I've decided not to do the race next month. I made the decision Sunday but decided to live with it for a few days to see if I still felt that way. I do.
I've been weighing the pros and cons for awhile and the balance tipped way to the cons. Riding 150-200 miles every week takes a lot of time out of the schedule. And it's not just the time on the bike; I'm no good for anything hours after my longer rides. Then there's the mental stress. One of the pros is what I learn about myself through pushing past perceived physical limits, but that's emotionally, as well as physically exhausting. Hard to explain unless you've done something like that. Bike riding should serve me, but it got to the point where I was serving the riding. Then there was the $$$ investment. The race isn't cheap, and because it's in Tucson, 90 miles away, I'd have to drive down Friday, pay for a motel room and meals, and then drive back.
But the biggest reason was Sunday's responsibilities. I moved my long training ride to Friday because doing it Saturday left me feeling tapped out for Sunday's preaching and teaching. That's fine when I'm doing 75-80 miles, like I have been. But the race is 109 miles and it's on a Saturday. No day to recover before Sunday. Maybe I'm too anal about it, but I cannot, in good conscience, do something optional that compromises my work for God on Sunday. Priorities.
So, I'll still ride, especially since we're coming into prime riding weather (though we hit 98 today). And I'll try to keep my total distance about 100 miles a week. I like the physical fitness that comes from putting on significant miles at a decent pace. But the race plan has been dumped.
Learned the other day that a friend since childhood has cancer, with surgery scheduled Monday. Makes me feel bad for the concern it must give her and her family, all of whom I count as important friends.
Praying.
The Democrats are in bed with the lawyers, which is why we didn't get tort reform in the medical overhaul legislation.
The Republicans are in bed with the bankers, which is why we didn't get any significant changes in the way banks do business.
The Spanish National Anthem has no lyrics.
Worked on my sermon this morning. While eating lunch I watched "Outside the Lines" on ESPN. Today's 30-minute program focused on Coach John Wooden who would have been 100 years old today. It featured four men who either played for him or were assistant coaches under him. A remarkable man, and one of the things the four agreed on was that Wooden treated players differently and readily admitted to doing so. He said they were each individuals and needed different things. I wish I could have been around Coach. Everyone I've heard talk about him says they were better people for having done so.
But he's dead, so that's not gonna happen. Which is why I'm holding out for spending a day with Condoleezza Rice. She's just written a book about her childhood, growing up in the segregated South. I saw a too-brief interview with her on TV yesterday. Amazing.
Here's a Black girl who grows up in Birmingham, AL in poverty and rises to be a concert pianist, the Provost at Harvard and then Secretary of State. But there is absolutely NO hint of hubris.
She was asked if she would write about her time in the White House. She said she planned to, but in order for people to understand that portion of her life they needed to understand Rev. John and Angelena Rice, her parents who taught her the values that enabled her to become who she is.
So, Ms. Rice, if you're reading this please call. I'll clear my schedule. If all you have time for is lunch at Paradise Bakery, I understand. I'll buy (I have a preferred customer card) and we can talk about the stuff that matters - not politics but life, adversity, character and faith.
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