Lent Day 31 (Saturday)

Exercise: Cycling 40 miles.  Today was a little windy, but a fantastic day out on the road for a group ride.  I got to go out with the local bike shop and get in some hard earned miles.  As the spring really kicks in, the available rides through the week will only increase, and I'll need to balance my want to ride in these groups versus the need to do more solo work to improve my skills.  

Verse:

Colossians 3:12-15
New King James Version (NKJV)
Character of the New Man¹² Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;¹³ bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.¹⁴ But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. ¹⁵ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Thoughts:  We've been watching older episodes of Warehouse 13 with the kids, and it has me thinking about how men are perceived.  Pete early on in the show is characters as a goofy guy that plays around and really is rather juvenile.  In the show he's supposed to seem childish, but honestly I admire the writers for creating a likable character that is able to have fun.  To be completely honest, I think he's the character that many young men would like to be:  lighthearted, loyal, and able to find the joy in a lot of simple things.  He's not one of those dark, brooding characters that we are so often given to look up to.  I believe that we need more rights of passage in our society, and that honestly men of my generation are just now starting to mature into responsible human beings; that is to say that the age of mental maturation in men has shifted from 25 to 35 in recent times.  While this is true, at the same time we've lost the ability to have silly fun and just enjoy things with childlike wonder.  Too often I feel the pressure to be the "adult", and having to be the person that is the buzzkill.  More often I need to find the way to lighten up and stop feeling the weight of responsibility and instead find a way to enjoy the time that I get to have with my children.  The time for them to be in my care is quickly fading as they become young adults.  They are learning the basics of how to survive on their own at this point.  I don't want to look back and say I missed out on opportunities with them that I'll never be able to experience again.  Maybe that's why grandparents are known for spoiling their grandkids:  they just want to recapture moments they thought were lost forever.

Lent Day 16 (Friday)

Exercise: Walking at lunch. Ended up walking around 2 miles to the bike shop downtown from the office at lunchtime. 

 Verse: 

Job 23:10-11

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
    when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
¹¹ My feet have closely followed his steps;
    I have kept to his way without turning aside.

Thoughts:  Today was dealing with a bit of frustration and disappointment.  I spent the week getting myself prepared, and even excited, for the Mitchell training ride that was supposed to be on Saturday.  The weather didn't look good, but I wasn't going to back down from it, but rather embrace the difficulty and put it as part of the epic nature.  60 mile rides with 5k vertical are not something new to me in general, but the focus of the training ride would have been.  Then the email came out today that the weather was looking worse and that the training ride was off.  I have to decide if the weather is going to hold long enough in the morning to brave the local shop ride, or if a Saturday ride is just out of the question.  

Lent Day 11 (Sunday)

Exercise: Cycling 54 miles.  It was a fantastic day to ride.  I'm glad I was able to get out and enjoy it with the folks from Brookwood Church.  Strava even called it "Epic"!

Verse:
Numbers 9:20-23

21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

²⁰ And so it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle, according to the commandment of the Lord they stayed in their tents, and according to the commandment of the Lord they journeyed.

²¹ And so it was, when the cloud tarried from evening unto the morning, and the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed. Whether it was by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they journeyed.

²² Or whether it was two days or a month or a year that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Israel remained in their tents and journeyed not; but when it was taken up, they journeyed.

Thoughts:  I was using my video camera yesterday, and I noticed a few things that I need to pray and reflect on about my personality.  This all stems around the personality trait that I have a 110% or nothing attitude.  I'm competitive, which I already knew.  If someone jumps off the front, I feel the need to chase them down rather quickly.  From a cycling perspective this is a separate issue from a personality issue, in that much of cycling is knowing when to use energy and when to conserve it.  As I look to challenge Mt. Mitchell in a few months, conserving energy is going to be the name of the game.  If I can manage a constant pace for 8 hours and conserve energy, I'll be fine.  If I start trying to keep with the "A" pace folks at 7am I'll blow up before lunch.  It's going to be a challenge in a sea of 1,000 people to set my pace and know what I need to do to win.  It's this setting of a pace that will benefit me in all aspects of my life, though.  I tend to push, and then burn out and rest;  throughout my day, week, month, and year.  If I can start mastering pacing at all levels, I think I can do more than I do now because I'll need less downtime.

Lent Day 10 (Saturday)

Exercise:  None - Rest.  Rainy day here, high was in the low 40's.  Cold + wet doesn't create a good environment for exercise for me.   Instead of pushing it and risking getting sick again, it was a rest/household kind of day.

Verse:
Proverbs 14:23

New International Version (NIV)

²³ All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Thoughts:  Multiple times this weekend articles about nutrition and how it impacts fitness have been presented to me.  Food is probably one of my biggest struggles since I started working on my overall health, and it's because it's an easy comfort area.  When you think about food like fuel, a lot of things change, but it's hard to implement those changes.  I've been doing a whole lot better about eating breakfast now.  It used to be that I'd have breakfast once or twice a week at most;  Now it's just part of the daily routine.  Figuring out how much is enough, and working out the evening/nighttime hungers is still a bit of a mystery to me, though.  I need to work on improving what I eat earlier in the day so my body has what it needs later in the day.  Knowing the basics is just the tip of the iceberg with nutrition, and any television ad or book that claims that there is a simple formula is just trying to take your money.  Calories in - Calories out = weight is true in the basics, but our bodies are the most complex engines ever developed.  We spend time and effort into engines that will only last a few years, but this is an engine we only get one of.  We have to treat it right, baby it, give it what it needs to be successful, and go out and enjoy it's performance from time to time. 

Lent Day 7 (Wednesday)

Exercise:  cycling 15 miles.  My intention was to ride a lot longer than this.  Instead of riding downtown I went to the Donaldson Center (SC-TAC) and rode some of the country loop.  Instead of being warm and little wind, it was windy and felt cold.  I'm glad I went, as I had a lot to prove to myself.  I'm so looking forward to April and the new season of Tuesday night country loop rides.

