Yesterday was as good a day as any~

A very "good early morning" to all of you from my part of the world, south central Kansas.  Days of late have been like sending you greetings from the inside of the refrigerator, although perhaps better said, inside of the deep freeze.  Winter's grip, its stronghold has wrapped all around folks here and even though the furnace seems to run non-stop sometimes at home, I have trouble staying comfortably warm without an extra layer or two of clothing on.  I should never complain and I surely try not to~many folks in my own town of Hutchinson live in houses much colder than mine would appear to be.  I have money to pay my Kansas Gas bill each month and money left over.  I am blessed beyond belief, beyond measure and I know it.  

Yesterday was the day that I finally gave up the notion of riding my bike outdoors for the time being.  Up until mid-December we'd had some great riding days here on the plains of Kansas.  In fact, I was pleasantly surprised most times to be able to get out after school for a quick 10 mile ride.  Heck, there were even a couple of Saturdays when I took out on the bike path and had great rides.  Glad I enjoyed them then because for now, well for now it's just not going to happen.  But I love riding and so yesterday, New Year's Day, seemed like the moment to put "bike riding plan B" into effect...going to the bike trainer.

Back in the late fall of 2011, 3 months after having busted up poor "old lefty", I was given permission to get back on a bike for 6 weeks before the next surgery at Christmas time of 2011.  Of course Dr. Chan gave me restrictions and the one loudest spoken by him was "Peggy, do NOT crash and burn again!"  I was reluctant, no let me rephrase that...... I was scared to death to get back on a bike and take the chance of crashing again.  I wish I could say that my level of confidence was at a "0"...but mine was deep into the negative number side and there was just no way I could shake it.  But then, someone suggested a bike trainer, a stand to put the bike in so it would become essentially a stationary bike.  One thing led to another, and before I knew it, these two friends shown below came up with a plan....one that would help me get back on a bike once again.

Hey, please meet two of my dear friends, the Willis's~LeRoy and Anne. ( Hope you don't mind that I "borrowed" this beautiful photo of you two!) These are two very fine people who I had the privilege of first knowing when I took care of Anne's mother, Winifred here in Hutchinson.  Funny how God always puts people in the right places at the right times.  We were destined to meet and become friends.   LeRoy and Anne have spent their time after retirement a couple of years back travelling all over the place in their bus, "Liberty".  They happened to be in the Colorado Springs area when they came up with the idea of "plan B".  The search began for a trainer that would work for my bike and before I knew it, they had already found one, purchased it and stowed it away in the bus to bring it back to me in Kansas.  Here's what it looked like, with me on it (LOL) the first afternoon that I had it.

I remember how intimidated I felt to get on the trainer for the first time.  I thought I'd just about fall off several times.  I kept hoping that if I DID fall off, at least I'd fall towards the couch side instead of the fireplace side!  The only problem I had was the with my short legs, it was difficult to hop up on the bike with it upright.  Normally speaking I would always have the chance to lean it to its side to get on.  It took awhile but thankfully no step ladder was needed to just sit down on the seat.  I always wore my pink splint, no matter what!  Not sure how much help that would have provided but what the heck, it made me feel safe at least.  And so, thanks to the goodness of dear friends like LeRoy and Anne, I was able to at least put my feet in the pedals and ride again.

Yesterday was "moving day" for the bike trainer~off the front porch and into my bedroom.  Once I drug the bike into my room and my son Grahame attached it to the trainer, it was time to give it a spin.  I already knew how I would like it~I didn't.  There is nothing more boring, more mundane, any more "ho hum" than to ride a stationary bike.  I'd rather ride 20 miles into a stiff Kansas south wind than to ride 5 minutes on a bike that goes absolutely nowhere!  But unfortunately I have no choice and if I want to keep riding, and I DO, then I'm going to have to make a few sacrifices.  LeRoy, always much better at words than I am, says it best.  "Peggy, it's like being the lead dog in the pack but the view is always boring."  Yep LeRoy, couldn't have said it better.

My plan, at least for the month of January, is to ride 3 15-min. cycling sessions spread throughout the day.  Hey, at least it is a start!  Putting it into perspective, it's gonna be like the time it takes to listen to Sammy Johns sing the "Chevy Van" song 5 times and you know, "that's all right by me."  I figure the worst thing that I can do....wait a minute, time to rephrase again...the worst thing that ANY of us can do during the cold month of January is to sit in the house and do nothing.  

