Fat Blobs and Good Causes

Dwight, who is as far as I am concerned, the closest thing to Superman without the Krypton driver’s license and the cape, made a good point. (Dwight’s one of the TNT coaches who makes sure we get into shape and do it safely)

I haven’t really gone into the “Why”. Why am I going out there every weekend, regardless of the weather, etc. and preparing to bike 100 miles?

It’s quite simple: I am a big, fat blob. There’s at least 15 pounds of extra “me” hanging off these bones and they gotta go.

Corpulence and kidding aside, ever since I was in Cub Scouts, it’s been part of what I do to join in to help the community or something along those lines. The last few years I have been helping out with the Manhattan Society, the Manhattan chapter of the MS Society. But ManSoc, as they like to call themselves, recently decided to make their membership to the chapter more directly tied with the money that an individual raises, and I didn’t like that at all.

So, I haven’t been active with ManSoc much lately, and didn’t have another charity to help out with for quite a while.

Then, about a month ago, my brother’s girlfriend Eve mentioned the TNT thing, something I had heard of several years ago, but never really considered. It was her second go around and if she could train and raise the money, I figured I could, too. So, here I am.

Now, that’s more the “how” – let me get back to the point: Leukemia and other blood cancers are extremely tough to fight and while there’s been a lot of research, there’s still a lot more to learn to find a cure. And research is expensive. Very expensive. Like new BMW with the fancy stereo and leather seats expensive. Like Paris Hilton spending spree at Bergdorff’s expensive.

And to answer a question that’s likely on your mind: I don’t know any one personally that is fighting or has fought leukemia. However, I did read that book ERIC in junior high by Doris Lund about her son’s battle with leukemia.

It was a powerful read, and I can still remember how hard her son fought off the disease, stifling the pathogen into remission a number of times before eventually becoming too weak. I think on that book when I am lacing up my biking shoes sometimes, or when I hit that hill and my legs don’t seem to have anything left, and I find more and keep going.

I think about if it were me, the subject and main character in the book, I would hope that there would be others out there, perhaps complete strangers, trying to help.

I get up and spend hours straight biking, I get nearly up every morning and spin away on my trainer, and endure stiff muscles and aching joints because it’s that important. And I am a fat, fat man.

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnonj/tntnonjEFlemin

March's Chill and Spinning-for-Dollars at Shoprite

It was another weeked of mummifying myself in spandex and neoprene to stave off the cold and wind of March. Saturday offered a bit of sun, but countered with powerful gusts of wind that tried to wrench my Canondale from the road.

As we're finding out in drips and drabs, this 100-mile ride in June is no cake walk. The latest ort of information about the course included the mention of a eight-mile ascent (at an average speed of 10 mph up a hill, that means about an hour uphill, if I did my math right.

So on Saturday, they threw a 40-mile ride interspersed with a series of hills to prepare us for June. The first 20 were the worst. After that, I got used to the pain in my back and an ache in my right knee.

But the ride hurt.

On Sunday, I camped out in front of a ShopRite with two other TNT participants (Eve and Dawn) to raise money for the event. We rode our trainers from 10 am to 3pm - that's about 20 or 30 miles. To show off our TNT jerseys we took off a few layers, which made the wind especially cruel, as we were in the shade the entire time.

And some scooted by us as if we had a disease, others gave pocket change, others still donated $20-bills. We netted more than $450, which was a bit discouraging, as that's a lot of work to pedal that long in the cold. I just took $100 for the day, as the other two are not as far along in their fundraising efforts.

Me, I have about $2,600 left to raise. That's about 60 miles, using $44 as a benchmark.

I am hoping for a warm spring, when all I will have to worry about is how much water to carry and whether I missed a spot with the sunscreeen. But nomatter the weather, I will be out there. It's a good cause.

Thanks to all those who have given generously, and I hope a few others will be motivated in the near future to contribute to my efforts. Seventy-five cents of every dollar goes right to the cause.

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnonj/tntnonjEFlemin

Thanks. More updates soon.

Eric

Beer Mortars and Eric Tartar

This past weekend I planned on doing my required training a bit earlier in the day, without the group, so I would be able to attend social obligations later in the day.

For road bicyclists, or “roadies” as I call them, this is flat out a bad idea. They travel in groups for good reason. First, roadies are much more visible to drivers in a big group. And secondly, an a$$hole behind the wheel is less likely to try something cute with so many witnesses.

Case in point: I am about 6 or so miles into the 44 miles I planned to ride this past Saturday, going up a short hill – all by my lonesome on a side road in Bernardsville, NJ, or thereabouts. That’s when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something falling out of the trees, or so I thought.

Assuming that it was a plastic bottle that had been whisked into a tree branch on a previously windy day that New Jersey gets quite frequently, I slowed a bit – and a good thing I did.

As I slowed, I noticed something strange: The trash was falling faster than an empty plastic bottle would and it seemed not to come straight down, but in an arc from the left, and then SMASH! It burst upon the ground not five feet in front of me, sending shards of glass and beer across the pavement.

Had I kept my pace, this beer mortar very likely would have hit me. But where did it come from? I then figured out (after a few colorful epithets were shouted) that the beer bottle had been lobbed out of the passenger side window of a truck passing in the opposite direction.

No, I didn’t get a good look at the car, license plate or the driver. But be on the look out for bald person with exceptionally large cheeks, no nose, eyes or ears exceptionally bad breath.

And about five minutes later, a Doberman and his Jack Russell terrier crony decided I had no business pedaling past their front lawn and/or my legs looked tasty. They were denied a sample of Eric Tartar.

Side note: if you are a dog owner, please fence your dogs in or tie them up when you are not around, please? I love dogs, but when large, angry ones chase me and try to use me as an in-between-meals snack, my love for canines dips considerably.

After the beer lobbing incident and then the dogs, the ride went fairly smoothly. I guess I was shaken up after being used as a target for beer horseshoes, and I missed one turn, and that added 3 miles, so I finished the day logging 47 miles.

On Sunday we rode 20 miles to recover from Saturday. I haven’t quite got my head around the idea of the “recovery ride” yet. I mean, you don’t fix a stubbed toe by dropping a brick on your little piggies, right?

So that makes for a total of 67 miles this weekend, and yes, I am walking a bit funny.

But it's all to get in shape for the 100 miles in June and all to help fight leukemia.

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnonj/tntnonjEFlemin

More updates to come

E