Flatness

My day began at 5:25. That is actually a little late since we are to have our bags out to the trailer BEFORE breakfast which is at 6:00. And since I'm on the breakfast clean-up crew this week, I really should be eating breakfast a bit before everyone else. After a bowl of oatmeal and a banana I helped fill water coolers and get all the tubs/bins and ice chests out to the vans. Our group moves pretty quick and we were pulling out of the parking lot at 6:50 headed for Parkston, SD.

Our ride was rather uneventful. Once we headed west from Tea, the roads were flat except for an occasional river that brought a change in the scenery. Somewhere around mile 27 we went through the town of Parker and that was the last non-cornfield-bathroom available for the day. However we did pass 16 miles from Scotland.

I felt quite good today though my quad reminded me that it is not yet 100%. I was able to get out of the saddle and pedal a few strokes without major pain which is progress.

Our ride seemed quite short today and I pulled into our destination about 12:30. Still it was glad to pull in and park my bike in the hallway with the others. Showers were a block away at the Wellness Center which also included a pool and whirlpool. We put all three to good use. The whirlpool felt awesome.

Two days ago we had a pile of at least 50 bananas. They are now all gone and the van that made a trip back to Sioux Falls to the nearest bike shop is to pick up a bunch more. It would be interesting to know how many jars of peanut butter and how many bananas this bunch eats over the course of the nine weeks.

Photos from week 1

 No wonder my quad is sore. ;-)

I had to stop and take a picture of this since it was an up and over kind of day with all the hills we had -- and we were in Iowa County, Wisconsin.

Here's proof that it was windy on Tuesday. (The actual cause of the corn being laid down was the 70 mph winds during the night.)

 This flag does show how windy it actually was.

 

Outside the church we stayed at in Cresco, IA

Week 1: Waukegan, IL --> Sioux Falls, SD

On any adventure there are many stories to tell. Though every day is spent on the same bike wearing the same bright orange jersey, the scenery, the weather, and the experiences vary. Every church we stay in is different and about the only thing the people who host us have in common is their warm welcome. Though the shower may be at the local pool, the high school locker room, the Y, or the church basement, we have always been clean by the time supper is served. Over this past week I pedaled 480 miles in about 39 hours and 20 minutes. (To save you the math, that works out to a 12.2 mph avg).

Day 1 was definitely the fastest for me. I felt strong and good and finished well. We spent the night in a beautiful old church in Evansville, WI. I found a small office to call my bedroom and slept over 10 hours on a cot provided by the church. It was wonderful.

Some of my fellow riders called Day 2 the most difficult day they had every had on a bike. We pedaled 82 miles, most of it into 20 to 25 mph winds with over 5500 feet of climbing. The hills were not long but the grades were steep (often over 10%). I spent most of the day facing the wind on my own and was glad to finish the last stretch with Mark. Some company always makes the miles goes faster. We were all very very glad to arrive in Lancaster, WI. Some of riders eagerly asked our hosts to give advice on the shortest and flattest route across the Mississippi into Iowa.

Day 3 was an enjoyable ride through the hills of southwest WI, down into the Mississippi river valley and back up the other side. Once we came out of the valley the scent changed from dairy cows to hogs. Welcome to Iowa! I spent most of the day riding with Melissa and Leah and was grateful to take less of the wind (even though there wasn't much.) The last 10 miles (of 97) were on a bike trail which was a welcome change. By the end of the ride, the accumulated miles and the effort from the previous day took it's toll and a knot in my right quad just above the knee made it quite painful to pedal. I limped into Cresco, IA and walking up and down stairs was a painful experience. After a bag of ice I could hardly move but by the time I headed to bed, it felt better.

The route on Thursday was to be 87 miles to Forest City, IA. My quad felt good over the first 20 miles of the day but after the first rest stop it started bothering me and I limped into the 40-mile rest stop feeling like I had at the end of the previous day. I can work through soreness, but the pain was telling me to stop and live to ride another day. I spent the rest of the day seeing the inner workings of the rest stops and icing my quad. Upon arrival at Forest City I headed to a bike shop with Mihai, one of the riders who needed to buy some supplies. I wanted some assistance with the height of my saddle which would hopefully resolve the issues with my quad. It was raised about 1/4" and I was told to take it easy. "You've irritated that pretty good so spin an easy gear for a few days."

Friday took us to Spirit Lake. I followed the advice I'd received and spun easy. That meant even Dad was pulling away from me. I had Mom advance me from mile 40 to 60 in the car and finished the rest of the 88 miles with little pain. The only time it hurt was if I got out of the saddle and tried to pedal.