Verse:

Proverbs 17:9-10

New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

⁹ One who forgives an affront fosters friendship,
    but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend.
¹⁰ A rebuke strikes deeper into a discerning person
    than a hundred blows into a fool.

Thoughts:  Strangely enough it took me a while to find a bible verse tonight.  Typically throughout the day the theme of these posts has generally come from my experiences throughout the day.  Today, not so much.  I know that I've read this passage multiple times in my life, but I actually spent the time to read this particular one through various translations;  Not only to find the one that I thought fully conveyed what I'm feeling, but the one that I think really hit the heart of issues.  I personally tend to like to beat myself up over my own mistakes.  Two months or two decades, the things I've done (or haven't done) are always a handy weapon for the Enemy to use when I'm down.  I didn't go out and exercise on a particular day, I ate too much stupid stuff before dinner, I didn't say the right things at work.  The list is almost endless.  I need to be reminded often that while I can remember all of these crazy things, I don't need to hurt myself over them.  Until I can accept my flaws and my mistakes, how can I expect to improve on them and be the person that I'm supposed to be?  It's more than that, though: I need to make sure that what I'm saying to others conveys what I want in myself;  I need to be the example of God in my actions to others.  Even further, if others want to bring up my flaws as a way to keep wounds fresh, as a way of manipulating and controlling me, maybe they are people I don't need to be around. 

Lent Day 6 (Tuesday)

Exercise:  Rest Day

Verse:

Psalm 46:9-11

King James Version (KJV)

⁹ He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

¹⁰ Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

¹¹ The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

Thoughts:  I tend to be a "human doing" much more than a "human being".  I go from task to task, consumed with filling my waking hours with activities both required and recreational.  Every so often I'm reminded that God calls us to "be still, and know that he is God".  So often in the Bible rest is prescribed, and we as humans seem to ignore it.  We get worried about our own problems, and our own issues, that we forget that God owns it all.  We don't have to worry about being right or wrong, we don't need to be on the "winning" side, we need to be in step with God and let him do the lifting for us.

When I remember this, and I stop to rest and "be still" I know that all of my troubles are handled in Him, and that I should focus on what he needs calls me to be.  In this I can be content with what He has provided for me, and know that he walks with me at all times.  

I just need to be still, and know that HE is GOD.

Lent Day 5 (Monday)

Exercise:  Cycling, 19.5 miles.  It was windy today, made the ride harder than it shows on my tracking.  I tried a new path to get around up in Traveler's Rest.  I also had a chance to reflect on the past year and the changes that I've gone through.  I've ridden basically this same 19 mile path dozens of times in the past year, and it never really gets easier.  I just get stronger, and thus I push myself more to go faster and be stronger again.  I used to struggle to go 10mph in some sections of the trail, now I do those same sections at 20mph.  It's not easy, but the simple fact that I can do it shows the progress that I often forget to let myself see.  

Verse:

Romans 8:38-39

New International Version (NIV)

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thoughts:  Work kept me busy today.  I had more than one place where I could have stated that I didn't have time to do something more because of what the task was than the fact that I didn't really have time.  I made the time to do the extra work, though, and didn't really stress over it.  It got a lot done faster, and without any drama, so it was worth it.  The upside to me individually is that I was able to work on things that I typically don't believe I have a strong knowledge of, and work through the issues that I encountered.  

What are you aiming for?

 I receive emails from Chris Carmichael this week, and it struck a very major chord with me.  It's something I  had already experienced, and after getting through it and looking back, it's such a major reason why so many people "quit" or in my case took too long to try.

You have to continually focus on where you’re going to be and how you’re going to get there. In the early days of a new business, the start of a long education process, or the beginning of your path to an athletic goal, where you are stinks. You can barely support yourself, nobody gives you any respect, and you’re working terribly hard for what seems like very little reward. A lot of people get stuck there, because they spend too much time focused on where they are and too little on where they’re headed.

The simple fact is this - as long as you are focused on doing what you are doing now, you will not get to where you want to go.  I spent years wanting to lose weight.  I thought "if I was just 20, or 30, pounds lighter things would be so much better.  My focus was always on the weight.  The simple fact is weight does not define you, it can only limit you.  Once my focus changed from weight to activities, I saw change.  Now I look at goals, and my goals get larger.  Yeah, I like a good burger from time to time, and I like pizza.  I like standing on top of White Oak mountain, claiming victory over a grueling ride.  I like coming back tired and sore from a hard shop ride, knowing that I at least kept the group that I couldn't stay with in sight as I was getting dropped.  I like that I feel like I can go out and DO things.  The difference is that I'm not defining myself by food, but rather by the other things that need to be in my life.

This is a major change for me.  Last year at this time I was struggling with just going 7 miles without having to stop for a break.  I had to make hard decisions, and decide what was important to me.  If that means getting in miles during lunch, and having to heat up my lunch while on a conference call while not being able to  change until after the call is over.  Having to chase that last bit of daylight, and having a late dinner because I have to get to the gym.  If I'm not going to make the time to do these things, I'm not going to get stronger.  It's a hard reality.  As I face down my 38th birthday, my goals only get larger and more seemingly Ludicrous.  I mean, is it feasible for me to expect to be able to ride the Assault on Mt Mitchell in 2013?  It's 100 miles of riding and 10,000 feet of climbing.

It's just another stepping stone in my active lifestyle.  It means a lot of hard work over the next 6 months, but I look forward to standing at the highest point in the Eastern United States, victorious.

