Tuesday

Cora enjoying Spring Mill Park

Good morning! It's going to be nice, and as many surmised, it looks we are "going from winter to summer." Please don't complain about the warm, the heat. Please don't. Remember how long it was cold?

It's going to be a great day today. I have some writing to do and a few other projects beyond my normal duties, which should make the day enjoyable. I end the day by driving a bus to the track meet at BNL. It should be a great night for a track meet. I will also use the time to do a little prep for Sunday.

Yesterday started with an early 5 mile run, which went better than the one on Friday. Each run is now getting better, so I am pleased about that. The old hamstrings may just make it after all. I was back home and cleaned up by 8 a.m.  I was there to wait for a chimney sweep.

He was coming to do a yearly cleaning. He was supposed to arrive between 8 and 9. At 9 his office called to say he was on the way. I appreciated the call. He arrived a little before 9.30. How long do you think this cleaning should take? 1 hour? 2 hours? Try 3 hours! I was really surprised. It did force me to miss a meeting. Oh well.

Those 3 hours were some of the more productive 3 hours I've had in a while. I got a ton done, which is going to be very helpful during this very busy season of life. I finally made it to church a little before 1. There I was able to continue my path of productivity, helping out with the preschool graduation, which is rapidly approaching. I am taking on several projects for them right now, since we are a person or two short on staffing at church.

As I was working in the afternoon, a  young man came to the door. He was a young man I recognized from years ago. He used to attend church some before moving away. He wanted to come by to see what was going on. He is about to be deployed to the Gulf with a National Guard unit. It was really nice to visit with him for a little while. I prayed for him before he left.

Right before supper I took off for a 21 mile bike ride. It was so nice to sweat on a ride! I have had to battle cold riding for so long. I do not like riding when it's cold, but I have done it, knowing I need to. Ironman is less than 6 months away. The ride went well, though my legs felt the previous 120 miles from the last 2 days.

I got home, grabbed a bite before heading to a church softball game. It was pleasant to watch Lester and Ben, along with their teammates. After the game, I had a little time before swimming, so Kedra and I met at Tropical Snow for a little refreshment. Then I finished the day with another mile in the pool.

Since I completed a reverse triathlon yesterday, run, bike, swim, with incredibly long transitions, I think today is going to be a rest day. I feel the need for it. I've been going at it pretty hard for several days.

I hope your day goes well. Thanks for stopping by.

Monday

Sunday Riders

Good morning! What a beautiful morning it is! Wow, that was fast. How did we get from Thursday to Monday? Wall to wall activity, I suppose, made the time move very quickly. I must say all the activity, as varied as it was, was enjoyable.  And the nice, sunny weather was icing on the cake. And there is more to come.

Friday was a day of multitasking. I got up early, like always, and got my smoker going. I was smoking 6 shoulders. This is part of smoking for 300 people over the next 2-3 weeks. It is for 2 graduation parties, one for Ben and the other for Libby, Maddie's sister.

After I got the smoker going I went to town and managed 5 decent miles on the run. They were slow but done, which was encouraging. After a quick shower, I did several things at the building before meeting a couple for counseling. After all that, it was back home to keep the smoke going. The heat stayed pretty good while I was gone. I don't like leaving the smoker that long (2 hours), but I had to.

The rest of the day Friday was back and forth between preparing for Sunday and watching the temperature gauge on the smoker. Cora and Maddie came over for supper, so that was fun. I had to break from playing with Cora to pull pork until bedtime. I went to bed tired and woke up refreshed, ready to ride.

We met for a 100 mile ride. In the end it was just 3 of us. There was a lot of wind on Saturday and unfortunately it moved around all day and managed to be in our face most of the time, especially as we headed home, moving to toward the west and north. It was pretty tough, but Bill and John, both stronger than me, helped me make it. It was a decent ride, mostly uneventful.

Saturday evening we had a baptism at church, which was really nice, and then Kedra and I, needing a little break, went to a movie. All that topped off a nice Saturday. I came home from the movie and did a little more Sunday prep/review before crashing into bed again.

Sunday was another busy day. Things went well at church, ending with a nice graduation dinner. This marks the first of a few celebrations for Ben. In the afternoon, I had time to ride 20-25 miles. A group of 8 gathered on a beautiful afternoon. Lester and I could do a short ride, due to church activities, and everyone else decided on a 3 hour ride.