Come Kansas' 152nd birthday, January 29th, the registration for the Bike Across Kansas of 2013 officially opens online and I intend to be one of the first people to register.  My attempt at the BAK of 2011 was the impetus for this online blog of mine.  And although my journey was actually only half way across the state, I never gave up on the idea of trying it yet another time to make it ALL the way.  Unfortunately a little over 2 months later, I wrecked my bike and the summer of 2012 was out for me.  But not anymore~"old lefty" is as good as it is gonna get and at age 57, I intend to try it once again.  Lots of riding ahead of me but I have faith enough in myself these days to make it.  

I'm reprinting below what has turned out to be the most difficult post I have ever had to make on this blog site.  It was the post on the very day that I had to leave the route near McPherson after having problems with dehydration and the beginning of a heat stroke.  It hurt more to quit and come off of the route than it did to have a needle inserted into my veins to begin an IV at the clinic (and I hate needles by the way!)  I learned a lot from the experience and intend to use that knowledge to do an even better job in June of this year.  

Have a great 2nd day of January my friends!  Do something good for yourself today...you deserve it!  

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

The Aftermath

It's Wednesday and by this time all of the remaining riders are well on their way out of McPherson and making the journey to Cottonwood Falls--Day 5 has begun.  I am at home and feeling better than I did yesterday at this time.  I finally got to sleep about midnight last night and woke up at my usual time of 4:30.  My plans are to do just what the dr. said, believe it or not, and just rest today.  I shed my share of tears last night but today is a new day.  And surprisingly enough, just because yesterday was a bad one for me, the world is still turning and life continues on. 

What a difference one day makes in how we look at things!  Today as I think about it, I really have a lot to be thankful for in a journey that didn't exactly go as planned.  In 5 days of travel, I never had a flat tire, problems with  my bike chains, or any other mechanical failure.  I always managed to have plenty of fluids on hand and snacks to eat along the way.  I never got lost (thanks to MY HEROES, Shelley and Clint).  And miraculously I was able to hang on to all of my stuff the entire time.  I was able to locate my helmet, gloves, cell phone, tire pump, money, sleeping bag every single day.  Heck, I don't have THAT kind of record here at home.  :)  So for the friends that loaned me items to take along for the trip, rest assured your "stuff" is safe and sound here at home.  And with thankful realization, except for the heat stroke/dehydration issue, I didn't have any type of physical injury for a change.  Hallelujah!  

One of my original goals, while on the BAK, was to think about life and to learn a bit more about myself.  Believe me, when all you do is ride a bike for hours at a time, you definitely have plenty of time to think!  One very nice thing that I came to realize is that Peggy Miller is a very capable person after all.  While it wasn't exactly a lot of "fun" to take down and put back up a tent each day on my own, I could do it.  "Camp Miller" took on a slightly different geometrical shape each day but it sufficed and gave me adequate shelter.  I was always worried that I would lose a tent stake as I packed up each day.  This morning I counted and actually found that I had come back with 2 more than I had taken.  I think that's called a "net gain" or something.  Surprisingly enough, I also managed to figure out how to climb into the back of those big trucks that hauled our gear from town to town.  I was nervous that my little short legs would never be able to get up into the bed of that truck but they did.  I'm sure that anyone who was watching would have thought it to be quite comical to see.....maybe that's why I always did it in the dark of the early morning hours.  The less people that had to "witness" that spectacle, the better! 

Even in the heat and wind, with long miles ridden each day, I want you to know that I had fun.  It was fun to watch all the different people on the ride and to make friends with many of them.  I had a great time talking to the kids that were riding on the BAK and to watch their fierce determination and spirit as they tried their best to go the course. It's not every day that a person has the chance to make 900 new friends at once.  BAK has given me that chance.   

My bike is "temporarily" parked while I wait a couple of days before riding again.  But, I WILL be riding again!  I feel pride in riding what I did--according to the odometer, I have ridden 1,050 miles since I purchased my new bike in mid-March.  I have learned that I CAN do it--I need not have feared.  Heat and dehydration stopped me at the half-way point but that is SO all right.  I have always asked that God would provide me with just "enough".  I believe that He said,  just inside the Rice County, Kansas line, "Peggy, you have gone enough."