A few of you know that I lost a dear friend to lung cancer this past February. This was the closest to home a death has ever really hit me. Scott was my same age – 39. We ran together in high school on the track and cross country teams. Scott was a critical 7th man on our way to winning the NC State Championships in 1985 (our Junior year). Had I stayed in NC for our senior year, Scott and I would probably have two State championships to brag about. But such is life and Scott was not one to dwell on the past but rather lived for today. Scott was never the fastest; never the strongest. But he was always the most reliable. He was always positive. He never let you down.

I didn’t keep in contact with Scott much after I left Fayetteville in 1986 and I’ll always regret not doing so. When I found out about Scott’s cancer, I did keep up with his situation and when I found out about his passing I did make it to Scott’s funeral.  At the funeral I learned that everything I remembered about Scott from high school hadn’t changed one bit as he went on to college, throughout his career and amongst his friends and loved ones - until the day he died.  Regardless of who knew Scott when, we all had similar stories about him, similar memories and the same sadness for his lost. He was one of the good guys and his death was way too soon!

It’s hard not to get emotional writing this, but it’s because I know Scott represents what so many of us aim to be. It’s difficult to put in to words but you know it when you see it. You just can’t help but like that person, want to be around that person and whatever he’s been drinking, I’ll take two! One of the things consistently brought up during Scott’s funeral was how much he lived every day. The past was the past and it’s behind us now. Live for today. Love everything about today. Live today as if tomorrow may never come. Scott died knowing this was how he lived his life. I sat at his funeral wondering if I could say the same. How many of us can?

I made a promise to myself, and to Scott, that day that I would stop making excuses and live for today. That means making smarter choices - not perfect choices and not without making mistakes. Just make choices that I can honestly live with and doing so with no regrets. It also meant that I needed to stop making excuses for not riding today, not running today, not getting to the gym and not doing what I should be doing to take care of myself and giving myself the best chance possible to have tomorrow too. I have days in my future that Scott will never have. Am I living those days as productively and happily as Scott would? I have no more excuses not to!

If you’ve read this far, then I really want to thank you as this is really the most important part of this blog post. I’ve decided to focus my riding and running efforts on events that promote awareness and raise money for cancer victims and cancer research (hint - click on the big banner to the right). Cancer, in my opinion, is the most deadly of all diseases and the one that cannot be attributed or avoided by doing all the right things. Scott never smoked, drank only socially and completed an Ironman Triathlon in November of 2008. Less than three weeks later was diagnosed with lung cancer and taken from us just three months later. Cancer affects so many of us in so many ways. It’s completely non-discriminatory. Nobody is completely safe!

That is why I’ve decided to ride in all four Livestrong Challenge (http://austin09.livestrong.org/thoward) rides across the US. Provided I can get the time off of work, I will ride 90-100 miles at a time in each of four cities – Seattle (June 21st, 2009), San Jose (July 12th, 2009), Philadelphia (August 23rd, 2009) and Austin (October 25th, 2009). For your part, I’m asking you to help me reach my goal of raising at least $1000 for cancer this year. I would love to raise more money, but we’ll start here and see how that goes. I have to raise at least $250 for each ride I participate in. I know you will all pitch in and help me reach my goals and even more importantly, encourage me along the way to not give up and to live for today! Help me help so that many others can live for tomorrow while we fight cancer together! Thank you!

Yesterday, the temperature in Dallas rose to around 78 degrees. It was too gorgeous to stay inside so I decided it was time to get past the cold/flu I’ve been dealing with for the past few weeks, stop making excuses and get my butt outside for some exercise.

The Cedar Creek Preserve (http://www.audubondallas.org/cedarridge.html) near Joe Pool Lake is a popular spot for local trail runners. The park is maintained by the Dallas Audubon Society and has about 10 miles of trails. I’m in no shape to run anything near 10 miles, especially on the trails so I decided to just cover about half that distance and to walk whenever necessary.

