R.I.P. Carolyn

Well…this is the blog entry I never wanted to write…Carolyn went to be with the Lord yesterday.

So if this entry seems disjointed…well…it’s because it probably is…and I don’t care.

Carolyn and I went to Junior High...having class together. I still see her sitting there making everybody laugh around her…quick witted coupled with a quick tongue…and that is a great recipe for humor to ensue…we went on to High School…and really kept up with her through my brother…evidently there was a battle royale going on for first chair Saxophone in the Levelland High School Band...My brother would comment that Carolyn made him have to practice. Like many people that we come in contact with…after we crossed that graduation stage of High School…life moves on and the memories begin to fade. Well, fade a bit till Facebook became a staple in our lives and culture.

I still remember the day a couple of years ago when she posted that the fight was on…the fight against Breast Cancer. I don’t know why it struck me so hard when I heard that …you see my wife and I can literally name 10 people close to us that are fighting that same battle. But with Carolyn…it was different…she was my age…married with three kids. When you are 18 you are bullet proof…that stays constant till about age 35…then you may have only kryptonite that can slow you down. I don’t know if it was me coming to grips with my own mortality through someone I knew…fairly well….but that Facebook Post slapped me up side the head.

And so…I began to focus my endurance endeavors…of her inspiring me…and me honoring her…I ran the Bataan Marathon in the White Sands Desert carrying a 44 lbs pack…her name inscribed on the back of my hand. When I took up the bike, I dedicated my riding to her…I rode…I trained…I sweated…in honor of Carolyn…my first Century ride at the Hotter N Hell 2010, she and her awesome family graciously waited for me at the finish line…and so…the connection was always there…

So I write this today….with the heaviest of hearts….

Carolyn...to a friend who inspired me be to be a better athlete, husband, dad....and person. Who's feistiness knew no bounds...who took the role of wife, mother and friend to its fullest...who's sarcastic sense of humor would crack me up...who's faith in Jesus Christ was your bedrock...I will miss you standing with your family at the finish line....you are now in a glorious place with our Father...where there are no finish lines...

R.I.P Carolyn...and so I press On!

Hot and Heavy Breathing...

We were breathing… hot and heavy….the whole group of us…sweat…and panting…hey…get your mind out of the gutter…it was the Legacy Cycling Team Sunday afternoon reunion ride….nearly 35 cyclist…only about 25 miles….so you knew that after the jovial first 5 miles of good natured ribbing and joking around…that the Barbaro Rocket would ignite the Tandem Afterburners…then Marcel would be out of the saddle…Jim would go into time trial posture…and the hammerfest would commence….up to 29 mph at times on the flat…not to mention climbing at 24 mph. Throw in the Windhaven climb….and if you did not go anaerobic more than a handful of times…then you either need to be cat1 racing or you where probably back picking scorched daisies on the side of the sweltering Texas Road.

I love that group…how no one gets left behind…how riders of all levels feel welcomed…it is just a good group of people anchored by Coach Jim…and the mother figure…Jackie. A shout out to our own Laura who is an IRONMAN…chiseled in Wale’s Granite as she completed it across the pond.

So…the running as increased…I ran 13 miles on Friday…most of it at night on a trail…and realize I have a long way to go…the cycling legs need to morph into the trail running legs…and so intense core and weights are still on the weekly agenda as we increase the miles…time spent playing in the dirt.

Sunday it was hot again…up to nearly a 100…and today we break the record of the most days over a 100 degrees…mark that as day 70. Despite that, you can tell fall is nigh…Hope played her first soccer game on Saturday…and both Macy and Luke are playing fall ball…Softball and Baseball respectively. The Fighting Texas Aggies are winning and the Dallas Cowboys are losing….and the Texas Rangers are coming down to the wire to win the division….all is right in the world…as TEAM ELLIOTT is marching on…with the new relief pitcher to arrive in camp in December some time….(hey...keep your Cowboy comments to yourself...I am a huge fan...just low expectations.)

PRESS ON PEOPLE..PRESS ON…

A Vasectomy and Riding a Bike...FUN!!!

I must be an obsessive compulsive individual that crosses that line of being completely dysfunctional. I am deep into two subcultures that on a good day barely encroaches normal and on most days crosses over into stone cold section 8 insanity. Don’t try to figure it out…compare it to an onion with multiple layers…and the more you peel back in efforts to come to a nice packaged conclusion…the more you will cry. That is how I am…how God wired me…and if you looked at my IPOD, you would know that immediately. (from Susan Boyd to Metallica…and sometimes back to back on the same playlist.)

