12 Days Later Time To Fill'er Up.

So the weather has not been great for riding the scooter, but when I get the chance, I ride it. I filled it up again today for the whopping price of $3.10. Drove about 63.7 miles on that last $3.50!!!! It is great for the errands around the house. Trips to the local hardware store. Trips to the gym. I am getting more used to running around without the truck. I probably would have a half a tank in the truck had I not sagged a 70 mile TNT ride. Which was a lot of fun to do! I need to go make the gas station happy and fill that guzzler up again.

Other than life is pretty good. A bit mundane, but good. I walked about 10 miles last week trying to get a bit more active again. Find I don't have the energy to be crabby if I exercise. Funny how a body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. Real easy to just sit on you posterior and do nothing, but then nothing is what you get out of it.

Gas Money Hmmmm.....

Okay, so I got the scooter. Took my motorcycle permit test as it is a 125cc and is considered a motorcycle in MN. I've had it out a couple of times. I went to fill it up on Tuesday, and almost had sticker shock in reverse.

On Sunday night I put 3/4 of a tank of gas in the F150 to the tune of $75.00 big ones, for the lowest grade fuel. I checked the trip odometer and it read 190.1 miles. Hmm about $0.39 a mile. Not too cool.

On Tuesday, I filled the scooter up in about lets say less than 60 seconds. I put in the highest grade gas just to try and make this comparison a little more fair (ROTFLMAO!!!!) NO WAY TO MAKE THIS FAIR. As you can see $3.50 to fill it. I'll have to run it around to get the cost to the distance, but after filling it up, but for a quick comparison. I drove about 16.1 miles running errands. Then today, I drove it back and forth to the gym for another 19 miles. that is 35.1 miles and I have not used even a 1/4 of a tank. So to drive that same 35.1 miles in my F150 would have cost me (Drumroll) $13.69. So even after paying for the gas for this little gem, I am $10.19 ahead (not counting insurance and vehicle payments, of course).

Now don't get me wrong. I love my F150. It is big, comfy and a great vehicle, but just too thirsty at $4.00 a gallon. I do have to laugh at the parting note from the gas station on the receipt. "THANK YOU PLEASE COME AGAIN". Well, hopefully not for a few weeks for that amount. It should probably read "THANK YOU PLEASE COME AGAIN" and bring a kidney or another body part you can sell so you can fill your vehicle! The other receipt for the scooter fill up says "Thank you for stopping! drive carefully" and the owner of that station was probably looking out the window and thinking; Thank you for stopping! drive carefully" and don't come back with that scooter, bring your damn F150!

Oh Boy Gas Prices Suck!

Season Total 61 Miles by bike.

I did something I thought I would never do. I bought a scooter. I am not a guy that likes motor cycles at all. They scare the shit out of me to put it bluntly! But getting 80 - 90 miles to the gallon at $4.00 or however high this rip-off is going to go, beats the 180 - 190 miles I am getting out of my F150 at $100 a tank full. I'll put fear aside and learn a new skill and be careful. The scooter will pay for itself in about a year at these prices.

I would love to be able to ride my bike everyday, but sometimes I have to be to work in a hurry for meetings and other items of business. Just running around in my truck to the gym and other errands is killing the finances.

I may be working out of my funk finally. I am not sure that I will be doing the Door County 100 after all. I am considering doing the MS Tram in MN, 300 miles in a week. Meeting with one of my co-workers next week to discuss, new challenge that I am not 100% on my ability to complete, but hey I used to think 100 miles in a day, or marathon, or an Olympic distance Tri was impossible. I need to have a goal or I will sit in my own moroseness and do nothing.

Funny how as a person, I don't like goals, but need them. I am very odd in that way. I have been very introverted again lately, and have been reading a lot. I found a book of quotes and found some inspiration from that. I'm still dealing with not allowing myself to find my full potential. I am always afraid of failure, but it is not something I let myself allow to happen. I am better than I think I am, and afraid of what I can become. The only one that can hold me back is me. And yet I am afraid to let it all hang out there and just see what happens.

I will be helping the Tahoe cycle TEAM from TNT over May 7 & 14 by sagging them. Will be fun to just sit back and watch people accomplish great things. I'll let you know how it goes.

Nineteen Enjoyable Miles & Paying Attention.

Season Milage 40 miles.