The trails at Cedar Creek Preserve are in a series of loops, each loop covering any where from .5 to 2 miles in distance. I completed 4 of the loops including the main path from the parking lot to Cattail Pond in the back of the preserve. The loops completed included Possumhaw (.75 miles, easy to moderate), Cedar Brake (2 miles, moderate to difficult), Fossil Valley (1.25 miles, difficult) and Escarpment Road (1.5 miles, moderate).

Overall, I didn’t think the trails were that difficult at all. There were several parts of the trails covered with rough rocks or roots, but that was about all that made the trails were difficult. That said, there were a few uphill climbs that required a bit of work as well. The toughest of those was on the Fossil Valley loop and probably the biggest reason this trail is rated as difficult. Your reward at the top is an incredible view to the north. You can easily see 10 or 20 miles north of the park. It was an incredible view and worth the climb.

Cedar Ridge Preserve is a quick 20 minute drive from Uptown Dallas where I live. Certainly close enough to do on a regular basis. I will definitely make this a regular training destination. Let me know if you want to join me!

The Cotton Patch Classic started and finished in downtown Greenville, Tx. I know a lot of people from Greenville, but have never been downtown before. Anyway, the ride started promptly at 9am with riders staged so that the longer distance riders starting up front. In typical fashion, the beginning of the ride was very crowded and stayed that way for the first several miles. My goal in the beginning of any ride is to maintain an honest pace (17-20 MPH in this case), but most importantly, stay out of the way of other riders since this is where I see the most wrecks. My goal for the entire ride is to stay above 15 MPH average and finish healthy and strong.

The race directors did a pretty good job with the rest stops. I found a rest stop nearly every 8 or 9 miles which was nice once I got more than 20 miles in to the ride and started cramping up in my calf. Nothing major, but needed more electrolytes and the rest stop around my mid point of the ride was the only one I found with the pickle juice. I can’t take in simple sugars when I’m doing strenuous exercise so I can’t take the usual Gaterade, Powerade, Gu and other substances that are so popular with other athletes. Recently, I’ve seen a new option during these endurance rides called Pickle Juice Sport (http://www.goldenpicklejuice.com/). They claim to have 10 times more electrolytes than any other sports drink. I really don’t know anything other than the fact that it works for me. During the MS150 Frisco to Ft. Worth this stuff really saved me! So, my judgment of properly supported rest areas are based on whether or not there are sugarless items (besides water) that will help me stay on the road. This ride had only one stop with the pickle juice and the only snacks were fruit and cookies - not much for me, but sufficient for the majority of cyclists.

As I just mentioned, I did start feeling a cramp in my calf somewhere around 20 miles in to the ride. I think this was also during the section of roughest road I have ever ridden on in my life. I estimate that it was only about an 8 mile stretch, but the road was so rough, my entire body shook as I pedaled on. Luckily, that was the only stretch like this and it was in the middle of the ride. After hitting the pickle juice and turning back toward Greenville, the road smoothed out, my craps subsided (stretching also helped) and I picked up the pace again.

I had averaged 17.3 MPH over the past 27 miles and I was feeling pretty good about this. I wanted to see if I could push it in to the end and get that average up to 17.5 MPH (over 41 miles). This meant I needed to average more than 18 MPH the rest of the way in. This would mean riding a negative split (completing the second half of the ride faster than my first) and this was still my first ride in over a month. Oh well, I like a challenge and so I pushed it in. The smooth surface really helped and a few downhill sections allowed me to really pick it up (almost 30 MPH a few times). I watched my computer as my average speed slowly moved from 17.3 to 17.4 MPH. I really didn’t think I could maintain a pace fast enough to reach 17.5 MPH, but with only a half mile to the finish, I saw 17.5 MPH displayed on the computer. At the same time, the road turned uphill and I realized I was going to have to really burn my legs up the hill if I was going to keep this average. I stood up on the pedals and got my speed back up to 18 MPH and rode it out to the finish. It was a hard burn, but it nice knowing I could push it in and know that my leg was still feeling fine.

