Yesterday I solved all the World’s Problems
8.5 hours on the bike will do that.
Especially without music. I don’t like to listen to music when I exercise, it blocks out God’s Voice.
I started my ride off with heading down Tramway.
Lot’s of folks out riding yesterday but one gentleman caught my eye.
The guy with one leg.
Tramway climb is my least favorite climb in the world. It’s 5-6 miles long, and it’s got a small grade, and it’s mentally challenging, seeing where you are going.
It’s a great LT interval.
So here comes a guy with one leg. No prosthetic, just sitting a little wide and off to one side on his saddle.
If he can do it, what’s holding you back?
Amazing, I wanted to turn and chat with him, but I knew I had a long day in the saddle.
But I figured if he can be out there doing it, nothing was going to keep me from getting done what I wanted to do today.
A Bucket List Ride:
From home, up Placitas to the Radio Towers, down the Mountain through the Canyon and Back Home.
Up and Around the entire mountain. That’s the Strava segment.
Nothing spectacular, just a long ride. I tried to do some tempo, but with tempo hill climbs on Monday and a 2100M swim, just not too much in the tank. I did manage some tempo through the Canyon, I tried to jump onto someone’s wheel on Tramway, but missed, and blew up at 337 watts, just didn’t have it. I also did a lot of tempo/Z4 from :40 Minutes to 2 hours, and a lot of Z3 at 7 hours. I am pleased with how I did, the rest was primarily Z2. After the 4 hour mark, I didn’t have much Z3 left in the tank. And I had to conserve, I felt, so that I could do the 6 mile climb to the towers, from the 16.5 mile climb to the Crest Road.
It’s unbelievable that I did it.
There were times, I was so overwhelmed with the prospects, I thought I would cry.
I met some nice folks at the Ski Hill from NC, they’re on their way to Leadville. A Dad, and 3 boys. I wish I would have told them to keep in touch with me. I forget sometimes. I know it says, Zoefitness all over my uniform, and zoefitness.com on my butt but, really. I’m not sure if it’s that easy to put it together.
I gave them some trail advice, some driving advice, and told them, I would see them in Leadville.
What fueled the Ride:
Breakfast at home:
4 eggs, 1 serving raspberries.
On the road to Placitas I finished my breakfast, 10 strawberries and 1 serving blueberries.
I had 1.5 magic potions
1 apple pie Lara Bar
1 Cherry Pie Lara Bar
I had 2-3 ounces of Grass Fed Rib Eye
1 double espresso with 5 teaspoon sugar
Banana
2-3 ounces of Grass Fed Rib Eye
1 Peter Rabbit grape/apple package of baby food.
1 Chocolate Chip Cherry Pie Lara Bar
.5 water bottle with 1 pineapple coconut water, no sugar, ½ a Blueberry Monster Odwalla Drink ( prefer citrus C) and 1 ounce of Cherry Juice.
And about 160 ounces of water.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the Abortion issue.
This is the 2nd time in my life I have seen this become a major headline, political push.
The irony I find is that the whole adage “Less Government” is only applicable in ways that are convenient to that adage.
Like, Prayer in School, I think anyone who wants to pray in school does, and feels that they can,
saying the Pledge of Allegiance, I do agree that we should because it represents unity in our Country
and Women’s Reproductive Rights. There are other examples, but these are the ones that I meditated on yesterday.
OK, like I understand the concept of why people don’t want to have abortions. Great, don’t have one. I understand why you want to convince other people to not have one. I think, that’s awesome.
But the way I see it, it’s non of my damn business what people do in their personal lives. It does not effect me in my life what’s so ever.
I think, clearly people believe in the old saying, well there’s 2:
1) Pro Choice
2) Against Abortion don’t have one.
But don’t take away Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is more than just abortions. It’s affordable health care for women. I know because in between graduating High School, and graduating College, this was the only DR I saw. I know I am not the only one. But I also, know I would not have known what to do, and I would not have been able to afford a regular medical doctor, Mommy and Daddy weren’t flipping the bill through those years.
So keep the government out of people’s personal choices. I understand both sides, and we need to just let it alone, because it’ s non of our damn business what people do. But I do get your side. I’m with you, man.
God invented all things, which means, he invented abortion. Not to be confused ; I am not pro-abortion, it’s just non of my damn business, and especially non of our government’s.
Another reminder, if God created all things, then, God created Gay People.
This is not a religion thing, this is a human rights thing. Let it go. Be a Humanitarian.
Health Care. I recently watched a video of the PA governor. He doesn’t want to provide affordable health care to the people of PA, just like the governor or Texas.
I think, this is ridiculous, and I will tell you why;
These people were elected by the people, campaigns paid for by an Industry, that does nothing to ensure the safety of the people’s health and well being of the Industrial Zones they are creating by homes. This list is extensive, but in the examples of PA and TX, I am specifically talking about Horizontal Hydraulic Fracturing.
If your, Governors of TX and PA, are going to allow these types of Industries into people’s lives, near their homes, then they should help pay for their health care.
That’s all I am saying, both sides.
I’m all for Less Government, but let’s do it in a way that benefits all people.
I also recognized that there should be only one Intelligence test;
Your intelligence should only be measured by how much distance you give between your vehicle and a cyclist.
There is no need for any other test.
If you give me a lot of room, and make it safe for me to ride my bike, you are a highly intelligent human being, and I will smile at you and bless you.
You should always give more than the allotted 3 feet; I’ve talked about this before, you never know how long I have been out there, whether or not my blood sugar is low, if there’s an obstacle in the path that may cause me to swerve, or simply, I may blow a tire. And I can assure you, you don’t ever want to have a cyclist be a hood ornament.
I only met one unintelligent person out there on the road yesterday. 2 blocks from home, someone almost ran me over, was going perpendicular to the road I was on. Straight into me, wasn’t going to yield. I had to slam on my brakes. Thank God I saw, him because it would have been disastrous.
I also thought a lot about how I didn’t think I was going to make it to the Towers yesterday, how my knee hurt, how I didn’t have my Swiss Army knife.
I was worried about Monsoons.
I just kept watching the sky and recognizing if my friend can ride a bike with one leg, I can ride to the Towers.
The sky looked ominous coming out the Canyon,
I kept on,
I didn’t bail.
No lightening,
rain would have been welcomed.
No rain.
A perfect ride, and some more of American’s problems solved, thanks to my time on the bike.
– Coach Zoe
These are random thoughts of long hours on the bike, things to think about, not things that define us as a Coach. Perfect examples of why America is such a great country; Freedom of Speech, and respecting people we may disagree with on a political level, without judgement. Just the way the Universe intended.