When a Cold is a Blessing

Last Wednesday I hit my 100 pound goal, and just two days later, I hit my $10,000 donation goal.  Two words, "Praise God".  I don't know how to express my feelings other than to say how thankful I am for all the people that are involved in this journey.  God picked you to be a part of this and I hope that gives you a sense of comfort.

With my employer matching, total funds raised thus far is over $20,500!  Just because the goal has been met though, don't stop giving.  Next Wednesday, May 8th, I will ask my employer for the matching gift.  The cap is $10,000 but I plan to ask for matching the entire amount so there is still a chance your donation could double.  If you've not done so, click here, and give.  Thanks!

With last week's 100 pound weight loss focus I didn't get a chance to update you on my riding.  So here is a two-week recap....

The weekend of April 19, 20, and 21 I rode outside all three days.  A first!  75 flat miles Friday, Mount Diablo summit Saturday, and 50 hilly miles Sunday.  By the end of the weekend I rode 155 miles, climbed 8,200 feet, and burned over 11,000 calories and felt great in the process!  My plan was to replicate the three day ride the following weekend and come Friday April 26th I set out to do just that.

It was a cold morning and I was just starting to feel the onset of a cold.  Not a great combo but I had a schedule to keep and out I went.  My speed was down, my energy was down, and I didn't feel right.  About 15 miles into the ride I got a flat tire with my new puncture-resistant tires.  How nice!  Fixing a flat is no big deal but I used my one and only spare tube, had 60 miles to go (much of it further away from home), and my wife was out of town so it wasn't clear how I would get home should I have a second flat tire.  With all that in mind I made the call to cut the ride short and turned for home.

Now home, I had something I have not had much of since training began, spare time.  Turning my attention to my Tour du Burundi to do list I took advantage of my new-found time and got to work on completing tasks.  What a blessing, if not for my cold, I probably would have continued riding and those Friday tasks would still be on the to do list.  But Saturday would be different, I thought, as Diablo was calling, and I needed a climb.

Waking up Saturday morning I felt horrible, my cold was worse, my throat sore, and my voice sounded like Barry White (Song in video dedicated to my wife).  For the first time in my training I bailed on a ride.  I didn't feel great about it.   My mind was telling me I was quitting but my body was telling me to shut it down.  Shut it down I did because of a silly cold but what a blessing!  A second day of spare time which gave me the opportunity to continue working on my bike carrier which is a project I have worked on for a while but never had an entire day dedicated to it.

Bikes in carriers can be checked like any piece of baggage.  My bike carrier, pictured here, was born from something I found on the web.  I decided to build it because I, first, wanted to minimize the breaking down and rebuilding of my bike which must be done with a traditional carrier.  A second, and very important benefit, is space within the carrier.  As you can see from the pictures, I'm able to bring many supplies.  Simon asked me to bring paper plates and plastic knives and forks to minimize water contamination issues and they all fit nicely in the carrier.  All my bike gear fits too as well as some frisbees and other goodies for the kids.  I'm packing it to the 100 pound max, which explains the wheels to be detached as I'm checking the box.  Say a prayer the dang thing holds together.

I took a break from building the carrier around 6 pm Saturday thinking I would grab a quick bite to eat and get back to the carrier.  I sat down on the couch after dinner, well honestly, during dinner, and that was it.  There would be no getting off the couch Saturday night and I decided right then to sleep in Sunday, skip church, and not ride Sunday.  Again, Sunday presented more new-found time and more time to work on the carrier.  It was a full day of work and planning because I had to determine what items would go where within the carrier and what extra bracing I might need to add to minimize shifting during the flight and baggage handling.

By Sunday's end, actually it was early Monday morning, the carrier was 90% complete and as I write this it is 99% complete.  Where would I have been on the bike carrier, an essential component of the trip, if I didn't have two-plus days like I did last weekend to work on it?  Can't say for sure, but it would not be anywhere close to being done.  This coming weekend is booked with other activities, so no progress would have been made, which leaves the weekend before I go to wrap up the carrier.  That would have been extremely stressful.

But that stress has been avoided and because of my cold my bike carrier is virtually done.  Who knew a cold could be such a blessing?

Two words, "Praise God".  Even in our suffering there can be joy.  Having the bike carrier done eliminates the last big pre-trip hurdle and I feel joy swelling in me as I write this sentence.

Thanks for reading this.  Always a pleasure having you along.