A year for 'epic' events

I haven't posted in a while. So, I'll fix that now. I've been training actively this spring for two separate cycling events. One of them already happened, the Alien Run race in Aztec, New Mexico. It was really fun. It's a 25 mile mountain bike race. I took a digger 2 miles into the race when I endovered in some soft sand and my knee augured into the sand. I was glad it didn't land on a rock instead. I had a feeling that when I reached down to feel my knee and it was numb that it was going to 'leave a mark'. I made it through the remaining 23 miles of the race. I finished about in the middle of the pack. I had a blast and I finished. Those were my goals. I'll hopefully get to do it again next year.

After the Alien Run, I redirected my attention to road cycling. The Iron Horse Bicycle Classic is this coming Saturday and I've been hitting the road as often as my body can take it. We went to Nebraska last weekend to visit Shiela's folks for a few days and I took my bicycle with me so I could keep up my training. That was really fun. My first ride was about 25 miles when I cycled from the Colorado/Nebraska state line, Venango, to Madrid near where Shiela's folks live. Then the following day I rode from Madrid to a bit north of Lake McConaughy. That was my first half-century ride! The last 5 miles were really hard. My bum was very sore and my legs were getting weak. But I accomplished that miles stone with a 10 or 20 second stop in Ogallala for a red light. Thirty minutes after the ride with some re-hydration, food and stretching, my body felt pretty normal. The first few minutes after finishing were a little scary for me. My thighs felt like they were on the verge of cramping up. I've not felt that before. But, like I said, stretching and fluids put me back in shape pretty quick. The following day I knew I needed to do a cool-down ride. So, with a 30mph tail wind behind me I rode 20 miles from Wallace to Southerland. It was the quickest 20 miles I've ever done, averaging 30-35mph the entire way. It was eerie how the wind would seemingly stand still when I reached 30mph to match it's speed. Pretty cool to be heading down the highway with no wind blowing in my face.

Then there are those of the motorists who are angry and especially so towards bicyclists. In all the biking I've done this spring, I've discovered that 1 in 4 southwest Colorado motorists nearly run me off the road and participate in illegal highway activities concerning the bicycle. When I was in Nebraska, I encountered plenty of traffic and yet the ratio was about 1 in 30 motorists who didn't provide a safe passing distance. Hmmmm...I might limit my road cycling to Nebraska from now on and limit my mountain biking to Colorado. I did my last pre-race ride last night, riding my bike home from work. It is a 32 mile stretch on Highway 172 and Highway 151. The first highway actually has a decent shoulder that i used quite often when mud, rocks and other debris were present. However, Highway 151 is a very different story. Little to no shoulder and what shoulder there is has about a 6 inch drop off onto dirt/gravel/vegetation and steep bar ditches. On a particular stretch, I had a car coming towards me in the opposite direction about 100 yards ahead, I had three cars behind me going in my direction about 100 yards back. There was no shoulder. I knew what was about to happen. I was moving along at 25-30mph. I knew if I tried to ride the white line, the three cars were going to pass me at the same time the other car travelling in the opposite direction would meet up with me. Not good, not save, and not legal. I positioned myself in the right hand tire track of the highway. The cars did not pass, until the other vehicle travelling in the opposite direction had gone by. However, the third car back stopped in front of me three times waving her fist at me as though I had done something wrong. She would have continued this very real case of road rage if it had not been for me pulling out my cell phone as I was riding along and pointing it toward her to take a picture of her car/license plate and then dialing 911. As soon as she saw me holding up my phone, she accelerated in a hurry and got out of there. I'm guessing she knew she was in the wrong. I didn't turn her in, how ever, the car was unique enough and so was her hairdo. So, I'll be watching for her since this incident happened very close to where I live. Now I will agree that there are a LOT of bicyclists with bad attitude out on the highway, but stop and remember that not all of us are like that. It's pretty unfair and stupid to assume that ALL bicyclists are like and. Then a motorist ends up taking out their aggressions on us innocent and polite cyclists. Oh-well, I plan to go back to the mountain biking after the Iron Horse race this weekend so the motorists will be inconvenienced by one less friendly cycler. Have a great day everyone! :) Drive happy, not angry.

