Dreaming of a Life Less Ordinary

  Leaving It All on the Road: Sister Bay Metric Century   Sister Bay, Wisconsin, experienced cold and wet weather. Cold might be a stretch for an Indiana boy, but coming from the high 80s and 90s we have had here in Bloomington, Indiana and going to the mid to high sixties off the coast of Lake Michigan was a big change. Although, a very welcome change. I ride better in the cold. The fall scenery there dazzled with vibrant color. While not all trees had started their seasonal change, some had, which made the landscape around the mighty Michigan lovely.        David and I drove up there to cap off our summer rides and put state number 8 into the books. I struggled in Kentucky and Pennsylvania earlier this year. My goal was straightforward: to conquer the three rated climbs and reach the finish line. I made a joke to David on the way up there that our Airbnb would be a shack out in the middle of the woods with no driveway. I had no way of knowing at the time ...

From Hobbyist to Athlete: Mindset over Miles The weight of carrying heavy legs hits hard this Monday morning. I’m sitting down to write this feeling, and I have to admit, I am completely exhausted, but it’s the good fatigue. It's the kind that results from dedication and staying on course, despite every muscle in your legs pleading for a break. Last weekend was a genuine test of one's commitment and discipline. It started with a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute spin locked inside on the trainer. Then Sunday came bearing the gift of a three-hour tour on tired legs, at least that was outside. This is coming after back-to-back weekends of fifty-plus miles on the bike, and then two additional rides during the last week. My legs hated me, and who could blame them?  I am proud of myself. It feels strange to say that. I am proud of myself, though. Not just because of the riding, but because of everything I am doing to live my dream. How I continue to put myself out there. Sunday’s ride was...

  Beyond the Ordinary: The Suck and the Saddle The numbers on the Garmin: Saddle Time:  4:57:27 hours Distance:  53.84 miles Elevation Gain:  2,776 feet Personal Records:  12 PRs Maybe it is because of the book by King I am listening to, but the phrase “The Suck” has been stuck in my head. Though King’s novel uses “The Suck” to refer to Fallujah and an operation that the main character is going through as a Marine. That is something I can’t speak to; I can only talk about what “The Suck” means to me when I am out there in the saddle.  The phrase “Embrace the Suck” is something I first heard in my Team in Training days. It is from a book named “Embrace the Suck: The Navy SEAL Way to an Extraordinary Life”. The meaning of Embrace the Suck mans leaning into suffering and getting comfortable with it. That I can only mildly relate to based on my efforts in the bicycle’s saddle. I would never try to compare that to what the Navy SEALs go through.   To m...

  Beyond Big & Tall: First Time Shopping in 30 Years It is amazing that so many things in your life can click that you don’t have enough time to talk about them all on your blog in any given weekly post. I’m posting two blogs this week, something I haven’t done in years.  The mind is funny sometimes; what it remembers and holds onto. I vividly remember my favorite button-down from college. The shirt was a green and black checkered shirt, size 3XL, and I bought it at Old Navy. The shirt always appeared wrinkled even when it was just fresh out of the wash. Man, it was so comfortable. I would have worn it every day if I could have.  There is another reason I remember that green and black checkered shirt. Why do I always hold it in such high esteem? It was the last piece of clothing I picked out or purchased, not only at Old Navy but outside of a Big & Tall store or a Big & Tall section. I know I got the shirt at the start of my junior year at IU. That means the l...

  Flattening the Hancock Flat 50 Hancock Flat 50:  Veni, vidi, vici—or for those who aren’t familiar with the Latin: I came, I saw, I conquered. That is how I felt yesterday as I sat on the steps and watched the people shuffle by in downtown Greenfield. This week has been full of accomplishments I'm eager to share, but I must begin here. I'm incredibly proud of myself, and not solely for completing the task. Getting Up and Going: Go Do It!  Part of me was never really sure I was going to Hancock County on Saturday morning. The distance from home was significant. Traveling that distance alone, it just felt like there wasn’t skin in the game. I wanted to do and finish a ride. However, I had always left the door open so that if I slept in and missed it, shit happened. Not going to this event would have been a huge mistake. The course was awesome—maybe the best-marked course I have been on. There were five rest stops for a 50-mile ride; that's really amazing. Since I was alre...