A New Heart-Charlie's Cycle Babble or (Psycho)?

I like to write the thoughts that occur from time to time during my bike rides. Since I'm not a doctor for sure I had to include the fact that my analysis may be flawed on the medical side and therefore the (psycho). I relate my observations with some limitations and fading knowledge gathered from my high school science or other learning source from in my past. It may not always be accurate but I've heard that the placebo effect is as powerful as the real thing sometimes.

As I understand the body completely reproduces its cells every so often so that we are in fact completely new creations at some point on a continuous basis except for the brain. The aging gene never goes away but we do have new organs and so forth in one sense they are just older each time they recreate.

Since I took up cycling many changes have occurred in my body. The idea that I have a new heart seemed like a good analogy. I was getting to a point where I could be classified as having borderline high blood pressure. I did not want to take pills. So much so that I started riding my bike 100 miles a week, then 150 then 200. Now my heart beats slower, my blood pressure is lower and in theory I should live longer. I can ride longer and faster and it still beats slower than when I started. Even though it is older it is better than before. Even so I could drop dead at any time from some unseen condition or be killed by a careless motorist or accidental fall. Training our minds and spirits is much the same except we are the ones in control. The things we do or don't do have an effect on us.

We refer to the term "a mighty change of heart" as spoken of in the Book of Mormon. This is a metaphor that refers to a time when we begin to see and feel beyond what the natural man sees and feels. It is not a physical event. It is occurs when we take the step to reach out into the infinite, when we let our mind think of eternal truth and ponder. It occurs when we seek God in study and prayer to understand things we would not otherwise be capable of understanding. I have felt it and seen it in myself and my children. It is a most amazing event. It too requires continued attention to be maintained.

The 1000 Mile Month-A new Heart and Attitude

The goal to ride my bike 1000 miles was not set without some prior conditioning efforts. It still arose partly from ignorance and partly from a desire to be better as something. Being a rookie rider and technically past my prime age wise I wanted to see what I was willing to do and what the results would be.

It started with casual riding and enjoying it, then to wanting to stay up with faster riders on group rides. I kept the number of miles increasing and the rides to include hills that made them harder. I was always dropped and rode by myself since I could not keep up. As I made an effort to ride 800 miles in August and ended up at less than 600 it still motivated me for a more difficult challenge. Recruiting a friend and riding partner made the goal more thinkable. That was Jesse. We talked about it and the pursuit became our riding goal.

While conditioning has definitely improved this is just a step in the right direction that will hopefully continue.

As the process began I have had many thoughts as I struggled up the hills, panting and sweating barely able to pedal. I realized that life's difficulties and challenges are like hills, some are long and some are short, sometimes you can see the top and sometimes you can't. You just keep pedaling though because someone else has done it and you shouldn't quit just because it is hard. Stop and rest if you need to but keep going. When you get to the top there is relief and usually a down hill ride that will be enjoyable and possibly exhilarating.

Heidi's Thought on Luke 21:26, Signs of the times

Here is an email from my daughter Heidi who is attending school at BYU studying exercise science.

"So I just had a thought here at institute. We're talking about the last days and how one sign of the Second Coming of Christ is how men's hearts will fail them. Someone made the comment of how obesity is a big problem these days, and cardiovascular disease, where men's hearts are literally failing them.

But it also got me thinking more in a spiritual sense - how men don't believe in themselves anymore. I see so many people just drifting through life, not thinking they can achieve much of anything. This is a reason, I believe, why this nation is reverting to socialism. They don't believe they can accomplish things themselves, so they rely on the government to do it for them. We became a nation in the first place because we wanted to do things on our own...we wanted to raise our own families, we wanted to have our own land, free of taxes, free of invasion, free of oppression.

But now, just because things are getting a little hard, people would rather have socialism and safety, versus freedom with some challenges. But the thing I've learned with challenges and trials is that they make you stronger, happier, and more successful in the end - but only if you endure them well and hold fast til the end. We cannot give up as a nation right now just because things are getting hard. But I feel like everyone is...anyways, just an interesting thought I had of these last days and wanted to share. Let me know what you think."

The next sentence was a follow up email.

"While being healthy and living a good life is important, it only affects ourselves. The values and ideals we build this nation upon will affect many generations to come, including ours."

Everest Challenge Bike Ride and Race

About six months ago I took up road bicycling to be my exercise of choice. It has been a fun way to get in shape and compete a little bit with myself and eventually in the old man racing scene. I keep pushing and making some progress that is motivating on a daily basis. I get up at 4:30 AM to ride and currently average 150- 200 miles a week. I'm not sure where its heading at this point but I do like it. I like looking for ways to keep it interesting.

