First weeks of real training...

Mohican is a long way off, but I have started the "official" training this month. All I can say is that it is going to be a long stretch through the winter to get to where I want to be by April/May. I have laid out a schedule to serve as a guideline for training, since riding with two little ones at home and a busy work schedule often changes my plans.

Yesterday I went out for a 2 hour mountain bike ride and was reminded of how much work it'll take to ride for 9-10 hours. Although the trail I rode was very rough and technical, the effort to simply ride for those 2 hours was significant. I will definately need the long rides in my schedule if I want to have any hope of riding well in June.

On a positive note since the last update, God has really provided and I secured a great road bike to help with the training. I don't have any pictures yet, but I will post some soon. A super nice Neuvation F100 popped up on Craigslist and I was fortunate enough to buy it. So far I have put about 300 miles on it and hopefully will have 1000 on before January.

Action

In endurance events, there are times when it just comes down to putting one foot in front of the other. I'm motivated to do just that right now. I had to do a similar process to finish the Galena Marathon both times. Here I am at the start of the 2009 Galena race. The FCA-E yellow is easy to spot.

In my pursuit of moving my faith into action with the Mohican project I have decided that the only thing I can do while I wait on certain peices to fall into place is keep moving. I have to keep training and praying about how God will use me on this mission. It is not my race, I'm just lucky enough to get a go at it and whatever is provided for me to use as I continue on is a blessing.

Here is an update on the progress:

• still waiting for two families to be acknowledged through the Nampa, ID and Ashland, OH areas and for God to provide a bridge for me to raise funds for their needs


• looking for a road bike, which I will need to serve as a critical part of my training


• Mohican 100 date is still not set, so I'm concerned I'll be rushed to get back to Ohio in time


• financial cost of this project is looming, it is intimidating to think of what I will have to invest


• no word back on various side projects, including a weekly off-road time trial in Kuna or the Owyhees

"He who hears my word and puts it into practice is like the wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24

Dealing with Doubt

I have been stricken with feelings of doubt this week. It is hard when all the details that need to come together are still in the air. I have such a hard time with processes that take so long. I'm used to jumping into a situation at 100 miles an hour and just going, and it is hard to wait while we find a family to raise support for. Unfortunately I've also realized that in order to be fully prepared for 10 hours of mountain biking, I'll need to log some serious road miles on a bike I don't yet have... another area where doubt is creeping in. I guess this is what God wants, because I have realized that I cannot possibly do this ride without His providence in every way. I trusting him to lift up this mission and make it what he wants, I just hope I can get out of the way and let it happen.

Galena Report and First Wave of Support

In my journey to complete the Mohican 100, I needed to complete some races to fine tune how I will approach racing my mountain bike for 9-10 hours. The race at Galena is considered to be one of the hardest races around... so naturally I found it hard to resist! It provided a great way to test my race strategy and build some base fitness going into next year. I guess I'm thinking long-term.

The Galena Grinder was one big challenge, partially due to its extreme course elevation starting at 7000 feet and going up and down a lot before climbing to 8,400 feet and then going up and down some more... Because I only trained hard for about 3 weeks prior to the race I knew I would be tested. I would have to go up to the race in the morning, ride for five-and-a-half hours, and then drive back home. I left the house at 3:30 AM and arrived at Galena Lodge by 7:00. The drive was beautiful but trechorous due to the animals moving about during those wee hours in the mountains...

At the start of the race, I lined up knowing that the next five plus hours were going to challenge me, and I was right. The race started quickly, and I raced conservative on the first lap. My heart rate was right where it would be if I were going for an easy jog, and I was able to keep it there until the killer climbing began. After pushing my body and bike up to an elevation of around 8,400 feet only to have to go back down and then do it again.

By the end of the first lap, I was feeling great. I met up with a strong rider who rode with me for the next 10 miles until I started to hit my limit around mile 32. Thats right about when I had to go back up the huge hill again, and I did all I could to survive. For the last ten miles, I simply held on and rode as hard as possible dispite some cramping and a minor mishap with a large stick... ouch! Finishing was one of the best experiences I have ever had on a bike... I'm so glad to have reached an important milestone in the preparation for the Mohican 100. I know what I can and cannot do during long races and how to push through when the going is tough.

After returning home and recovering, I found out that I actually placed third in my division... guess I should have stayed for the awards, but I was anxious to get home.

Some of you have received an email from me, please continue to think about how you can help me fight child abuse and neglect. Feel free to email me at any time...