Saturday's destination was Sioux Falls. We spent much of the day on roads that I've ridden on so I didn't need the directions until we got into South Dakota. We rode in a bit of rain early on but by the afternoon it was hot and I was pouring water on my head. My leg felt better and the heat actually seemed to help loosen it up. Hopefully the day off today and a shorter day tomorrow (only 72 miles), I'll be back to full strength.

One of the enjoyable things this week was seeing Iowa through the eyes of those who have never been there. Some riders from a very dry area of California commented about how green everything is. Cornfields and wind turbines became the occasion for photo ops. The countryside is beautiful in the early morning hours.

Our destination for the next week is Rapids City via Parkston, Winner, Martin, and Pine Ridge where we will be helping with a project.  The route includes three century rides and the forecast is promising some hot weather with some light breezes as nature's air conditioning.

Lessons learned

As part of my final requirements for the OT program, I wrote a "final reflections" paper. We are to write three of four pages based on some questions posed by the professors. Though I probably shouldn't admit it, by this point in my graduate school experience, I'm quite good at using the right key words mixed in with some blah, blah to meet the minimum number of pages and make it sound like I know what I'm talking about. Regardless, there are a few things that I learned through these internships (besides how to be a better OT) that are worth sharing.

•  Don't believe the media. During both internships I came to understand that what was reported in the paper was not the whole story. While articles may be factual, they tend to leave out  important elements and/or not provide sufficient follow up or comparisons. I have come to assume that there is ALWAYS more to the story and, without that additional information, I should hold any judgments loosely. Here's one article that raises some good questions regarding the situation at the VA.
• It is far easier to see improvement when a person is dealing with a physical illness than a mental illness. Some of the patients I worked with in rehab considered their morning shower the most difficult workout of the day. Yet within a week to 10 days, it wasn't as taxing and they requested far less assistance. In contrast, I saw little change in the Veterans with mental illness I was privileged work with for three months. A few made some giant steps forward. Some cycled out of mania back to their baseline. A few dealt with worsening symptoms. But most, were pretty much the same the whole time I was there. The therapists I worked with assured me that for many of them there had been observable changes over the course of 6 months to a year.
• A good supervisor makes work much more enjoyable and can take a lot of pressure off. The absence of one person from a meeting can completely change the atmosphere in the room. I also found that the more I understood my co-workers' stories, the better I was able to put up with/appreciate their idiosyncrasies. 
• The most interesting thing about going to work is the patients/Veterans. The diagnoses and symptoms may be similar but each individual is unique, requiring individualized treatment and interactions. Some are challenging, some are endearing--often at the same time.

Adventures in Cycling

I've been looking forward to the long weekend as the opportunity for three long rides in a row. Since I'm unfamiliar with the area, I checked the wind direction and mapped out what was to be a 70 mile route with the first half more or less into the wind so I could blow back home. At 9 on Saturday morning I headed out the door armed with sufficient liquid and food to make it back and my directions written large enough for me to read without my glasses. The first 15 miles of my ride were uneventful -- other than my legs were tired. I had ridden 35 hard miles on Friday night finishing about 8:30. Now on short rest, I didn't have much umph. Hills were hard work as was going into the wind. As I rolled up to a stop sign in a small town my phone rang. It wasn't a number I could recognize between the inability of my eyes to focus well and the brightness of the sun but I answered anyway. I was delighted to hear the voice of one of my French friends on the other end. I rolled my bike over to the shade and stood talking with her for over 20 minutes. She made no comment about the traffic noise which, at times, prevented me from hearing all she said.

I once again headed south, into the wind, and soon turned off the main road which led me up and down some short but steep hills. Three or four miles later I came to a T with road construction as far as I could see in both directions. I had no choice but to head back the way I came. The previous intersection left me with the option of heading back up and down the hills (the long way around) or cutting across to the main road on a mile of gravel. I opted for the gravel. Thankfully it was mostly downhill so I didn't need to pedal much. I didn't feel safe with my shoes clipped into the pedals since my back wheel threatened to go out from under me several times. I managed to stay upright and was thankful to be back on pavement. I bravely headed on into the wind until I heard a metallic ping followed by a clunk, clunk. I stopped and discovered a nail sticking out of my back tire. Another break from pedaling, not near as pleasant as the first one, spent changing my tire with no shade in sight.

