You Never Know

Let me first give the update on my weight loss. I'm still lingering around 169-170. I haven't been dieting as strictly as I was but I've decided to stay my current course and then hit the really strict diet again as of March 1st. I'm very happy with my progress and really don't want to get burned out this early in the season. I've been getting in quite a bit of time on the bike (mostly on the trainer) but really can't wait for some warm weather. I got in 2 hours on the trainer yesterday and then about a 22 mile ride today outside. Can't beat the outdoors.

And now to my original topic. Today, being Sunday we of course spent the morning at church. I always have to talk myself into going but once I'm there I'm always happy I went (the guilt trip from my wife helps as well). Until last year, my Sundays were usually consumed with my long ride of the week.

Last summer we took a family vacation up to Wyoming. Of course I took my bike and we chose a route that would allow me to get a ride in almost every day. On the way up and also on the way back we stopped in Grand Junction CO. I've ridden the Grand Mesa before and always wanted to ride the Colorado National Monument (if your a cyclist, this is the "Tour of the Moon" in the movie American Flyers). Anyway, I didn't get to ride the Monument, but something even better happened.

Before leaving town, we stopped at McDonalds with one of those indoor playgrounds. While waiting for our food, and watching the boys play we noticed two little girls with "Third Day" shirts on (Christian music group). The girls happened to be with their grandfather (a very young looking grandfather) who was babysitting while the rest of the family was at another Christian concert in Denver. We got to talking to this guy and somehow got on the subject of Christianity.

We learned that he had just lost his wife (she was only 47) to cancer. He had moved to Grand Junction to be closer to his grandkids. Now I have always tried to live a good Christian life but really didn't like the idea of church very much. As we spoke, you could tell this guy was on fire for Christ. His words somehow touched me more then most. He shared that through life's challenges he learned that as a father (and grandfather) one has to really walk the walk. I told him that we have always spoke to our boys about Christ, but he said that wasn't good enough. As a father, my boys look at everything I do. They look to me as their prime example in life. What am I teaching them by riding my bike on Sunday and not going to church. Is riding a bike more important then giving thanks to the Power that allows me to do so?? This guy poured out his heart, and he has no idea how much it has effected my life. I thought about him and all his words the entire trip home. I've been going to church ever since. I still get my rides in but church is first. I spend time with my boys, and if there is time left, I get in a good ride. Today was one of those days. We went to church, after church my oldest son and I played some baseball, then both boys and I went for a bike ride, and finally aroung 3:30 I got in my ride. I was a great day.

In summary, I learned so much from a guy that I had never met before. This guy, unexpectantly lost his wife to cancer. In doing so, it taught me to cherish what I have and to live in moment. He helped put my priorities in order. Funny thing is, he has no clue how much of an impression he made on my life. I still don't know his name, but I think of him often and pray that he doing well. If you're a dad, remember your kids look to you more than you could ever imagine. Whether they are 3 or 16 years old, you are their example. Set the bar high for yourself and your kids will follow. The road to follow Christ is definitely not an easy one, but it sure is worth the ride.

Thanks for reading. If your a cycling fan, don't forget to watch OLN (now Versus) on Sundays. The Tour of California has started.

Great Weekend Riding

We loaded up the van on Friday to head down to Phoenix for some warm weather riding. My wife went down to race her mountain bike at White Tanks and on Sunday I rode the Laveen Country Challenge. The best part of the weekend was the warm weather. It was a balmy 76 degrees. It's funny to see all the valley riders in their tights and long sleeve jerseys while us mountain folks are soaking up the sun in shorts and short sleeve jerseys.

The mountain bike race was impressive. Not being a mountain biker and not having gone to many races, it was a surprise to see so many racers. There were tons of riders of all different skill levels. My wife took second but I had to give her grief in that I thought she was sand bagging. She raced the beginner class and I think she needs to move up to the Sport class. Right now she's getting by with very little training but has the skills of someone way beyond a beginner. She's much better then she gives herself credit for. I think she'll step it up in her next race.

My ride was just that,,,,, A ride. Nothing competitive, but a really good workout with a bunch of other riders. The ride is put on by the Laveen Lions Club, and considering what they have to work with, it's a pretty fun ride. I've done it for the last 5 years and have a good time every year. It's just a great way to get out of the cold and enjoy the presence of about 300 other riders. I rode with Rick who is in the best shape he's ever been in. Usually I drop him within the first 20-30 miles but this year I think he was probably stronger than I was. Being a triathlete, he really hammers on the flats, but I can usually drop him on the climbs. Like I said though, I think he's in the best shape ever. I was truly impressed with how strong he rode. Not that I'm some powerhouse or anything, but he kicked butt today. We were fortunate to find a super fast pace line and hung with them for almost the entire way. It's always nice to find a good safe group to ride with. When everyone takes their turn at the front, it can make for some pretty fast times without one person having to kill themselves to keep the pace up.