Okay rounded out the numbers. Hate when things are not even. Went out and focused on just enjoying the ride and not pushing too hard. I'm starting over. I'm not gonna be able to rip through it like I am in mid-season form. Geez sometimes, I forget baby steps, or the K.I.S.S. principal (Keep It Simple Stupid). I gotta take it as it comes and base the effort on how I feel.

I did that today. I focused on just trying to keep the cadence at between 70 - 80 RPM. I was really pretty successful at that. I did not stare at the meter, just kept the occasional eye on it when I started to feel like I was straining a bit, and adjusted accordingly.

I felt a lot better on this ride to the gym than I did on the first one. The first 8 of that ride felt okay, but then BONK, nothing in the tank. This time, I fueled just before going and went with the flow. The back did really good on this ride. I got to about 16 before I got a really light twinge. Did some on the bike stretching and went into cool down enjoy the rest of the ride mode your almost home.

I went with my Riders Enjoyment playlist. Mainly my favorite Rascal Flatts songs. Pulling into home I am content with my performance. 1 hour 32 min won't break any records, but were starting over and need to build up some endurance. Still faster than 10 MPH so I'm good with it. Will try and pull 16 - 20 miles again tomorrow and see where we're at after that.

Kyrie Eleison

Riding season is here. I only have 21 miles in two rides. I am sooooo out of shape. Not having a reason to train over the winter makes Marc fall hard into old ways. If beer drinking were an Olympic sport, then I would be a champion, but alas all it does is make you heavy, lazy and rotund.

I want to get back to really enjoying 20 mile rides daily. I am hoping dropping the stress I feel from day to day work and life pressures will ease. That I will find some of the care free spirit that riding brought to me over the last few years. I am still on the fence on attempting 100 this fall. My back just does not seem to want to ease from where it is bugging me. This is the same spot that flared up during last years Tahoe ride. Is it because I am 40 and nothing heals the same? Or is it the fact that I eat like crap and I have not been taking care of myself?

I've lost another dear person to cancer. I just hate it! I know that she is in a better place and free from her pain. It was the wife of my deer hunting friend that passed away a few years back. They both were truly amazing and the world is an empty place without their presence. But to know that they are reunited and at peace is a comfort.

I search for a goal yet in my life. I have a problem when I have achieved what I set out to do and then achieve it to accept it as a goal when I do try and do it again. I still am active with LLS and TNT, but I need a high from life. While I have never successfully ridden the full 100, (damn walking) I don't know if my body will cooperate again. I might have to set fear aside and really change my habits.

I miss the placement of my random mind out here in the ether as well. I think that it might be somewhat cathartic for me to write them down and leave them in peace. Maybe with exercise and trying to get back into this practice, I will find some relief from the "Stinkin Thinkin". For example today as I lay reading a thought popped into my head; "Am I chasing death, or is death chasing me?" What the hell, the book has nothing to do with that? Where would that come from. Guess that is how my mind is wired, or faulty. I am here, might as well find something to do while we wait to see the answer from that question.

Well time to go spin the wheels and see how I do. I'm not in a race other than against myself. I have to remember to start small, enjoy the successes, learn from the mistakes, and take it as it comes. Kyrie Eleison!

Long Time No Post

It has been a long time since I last posted anything out here. I have not had a lot to say. Well, I may have had a lot to say, but not anything that I would classify as positive. In the immortal words of Thumper's mother in "Bambi"; "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

I was really suffering from as one of my friends says; "Stinkin Thinkin!" I am one that needs a goal, but I honestly cannot come up with one that sparks me. TNT was awesome for me in the fact that for the first three years, I had a new thing to chase after. I am so grateful for that! I am still really struggling to find a new goal.

I was going to take this year off from TNT as I did not want my poor attitude to impact it and it's awesome mission. I just heard that they are going to have a local bike ride for the fall season. Normally I participate in the Summer season so you get the dreaded spin sessions in a dark chamber as you wait for nice weather and riding outside. But the Fall season is outside from the get go.

The local ride is not really all that local, but expenses are reduced a bit. The ride is the Door County Century. I first heard about this from my friend Coach Bob. There are no mountains to climb. The altitude will be what I am used to breathing in. I have not totally resigned myself to doing this yet, but I got that weird little buzz in the back of my brain saying "go for it ya big oaf!" It has been one of the rides that comes up on my radar year after year that I have a curiosity about. It's nice to have that buzz bouncing around in my brain pan again.