Wheels for Meals 2012

Originally I had set myself some rather meager goals for this year, mostly in preparation for the Stars and Stripes Challenge over Memorial Day and in general being able to hang with the Donaldson Tuesday night Country Loop.  After having such a spectacular time going through Rob's Big Losers, when Rob invited me to ride on the Wheels for Meals charity ride I couldn't say no.  I was honored that he'd think of me and invite me to come out!  That said, he helped me get my registration information in, and I was all set for last weekend.  I decided to challenge myself and make this trip my first Metric Century (100km or ~62 miles) as well.  I knew that this would be rough, but I also had a few friends that were planning on taking on the course and said they would ride with me.



It was a nice cool morning as we headed out from Furman University heading towards the base of Ceaser's Head Mountain, which was very much a blessing.  This course was extremely challenging for me as a less experienced rider.  The terrain was non-stop for the entire 100 kilometers.  Unlike several courses I've personally done already where you get some longer stretches of flat or near flat and enough downhill to recover for the next push uphill, this was true rolling hills, where each downhill was greeted with more climbing.  The event was extremely well organized and well planned out, so the water stops were really when you needed them, and the snacks they had on hand made me regret packing a bit heavy for the trip.  I had packed snacks, extra electrolytes and an extra water bottle not knowing for sure what to expect.  I also made a mistake in having both my main water bottles be full of my electrolyte powder, which was way too strong and too much for my body to handle while at speed.  Until the first water station, where I refilled one of my main bottles with just water and sipped the electrolyte drink when I felt I really needed the extra, I was really hurting to keep up. Once I made that adjustment it was good.

The "main event" for the day though was really going up Callahan Mountain right by "Camp Old Indian".  This one mile stretch of road is 400 feet of elevation at an average of 7% incline.  There are sections of it that are over 10% at times.  It was also the midpoint of the ride, so I had to ride what was typically a "full" ride for me, then climb this gruntastic beast, then ride another 30 miles.  The water break was about 2 miles before the start of the climb made a huge difference, too.  When we got to the base of the climb, we were able to scale it efficiently and had reserves to keep on going.  As we got to the 50 mile mark, I was really ready for that last water stop, though.  Just the time with our feet down to let my legs rest was a much needed break for me, even if I didn't need much more than a water refresh to keep on going.

The most difficult part of the trip was the last 4 miles, though.  When we got back into Traveler's Rest, I was very prepared for the route to push us onto the Swamp Rabbit and a nice easy spin back to Furman.  Instead we went beyond the entrance to SRT and into the neighborhoods to the west.  We got to go by the TR YMCA (which looked to be a really nice facility from what I saw of it) and around to a little golf community on the side of a hill.  There were some very challenging climbs in here, not as long as anything like Callahan, but steep for the little bit of time you were climbing them.  That plus the 60 miles that were already on my legs made the end extremely challenging for me.  At the end we paced over 15mph through the course including stops, and got back just in time for lunch (which was Pork with Rice and Beans!) and a nice cold beer.  I am definitely looking forward to going on this ride again next year, as it was a lot of fun and benefits a great organization.

At the After Ride luncheon!

A Pirate Looks (down) 40

As I blogged on Feb 24, I promised myself that I would write an entry that was in reference to the Jimmy Buffett album when I got to a total of 40 lbs of weight lost in this journey.  Since I do not have an accurate starting point from before January, I'm using what I have as reference.  That is to say, I started at approximately 255 lbs when I started in January, and I was chosen to be a part of the Rob's Big Losers.  It is now April, and I am weighing in around 215 lbs, which marks a whopping 40 lbs that I lost during the 12-week journey!  It was not "easy", and honestly I would be disappointed if it had been.  The hard work that I put into just fuels me to keep going further, to enjoy the new lifestyle, and to want to give back to others to help inspire them to do more.

My Before and After photos from the Rob's Big Loser journey!

When I look at photos like this, I cannot believe that I am this different person now.  I don't see myself in the mirror and say "wow, I've changed a lot", but if the camera adds 10 lbs, it adds it equally.  I don't see the 5 INCHES I have removed from my waistline, but I have the measurements to know it's gone.  I have now completed my first 5k, I have my first Metric Century (100km) ride scheduled for Saturday, and another 5k planned for next week.  These are things that the old me would have found awesome, but would have been physically impossible for me.  Now I know that "all things are possible through Christ who gives me strength".

I look at my current body makeup and I realize just how far of a journey I had from the start, and the limits that I was putting on myself.  I mean, I've lost 40 pounds off of my frame.  In January I hoped to get down into the 220's for the first time in about 20 years, and I had the artificial barrier of having "plateaus" and I didn't fully understand my goal weight at all.  For years I've believed that I couldn't get down under 200 pounds, as the one time I was close it was because I was sick.  Now that I'm at 215, I realize that the end result on the scale isn't really the imporant thing, but that I can trim a LOT more off of my frame than I realized.  I love that my body is responding to the challenges that I put it up to, and that both mentally and physically God has gifted me with the ability to create new challenges for myself.  What I realize is that I am a continual work in progress, and while I still struggle with artificial barriers to what I can accomplish I don't need to let them limit me.  I may not be able to run a marathon today,  but I can set goals to do it, and work towards my goals.

I cannot wait to blog about completing my first 100km ride on Saturday.  It should be a fantastic trip!

Graduation (but not the end!)

I kept wanting to figure out how to title this entry.  I had several different titles come through my head, but honestly today has felt more like Graduation than any day in my life.  I missed out on my High School Graduation as a kid, but in many ways I have many of the same feelings right now that I had right before then.  I've made so many new friends in the past 12 weeks, and I hope that we can continue to help motivate and encourage each other as we start the next legs of our journeys.  It's not the end of my Journey, but it's the end of this 12-week challenge.