Live an Extraordinary Life

So, what's up with the title? Well. I had a friend recently contact me asking about any websites I knew of for a friend of hers to go to where she could research and learn about and get support concerning her son who has multiple "facial differences". I thought for a minute before responding. I first directed her to this site and mentioned that there is a link to the right that I included to another site that a wonderful person put together full of endless resources and answers. There is a need for getting those answers and developing a clear understanding of the conditions. But, when all is said and done and the dust settles and the doctors have done everything they are capable of doing and the insurance has black-balled the patient, that's when I think a person could gain something by spending time on this "silly" seemingly non-related blog that I write. Why? Because at some point in my life I realized that my face didn't have to define who I was. I was going to title this posting "Live a normal life", but what the heck is that? What is normal? And beyond that, why JUST live a normal life when you can live an extraordinary life? I live a "normal" life and yet I strive for much more. Countless people have asked me how I manage to do so much in life. I guess there's just a LOT of things I want to do and see. So I work to fit all those things in. And believe it or not. There is still plenty of idle time still left over. To my fellow brothers and sisters who have been "plauged", "blessed", "cursed", or what ever title you have put on your condition---pursue your dreams. Press in hard and do your best to not look back. Except perhaps to witness that line of demarcation so you can see where you were and where you have come to a better place. I don't want anyone to think that my life has been exceptional from day one. I have spent countless hours fighting the ache in my heart, feeling cheated, feeling ugly, feeling lonely, feeling despised and rejected. I've been through all of those and more. But there has also been so much richness in my life. Unbelievable richness. My facial differences don't define who I am now, but they contributed toward what makes me who I am. I can't deny that. And I've told people I would never "wish" my condition upon another person, but I also would not choose to do it all over again with a "normal" face. There is a great deal of confidence, tenacity, endurance, love of life, etc...that has been deeply instilled in me as a result of my life experiences with facial differences.
To anyone out there who is struggling with being different from the "standard" be it physical or emotional, I am VERY sorry that you have to carry that burden. I can honestly share in your pain and suffering. I can honestly say that I've been there to a certain degree. I know there are folks who have far worse conditions than mine and my heart aches for them, and I wonder how they do it. Funny that I would say such a thing, but I have come to a place that I forget that I look different probably 90% of the time. It's crazy. But it's like I said early on in this posting. I am not defined by my facial differences. If anyone wants to talk more with me about this, please feel free to contact me. I believe my email is included on my profile page and I can be contacted via that or via replying to this post. Finally, read through my postings. Some are serious and some are silly. But hopefully, as you read through them you will begin to realize that you don't have to be different from everyone else. You just get out in the world and start living. One of those things that seems to be quite certain in the world we live in is that we can't turn back the clock. Oneo of my favorite phrases back in college, CARPE DIEM, "sieze the day".
Have a great day everyone.
James

Lost in Reality Part Deux?

So, as many if not all of you know that I am in the process of writing a sequel to my first book titled: "Lost in Reality". Even though I have only reached the rough draft stage of writing the second book. I have been attempting to come up with a title. I like using project titles while I am in the process of writing the book that may have nothing to do with the story. My first book was saved under the file name "Jarod's Dream" because I initially started writing the story as a result of a dream I had about my son Jarod. Well, now, as I work on the second book, I first saved it under the file name "Falling Snow" because the opening scene depicted such an environment. But then I started writing occasionally at the Irish Embassy on Sundays while listening to the live Irish music and sipping on a nice dark beer. So, I renamed the project title of the book to "Irish Snow". However, somewhere along the process, I totally revamped the story line and it no longer involved any snowy scenes at all.

I though of posting a contest on here to my blog readers for a title for the second book that is more creative than "Lost in Reality 2", "Lost in Reality Again", "Found in Reality", or any of those obvious kinds of titles. I suppose that's kind of why I liked calling it "Falling Snow" and most recently, "Irish Snow". The picture at the top of this posting was my planned book cover for the sequel but my son, Jarod has a better picture idea that I will have to put together in photoshop. Since I mention a "contest" to my blog readers for a title, first of all, I don't know what I would even offer as a reward. Secondly, None of you have read any of the content of the sequel and consequently, how could you even begin to come up with a great title? :)

Well, in an effort to contribute something, the characters, Jarod, Sarah, Distra, the eagles, and many more new characters are included in the sequel, including, talking cats, flying cats, mice, large mice that also talk, hermit crabs, lemurs, meer cats, lots of little critters. There is a large battle scene including all of the above as well as traditional church attenders represented as the "big people", who sometimes get in the way of progress, the "invisible children" as defined by the children in Africa who are kidnapped from their families and trained to be military killer children soldiers. There is a spiritual element that is represented in two parallel events occuring simultaneously, the battle with all the aforementioned participants AND a celebration of the "invisible children" as that dark strong hold is broken as a result of the battle that is occurring. There is some angelic presence in this story associated with the great battle. There is some soul searching as Jarod deals with the loss of his father that occurred some time between the first book and the second. There is some soul searching for Sarah as she deals with being raised by her dad, the both of them not knowing what happened to her mother when she was an infant since her mother mysteriously disappeared. There are some interesting discoveries that occur as the children venture into that other world and find their way through it. Lots of analogy and lots of adventures. It's mostly written around the three kids this time without an adult aside from Justus the great eagle.

