Goal ride, 5,000mi. in one year

Marshall Ave. looking south into downtown Minneapolis

I achieved the goal of 5,000 miles by bike in a year on Monday Dec. 18th. It was a few days before I thought I would when I mapped out what it would take to achieve it. I had planned that it would be done the week before Christmas since I would not be commuting to work the following week but with the nice weather it made it possible to do it early in the week. 

Here is the tracking sheet I used to gauge whether or not I was on track. On the left are the weeks and dates as well as estimated mileage commuting and my starting and finishing mileage for the week. On the right is weather and actual mileage for the day of that week. I used a formula to insert the total into the current week (column C) to see how many miles I had left. I hadn't updated the formula when this was taken but reflects the Monday morning commute into the office. So, I knew I had only 11.3 miles left before hitting the 5,000 mile mark. I knew I would cross that on my way home on Monday since it is a 16.8 mi. commute. 

The weather on Friday was warm-ish for December and had a south wind which is a tailwind for me. So I began to think about which route I would take home. 

It didn't take long for me to decide. I was going to take the route that went past our church. 

You see, this has been a big year for me, my faith and our church. I biked from work to church many weeks this year for Wednesday night services during Advent and Lent and to help with Confirmation classes. Our church also is going through a transition now and I am on a committee that meets every other Tuesday night. This kind of thing would not have been possible before because my wife has Lyme's disease and was too sick for us to participate more at church. Thanks be to God that she is better now and we are able to plan and commit once again.

Additionally, I committed in January 2017 to listen to the as much of the Daily Audio Bible podcast as I could this year with the goal of hearing all of the Bible and Brian's teachings in a year. I usually listen to 3-4 days on one ride in. I am about a month behind as of this writing but have never tried reading or listening to the entire Bible in a year. I have learned so much and appreciate Brian's words of wisdom and his commitment to 'take the next step forward' in this journey. 

So back to the 5,000 mile mark. 

I stopped by our church on the way home and had a friendly dog-walker stop and ask if she could take a picture of me. I was a fun interaction as she said 'what are you doing, and looks like I could help'. I explained that this is the 5,000mi. mark for the year and that I attend the church and she was happy to help. 

What I haven't said yet is that for the last 3 days of commuting - my rear hub sounded like it had marbles in it. The steel frame of my Bianchi echos that noise quite loudly. The positive side of that is everyone could hear me coming. The downside is I didn't know exactly what was wrong and worried that it would give out on me before I crossed the line. It sounded like if you took about 3-4 marbles and put them into a metal cocktail shaker and gave it a good shake. So, I knew my time was limited. It all worked out in the end. 

I did the truck-bike commute on Tuesday and dropped the bike off at NOW Bikes for repair on my way home. Ryan is always so cheerful to greet me when I bring my bike in for repair. They do excellent work and are super people. He'll fix it up for more riding to come.

So what is next?

Last year I took the month of January off from biking. This was because we didn't have health insurance due to a change in my contract status and income. So Sandy and I decided that it would be best if I did the least risky activities in January so biking next to cars was out. What I learned was I could run again without pain and enjoy it. So January 2018 I will do the same. I already started looking at setting a goal and have once again created a training plan on an Excel spreadsheet. I'd like to run a half-marathon in February so I have a reason to get out and train every week. I think it's do-able so I have asked/challenged a couple friends to do it with me. It's the weekend of President's Day, Feb 17th in White Bear Lake. So off to a new challenge and goal. If you would want to run it with me, let me know. You'll probably be faster but I'll beat everyone sitting on their couch. 

To wrap things up this may be the last time you hear from me in a while. 

I have debated what to do with this blog. My idea is that it would serve as a diary of my rides, inspire others, provide equipment info and advice, and I dream that I could do interviews and post podcasts of everyday people who do extraordinary things through cycling. However, considering what it would take to make it successful and talking to someone who has done this before, it would be a ton of work. 

Sandy is feeling so much better and saw how easy it was for me to start this and said - I can do that!

She has had a dream for a couple years to launch and run a child training/parenting program. We framed up a blog site a year ago and she mapped out the topics she wanted to cover. She even researched how to turn a blog into a viable business and connected with a few others who do this now for their main income. Now, she is ready and I am excited to be a part of it. We bought a good microphone for podcasting and are on our way. Check it out here Simple Intentional Parenting. 

I'll be back in February to diary about the half-marathon training experience and describe the new goal for the spring gravel racing season. 

Until then.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!