I'm Off!

From Rome:

Well so much for first day jitters. That's a thing of the past. The day started with a poor weather forecast.....storms rolling in from the west. Karen and I waited for an hour, and after prayerful consideration, the decision was made to go for it. So we loaded up the bike and headed for Smyrna, where the silver comet trail begins.

The Silver Comet trail is an amazing project which has converted old railroad tracks into bike trails. The scenery is quite lovely for the entire stretch between Smyrna and Rockmart, 38 miles one way.

I teamed up with a lovely couple, Rich and Martha, until mile 15. They were kind enough to let me ride with them. It certainly made that section go a lot faster. I have attached their picture on the trail.

Rich told me about a great stop in Rockmart called "Frankie's.". He didn't miss the mark. The food was AWESOME, but the best part was getting to know Frankie. Frankie moved to Rockmart after her husband unexpectedly died of a heart attack. Total life change.......She now runs this Italian Restaurant in quiet little town catering to cyclist coming off the trail......talk about a niche! Getting know her was the highlight of the day.

In her story is a God moment. God challenges us to do things outside of comfort zone. But sometimes it takes a real shake up for us to muster the courage. It is because when are comfortable, we care too much about the outcome. When we are broken, the world opens with possibilties that look better than where we are.

What if we lived everyday as if God offers unfathomable possibilties in our lives? Maybe the room of unfulfilled dreams might be a little less crowded......

Until tomorrow from Jasper.

Love to all,
g
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Stuff

In case you are wondering, and you are probably not, a self supported tour requires you to carry a lot of stuff. The picture posted is just food, hydration, supplements and bike tools and spare parts that will fill one front bag. Tomorrow I will begin to pack the other bags.

My fitness tonight left me confident. I am certainly not back to my glory days but I managed to hold on in a very serious group ride.

The weather has mercifully cooled off. Praise God! God has already begun to really speak to me in this quest and I have not even hit the road yet. I mentioned in my last the subject of "details.". My mind races so much it is scary to think of how much of God I miss. I bet that applies to you too. I hear Him saying slow down........your life is not a race for quanity; it is a collection of quality. That's a new thought for me..........
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It's Hot!

I pulled out yesterday at 4:00pm to ride til dark. I under estimated the heat. I realized how important it is going to be to hit the road early in the am on my trip. Heat is like sin.....It sucks the life out of you over time. The new bike goes much slower than my road bike, especially loaded down. But I enjoyed the more leisurely pace. I noticed details that I normally miss. More on that to follow......without giving anything away......I believe that is the theme of what God is calling me to discover. The picture is from a field I passed 25 miles south of home. A cute rabbit cause me to stop. You might say I was chasing a rabbit trail! LOL
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Meredith's "Kit"

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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.