And if it's the end of the 12-week challenge, that means it's time for the 5th Annual Eastside YMCA Run 4 Fun 5k!  Today we got a chance to see just how far we've come, weigh in, and put all the effort into one event to launch us into the next stages of our lives.

The day started at 7am when we had to report in early to get weighed in and get our run packets.  I got number 112 and I tallied my final totals for the contest.  While I lost more weight in the final 6 weeks of the challenge, my total body fat % change leveled off at right under 25%.  I am not upset over this total, as it shows that I am in the "normal" range.  Later I found out that I came in 2nd for the contest, which I'm proud of.

At 8am the fun run started, and my two younger kids got to participate.  On the way to the run I ended up giving my middle daughter some advice on how to run for distance, sharing tips that Rob Dempsey had given me as a part of the Rob's Big Losers.  I was so impressed when she took the advice and I saw her chugging along on the track for the fun run, keeping an awesometastic pace.  Being able to be a Dad that gives advice on how to be more active and be able to extend yourself to my daughters was just a complete blessing.  Both of them crossed the finish line strong!

Once the fun run was finished, it was time for the 5k to start.  We got down to the starting area, and I ended up deciding to start near the back with Amber, Lisa and Nina (our wellness coach).  George went up near the front, and we could tell that he was ready for a strong run.



The gunshot went off, and I started at a steady pace trying to make sure I saved something for the return trip.  As we moved out, I slowly started moving up in the pack, going through some of the slower people.  Trying to wade through people was a bit challenging, but in the end it helped me to figure out the strategy on how to get through the race.  What I ended up having to do was pick up the pace in between packs, and then slow down when I reached them until there was a way to get beyond.  It ended up being a lot like interval training, and allowed me to push a little harder and set my goals 1 pack at a time.  We made the first turn, and as I came up to the water station I was disappointed, as my time was over 11 minutes.  Just after the water station we reached the 1 mile mark, and I had a time of 11:55.  Not bad, and definitely a strong first mile.

The second mile went by easier.  At this point the packs were less and less, and I was focusing on catching the people in front of me one at a time.  I had gotten into a rhythm at this point, watching my heart rate as a way to determine my intervals.  I'd let my heart rate come down to approximately 148, and then pick up the pace until I was in the 170's.  Rinse and Repeat.  As we reached the end of the 2nd mile, I noticed that my time had improved, but I really didn't pay much attention to the segment time at this point, I was looking at the people in front of me and setting my sights for who I could catch and when.  By the time I reached the water station on the return trip, I could see Jenna (one of the other big losers) in front of me.  I didn't think I could manage to catch up to her, but I kept going through the intervals and doing my best.

The third mile seemed like it was the easiest and the hardest at the same time.  I ended up catching Jenna before the turn home, and slowed down to run with her some.  I am social in the fact that I like to keep with folks that I know and keep company, especially on rides and runs.  It definitely makes it more "fun" for me than just the pure competition.  Jenna was concerned about getting in under her previous record, which was somewhere in the 34 minute mark.  I just wanted to finish strong at this point.  About this time Rob came jogging up to run with us back in to the finish line.  I started to up my pace, and he kept encouraging me to keep it going, knowing that we were close.  I knew my heartrate strategy at this point would probably be out the window, and I just wanted to keep under my max for the final sprint.  Even before I started the race, I knew that I wanted to put everything I had into the final stretch, and run my heart out to the finish line.  As we turned the final corner, I took off.  I ended up passing a bulk of folks that were trotting in at the end, and just bared down to the finish line.  I crossed the line at full steam, and had to find a way to stop as several folks were stopped in the middle of the corral at the end to turn in their tags.  I got my tags turned in, and got a water and started to cool down.  I ended up being the 2nd of the Big Losers to cross the finish line.

the gentleman right behind me ended up in 3rd place in my age category.
 I was just blessed to finish in under 34 minutes!

After finishing I went back up to see if I could find George and then look for the rest of the GHS folks.  After a bit Terra came through, and we ran for a bit with her down the last tenth of a mile, and I went back up again.  Lisa and Nina came up a little while later, and I went up to meet them and run the last 1/4 of a mile with them back in.  After that I stayed at the end and didn't try to go back up, as I started to really feel sore!  I did some stretches, and I got a snack to help refuel, and I rested.

Later on I found out that George got 3rd place in his division.  There were several other Big Losers that won medals, and even though I'm sure that I finished ahead of the guy that won the 3rd place for my division, I realized the medal wasn't the important thing for me today.  Last year if I had attempted anything of this level, I would have walked it at best (if I could have completed it at all).  Today I ran a 5k and finished in under 34 minutes!  Regardless of anything else, the biggest thing I could have won today was the confidence to go out and put in that level of effort, and the Ability to be a witness to the Love and Power of Jesus when you trust him with everything, including your wellness.

At the end of the day all of the other Rob's Big Losers were the biggest winners for what we had done together.  I hope that we can continue to encourage and inspire each other, and maybe even convince each other to show up to events and keep in touch.  It's been a complete blessing for me on this Journey, and I look forward to being able to give back to help inspire even more folks to take the first step and see where God really and truly wants to take you!

 I've uploaded all of my pictures from the day to Picasa.  Check them out!

Making an Impression on a Group Ride

Reminder - I'm still hoping to find folks willing to sponsor me for the Palmetto Peloton Project's Stars and Stripes challenge.   I need approximately 10 people to donate $25 each to help Cancer Research and Support in order to reach my goal.  The money that is raised is given to the organizations helping current cancer patients as well as funding research here locally in the Upstate.  If you can help support me, please go to the donation page and select "Brian Lube" from the drop down list.  If you have already donated to support me, please drop me a line and let me know so I can make sure that your donation is properly documented.  Thanks again for all the support during this journey!