We took off, and once we crossed 37 and picked up a tailwind on the Amish Super 2, things started picking up. Iron Bill said he was heading for the hills. Lester and I turned before that happened, and, of course, took the obligatory abuse for doing so. I finished with 188 bike miles for the week, and that's plenty for me.

This week promises to be busy. I guess I better get started.

Friday

Thursday

Lester, Maddie, & Cora

Good morning! Thursday! Already! May 1, already! I think the cold winter, which has extended itself into a cool spring, for the most part, has left the impression we are not as far into the year as we really are. Missing have been those occasional days into the 80s we usually get in April and even in March. I have peeked at the extended forecast, and we are heading in that direction for next week. I'm very ready. I'm sure you are also.

Today is going to be cool and kinda cloudy, I think; maybe even a shower later in the day? I hope to hop on the bike around supper time. I hope I can do that. I signed up for a Strava Challenge (see at the bottom of this post). I am 85% finished. I need about 120 miles between now and Sunday. I think I am doing another 100 miler on Saturday, so I should be able to get it done.

Yesterday I got to spend some good time in study. I actually had an hour or two of quiet, uninterrupted time, which is rare. I really enjoyed it. I had a good meeting with someone who has some great ideas about helping the poor. Another person contacted me about helping an elementary student living in a terrible environment. Capstone Ministries is going to help out with that. I got to see some people in the nursing home, corresponded with several, checked in at the ReGen Store, did some of this and some of that, had a couple of meetings, and taught my class. In other words, it was pretty much a normal day.

Today I will continue to work on my sermon and do all the other stuff that makes Sunday assemblies run smoothly (hopefully). I also plan to visit some people, check in at the Store, and do a few other things along the way. I will finish the day by washing all the potential stress away in the pool, hoping for another mile to add to the training log. Oh, speaking of the training log, I was able to run 4 miles yesterday morning. It hurt but it's better. Next up: 5 miles in the morning.

Specialized Spring Classics Challenge

Ride 1,266 kilometers in 40 days.

3/26/14 — 5/4/14

While the world’s best professional cyclists are hammering up the bergs and bouncing over the cobblestones, Specialized and Strava challenge you to ride the cumulative distance of five of cycling’s most storied races that form the Spring Classics, adding up to a monumental total of 1,266 kilometers (787 miles).

For those curious, here is how the math works out:

   Milan-San Remo [294km]
+ Tour of Flanders [259km] 
+ Paris-Roubaix [257km] 
+ Flèche Wallonne [205km] 
+ Amstel Gold [251km]
= 1,266 kilometers

In honor of Specialized's 40th anniversary, we're giving you 40 days to complete the Challenge.

Wednesday

Contemplating the next cute move

Good morning! How are you? Looks like a cool morning and a cool day ahead.

Yesterday was a good day of work. I did lots of things and talked to lots of people. I had hoped, at the end of the day, to get in a good bike ride. That all started to deteriorate early afternoon. I looked to the west and saw the clouds. Then I looked on the radar and saw what was coming. I had hoped it would pass by and give me another chance later, but in the end it didn't so I didn't ride.

Forced rest is probably a good thing. It doesn't feel that great but. . . This morning I am going to attempt a 4 mile run, here shortly as a matter of fact. Later this afternoon I hope to squeeze in a short bike ride, hoping the weather cooperates for that.

Today is the long day. It will end around 8:30 this evening. That's fine. The last several weeks have been unusually busy, wearing on me a bit, but I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel. I don't think it's a train! OK, I need to get my running shoes on. Thanks for stopping by.

Tuesday

Big Ben & Little Cora Jane

Good morning! How are you on this Tuesday? Looks like a good day ahead. Keep an eye to the sky this evening. We may be ok, though. The tornadoes ripped through the south yesterday. Kedra told me when I woke up, she received a text overnight saying her cousin's house was destroyed in Athens, AL. Her cousin is ok but lost her home.

Yesterday was good, peaceful, productive day. It was what I needed. I got several things done and a lot more organized, ready to get done. I am hoping for a similar day today.

On the endurance athletic front, I had a pretty decent day. I was able to run another 3 miles yesterday morning. While still painful, the pain continues to lessen some. I am somewhat hopeful for a good recovery. I will try pushing Wednesday's run to 4 miles.