They also have a 15 and 30 mile ride as well. Our original plan was for me to do the 62 miler and my wife and boys to ride the 15 miler. Our 8 year old would have no problem with 15 miles but our 5 year old......no way. So we borrowed a bike trailer from a friend with the plan of my wife pulling our youngest. We'll as we unloaded the bikes (about 30 minutes before the 62mile ride started), we realized we were missing a piece of the trailer. The very important part that connects the trailer to the quick release on the bike. So my wife, having 1 hour before their ride started, made a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a cheap little bike for our 5 year old to ride. They ended up making their own route (safer) and got in about 5 miles of family cruisin. Actually that's the farthest our little guy has ever ridden. All in all, it was a great weekend. I wish I had more pictures but to no avail.

We're back home now in the 45 degree weather. I'm hoping I can keep up the long mile riding for now. It sure was nice to ride some of the cobwebs out today.

More Snow!!!!

Wow we got hammered again. It's snowing like it used to. I think most businesses closed early today to ensure their employees could make it home. It looks like this week will be spent on the trainer. I'm going down to the valley this weekend to ride the Laveen Country Challenge. It's not a race but a chance to ride with a big group of other cyclists as well as a chance to get some sun. The town of Laveen puts on a nice little bar-b-que afterwards as well.

My diet went by the wayside this weekend. The Superbowl is no time to stick to a diet. It would just be too much torture. My wife makes some awesome snack foods and I being the good husband that I am was definitely not going to turn them down. I've got back on track though today. I got in an hour and 10 minutes on the trainer tonight and plan to ride most of the week.

Speaking of the Superbowl, I hope everyone was going for the Giants. After all, the "other team" was busted for cheating early in the season. And what happened........NOTHING!!!! You get busted one time for cheating as a cyclist and you are automatically banned from racing for 2 years. When are the pro football and baseball organizations going to step up and hold someone accountable? I hate myself for wanting to watch both of these sports. As long a people continue to pay big money to watch these games, nothing is going to change. So I guess..........Nothing is going to change.

I had my thyroid levels checked today and my TSH was low (this means I'm Hyperthyroid). My usual dose has been 6 days of 125mcg and 1 day at 137 mcg. A couple of weeks I did two days of the 137mcg. I think this is what sent me overboard. I feel good, just a little shaky but it can be damaging to your health if you remain hyperthyroid. I'm going to go another month on the original dose of 1x137 and 6x125 and then retest. I'm hoping this will take me back down to normal.

I guess that's it for now. Hope everyone is doing well.

Thanks for reading.

Winter,Winter,Winter

Sorry for the delay in writing. I've started writing several times but after reading what I wrote, I ask myself, "what the heck did I just say". It's been a crazy week, both at work and with the darn weather.

First, it dumped rain Sunday and Monday. So much that our town had quite a few flooding problems. The lake by our house went over the spillway which is absolutely beautiful. When you live here, it's easy to take for granted the beauty of the area. Were blessed to have all four seasons as well as the scenery to go with it. Here's a picture of my son looking over the spill way:

A few more pictures of the lake. Definitely looks like a gloomy day. Just wait, the day is young.

This morning the weather report said, "30% chance of snow with no accumulation", so I was hoping to maybe get a short ride in. Well when I looked out the window at about 1pm this is what it looked like:On top of the weather, I've just been slammed at work. It's easily going to be a 60 hour week. I usually don't get home until around seven, I help my boys with homework, ride the trainer for whatever amount of time I can stand, then try to spend a little time with my wife before going to bed and starting over again the next day. The joys of owning your own business. It definitely has it's ups and downs.

The diet is still going well, but I seem to be stuck at 172lbs. With regards to the Weightloss challenge, "Big and Beautiful" is going to make sure it's tight race. She's currently lost 9 lbs and we're only 30 days into the challenge. That is so awesome. Dieting is not an easy task and she is kicking some major butt.