This week I found out about a group ride that was being sponsored by one of the local racing groups in support of one of their sponsors:  Proaxis Therapy.  The purpose of this ride was to gain awareness for the services that Proaxis has and provide knowledge to the riders that may be beneficial.  It sounded like a really good time, thus I signed up to attend.  After church on Sunday I suited up with a brand new Jersey (my favorite Star Wars one is just too big now at XXXL, the new UCF one I'm wearing is a nice L with a little room in it at this point.  I'm calling it "club fit") and headed to the meet point.

I got there and met up with a bunch of the Brookwood Church folks that usually are on the Sunday ride that I attend, and we all had a chance to chat and such.  One of the guys that I knew even won the door prize of new water bottles from Greenville Cycling Center!  After the door prizes were handed out, we headed out on the ride.  We took off through Heritage park, and I made note that they have Train Rides for $2 over there, and enjoyed the scenery.  Through much of the first part of the ride I was mostly aware of the area that we were riding in, and with the large number of people in the "B" ride (there had to be 25+ of us in the group) I wasn't having to put out a large effort.  I did get separated from Joel at the beginning, so I was looking to drop back some, but I was happy overall with my position in the group.

Then, about 30 minutes into the ride, it happened.   I was attempted to signal that the right shoulder wasn't clean, and I ended up instead hitting some of the "not clean" section of the right shoulder!  The next part is a blur in memory, but I remember knowing that I just had to hang on and not do anything drastic.  I knew that oversteering or overbraking at this point would mean disaster, and would more than likely hurt someone else more than it would hurt myself.  I felt myself heading deeper into the shoulder, and saw brush (and wasn't sure if it was a fence, too) on my right side.  All of the sudden my handlebars touched the brush, and the rest became history.



I got up rather quickly to proclaim "I'm alright", with the response of "no you're not!" coming back and me rather quickly.  I took a quick survey of the bike and myself, and I didn't feel anything that was out of place or broken.  I found both of my water bottles, and I checked my front tire which was still round and in fact still inflated.  I then tended to a few of the cuts that were deeper, and the SAG vehicle came over and helped me clean up a bit more and bandage up my finger which had the worst of the cuts.  A few ants, mostly scrapse and one decent cut.  Not too bad.  I gathered up the rest of the stuff that fell off, fixed my front light (which was now pointing to the ground) and started testing everything out.  Next I figured out that my front Derailuer was turned, such that I couldn't move the chain.   A quick adjustment to move it back to in line with the crank, and I thought I was good to go.  I got about 200' up the road and something didn't feel right. Come to find out, my rear tube was completely flat!  A couple of folks had stayed back with me (thanks Jerry and Ken!) and quickly Jerry had the rear tire off and was switching out the tube.  The "C" group goes flying past, and we're still putting the bike back together.  After a grand total of about 15 minutes, I was finally able to get back up and rolling.

Now the fun started.

We gave the "B" group a 15 minute head start, and the "C" group had passed us before we started moving, but I just got onto Jerry's wheel and we took off.  We went through just some amazing countryside, and a part of me is wondering how I was able to admire it as we went into Spartenburg county, and I learned about the estates out there with vineyards that had grapes that started with S (Jerry couldn't remember the name off hand) and we kept on moving.  I wasn't really paying attention to the speed, except to see that the average speed on my bike computer kept increasing.  Then we started seeing other riders.  We found the C group!  We found them, and proceeded to go right through them on our way to see if we could catch up with the B's.  About 10 minutes later while climbing one of the tougher hills of the afternoon we see Dan jumping into the back of the SAG truck to change a flat.  We rolled up and had to exclaim "we didn't know we could change the flat on the back of the truck" as we went through.  It had only taken us approximately 40 minutes to close a 15 minute gap that had been created by the crash!

After we got caught up, we stayed with the group for a bit, until we got back to 101.  At this point there is a sharp right turn, and then a steep hill.  We came to a stop, and I didn't manage to get into the proper gear in time.  It became an epic struggle to get up the hill, and at this point Joel had a pretty decent gap between himself and the back of the group.  I dropped back with him, and the two of us ended up just teaming up the rest of the way home.  For all the times that Joel has stayed back with me when I was off the back, I felt honored and priveledged to spend the time back there with him yesterday.  To me that was better than any time trial or any personal goal out there on the road.  We made it back without any additional incidents.  When we got back, I had plenty of folks that were commenting on the ride, and how surprised they were that I wasn't more seriously injured.  To that I give all the credit to God, as he was the one in control of that situation.  I know I sure wasn't, and I know luck has nothing to do with situations.

The most interesting part, though, is the comments that I have gotten since last night:

Epic wipeout indeed! Didn't even miss a beat...tried to jump right back on the bike like nothing happened!

epic wipeout indeed! I heard something behind me and turned my head to see your bike flying upside down into the the brush. I rode back thinking I would see someone badly injured, but you seemed to only have picked up a bunch of leaves and grass and a few ants.

I can't wait to read your blog about the ride today!

Were you doing full spandex cycle jousting? 

I will say that I definitely made an impression with a large number of people yesterday, although honestly I'm not sure if I can say if it was a positive or negative overall impact.  I would suggest that if you are looking to meet new people and cycling is your thing, areal acrobatics will definitely get you attention (although you may require medical attention as well!).  After my experiences, I think any career in "full spandex cycle jousting" will have to wait, though.

I do count myself as absolutely blessed that not only was I not injured as a part of this ride, but that after the crash I was able to get back on the bike and complete it.  Not only does it remove any lingering fear that I may have had regarding riding again, as I got back up and got back on the bike immediately, but it showed me that I'm not invincible on the bike without causing myself a lot of damage.  As it is I think this week is going to be a "resting" week for me as I prepare for the 5k on Saturday, and the upcoming Wheels for Meals ride on April 28th.  Letting my body mend and having good fresh legs for the weekend I think are going to be key this week.