Grateful to be off again, I was soon able to turn east and get some relief from the wind. However, as I looked at the miles adding up on my counter, and assessed my legs and energy level, I knew I wasn't going to make it all the way around my planned route. However, I didn't know for sure which road heading north would lead me to where I wanted to go. I eventually ended up in a town where I saw a man loading some things into his pickup. I pulled up and asked him for the shortest paved route back to the town where I live. At that point I had gone 57 miles. My stomach had been rebelling since 1 bite of an energy bar several miles back. Once I was back in familiar territory, I took a short break in a park, hoping my stomach would settle down. It did, until I was back on my bike. Thankful for the wind at my back, I managed to keep the legs going the rest of the 73 miles home.

Sunday morning, I did an easy 25 miles. I say 'easy' because I still didn't have much pop in my legs. I was tempted to take Monday off, but figured however many miles I put in today would pay off in a month or so. So off I went, armed with another set of directions that wouldn't take me as far afield since thundershowers were in the forecast. Thankfully there was only a light breeze but it was hot and humid. At times my counter read 90˚. After our late spring I'm not used to that. Though my legs were feeling better, I decided to cut my ride short from what I'd planned, thinking that 50 miles was enough. I did have other things to do before the end of the day and the clouds looked rather menacing.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) = a day of rest.

Don't be anxious

I've had some feedback that I'm not writing here much. That has far more to do with having to be careful about what stories are told publicly than not having any stories to tell. After all I have interesting co-workers who wonder what I tell other people about them. The Veterans with whom I interact have also been a joy to get to know. Even in the short time I've been here I can usually tell when they are doing well and when they are struggling with their mental health symptoms. It's great to see them take steps forward personally, socially, or requesting further treatment. Last week one of the Veterans hosted a party for others in the group. Evidently he's tried to do this several times in the past but no one came. This time people came, brought food, and stuck around for several hours. There was talk of having a similar get together later this summer. That is progress for everyone involved.

I only have five weeks left here in St. Cloud which will complete all the requirements for my degree. That is cause for great rejoicing. At the same time, it also brings some apprehension. Since I left France, the path has been laid out before me. Keep taking the classes and keep studying. The biggest question mark was whether or not I would get into one of the two OT programs I applied to. Mom asked if there was a plan B. I didn't have one and figured that bridge could be crossed if and when it came. I do know the next steps: pass my boards and find a job. The apprehension comes because there are lots of jobs but there don't seem to be any in the place I'd like to be. This morning's sermon was on the passage in Luke 12 where Jesus says not to be anxious because our heavenly Father, who takes care of birds and flowers, knows what we need. It was a timely reminder for me. God has provided for all my needs throughout my life. My savings may be dwindling but I will finish my education without going into debt. I do have a place to land when I'm done here, and the job opening needs to be there in August, not now. As I work on my resume this week I'll not worry, but instead make sure I'm ready when the job opening does come.

Spinning my wheels

It's pretty easy for me right now to tell someone about a typical day. I go to work from 8 to 4:30, get home around 5, jump on my bike for an hour or two, shower, eat supper, and head for bed. The jump-on-my-bike part isn't something I always feel like doing but I know I'll enjoy my planned summer adventure far more if I put in the time now.

In 2007 I went on a 10-day bike trip from Roncesvalles to Santiago, Spain with three friends. (You can read about it here.) Though it wasn't always an easy trip, I've been wanting to do something like that every since with riding across the USA being the ultimate adventure. As I near the end of my studies, I figure that now is the time to do it before I get a job and before I get any older. So this summer I signed up for a cross-country ride with the Fuller Center for Housing. The Fuller Center partners with local groups to build or repair decent affordable housing. The goal of the ride is to raise awareness for the Fuller Center along with some funds to help make this possible. In addition we'll be taking four days along the way to help with a building project. Here's some more information and/or ways to help sponsor the trip.

A week after I finish my internship in St. Cloud I'll be joining this bike adventure in Chicago and riding the remaining 2600 miles to Astoria, Oregon. That sounds a little crazy actually. That's a long way to pedal and a long time to sit on a skinny bike seat. And thus the training -- whether I feel like it or not. I spent January and February just reminding my body what exercise was. Since March I've been on my bike. Last week I was able to get outside every day which meant facing the wind. There are times when I wonder how much further I can pedal into its teeth, but then I remember that headwinds will have to be beaten this summer since I won't be able to turn when I'm tired and blow back home. This week I'm back inside since it is cold and rainy. I'm grateful for my trainer (a stand that attaches to the back wheel with a roller to which resistance can be added.) It's not very enjoyable to spin away without going anywhere but it's the best I can do. Add in some intervals and a podcast or two and I feel like I've gotten a good workout after an hour. At least I think two towels soaked in sweat should mean something. I'm hoping I can be back outside next week on the country roads with the wind and hills where I can enjoy the beauty of nature during the arrival of spring. I have two more months to get my legs, seat, and shoulders in shape.