protein power

I've had a few issues regulating my blood sugar this week.
Not in a diabetic kind of way.

Instead between meals it has dipped too low resulting in one beautiful episode of "I'm going to lay on the floor, bring me peanut butter." It happened at a conference meeting with 30 of my colleagues. Already the story has spread among Methodist clergy throughout the state of Kansas. Next to Sunday's crash, it has not been the healthiest of weeks.

Today I went to the doctor. For my co-pay I received the sage advice, "eat more protein."
I was hoping at least to have my stitches removed but it seems I forgot to make a specific "stitch-removal" appointment so the nurse wouldn't even consider it. Obviously the genius of our insurance system at work. Little do they know I have another option. Can we say "living-room clinic?"

I am entering two monster months of cycling, 60 miles tomorrow and we go up from there. Protein for muscle repair and building will be as important as ever.

As an almost vegetarian (technically a pescetarian) I can get a little sloppy on finding quality sources of protein. My doctor's parting sentence to me this morning was, "Tofu, good." He's an articulate one.

This afternoon I went "protein shopping" at Dillons. I read the label of every item I put into my canvas bag searching for the best possible combination of high protein and appetizing. I arrived at home with boca burgers, fish fillets, soy nuts, Kashi Go-Lean Crunch (thanks Bergy) and some fancy protein shakes that are more at home in a GNC store than my cupboard. I feel funny (funny peculiar, not funny ha-ha) about resorting to such processed elite-performance products. But I am willing to try most anything to keep the blood sugar regulated, and myself upright. Well almost anything. I don't want to eat a hamburger.

whap

sunny sunday
a pleasure to ride
cornering with grace the goal
team follows like a wave

innocuous puddle of water
slightly tilted bike
loss of traction
hello pavement

no one ran over me
an moment of biking ballet

pavement, meet hands
and chin
and teeth

bounced onto my back
blood on the jersey
testimony to pain

three stitches required
teammate's house turned clinic
thanks for marrying a doctor

invincibility is a dangerous disease
i am cured

T-E-A-M

Whenever I am not in my big-girl work clothes, I wear a bracelet on my arm for TNT. It is a purple version of the yellow silicone bracelet made popular by Lance Armstrong's "livestrong" campaign. I appreciate the constant reminder of my commitment to TNT, it actually encourages me to have that little purple thing slung around my wrist.

TNT works hard to make sure its participants are motivated and feel ownership in the program. This is good. What makes me hang my head is any talk of heroism or high sense of pride we should feel. It's been said, "We're out here saving lives." Actually we are just biking. The saving lives comes from the work of others enabled by the money I helped raise. Pride doesn't feel quite appropriate.
That's what I appreciate about the bracelet. It captures why I am enjoying my TNT experience with four words that are inscribed in the silicone.

Train
Endure
Achieve
Matter


It makes a nice little mantra for me and helps to capture what I want to accomplish with this experience.


Train
Endure
Achieve
Matter


Saturday was all about the E.


We drove to Topeka for the Bruce Whaley Spirit Ride, an event in honor of a man who died in his mid-thirties of Leukemia. It was important for TNT to be well represented since we share the same cause as the event.


Kansas is toying with fall, today it is near 90 degrees and windy. But Saturday was 45 degrees, cloudy and raining. I can easily say these were the worst conditions in which I have ever biked. The morning started cold (as in teeth-chattering) and wet. Which led to numbness combined with sleepiness from the 4:30am wake up and frustration because we had 4 flat tires in the first 10 miles. It was a true test for our team spirit. I would give us a B- At one point Travis made us recite our team cheers, I believe because he was tired of hearing us complain.


By 1pm we had finished all 50 miles of the ride including "Puke Hill" (a beast to climb up but fun as hell to ride down). We were mostly dry, closer to warm and already carefully crafting the story of the day to wow the friends and teammates who were not there. I was glad to be done and I suppose glad to have endured. I want that "E" to mean something after all.

dressed to impress

Chad got me a new helmet for my birthday.

Well actually he purchased a gift certificate so I could go and purchase the correct size helmet for my, as it turns out, rather large head. I don't know what to think about the fact that my head is too big for the "women's specific design" helmet.

Amy Berg has been telling me for years "face it bud, your head is just too damn big." But I think this must be another instance of product engineers trying to put women into a box, or in this case small-headed helmets.

All the women's specific helmets are also pretty colors...pastel with flowers or butterflies stenciled in.

My helmet is black.

The salesmen did tell me many people purchased the black helmet because they think it makes their heads look smaller.


What do you think?

YOGOWUPI

Last Wednesday Travis promised a "memorable route" in his e-mail. He also included a special task at the bottom of the message to see if we were actually reading all the way through his weekly missive.

When we arrived on Saturday morning he reported that all the "newbies" and a few alumni had completed the task but he was feeling generous and wanted to give the special prize to everyone. I understand team spirit but what is the point of calling it a "special prize" if everyone is getting one?

He then handed out water bottles that have a TNT logo on one side and his hand written encouragement on the other. YOGOWUPI it says. "You only get out what you put in."

Do you think that's true? I wonder if sometimes I put in a lot more than I get out.
I think that's called service.

And other times I get out a whole lot without putting anything in.
That's called grace.

But here I am trying to make coach-lingo fit with Christian theology. I should stop that.

Saturday's 50 mile ride was supposed to be memorable for the scenery, we rode home on legendary "Thunder Road." Which I, of course, insisted on repeating with all the deep, gravelly, resonance I could muster. We're on Thunnnnnnder Road.

It was pretty but more than that it was hilly. Travis turned us loose from the formed paceline to attack the long series of hills (which he euphemistically called "bumps") at our own pace. As we charged up the first few I made it to the front of the pack until pretty soon it was only me and the other Amy leading each attack.

Someone clever in the group has dubbed us "Amy-teacher" (she spends her day in 7th grade biology) and "Amy-preacher."

Amy-teacher kicked my butt up each and every hill. Then she slowed down on the descent so I could catch up, enabling her to kick my butt up the next hill. Honestly, it was a great way to spend the morning.

It also showed me that biking can hurt. A lot. Legs burning, burning, burning, in a way I have rarely accomplished in running. Of course when you run up a hill you still have to run down which can be just as painful on knees and quads. But bike up? You are rewarded with a pedal-free descent.

I remember once reading about pro-cycling and seeing a quote saying what makes a truly great cyclist is his or her ability to suffer. I would like to think that rides like Saturday make me better at suffering on the bike and therefore a better cyclist. Of course our suffering, up even the biggest hill, is so short lived. It's nothing compared to laying in bed with cancer unsure if or when the pain will stop. This is TNT, we are doing this for cancer-patients, after all.

I suppose that's my problem. "You only get out what you put in" makes it seem like life is some how fair. And you and I know it's not. I could make some comment here about taking each hill as it comes, but that seems glib. Travis, I don't know if you read this but I mean no disrespect. I'm just thinking these things through. I'll still use the water bottle.

Peanuts

Amy Rush and I went to the Braves game today. They won. This has absolutely nothing to do with riding my bicycle but it was such a picture perfect Atlanta afternoon, I wanted to share it with you.