Life is more than what I do...

Ahhh...today has been a nice day...

Starting with a wake up phone call at 6:30. Then it was off to the garage to get my bike and load it into my car. I was meeting a friend close to the LBS first thing this morning, so I was taking my bike to have a quick 'fitting' check. After loading the bike I made oatmeal for my wife and I: not just plain, but with millet and oats, then when that's done cooking I add some crasins and olive oil and let it sit for a few minutes; then we'll add crushed flax seeds and crushed almonds. I will also add some maple syrup and then finish it with some soy milk. It's good tasty stuff!

After breakfast I was off to meet with my friend - we've not been able to touch base for weeks and it's always good when we do. He's a close friend, so it's nice to be able to talk about matters that are very close to the heart and personal. The bike store didn't open until 10, so I was off to Home Depot to pick up a few needed items. Then back to the bike shop. It was the expert's opinion that my stem was to long still, so I bought a stem that was 10 mm shorter in length. I then went and fixed my Grandmas hearing aide and visited and then back home for lunch; bike prep and then a ride. I was hoping for more time, but the day has been well spent so far and two loops was out of the question.

About 1 PM I was able to head out for my ride (it always takes so long to get everything ready to go for a ride - that's one of the things I miss about running: lace up, grab some water and head out the door). There was the normal wind, but it wasn't 30+ like it's been recently. I saw some friends on the dam and rode with one of them briefly. (Again, I'm trying not to be so focused on the training that I neglect people-it's a challenge at times, but it is my desire, even though I struggle with it.) Then it was my staple route - 46 miles out and back.

At a couple points on the ride, I noticed that the weeds on the side of the road were very pretty! Like I wanted to stop and take photos, but the conquer mentality wouldn't allow me to during the first notice of these 'weeds'. More beautiful weeds followed and I eventually had to stop - my conscious wouldn't let me continue. I took just one shot of a weed and it's shown here. It made me think of the scripture that talks of Solomon in all his splendor not being dressed like the grass of the field. They were just weeds, but they were striking and worth stopping to enjoy for a brief time.

On the return leg as I was turning on to the service road, there was a bike up a head of me: not to far so I figured I'd catch'em pretty quickly. So at the top of the first incline I noticed that I hadn't gained any ground, maybe lost some. "Hmmmm.... they must be moving along pretty quick" I was thinking. So I picked up the pace a little more (I'm guessing most guys are competitive like this and are trying to catch the next person in front of them - or that's what many others tell me: so I'm not alone in this). Another mile and still not gained ground ... . The next thoughts were - of course there are riders out here working harder and riding faster than me. I know there are lots of riders faster than me. It's just not my experience to find them very often. But, today I did. Should I accept that I can't catch him or should I try harder still? That was my question...before deciding to put my head down and push harder still. I was focusing on pedaling in circles with good form and keeping a high cadence and power output (not sure what it was as I don't have my handy-dandy power meter yet), but it took some sustained time in the high 20 mph range and sustained HR in the 170's to finally catch this rider, who was a little surprised to look back when going around a car and see me right behind him.

I pulled up next to him and we started talking. We ended up going the same route for several miles and rode together. He was very nice and friendly. We introduced ourselves and talked (when side by side). He's been riding longer than I and didn't seem to be struggling to sustain our pace. I told him it took a while for me to catch him and that it wasn't easy. Apparently he doesn't get caught by many riders, so he said I was doing good to catch him - especially for one who has only been riding for less than a year. He does races when he can and is an experienced rider. I told him about the upcoming 6 Day ride. He encouraged me some more and gave me some advice. He's a couple years older than me and is a nice guy; I hope to meet up with him again some day. His name is S.... M........ (I'm making a serious effort to remember peoples names. It's the first step in showing a desire to get to know someone. I know what it is, but am not putting it here to protect his identity.) Riding with him for those ~10 miles was hard work and a neat experience. I was needing a hard ride and that time was at a higher level than I would have put out if I had been by myself and it was neat to ride with someone who subtly demonstrated experience and a command of the sport.

Then tonight it was a softball game. It was nice to be able to play the full time allowed - even playing the last inning with just 1 pitch. We lost; but it was good to not get run ruled. :-) It's always good to go to the softball games hungry...because there seems to always be 'humble pie' served to me-mmmmm, thanks God.

After the game my wife made some kettle corn and we watched a favorite TV show that we had recorded early this week - NCIS. It's been a nice day.

Tomorrow should be a full day - but I'm expecting it to be nice too! Especially if I take the time to appreciate the weeds on the side of the road. Or to say the it more clearly: especially if I take the time to appreciate and notice all that God is doing around my schedule. My life is more than what I do!