Most are aware of my endurance athletic endeavors…you can read about many of those here…running all night long…riding a bike a 100 miles in 100 degree plus heat…the list goes on. A much less publicized hobby that I have is one of Magic…prestidigitation…sleight of hand. It is going on 20 years now. Like everything else, when I entered into the mysterious world of legerdemain, I delved into it with all my being. I have a magic library that is worth a small fortune. There was a time in my life that I would practice 8 hours a day…(mainly college days…but don’t tell mom…she thinks I worked hard for that 3.0 GPA in Engineering.) In 2003, I entered a contest in the Texas Association of Magicians and won “The Best In Close Up Magic.” Before Kids, I contemplated about making a living as a magic performer…and after 2 weeks of doing 16 shows at Christmas time, realized I didn’t want that lifestyle…best decision I made…keeping it a hobby…and not a form of making a living.
Every Labor Day weekend, for the past 65 years, there is the Texas Association of Magicians Convention. It is one of the world’s more popular magic gatherings and always well attended. I have been going to it for the past 15 years. This past weekend was no exception as I made that pilgrimage to San Antonio to attend. After sitting through countless shows…some good…some great…and some horrible...the most enjoyable thing for me at this juncture is not so much the magic, but seeing friends made throughout the years and the catching up with what is going on in our lives…
This year, I was so excited to say that our 4th kid was on the way…and due sometime around December. More often than not, the inquiry of did I know what caused that was asked. At this point I would go into detail of one of my more infamous decisions made this year, which always receive and uproarious laughter….so let’s proceed with the story.

In July, Bren and I decided that 4 kids would be enough and that with her being pregnant now…would be a good time to get a vasectomy. I scheduled a consult with a well respected Urologist…don’t you won’t a doctor performing such a procedure to be VERY WELL RESPECTED? You definitely do not want him to have the shakes…but I digress. During the consult the Doc asked that if I was sure I was done having kids...and I respond with an air of confidence…that I was very sure that the world did not need any more little Elliotts. He went into detail of the procedure…the severing of the vas deferens through and incision made through the scrotum and then titanium clips clamped permanently on each severed end of the goods. (Insert joke here.) He then mentioned that he wanted to perform the work on a Friday and that I was to rest through the weekend….that there would be no working out for a week. Ok…don’t like not having to work out for a week…but hey…I can start back that following Saturday…that would give me a week to recover.

The grand day arrived…I stroll up to the Doc’s office and am ready to go. The nurse took my vitals and asked how I was doing. I replied that I was a little apprehensive. “Oh, the waiting is worse than the procedure…well kinda,” she replied. She chuckled. I didn’t think she was all that funny. She then told me to precede to the end room where no one can hear me scream…hahahahaha…she was a riot. I didn’t laugh.

The doctor began…and during the procedure I learned that he had gone to that lesser higher institute of learning in the state of Texas….The University of Texas…I believe I learned this while he was making incisions. At this point I asked the good Lord to forgive what I was about to utter as a Fightin Texas Aggie and said, “Right now Doc…I am the Biggest Longhorn Fan in the World.” The procedure went well…at least I guess it went well and during all this he reiterated that there was to be no working out for a week. I respond, “That’s fine. That gives me a week before next Saturday when I have a 70 mile bike race.” He stops mid suturing…and looks at me like I had lost it. “Really?” he asks. “Absolutely!,” I reply. He then ask if maybe we can make a compromise…that riding a bike like that only 7 days after a procedure like this will be not only painful….but with potentially harmful side effects. I mentioned that there was a 40 mile race option….and he reluctantly agreed that I should ride that one…but don’t over do it. He also mentioned that he put in additionally stitches to prevent the incision from reopening.

The following Saturday I climbed on the bike….at this point I should add that I had been “tender” all week and felt like someone had kicked me squarely “Down There.” Just let me cut to the chase…at mile 2…I could not have been more glad that he talked me out of 70 miles…and so for the next 28 miles I rode as hard as I could. Just sitting on that bicycle seat was enough to make me grimace. At one point I even checked to see if I was bleeding “down south.” At mile 30, I climb off my bike and felt like puking…not from an elevated heart rate…but more like “HOLY COW THAT HURTS Kinda pain.” I wrap up the 40 mile race…and thought to myself that I may have crossed that line of being tough…and well..not so smart.

