The First Week

First, the next person who says to you that it is just like riding a bicycle, they are wrong. There is nothing like riding a bicycle, and you DO forget how.

As someone who has run, jogged and walked (in that order) for a number of years, it feels weird to be moving with traffic. I always walked into traffic so I could see what they were doing.

I only rode about 15 minutes the first day.  I came back drenched in sweat, legs a knot of pain and all my water gone.  I needed to stop to rest twice.

When I bought my bike, it was pretty basic. After my first days ride, I realized I would be riding a lot when there was not a lot of light.  Went to the K Mart near my house, and bought the Schwinn light set.   A little headlight and tail light that you can set to flash off and on.  Feel better about that.  Gloves are good too, prevents the blisters. 

By the end of the week, I was settling into my regimen. Riding about 30 minutes, mostly on the level with a few mild hills mixed in.  Still pain, but I no longer fall up the stairs when I come back to my house.

One of my Board members rides the Missouri 150, and he suggested I get a gel seat cover, and buy the padded bicycle shorts.  Back to K Mart.  HE is getting something nice for Christmas!  This is much better. 

I am about 10 days in, and I suddenly realized that I am not stretching when I am done! Always stretch when the muscles are warm or you can tear something. (My Daughter in Law is a Doctor of PT.)  Started stretching, and the pain is much less the next day.

Stopped today for a drink at Quik Trip- realized I did not have a chain and lock.  Back to K Mark for the Schwinn Bicycle lock set. 

One side effect of my radiation therapy was losing a lot of saliva glands.  Makes me choke pretty easy, and I drink a lot of water.  Exercising is difficult because of that, and I have to stop a lot. Found the perfect answer- Hi Sierra hydration pack. It is a little back pack that carries 2 liters of water, and I just suck on a straw to get a drink. This is awesome!  The first day I used it was the first day I did not have to stop to rest during my ride.

Still using the hydration pack.  Rode 10 miles for the first time today.  Took me an hour and 2 minutes.  Not trying to be a racer, but feel pretty good about that. 

Things I have learned so far:

·         Starting a very active exercise program at the beginning of the longest stretch of hot weather on record was not a good idea.  I am only able to ride very early in the morning, which means I get up very early.  

·         Aspercreme- very important. Oddly, my knees do not hurt at all, but stretching out the muscles on the tops of the thighs is going to be a painful experience

More late
www.nhsofkcmo.org
 

Zero to 60 in 90 days

In May, it occurred to me that I should do something big for my birthday this year.  I am going to be 60 on September 15, which is a Big Milestone.  It is also my 25^th anniversary as a cancer survivor, so it deserves a REALLY big celebration.

After having the Board of Directors (the real one that has only one member, my wife, not the NHS Board) reject several suggestions about jumping out of planes and such, I decided on a bicycle ride. It might be a nice ride through the neighborhoods that NHS serves; it might be a historic bike trail or something else entirely.  By telling my story in this blog, I can maybe even help other folks my age take on a challenge. 

Since I work for a non-profit, I also decided this would be a great fund raiser.  I decided to call it Marks First Annual Birthday Bicycle Bash, or Zero-60  I have ridden 0 miles since 1968, and I will be 60 on 9/15/12.     

 I decided that we will launch the fundraiser and we would ask people to pledge for each mile I ride and invite other riders to get folks to make pledges for the miles they rode. I decided that we would finish it up with a barbecue and beverage in our parking lot. Everything was planned.  Goal set.  Mission accomplished!

There were only two problems; 1) I didn’t own a bicycle, and 2) I hadn’t ridden a bike since I got my drivers license at age 16.  

The first problem was easy; the Revolve Bicycle shop at 5100 Troost is one of a growing number of Community Bike Shops across the country. Revolve and NHS are both partners in the Green Impact Zone, so getting a gently used and refurbished bicycle made a lot of environmental sense to me. They also have a fantastic program called Earn A Bike.  I just went to their website (www.revolvekc.org) and took a bicycle safety test.  I passed with a score of 87.5% (minimum 70% to get the bike,) and went down the street to see Elizabeth Bejan at Revolve. They had a nice selection of good used bikes that were free. I decided to upgrade just a little and bought a good used Specialized bike for a great price.  I also bought a helmet for just $10. 

The second problem will take a little longer, and will be the subject of this blog between now and September 15^th.  I started with a 1 or 2 mile ride, and will work my way up to a yet-to be-determined distance by the time September 15^th gets here.  I hope you will stop in and read my blog each week.

(PLANNING on 60k, but we will see)

Mark Stalsworth

President/CEO NHS of KC

www.nhsofkcmo.org