Overall, I thought this was a really nice, casual ride. The scenery was beautiful countryside, not too much traffic and just enough hills to have a few challenges, but not kill anyone. It was well supported with plenty of rest stops and someone at every turn to make sure we all stayed on course. I will be sure to ride this again next year except I’ll cover the 65 mile distance instead.

I have been driving my Honda Ridgeline for more than a year and a half. I’ve had time to really get to know my truck and identify why I really love it. In this post I will identify my top 5 reasons for loving my Ridgeline. My next post will be the 5 things I would like to change, so stay tuned for the flip side of this conversation.
5 Things I Love About My Honda Ridgeline:

1. Solid Frame Construction (rigid unit body) - If you have driven a truck then you know they can be a rough ride at times. The cab and truck bed sections are usually two separate pieces held together underneath. This means each piece can move independently and you will feel each piece when you drive. The Honda Ridgeline as a single rigid unit so the frame is one piece and everything moves together. This means the Honda Ridgeline drives as smooth as a car on the road. It is a much more comfortable ride! When you are in your truck for several hours a day, this can make a big difference.
2. In-Bed Trunk - One of the most interesting features of the Honda Ridgeline is the in-bed trunk space. This is an 8 cubic trunk underneath the truck bed which locks with the rest of the truck. Very cool! A nice bonus of the in-bed trunk is that you can fill it with ice and various beverages and use it as a cooler when you are tailgating or playing a game of flag football. When you are done, just remove the plug in the bottom and let the water and ice drain while you drive home. Of course there is a lot of space for luggage, but having a portable cooler in your truck is much more fun.
3. Spacious Back Seat Area - I was sold on the spacious room in the back seat area when I saw the brochure with the mountain bike standing up in the back. I mountain bike so of course this was a very cool find for me. I like being able to put my bike (road or mountain) in the back seat area and not having to worry about taking the front tire off or having to put it on my bike rack. I have a bike rack on the roof, but that can be cumbersome and an overkill if I’m just going down the road with the bike. Aside from being able to put my bike in the back, it also seats 3 full grown adults which might also be of use to some of you.
4. Tire Pressure Monitoring System - With gas prices the way they are, every little improvement in fuel efficiency counts. Keeping your tires properly inflated is a big part of that efficiency. The Honda Ridgeline monitors your tire pressure automatically and alerts you when a tire needs more air. I’m not the most attentive when it comes to car care so I really appreciate the little things that keep me on track. Another feature I like regarding automated prompts is the oil life indicator. It keeps track of when I need to get my oil changed so I don’t have to think about it at all.
5. Dual Climate Control - We all like to feel comfortable while in the car, but “comfortable” is different for all of us. And, generally, men and women have a greater differential between comfort zones so when my girlfriend, at the time, saw the dual temperature controls she was sold on this vehicle. I like it because I can just tell my date or whoever is in the other seat to make themselves comfortable and I don’t feel like a jerk for only setting it the way I like.

So, now you know my 5 favorite things about my Honda Ridgeline. I promised a friend though, I would add in another favorite item as a bonus so here you go - I really like the color of my truck - Crimson Red. Of course the official color by Honda is dark cherry pearl, but it’s close enough to OU Crimson Red and so we are going with it. If you didn’t know I went to University of Oklahoma, you do now! I was even the webmaster of OU’s athletic department websites for a year.

My parents live on Lake Gaston, which straddles the NC/VA border just west of I95. It’s a huge lake with lots of off shoots and coves. It’s great for anyone who loves to be on a lake, go waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing, fishing, or just hanging out and having a great time. The lake was a bit busy on Saturday and Sunday, but was absolutely perfect today! My parents said the tourists were finally going home and they were finally getting their lake back.

The only thing I wish my parents had was a boat to ski behind. I grew up waterskiing and kneeboarding so it’s weird not having that opportunity at the lake. My parents do have a pontoon boat, but it’s really not the same thing - not exactly going to get a wake-to-wake jump behind the pontoon boat. But that’s ok! I’m so out of shape right now (especially the muscles necessary for skiing) that I would probably need another vacation if I had gone skiing all weekend.