I tell this story….multiple times during the convention…always to uproarious laughter….I laughed too…it’s hilarious now…at the time…not so much…

Hotter N Hell 100 Mile Cycling - 2011

I Fell Into A Burning Ring Of Fire
I Went Down, Down, Down
And The Flames Went Higher
And It Burns, Burns, Burns
The Ring Of Fire
The Ring Of Fire

Johnny Cash

In North Texas this has been the second hottest summer on Record…as I write this there has been 62 days over a 100 degrees…and the last week temps have been around 107 as a high. So when the forecast for Wichita Falls TX on Saturday registered a 110 F as a high…well I knew I was going to be getting my money’s worth in the Hotter N Hell 100 mile bike ride. In the end it was the hottest Hotter N Hell event in it’s 30 year history.

I decide to go down Friday evening, take in some Criterium races, pick up my packet and hang out with some of my buds from Team Legacy Cycling. In route, I make a quick stop at the Hospital to see my friend fighting for her life…battling cancer. Carolyn is a true inspiration. Last year her and her family waited for me at the finish line. This year that was to be impossible. I ask that you keep her in your prayers…I dedicated the race to her…and Jereme, her husband.

Saturday found us up bright and early as the race organizers offered a 6:15 start due to the extreme heat. So at about 5:45 we wheeled up to the start with Team Legacy. Jason and Amy had lined up and we lost them…but that might had been for the better as last year I go out blazing with Jason at 29mph for the first 30 miles only to make the last 30 miles a complete death ride…begging for a merciful end. So this year…I was found lining up with Jackie, Carl, and Amber…vowing that I would not go out like I did the previous year…thinking I was racing with a CAT 1 Team…and with this year’s heat…just didn’t want to do anything stupid.

The first ten miles are much like traversing a mine field where you play dodge the dropped water bottle…combine that in the darkness of the predawn hours and you have a whole new sport. The rule of the game is to escape the precarious 10 miles without any mishaps…translate crash. Thusly the speed of travel is sub par…but then again the goal is to escape mishap. So here I am with the four I lined up with…proceeding in the patient manner and going about 13 -15 mph. At mile 10 things open up and we begin to settle into about 20 mph…Somewhere along the line Jackie takes off and I lose sight of her in the mayhem of cycling humanity (keep in mind 14000 cyclist participated in this event.) At mile 20, I crossed that threshold in just about an hour and realized despite the first 10 miles…I was well on pace and didn’t burn up many matches. My plan was not to stop until mile 40…and at that point we got there in 2 hours and feeling good. Carl had been lost in the humanity somewhere along the way. Next stop was Hell’s Gate the 100K (62 miles) point…and things were going as planned…Amber and I had latched on to well paced groups and we begin the journey of getting in and out of these groups that suited the plan (ie…not CAT 2 racing)…but traveling between 18 and 21 mph. At about mile 65 we got into a 150 man peloton with the momentum of a freight train…going about 22 to 24 mph. It was a legitimate pace group with support vehicles and the like…and for the next 8 miles got swept along with only a soft pedal and immense energy savings. The journey continued…I thought back to last year…reminding myself how I felt at this point…and thinking that it was a death ride and became a test of will to continue. This year was a different story…feeling incredible…at times pulling an 8 to 10 man train at 20 to 21 mph…at the 80 mile point. At one point Amber mentions that 18 to 19 would be good…not the 20 to 21…fine…we pull back on the reigns and we proceed. Things are great…but the heat was ON…and it now felt like I was riding in a blast furnace. At mile 90 the heat began to take it’s toll. I was nauseous…positioning myself in the group…that if I puked, it wouldn’t get it on everybody. I was fine on the fitness end…not on the stomach end…I tell Amber to go on. I had pulled earlier…now it was her turn…she was cycling incredibly strong at this point…so the last few miles…with the patience of Job…pulled and encouraged…that’s what team mates do…

The finish line is always sweet…but this year…It was enjoyable.

After about 30 minutes of cool down…I was good to go. If I wouldn’t had been so nauseous my finish would have been stronger…but averaging about 18.5 mph for the entire 100 was not a bad go at it in this heat. Afternoon temps registered 122 F coming off the pavement. The MASH unit at the end looked like Grand Central Station and there were cyclist who accrued some frequent flier miles on the MEDIVAC Careflight. Hearing stories of cyclist being submerged in ice because of 102.5 body temps…and racing officials black flagging riders to get on SAG wagons.