Paris Mountain Repeats

Over Easter weekend I didn't get a chance to really push myself riding, so today I decided I would attempt to do an up-over-back on Paris Mountain.  I knew it would be rough, and I knew that the temptation to not go back was going to be rough.  My original hopes was that I'd go through the neighborhoods around the base of Paris Mountain, depending on how my legs felt after the repeats.  The ride up was speedy and a nice warm up, and I felt strong as I started up the Furman side.  What I didn't expect until I hit the lap button is that I managed to get to the top in under 20 minutes.



The ride down was good, and I didn't press myself to get to the bottom so I had a little time to recover before the trip back up.  Once at the bottom I turned right back around and started back up.  At this point my legs were tired, and at the wall I realized that my legs weren't as fresh on this side as they were on the Furman side. I really wanted to power up the segment and have a strong finish, but instead I had to gear down and just spin up it.  Again, what I didn't realize is that I actually did power up it.  By the time I got to the top the second time, my legs were monstrously tired, but still had enough energy to finish the ascent.

I can tell that the bike fitting as well as the work I've been doing afterwards are really starting to pay off.  I'm starting to feel when I'm driving my knees right, it's like I can feel the power transfer right to the pedals.  It's hard to explain the feeling, but it feels right.  I'm still noticing times when I'm pointing my toes as well as times where I'm overcompensating and pressing my heel down.  It just shows I have work to do, but when it's all moving I can tell the improvements.

Expectations

As a reminder - I'm riding in the Palmetto Peloton Project's Stars and Stripes Challenge this memorial day to help raise money for Cancer Research and support.  If you can, I'd love it if you would help sponsor me.  The majority of the money stays in the Greenville Area locally to help with Cancer Research, the rest is donated to Amgen to help Cancer patients and survivors.  You can support me by making a donation on their website (https://secure.p3ride.org/donate/index.php?eid=1) and selecting "Brian Lube" in the drop down list of riders.


I've found it more and more difficult to blog after every workout.  It's not that I'm not going out and riding, in fact last week I managed to not only do one of my best runs ever, but I was on the bike for almost 100 miles as well!  It's more that I don't want to just post up "went for yet another 31 mile ride today" or something minor.  I feel like I need to write about more than just what I did, but how this journey is changing and how I feel.  That said, I had a fantastic run/walk last week, where Rob Dempsey from HISRadio really pushed my limits.



It was interesting, because I didn't intend to work as hard as I did there, and I really didn't expect to be running with Rob that evening at all.  I had emailed out to our Big Losers group that I was planning on doing a run/walk that evening, as I knew that I spent too much time on the bike and that the 5k was about 3 weeks away.  I got there, and Rob was just running up, and I saw a few others already out walking.  I let Rob know that the others were out on the course, and I set off to catch them.  A few minutes later Rob caught up with me, and it ended up that only two of us were really able to run that evening (a few of the others have had foot/knee issues that make them unable to run at this time).  Thus the two of us take off around the outside loop of Brookwood church.  Rob gave me some awesome advice on how to work on my pace, and he was encouraging me to push a little longer than I thought I could go.  The end result was a 1 mile lap that was faster than I've ever run, and a renewed sense of heightened expectations for myself.

Listen to my conversation with Rob and Kristen on their highlights page!


Expectations are always a weird thing to me.  Typically they are pressure that I feel from outside forces, but I am always my own worst critic.  I feel like I can do more, be faster, work harder, be stronger.  Although it seems strange, I also tend to put artificial limits on what I can do, or should be able to do for longer term goals. At this point in my journey, I see that there is nothing beyond my scope of vision that I cannot accomplish if I put my heart into it and let God determine the pace.  I may not compete in an Ironman tomorrow, but if I keep working at it I know I can.  Right now my focus is on SCTAC tomorrow night, and experiencing that level of group ride for the first time.  After that is the 5k at Eastside YMCA to cap off the end of this 12-week warm up to the rest of my life. In May is the Stars and Stripes Challenge by P3group and Amgen to help raise money for Cancer Research.  There will be new events and new challenges that I will be training for, but as long as my focus is on my journey and I let Christ be the focus and the glory, I know that all things are possible.

Zumba Night - 2 guys, 947 girls

After the Boot Camp, several of my friends in Rob's Big Losers had stated that they were going to the Zumba class at GHS YMCA on Monday evening, and had invited me to come along.  Now, knowing that I'm so into music that I've been known to be cutting a rug at 3am, I figured this would be easy.  Truth be told, I don't go dancing, and the idea was slightly frightening to me.  Monday nights is Zumba for All, though.  Thus we packed up the girls and we ALL went to Zumba.  

As a very brief summary of the event follows, along with what I learned about Zumba as vehicle for my personal fitness.  I have nothing against Zumba itself, there were a lot of folks that were having a lot of fun dancing around to the routines.  That said, the music definitely wasn't in my range of acceptable.  It was alright, but it wasn't anything I was going to go make a mix tape of or anything.  There was a definitely salsa-esq rhythmic beat to it, though, which I would assume makes following the routine easier if you can keep up with the routine in the first place.

Most of the routines looked so simple when I saw that little skinny thing doing them up on the stage.  Amazingly, though, during the course of the last 10 weeks on this journey God has not mystically replaced the feet I was born with with those of Fred Astaire (or even Jerry the Mouse!).  Also, after attempting to go through the routines, I realized I am not a rear-engine body type, and certain things cannot move in that fashion!  Lastly, I realized I was sorely needing different workout clothes to the ones that I came in.  I say this because I felt very "uncontained" at times jumping around.  This is just not a feeling that anyone really wants to have.

All said and done, I had an okay time, although I was more than slightly self conscious in the class.  Not having "the moves", or even really understanding the routines, puts me into an uncomfortable state of feeling like a dork while waving my arms around being an idiot.  I did take several positives away from the experience.  