Glad to be back and hopefully I will find some more stuff to post about.

Four Years And Still Learning, Thank You For Your Support

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone that has supported me over the last four years in my pursuit to eliminate blood cancers or for that matter any kind of cancer. Without you, none of this would have been possible.

Again this year you guys stood with me and made donations that got us to the finish line. If you have been following the blog, you will know that I have learned lessons in previous seasons that have affected me very deeply. The odd thing is that this year I really struggled mentally. I am not sure what the overall issue was, but it has been a bear to deal with.

What I witnessed on Sunday, June 6, 2010 was nothing short of amazing. I watched my TEAM succeed. I watched courage in action. I watched a group of people take a stand and persevere! I watched a group of people lift themselves up when it got tough and push through personal discomfort and succeed in the goal that they had set for themselves.

While at the pasta dinner the night before, I learned that all of the participants and their sponsors amassed a total of $6,000,000.00 dollars through this one event America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride to fund research and support patients and their families to eradicate blood cancer. Thank you for your commitment and donations in amassing that total. You guys are the real heroes, I am merely there as your representative.

We all listened to a moving speech from a father whose daughter had been diagnosed in Kindergarten with Leukemia. She made it through her treatments and is doing incredible. It was amazing for me to be back participating in the event that started this journey for me. I also learned that I had ridden with this man back in 2007 as it was his first event in honor of his daughter.

There was more time on this ride for me to just take in all the amazing scenery. No matter how much self doubt I have had this season, I was at peace for most of the day. I had some times during the ride that I was completely alone without another rider in sight, but did not go into my own head and terrorize myself. I accepted things as they came. I was not able to ride the whole thing again, as Spooner Junction is high and I just cannot find the oxygen I need at that altitude. I listened to my body. I walked when I needed to for breathing or for easing the back spasms I was enjoying. There were no tears of self pity this time, just the inner knowledge that this pain was temporary and others needed me to endure.

To see Sarah at mile 83 - 84 and know that she was going to make it, was amazing. Sarah lost her mother in January this year to Leukemia and was doing this ride in her memory. Sarah kept me from getting on the SAG wagon.

She may not know it, but she showed me so much courage that I was not going to SAG in front of her. If she was going to go on in memory of her mother, I was going to go with her. Upon reaching the top of Spooner behind Sarah, I rode down to where she was and got off my bike, took my helmet, glasses, and gloves off and walked over to her and embraced her. I started to cry, but not because of my relief in getting to the top. It was purely because I was over joyed to see her persevere and do what she did not believe possible. I told her that "The last time I was here I cried for myself because I had made it. This time I am crying for you and all that you have accomplished!" If it was not for her, I don't know if I would have had found the courage to continue.

Upon descending Spooner, my coach and friend stayed behind with me, while Sarah and Carly rode to the finish. I rode when I could mainly down hill. I walked when the spasms were saying hello on the uphills. I apologized to Jasen for keeping him on the course. Jasen in his ever present patient manner told me; "That there was nothing to be sorry for. Just keep moving the best you can, you don't have anything to prove to anyone."

I thought back to when I talked with my wife about my self doubt about being able to pull this ride off again, and her response of; "Your too stubborn to quit, even if you should!" made me smile and keep going. She was right as she usually is. I would rather drop dead than fail in what I said I would do for someone.

To ride in and see my TEAM there waiting to welcome me in, and help me off my bike and embrace me as one of their own, was overwhelming.

I did not finish the way I wanted to. I did not beat the four miles that beat me four years ago. But I did not submit to the availability of those ever present SAG wagons with their soft seats, air conditioning, and powerful engines that overpower the altitude and inclines with ease. I did not pity myself for my weakness. I encouraged others that were struggling with me as they encouraged me. I did not quit. I did not fail. Again I found a way to get the job done in an alternative manner to the one I wanted. I covered the distance on muscle power and human spirit alone.

You guys are amazing! You have supported me in my endeavour year after year to continue this fight. You have believed in me when sometimes I find it impossible to believe in myself. You give freely and from the heart. You have been as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar! I can never thank you enough.

Humbly Yours,

Marc Allan McElyea

Century Rider (Times 2)

Marathon Walker

Olympic Distance Triathlete

Triple Crown Award Recipient