So, anyway, that's a bit about what is to come. I have three people reviewing the draft to give me some more feedback on missing details and weak sections before I include even a few more critiques before going to the next level of not so rough of a draft. I'm sitting at 96 pages right now with possibly several more to write before I am done. It's a bit longer than the first and I haven't included any imagery yet. Although my fine friend Brad who illustrated the first book is also working on illustrations for the second.

If any of you are willing to be a part of the review team, I'd be glad to forward a text copy of the book to you to get some more input, critique, feedback, ideas as to what needs to be included or excluded at this point in the venture. I do promise to take genuine consideration in all that you have to say but I don't promise to follow it since it is my story. But, I have been very open minded in the past when it comes to good advice.

So, aside from EVERYTHING else that is going on in my life these days. I'm trying to put some emphasis on finishing this book in the first half of this new year.

Have a great day!
James

Pressing in

So, it's been a while since my last posting. I started a few and ditched them before finishing and posting. So, I'll try yet again. Life's been busy with trips, work, ranching, snow, Boy Scouts (I've been recruited as a Den Leader since my son wanted to join), and now, it's January and I am starting my excercise and indoor riding training for the Classic Iron Horse Bicycle race later this spring in which I plan to participate. I signed up for the McDonald's tour ride rather than the official race. That seems to be what a lot of my coleages are doing as well. Near the end of last summer I purchase a very nice used Felt F85 road bicycle with intentions to keep in shape over the winter so I would be ready for the mountain biking the following spring. That's what got me interested in preparing for the Iron Horse race. Let's step back in time to set the stage.

Back in college before modern mountain bikes were invented (I say modern because I am aware that there were some pioneers on fat tire bikes up in the woods long before "Mtn. Biking" became popular) I used to ride a road bike up and down Lookout Mountain over in Golden, CO near the Colorado School of Mines where I was earning my degrees. Anyway, back then when modern mountain biking was emerging, I was big on road cycling and couldn't understand why anyone in their right mind would want to ride on a dusty, rocky, muddy, single track trail out in the middle of nowhere.

Then I discovered mountain biking due to the influence of a very good friend of mine at which point, I couldn't understand why anyone in their right mind would want to just stick to road cycling on a boring paved road.

Now, I've grown up a bit and have realized that I truly enjoy both venues of cycling. So, as I mentioned, near the end of last summer I purchase that used Felt F85 road bike and rediscovered my enjoyment of road cycling. On top of it all, I discovered the enjoyment of a modern road bicycle as compared to my vintage "Tour de France", made in Spain bicycle that I road back in college. BIG difference in riding quality and enjoyment for me. So, the Miyata took a back seat to the Felt and the enjoyable road rides began as I alternated between that venue and some of my favorite mountain bike trails.

Then winter came with a vengence. No more mountain or road biking for the season. At some point in the fall, my son mentioned that he wanted to start riding with me during my road cycling. That got my ears buring, someone else was interested in bicycling with me.

A short interlude here. My entire family was interested in and enjoying various forms of bicycling last summer just not to the extended degree that I was. So, to have my son express interest in the road cycling was a wonderful thing. So, my mind starts churning. He's 10 years old and a bit too small for a full-sized road bike. I price kid's versions and I'm not impressed with the pricing OR the quality or lack thereof. So, I started a project cutting down an old specialized frame to fit him. Well, a few months later and an unfinished project and I came upon an add for a Trek HILO 2000 Alpha triathlon bike with a 50cm frame and 650mm wheels. A nice small road bike. I jumped on it. Brought it home and Jarod immediately took an interest. We've been working for a few days now, that's all the longer I've had it so far, dialing it in to his frame size. I've run out of space for lowering the seat. I still need about an inch. I've been researching a shorter crank set but don't want to spend too much but don't want to put any "crap" on this very quality bicycle. It turns out this Trek is a few notches above my Felt that I have been riding. I may have to take the Trek out for a few runs when my son is not riding with me just so I can compare the riding differences between the two bikes.

So, anyway, it's been an interesting and fun winter so far. It's been a lot colder for a lot longer than what is typical here. The ice age is moving in. I'll keep myself busy on my cycle trainer indoors till things warm up again! Have a great day everyone.
James