Before I go, I have to mention Doug from Minnesota. Last year I think he commuted to work everyday but 5 days. That is truly impressive. I saw the weather report for Deluth this morning and it said -40 degree windchill. After frequenting Doug's Blog, I had to email him to see if he rode to work today. He replied that his office was closed due to the severe windchill temp, but (and get this) he still got in a short ride and said it wasn't too bad. Now when you want to use the weather for an excuse not to ride, just think of Doug in Minnesota. We've got nothing on him here in Arizona.

That's about it for now. Thanks for reading.

23rd Day

It was about 40 degrees here today but it was a comfortable 67 degrees in Phoenix which is where I happened to be today. I had to take some oxygen tanks down to have them filled so I figured I might as well make a day of it. A friend of mine who is training for something like his 5th Ironman met me at the base of South Mountain. It's a 7 mile climb with about a 1700ft gain in elevation, a beautiful ride this time of year. It was nice to wear shorts for a change. I hit a heart rate of 179 which hasn't happened in a while. I felt really good except for the typical burn I get in my gut. It doesn't ever hurt when I eat, just when I maintain a high heartrate for a while. It's in the epigastric area right below the bottom of my ribs. I usually have the legs and lungs but this burn really holds me back. It's very frustrating.

The diet is going well. I've managed to stay away from the coffee and have done pretty good staying away from sugar. I'm actually about 4 lbs ahead of schedule. I was hoping for at least 5 lbs a month so this is really good. I started at 182 and I'm currently at 172. My goal was 165 by May but I may go even a little lower if I can. It's definitely made a big difference on the bike.

Here are some pictures of todays ride. This is a view from the bottom. We ended at the towers.

Its a quiet road to the top. Very little traffic on a weekday.

Here's Rick headin' up. How anyone climbs in AeroBars, I have no idea.

The view from the top. Sometimes you can't see anything because of the smog, but today was a good day.

And then me, being useless as usual. The gut is slowly disappearing.

Thanks for reading

PS: In regards to the weight loss challenge. "Big and Beautiful" is right on my tail. She's lost 8 lbs. "Just Me" and "Siomha" is on her tail both with 5 lbs lost.

Where Is GOD?

Do you ever find yourself asking this question? I've had a strong belief in God for as long as I can remember. As a matter a fact, I can't really imagine Life without HIM, but we've definitely had our share of arguments. I spend much of my bike rides in conversation with The Big Guy. I do though find myself questioning Him at times. I know there's a reason for everything under the heavens and I fully accept that and respect it as well. My degree is in biology with a minor in chemistry (I know very little about chemistry) so I tend to be one of those with a lot of questions. It is only recently that I'm starting to find answers to many of my questions.

The other day I was following a pickup truck up the hill from Whiteriver (I was in my car not on my bike). There was a young Apache girl in the back and it was freezing cold outside. I first got behind this truck right outside of Whiteriver. As we started making the climb back up towards Hondah, (you could see the girl was trying to cover up. With the windchill, it had to be pretty close to zero degrees in the back of that truck. We finally reached the stop light at Hondah and I pulled in behind them. It was there that I could see the girl crying. She was so cold and there was nothing she could do about it. The cab was already packed full of people. It just broke my heart.

I see instances like this all the time on the reservation. For a while I found myself asking God, "where are you". There's so many children down there living in unbelievable poverty. Were up here on the hill living our cozy lives, there are people down there (many) with very little.

First of all, please know that I'm just as conservative as most that go to church. You work hard, you get rewarded. It's the American way. More and more, I was asking God, "where are you." I've been reading the Bible more this year along with a good book titled, "The Case for Faith". My trust and faith in God has grown immensly this year. Our pastor at church has been touching on this subject as well. He gave a figure the other day regarding how many people are living in poverty in our own country. Then compared it to how much we as Americans spend at Starbucks. I don't remember the numbers but the amount of money we spend on our gourmet coffees alone, could put an end to hungry children throughout the world. Not just here, but everywhere. That just blows my mind.

You see, the question shouldn't be, "Where is God", because He's right here. The question is......Where are we? What are WE doing to alleviate these problems? He has given many of us so much, but what are we doing with it?

I'm fortunate to work in the healthcare field so the opportunity to help arises all the time. We try to make it policy at work not to talk about the charity we do, but I will say (this is the commercial for Alpha Oxy-Med) I am unbelievably proud at the amount of people we have been able to help. We will never be a million dollar company, because we give almost as much as we bring in, but I always try to remember the Gifts that God has given us and what He expects us to do with them. We are all truly blessed. Some of us just need to look a little deeper.

Thanks for Reading

Get Out There

For those of you still not motivated yet, watch this video. You gotta watch till the very end.