First is that I tried something outside of my "norm".  In general I'm a "bike 3-5 times a week" type of person.  Heck, I can easily get into ruts where I eat the same thing and even start wearing similar clothes throughout the week because it's comfortable.  Changing my workout routine I know will help stave off  the evil "p" word, which I'm already starting to battle.  Second, which is a lot like the first, I learned more about what vehicles I want to take in my fitness journey.  While I don't think a steady dose of Zumba is really the thing for me to move myself towards God's image of me, it's definitely something different and something the whole family can do together.  Third, it's a strong reminder that I cannot just do something new and expect to be good at it.  I know this already, but getting a healthy dose of reality is always a little bitter to take.  Lastly it has made me think more about what I need to be doing during my "rest days" on the bike.  I need to figure out how to get the other things I want and need to do into the program, so I do not neglect anything.  I have the 5k coming up in a few weeks, I need to do more strength training, and I want to spend more time in the pool.  All of that won't fit into my current cycling schedule at the same time, but I'm thinking maybe I can rotate through them in such a way as to make it all work.

RBL Boot Camp #2 - It was so brought.

This morning was the second of the Rob's Big Losers BootCamps.  This time we were at the Adam's Mill YMCA center, and this time it was outside.  I felt like I was in 5th grade again, having a field day (in every sense of the word!)

We started out doing some warm up exercises, and they were okay.  Then we moved into a "field games" exercise.  During this we had several stations set up, and for the first round we did each station for 2:30.  The stations were as follows:

• 4-corners station:  In this station was set up in a square, where we started at the first cone.  
• run from first to second cone
• side step to the third cone
• back peddle to the last cone.  
• Kettle Bell station:  At this station we worked in pairs.  The first person would run up to the kettle bell (about 15 yards away) and do hip thrusts, then run back and tag the second person.  
• Medicine Ball Station:  We did side extensions, swinging the medicine ball from bottom one side to top the other 4 times, switching, then tossing the ball to our partner.  
• Ladder Drill:  We ran through the ladder doing different drills along the way, the drills were
• Straight through
• Double step
• Straight through
• Side Step
• Straight through
• in and outs
• Punching Station:  At this station we did punching drills, including hitting some punching targets from time to time.  The last minute we did uppercuts the whole time.

After we completed all the stations, we repeated them but this time for only 1:30 at each station.  A couple of the stations were modified for the second time around.  The 4-corners station had high steps and then 5 jumping jacks when you reached the second cone, and sprinting from the third to fourth cone instead of back peddle.  The medicine ball station was squat tosses the second time around.

At the end of the stations, we lined up in two teams, shoulder to shoulder.  From there we handed a medicine ball down the line, and the person at the end of the line had to run the medicine ball to the other end and start the ball going again.  Once the person that started the ball had run to the beginning of the line, the whole line had to move to the other end of the field (maybe 30 yards) and do the drill again.  We had a friendly competition between the teams as we went (but my team won!)

The last event was a water race.  We had buckets set up maybe 20 yards apart, one empty and one full.  We were then given an 8oz plastic cup and lined up, again in the two teams.  We had to go one at a time to the full bucket, fill the cup, and run back to fill the empty bucket.  The first team to fill the bucket "won".  It was a really close race until team 1 accidentally knocked their "fill" bucket over!  Our team had planned to help them after we filled ours, but once we had filled the bucket Rob ran over with team 1's "full" bucket and helped them out.  Notice that my team won again ;)

After we were done with the games we did a round of cool down and stretches, then gathered for prayer and had some fellowship time.  Lisa had said we should all gang up on Rob, so he started to run away.  I decided to give chase and eventually "tagged" him!  If anyone should happen to have a photo of that, I'd love to get a copy.  After the stressful week that I had with all sorts of personal hurdles that I managed to jump knock over, this was just like being a kid again.  It was 1000% what I needed to refuel me.

I can say for absolute certainty that everyone that showed up today was 100% a winner.  We had a fantastic time with a bunch of courageous folks that have started a fantastic journey together.  I cannot imagine a better way to spend the first gorgeous spring weekend than outside, being active, with great friends.  The 5k is just weeks away at this point, and I look forward to seeing everyone again, and it not being "the last time".   I wonder if Rob has "reunion" workouts for all the RBL Alumni that everyone could get together and have fun?

Making me "FIT"

When I originally thought about this title, it was with the thought of talking about the "fit" on my bike, including my clothes.  What I realized as I started writing, though, is that my "fit" has much to do with my "FIT"ness, and the obvious double entendre was plain as day.   Which brought my thoughts down a completely different path.  So far this week, I've managed to get out on three rides:  Sunday I rode by myself, Tuesday was another warm up for the SCTAC season, and Wednesday was a recovery/fit ride.   I say "fit ride" in the sense that I had to adjust my saddle height yet again, since on Tuesday night my knee was extremely sore about halfway through the route.  This time, however, it wasn't in the spot where I know I have some patellar tendinitis, but rather higher up on the knee, near where the knee meets the quad.

Thus last night I went out and brought the saddle up again, this time an additional 1/4 of an inch or so (maybe closer to a 1/2 inch total).  I still have a few measurements and adjustments to do (as well as a few rides) to make sure I have the height set correctly, but with no noticeable pain after a 20 mile ride up the Swamp Rabbit trail, I think I'm pretty close.  That said, I have a new issue:  Neck/Shoulder pain.  It's not really that new, but after the trip last night my shoulders HURT.  I typically call that my back, but back implies the lower back.  This is up near the shoulder blades.  Before this pain was closer to my neck, and just getting some good stretches helped out immensely.  Now, I'm pretty sure this is saddle distance from the bars, especially when I'm in the drops.  I say this because I had already known I was "shrugging" a lot on the hoods before, and now that the angle is sharper (with the seat higher), I'm figuring I need to adjust it.  