I am so pleased, not only with my ride but the rest of Team Legacy…Jason burns up a sub 5 hour…and tells me that was sub par…whatever boss…I can’t keep up with him on my best day. Jackie and Amy had a stellar finish coming in just ahead of us. Carl finished in full order. Natalia’s perseverance and toughness should never be in doubt…as she completed the 100 miles at the very worst part of the day…and Amber…well Amber finished her first 100 miler…oh…by the way…it was only her 8th ride of the year…The rest of Legacy Cycling…Pat…the Barborao Rocket, Ken...Pyllis...Rana...Keith…all finished in great times…I love that Cycling Team…My brother rode a 450 mile staged ride this spring…and being the Pastor he is, tied cycling into a Bible Study…Ecclesiastes 4:9…a Good Lesson in cycling…in life…in marriage. My sweet wife Bren is a saint…she supports my endurance/endorphin fix. Saturday Morning I get a message…from her…”Ride Strong…Ride Fast…Love You!” I have to say that her support means more to me than having a perfect race. Hey Bren…”Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work.” You are a cornerstone that makes our family incredible…you are large part of why are kids are incredible…you make me a better person…and I love you.

Press On!

Life Moves Pretty Fast...

It has been a while…the water is travelling swiftly…and as that great philosopher, Ferris Bueller, stated, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

So let us stop and look around for a moment…and give a brief update to Team Elliott…God is good…and has blessed us immensely. Last week Team Elliott saddled up and flew to San Diego California for a 6 day vacation…where the break from 40 straight days of 100 + degree Texas Weather was very welcome as the high temps in Southern California for our stay were 82 degrees.

We land…pick up the Ford Excursion at the rental place and then moved ever so swiftly to Marine Corps Recruit Depot…a return visit after graduating boot camp there in 1988. Not much has changed and I relished imparting this part of my past to my wife and kids. I think I am 0 for 3 in having any of them sign on the dotted line…maybe something about that DI going off on a recruit that deterred my kids wanting to spend 3 months there.

My wife had gotten a great deal at the W Hotel in San Diego…and it was a wonderful place to stay the first 2 nights. While in San Diego we went to Legoland and Mission Beach. The kids loved both places and for different reasons. After our second day we traveled into Los Angeles… we visited the Tar Pits where literally 1000’s of prehistorically animal skeletons were found. We also did the Hollywood walk of fame, the observatory in the Hollywood Hills and a Dodger baseball game. We rounded out the vacation with 2 wonderful days at Disneyland and California Disney…being a big kid…I love that place…and if you can’t be happy there…you are a true grouch and I don’t want you around me. Luke, Macy and Hope will ride anything they are tall enough to ride. After getting off the Tower of Terror in which the one drops 13 floors in an elevator in pitch black darkness only to be jerked back up the 13 floors to hang a bit and then drop….I ask my 5 year old Hope, “How did you like that.” Hope responds, “Awesome, but I had my eyes closed for most of it.” I reply, “That’s fine, it’s dark for most of it anyway.” Macy kept her eyes closed for most of the raucous roller coaster California Screaming….where I was giving her a play by play of going into the loops and down the massive drops…she was glad she rode it even though she couldn’t tell you what she saw…hahahaha. Luke will ride anything…and always holding his hands up…even when going inverted…crazy like his dad. Although not quite as swanky as the W Hotel, Anaheim’s Embassy Suites was better suited for our family as we had 2 rooms to spread out a bit.

Just hanging with my family makes me happy…I laugh a lot…we all laugh a lot…I can say that my kids truly care for one another…they look out for one another…and I have to be honest…they hardly every argue or fight with each other…oh, there is the picking on…and trying to make each other laugh…but not much dissension. My wife did a wonderful job of hammering out the details on this trip…and being 4 months pregnant, not once complained and always was up for the “fun.” All my kids adore her…and it speaks of who she is as a person, wife…and mother.

I trained a couple of days while on vacation…mainly cardio. This past Saturday I rode 80 miles with Team Legacy…and at finishing time it was already a bit warm at 102.
This coming Saturday is the Hotter N Hell 100 mile ride…and I will be riding for Carolyn again…she won’t be at the finish line as she was last year…she is in the ICU…pray for her and her family…she desperately needs the prayers…for this century ride will be rode with a very heavy heart.

So Press On!...but make sure you don’t miss anything…