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from the Brumby’s (a local riding group) communication channel that another rider was looking for travel mates for a trip to California to do a bike race and a week of Mountain bike riding in the Sierras. In my wild imaginings I thought why not. Everything would have been fine except that Betty had already planned a trip to Seattle for a quilting convention the following week end and expected me to be home. I had hoped to do a race or two before the Tour de Tucson in November since I am totally inexperienced and needed the exposure to race preparations. So I worked the plans to go and come home on Monday with her approval and Betty would leave Tuesday.

The race was a Saturday and Sunday event but I would only ride on Saturday. After a couple of emails and phone calls plans were made. I read through the web information on the event and learned a few things that I did not fully realize the importance of when riding in mountains. Mainly gear ratios and climbing. I called Jesse D. (my main riding and training mate) and he explained it to me. I still did not get the proper gearing for my bike on short notice.

I just bought a new bike that was lighter and was assured by my friendly flatlanders here in Arizona that I would be okay. When I showed up at the race and saw what other more experienced riders were using I knew I was In for a hard time and would not be okay. I had roughed out hills before so I figured I would just do it again.

I had never ridden up a twenty some mile hill with a 5000 elevation gain to 10,000 feet. We rode for about 8 miles in a non-race mode pack to the start of the hill. Right away I fell out of the pack when we started climbing. Luckily one other guy also was going slower as well. He had done the race before and said some of the speedsters would fall off. I was with him for 10 miles but when the hard part started for the last 10 miles his proper gearing left me as well suffering alone. I never did see any others fall off. Needless to say for 10 miles at high elevation I had to grind out every stroke and on a couple of steep places I had to stand and pedal or fall over. I did pass a couple of others that were struggling worse than I was. As much as I wanted to quit my previous training had paid off and with Hammer supplements provided as the sponsor my legs kept delivering power to move along. I tried to stay positive as Becky had sent me a text the day before and said "u can do it if you think you can". So I climbed for about 3 hours and raced down in about 30 minutes and then rode for another 20 or so miles to the Hotel. It was about 80 miles all together and 5 hours in the saddle. So, while not completing the race I still rode further and harder than any previous ride.

The journey started out on Thursday afternoon as I drove over to Jonathan Cavner's house , (an avid cyclist and runner and the guy that sent the email),in south west Phoenix. We headed west to California at about 5 PM. We arrived somewhere in the middle of the desert along the 395 and pulled over and slept about 150 miles from Bishop. I slept on the back seat of the Corolla. We woke up and drove into Bishop. We drove to the top of the 3rd climb of the first day and rode the steepest part of the hill near the finish. It was a 14 degree slope at the end of a 20 mile ride that neither of us ended up making on race day. We checked into the budget hotel and then went to eat. Later that evening we attended the race check-in, dinner and a pre race briefing.

Sunday I attended the ward meetings in Bishop and enjoyed the day reading and resting. I also attended the CES fireside broadcast and listened to sister Dalton’s message. It was amazing in its purpose and teaching.

I got up early Monday and caught the bus to Reno, NV to fly home. I did not know if I should leave my bike with Jonathan or take it and hope I could find the way to get it on the plane. I took the bike on the bus and with a little faith hoped I could finish the trip with it. Had it not been for a good Samaritan that was listening to my plight at the Fed Ex store where I struck out on a packing box I might have had a very bad day. I did find a suitable case at a local bike shop and Bob, my new friend in Reno, that I just met drove me there and to the airport afterwards. I had two hours to spare.

So nine hours of driving to get there and 14 hours of travel and sitting to get home so I could ride my bike for 5 hours. Is something wrong with that picture? I guess though I'm just glad I did not have to ride my bike another 500 miles home or maybe I'm not. The Sierras are beautiful and the time away is good for the mind. I like the thought of how strong I would be after a 500 mile ride.

A quote by Theodore Roosevelt that sister Dalton used in her talk hit home as I thought about what we do in life when we take some chances.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

So it is in life's endeavors and raising a family. How can we not see the pursuits of life and weigh them against eternity. I do subscribe to the idea of living with no regrets when it comes to good accomplishments and taking a stand on important matters. I have no regrets because gospel standards have given me a happy life with a wonderful wife and amazing children.

I count my blessings every day as we never know when the adversity we don't bring on ourselves or don't expect may find us.