This all ties into the second "FIT" of this post:  My overall fitness.  When I first got this bike 6 months ago, I could ride with no noticeable pain at all.  I rode for over 1,000 miles, and the worst I did was started to aggrevate a knee that had a prior injury.  After doing a little more reading, that tendinitis is something I should expect, as there is scar tissue from the Osgood Schlatters on the entry of that tendon to my shin.  Then again, that was at least 30 lbs and 1,000 miles ago.  I wear pants 2 sizes down from before.  My jersey (which was a club fit XXXL should really be a size L.  I started with 3XL pants, I'm now wearing XL bibs.  

When I have thought about weight loss, or "FIT"ness, I have always just assumed I'd be smaller, but in specific ways.  I'm realizing that the new me "FITs" into a whole host of things differently.  The journey has just started, but moments like this are definitely the roses to enjoy along the way.

Dealing with Self Image

One of the most difficult things I've dealt with recently hasn't been a trip up the Watershed, or my knee bothering me, or even being hungry all the time:  it's been my self image.  For the majority of my life, and all of my adult life, I've been a large individual.  Even at my "game weight" when I was a kid playing baseball, I was considered large.  Even when I could run the bases faster than almost anyone else on the field, when I could make the plays and put my heart into it, I was "large".  Thus is my body type, and some of my self image issue. I've always seen myself as large, so how can I deal with the idea that I could be skinny.

Fast forward to last Thursday.  I took a ride to the top of the Greenville County Watershed, on a road that leads from Tigerville, SC to Saluda, NC.  We only went as far as the state line before we turned around, but it was a fantastic trip.  At the top my friend John took a few pictures of my "triumph".   One of the shots he took really make me take a step back and re-evaluate what my self image should be.

I've posted the other pictures in various places, but this one really speaks volumes to me.  In this picture I'm not "bulky", and you can tell that the jersey I'm wearing is a few sizes too big.  To me it shows the level of commitment and effort that I have put into this Journey over the course of 1,000+ miles and countless hours on the bike.  I don't look "fat" or "large", but I look like a work in progress that is starting to take shape.  I know that I still have 20+ lbs on my belly that need work.  I know that I'm not "in shape" yet.  I know that I have muscle and endurance to build.

But I also know now that I'm not always going to be "large".  I can be "Brian".

Inside My Numbers: Februrary

When I watch ESPN, they have a segment called "Inside the Numbers", which talks about the numbers associated with a stat/sport.  In reverence for how amazing some of these numbers are, I titled this post accordingly.  I took a look at my numbers from February, and there are some interesting factoids in there that I want to go over, and the format from the ESPN segment seems the most appropriate.  Most of these stats are based on my information on SparkPeople, as this is currently where I keep the majority of my data.  I keep wanting to switch over to TrainingPeaks, but the momentum is a bit overwhelming for me right now.  I have 3 months of data in SparkPeople, and the tracking is easier there.  I really don't like having to enter things in more than one place at a time, which is also a drawback.   That said, the numbers:


1580:  The number of Fitness minutes that I logged during the month of February.
201: Distance traveled, in miles, during the month.  This is both walking and cycling
669:  Daily average calorie burn over the month
45762:  The total calorie differential (estimated).  This is BMR + Exercise - Eaten for the entire month
13:  The amount of weight lost between 2/3 and 3/2

These numbers show just the level of effort that I was blessed enough to put out in February, and just how much work it takes to drop the weight.  What I've realized is that these numbers are not realistic to maintain for an extended period of time, and honestly I don't want to.  At some point I have to gain more muscle mass than fat loss to get to my goals.  And building weight costs calories, and not calories that can be created by stored fat.  But seeing the numbers in front of me gives me a level of effort, and a level of accomplishment for completing it.  I'm still 20-30 lbs from my original "goal weight", and I'm still not convinced it's realistic, but it also means I'm to the half way point of the "weight loss" part of my journey, mentally.

But like any great journey, the destination is never the goal.  The goal is the journey itself.

(A Few of My) Favorite Things

Last Sunday marked the start of Daylight Saving Time here in SC (and in most places in the United States, for that matter).  Now in general I'm not a fan of DST, I end up feeling sluggish for a couple of weeks while I adjust to the new time schedule.  What I do like about it is that it marks the unofficial start of Cycling Season here in Greenville.  The daylight is long enough that you can get out and have a great time riding.  Officially the SCTAC season starts on April 3, but that didn't stop ... well, anyone it seemed, from showing up at the old Donaldson Center and getting in some time on the bike on a beautiful Tuesday evening.



John, Paul and myself got out a little before 5:30, giving us just over 2 hours of daylight to complete the country loop.  For me it was a chance to see what my real fitness was, and how I'd handle the course prior to the start of the SCTAC rides, so I knew which group to try to go out with.  The course is also just under 32 miles, so that meant that with stops we had to pace at 16mph to complete the course in daylight.  The pace was absolutely no slouch, and for the most part I was able to keep up.  I'm still struggling on the climbs some, which honestly I'm not surprised with right now.  I have gained a lot of leg strength, but I have a bit to go before I'm going to be strong on climbs.  With all of that said and done, we completed the loop in under 2 hours, and my moving speed was at over 17mph!  I'm not sure I want to go out the gun in the "C" group, but knowing I can keep that pace and potentially keep with the group is inspiring.

Now, what exactly of that are "a few of my favorite things", you may ask?  A beautiful spring day, good friends, a spectacular countryside to ride in, and the fitness to be able to enjoy it.  I praise God for these gifts, as they are wonderfully made, and make my heart sing.  Sitting here today I look forward to the heat of summer being able to ride that loop.