lost and found in retirement
Cycling is dope. Cycling is cool. The growing number of cyclists on trails confirms that. It may have been years since your dad guided you down the driveway on your first spin on a bike. That led to a childhood exploring your world by bike. Then life happened. Your two wheels were replaced by four wheels. You never forget how to ride a bike. The…
Congratulations on completing week one of Social Distancing 101. The COVID-19 virus sat you on your couch where you binge-watched television. Here are some thoughts on how to make your time at home more enjoyable and productive. I can’t promise they will make 24X7 confinement with your family feel like a week at the beach. Be active every day. Early this year I read Younger…
February is American Heart Month. Every year I post about my heart health during February. I have shared my experiences as a heart attack survivor. I was given a second chance at life that 10% of heart attack patients are not given. This year I share the story of my dad’s death. It’s a story of a person who did not care for his body…
My world takes on a new focus at midnight on Christmas Day. Overnight, the after-effects of the monthlong orgy of parties and family gatherings become real, very real. My habit of diet and exercise were tossed aside, and good times and good food moved front and center. December 26 is judgment day; a day when my focus returns to health and wellness. My mind turns…
Today is the fourteenth anniversary of my triple coronary bypass surgery. I had a minor heart attack a few days earlier. I suffered several setbacks in the days following surgery. I was placed in a drug-induced coma. I had two additional surgeries. I spent ten days in cardiac intensive care. I left the hospital feeling pretty broken after a seventeen-day stay. That time in my…
I sat on the curb disappointed in myself in Asheboro, North Carolina. I was well into the third day of my mountains to coast ride. Two hilly days were under my belt. Temps were in the nineties with humidity approaching the same. The forty-four miles on my third day were hilly, really hilly. The last eighteen miles beat me down. I was facing 26 rolling…
I pedaled through dark tunnels of green with mountain laurel to my right and the sound of rushing waters to my left for three days. The forest unfolded and the sun streamed on my bike as the trail approached Meyersdale. The view ahead was stunning. The Salisbury viaduct appeared as a ribbon of steel and concrete high above the expansive open valley. Wind turbines rimmed…
I pedaled west from Berea towards Sandusky from the starting line of the 2010 Bike MS 150 Pedal to the Point. I was surrounded by 2,400 cyclists, most of them much more experienced, fitter, and on much more expensive bikes. I questioned if I had any right to cycle with them. I was a new cyclist, only a year out of getting on my bike…