Trying out the Blackberry

From the blackberry!
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2 Weeks Out

Well, the bike is in. The panniers are on the bike, and the last tune up rides are on the schedule. There is much to do in the next weeks to get ready for this ride. When you are traveling alone, planning is essential. There is no sag van or group to carry all the stuff. Things like safety, repairs, first aid, nutrition, and weather all factor into the load. Planning is especially important when you realize that all but 4o mile will be traveled over mountainous terrain, which makes weight a serious consideration.



People keeping asking why I am I doing this ride alone. Truth is, I will not be alone. This ride is indeed a pilgrimage of sort.....a fast if you will. Since the dawn of man, man has chosen to challenge himself to draw closer to God.

I will begin to post more frequently in days to come with pictures, now that I have figured out my new Blackberry. This weekend however will be filled with a different flavor as Meredith takes center stage for a weekend of dance recitals. Talk about tiring......this kid between rehearsals and performances will be dancing almost all day for the next 4 days!

Rain

Nothing is more unpleasant on a bike than a driving rain storm on the road. Water squishes between your toes while your feet feel like they just gained 20lbs each. The wind in your face turns cold and you actually hope for a hill to go slow and generate heat to renew your spirit to ride. So was the ride today. We like to call these rides "character builders", and every cyclist needs a few to toughen up the soul.

Todays ride was a 60 miler approaching race pace for 70% of the ride. It brought back memories of long training rides watching every heart rate and monitoring every piece of availabl e information to measure fitness. I don't miss it quite honestly. But I did enjoy the satisfaction of a good effort. It is funny how in our drive to one up ourselves, we begin to squeeze out the enjoyment of the activity. I could easily see today's ride going in that direction. The next ride I need to go a little faster for a little farther....and so on. Then one day you wake up and realize you really don't enjoy the activity any longer.

So, hold me accountable. This training is not about getting to the Masters National Championships. It is about getting back to healthy level of fitness to enjoy what God has in store for me ride in June, and hopefully many more rides to follow. But today, I could feel that same old competitive spirit beginning to swell.

The Traveler's Gift

I spent the weekend in the mountains visiting with my Mom and Dad. My wife Karen bought me a book tape to enjoy on my trip. The book is entitled "The Traveler's Gift", by Andy Andrews. I must confess my envy in wishing I had written such wonderful book. The book investigates the 7 decisions that every successful person make, but does so in the context of a well conceived plot. Honestly, this is a book I need to read every six months.

The weekend was a memory maker. First, I really enjoyed spending some quality time with my parents in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Saturday I got in an epic ride which included an 11 mile climb to the top of Waterrock Knob......I'm still gasping for air. And finally, we capped off a great day at the Balsam Mountain Inn enjoying wonderful dinner and soaking in the fresh Spring mountain air. As if that wasn't enough, the Balsmam Mountain Inn was hosting one of its famous Songwriters in the Round evenings, from which the whole concept of Psalmwriters was born. www. psalmwriters.org.

I often tell Meredith that great men and women see the significance of moments while they occur. I'll leave history to judge my greatness, but this weekend was one clearly recognizable as a memory maker that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Indeed, this traveler was given a gift of a different sort, one of quality parent time with elder ailing parents....a gift of no less significance than that discussed by Mr. Andrews. But like the central charactor, my eyes were opened to so much for which I should be grateful.

That Doesn't Go There!

I thought you might want to know more about my last 2 days of training rides....you know the mph, the distance, the heart rates and zones......yeah right. I know what you really want to know........What do you do when you breath in a bug at 20 mph? The answer is cough and hack until it either finishes its journey down, or you are lucky enough to get it up and swallow it. The fact is, sometimes things get stuck where they don't belong, and can cause major havoc until you get rid of it.

I have found sin in my life to fit this pattern. It seems that I can't get comfortable with it, until I get rid of it. Oh yeah, I can bury it or perhaps cough it up and swallow it, but there is something very unsettling about knowing it is still there. The only thing that will really make me feel better, like that bug, is to be absolved of and from it.

As I rounded the last turn before my subdivision tonight I had just such an experience. I am sure all the motorist thought, look at that pathetic guy coughing up his lungs and trying to ride that bike. They probably thought I was a smoker out to get a little exerice. Somewhere a mile or so down the road I got it out, and life on the road got back to normal.

Do you have things in the middle of your life that just don't belong there? Take it from me, you won't get comfortable until you get rid of it.

Training Update

Recently I have been riding my mountain bike on the road to prepare for my trip. My touring set up is much like a mountain bike configuration. Plus, mountain bikes are heavier. Today, I got out the road bike just to change things up. Wow, I should have trained on my mountain bike when I was racing. It was like pedaling a feather!

I actually put down about 28 miles at race pace, which doesn't sound like much, but it is not bad for my current fitness. I didn't wear a heart rate monitor but I could tell I was on the edge of my anaerobic threshhold for the entire ride. Now, that information won't mean much to anyone other than obsessive compulsive cyclists. But the point is that I felt I huge since of affirmation that I can actually pull this tour off, bad neck and all.

I am on a big kick right now with God. I just want to do stuff in my ministry life where I see him already working. Truth is, however, this ride is a bit selfish. There was no great prayer vigil that went into doing this ride. I have found great reasons to do it, like supporting the Atlanta Dream Center. But it started as a simple idea to test myself. Frankly, I have had my doubts. This ride involves alot of weight over a lot of mountains. But today, I felt God's affirmation that He wants me to do it, and that through His strength I can do it.

That has me fired up and motivated.

I Have a Dream

I dream of people of all races living in the equality and freedoms envisioned by our Founding Fathers. But, from where did these most radical thinking men come up with such "enlightened" ideas? Indeed, notions of liberty and freedoms were not at all a new idea. They came from another radical that lived over 2000 years ago. His ideas were so radical that it cost him his life. Many of our Founding Fathers paid a similar price. Do such men walk the earth today?

Yes, they do....men such as Paul Palmer at the Atlanta Dream Center http://www.atldreamcenter.com/, and the many young people he mentors. They inspire me to live boldly for a radical dream, birthed by a radical man, and fostered by radical humble servants throughout the generations. Interestly enough, Paul established his church right in the heart of the 4th Ward in Atlanta.....a place festering in crime, drugs and poverty.... a place where most people in Atlanta painstakingly avoid.....a place which birthed another radical who gave his life in the name of radical humility. Martin Luther King.

I am blessed to be sponsored by Paul and the Atlanta Dream Center. In early May I will establish a way you can give to the Dream Center through sponsorship of this ride. All the proceeds will go directly to the Dream Center. I have a dream.........and you have a part to play.