I was hoping to bike yesterday evening, but it began looking like it would be a wash out. Then, right around 5 p.m., I looked at the radar and the sky. Kedra had supper about ready, and I said, "I will eat later, there is window open and I must jump through it." I quickly dressed, loaded the bike, did manage a small bite, and took off. I got a quick 15 miles in.

Next up was the pool. There, again, I did a mile. So I did the triple yesterday: 3 miles of running, 15 on the bike, and 1 in the pool. As I recorded this in my training log last night, when I should have been in bed, I told Kedra, "I love recording something in all 3 disciplines." Yes, I know. I can't help it. Hey, it's better than the unhealthy lifestyle of most. ha ha

Today will be focused on the bike alone. It our Tuesday Night Pace Line Ride. We roll out of the church parking lot at 5:45. Some start a little early and get extra miles in. I may be in that category tonight, depending upon the weather.

OK, I am ready to take on the day! Thanks for stopping by.

Monday

Good morning! It's a rainy Monday morning, but that's ok with me. There will be lots of people dragging around and complaining this morning, so why not make it your mission to cheer them up this morning?

Did you have a good weekend? I did but it was certainly different from a typical weekend for me. It was filled with all kinds of family events. These all came at the end of a rather busy week. I had a good trip to Nashville. I had a good meeting and got have dinner with a couple of good guys from Lipscomb. I bit the bullet and made the trip home after that. I didn't get sleepy, for which I was very thankful.

Friday was packed full of all kinds of things. I had to finish up sermon prep and finish getting ready for Luke's future in-laws to visit. At the end of the day, I did manage a 20+ mile ride with Lester. It's a good thing I got that in, because that was it for the entire weekend.

We had a nice meal Friday evening with the Buckleys and 3/4 of our children were present. Ben was out riding with a state trooper, working the Little 500. He had a great time, by the way. Saturday was filled with activity. We had a "man shower" for Luke Saturday morning. This is where he received manly things, things like tools and things to cook meat. It is the antithesis of a bridal shower. It was very nice.

After that some of us worked on the mounting a different projector for church. That was a bit of a challenge. Thankfully we were able to put engineer Luke to work yet again. We got all that done just in time for Lydia's bridal shower. Luke, and his future father-in-law, Mike, and I hung out for a while and got something to eat. Then all the prom stuff for Ben started to unfold. That lasted off and on until 8:30. That was the day.

Yesterday was busy also. I was going to ride with Jimmy but I couldn't make it. Probably the most significant thing this weekend, from a endurance athletic standpoint, was I ran 3 miles Saturday morning. It hurt but it was better. This week I will try run every other day and move on up a little, hopefully reaching 5 miles by the weekend.

OK, I need to get organized. Thanks for stopping by.

Wednesday

Good morning! Sorry about the picture, but I didn't have any fresh Cora pictures. I need to do something about that.

This week is moving too quickly! I am going to Nashville for a really long day tomorrow. I serve on an advisory board for the Hazelip School of Theology at Lipscomb University. Tomorrow we are meeting in the afternoon, having dinner, and then meeting some more. I am going to bite the bullet and drive home after that. Driving late at night is not my strength or favorite thing, but I need to be home on Friday.

We have a packed weekend. Luke is marrying Lydia on June 8th. This weekend there is a "man shower" for Luke on Saturday morning, where he will get manly gifts. Then there is a regular shower thing for Lydia later on Saturday. Lydia's parents are coming too, so we will spend time with them Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. There is a lot of activity in all this, which is all good. It does mean I need to have everything ready for Sunday early, and a long trip to Nashville compresses everything a bit more.

Yesterday was good and busy. There were a variety of things going on, all the way from spending time with an engineer friend looking at our Store to spending time with a couple of fellow ministers talking about revival. Oh, I also drove a junior high track bus to Pekin.

There in Pekin I worked on my hamstrings. I tell you in all my years of running I've never had anything like these hamstrings. I managed to run 2 miles, but it was painful and ugly. I do think, however, near the end, things might have improved a bit? I am going back out this morning, in a few minutes, to give them another try. I stretched for about 30 minutes before running. I am thankful they do not hurt during riding (or swimming).

OK, lots to do and the clock is running. Thanks for stopping by.