in a dark and unfamiliar room. Not a lot unlike going through a “Getting Tougher” training ride, in 38 degree weather, in the rain. Legs like concrete.

Lots of us had personal tragedies in our lives. I lost my most dear friend and mentor. Someone who influenced my life and my work in countless ways. Again these things leave you feeling your way around that dark and unfamiliar room.

That year, 2009, was also the year I had a tumor removed from my neck. A rare condition of my Thyroid that stopped me in my tracks for more time than I’d like to admit. The fear of cancer followed by a successful surgery with a benign result left me in that dark room again. Then there was the aftermath of learning about how my Thyroid levels were way off and wondering why my level of energy was so low. All this, accompanied by months of nausea and a host of other “unexplainable” symptoms. A few months ago I could not spell “Thyroid” — let alone know where it was located in the human body. Only in the past couple of weeks have I finally begun to feel human again. To feel like my old self.

Lots of people have had it worse, that’s an important reality. Perspective. Still though, there’s a valuable lesson to be had in all of this for me. And strangely, I’ve learned a lesson that I’m back-dating, to ancient history, my cycling days. Those miserable training days from years past. The days of “Getting Tougher.” I’ve learned to think of those days as the most important days of all. Those were the days where you learn intensely about failure, loss, pain, suffering. Those are the days that were going to get me through years like 2009. But there’s a funny way you can look at it. I also recall having days where I was in a “Getting Tougher” category in the middle of a race. Wanting to quit. Hating every second of the experience. These were the days later in my cycling career. I’d learned how Not To Quit. To hang in there and “switch on” the strategy. The strategy where you lean on your experience and know-how. The experience where you lean into the pain. Lean into the Resistance. The experience where you remember how to put yourself in the right place at the right time. To surround yourself with the right teammates. To cross the finish line before anyone else….your legs, heavy like concrete. More gritty, less pritty.

A few months back, while looking at the 2009 finish line from about 500 meters out, I’d imagined saying “good riddance” to that turbulent year. To erase it from the books as if it never existed. This seemed logical. How could I take anything from this year? How can life exist and even flourish beneath these dark clouds? The fact is, life did flourish.

So many things came from 2009. So many lessons. This was a “Getting Tougher” training event for so many of us. We leaned into our strategy. Even the strategy we had to make up as we went along. I had to let go of my business and heal. My team leaned into the business, the economy, and countless challenging projects. I learned the real value of trust as it was forcibly imparted to my team during my absence. I learned and reaffirmed my thinking that we’re not a vendor, but a partner to many great clients who put their trust in us to deliver on projects that are extremely important to their businesses. I’ve learned to step back (and working on this still) and just look at the work. To appreciate the work that has grown out of these partnerships and make note of some amazing results and additions to our portfolio.

I’m thankful for those excruciating training days that happened so long ago. Getting Tougher. I’m thankful for 2009 and for what it taught me. I’m thankful to have been so fortunate to have had a friend and mentor who took enough interest in me to change the direction of my life….and thankful that Dell and Gary Hamel gave me the opportunity to see him several times in the beginning of 2009 while doing business in the Bay area. To have amazing and valuable memories that make me smile and even laugh out loud.

Finally, I’m appreciative of my team at RD2. I’m appreciative of an amazing list of clients (in alphabetical order): CBRE, Dell, FirstSouthwest, Judge Susan Hawk, Microsoft, Online Trading Academy, PlainsCapital, Southwest Airlines, STA Travel, Texadelphia, Tyler Technologies, U.S. Home Team,   and WOW!.

2009 has been a year to remember. It’s been one of those “Getting Tougher” rides that will change things. Ultimately, 2009 will be a year that will make an enormous difference in our future. The value of “never quitting” contrasted against the idea of leaning heavily onto experiences, onto team mates, and into the Resistance.