Sunday, April 21, 2013

Week 1 of training 77 of 1000 miles in- nine weeks till start of ride

As I write this blog I note the temperature is 25 degrees early this Sunday morning. The weather this past week has not been conducive to great training rides.  Sunday to Wenesday the weather was a little reasonable with temperatures between 40-65 degrees and some sun. Late Wednesday it started raining in buckets into Thursday when we had 3.5 inches of rain in 24 hours. Grand Rapids area has record high water levels and many roads are closed due to flooding. On Friday we again had rain which turned into snow.  Ugh. Tired of the cold and snow. When will spring weather arrive? Saturday morning it was 30 degrees overcast skies  but we had no precipation. I told myself if it gets above 40 I will get out to ride, but it stayed at 38 degrees with strong cold winds. I could not convince myself to get out to ride in the cold and wind. I had managed to get in 77miles of riding in between Sunday to Wednesday. My goal for the week was to get in 100 miles.  Each ride was challenging as there were strong head winds that made me really work hard.  My average speed went from 11mph to 12 to 13 back down to 11.7mph. This is a far cry from my 14.5-15 mph I was doing last fall. 

My fund raising has gone well and I am very thankful and appreciative of all the people who have donated to Sea to Sea. I am working on helping others in my church (Church of the Servant) to meet their fund raising goal.  We are planning an area fund raising ride on May 18th and inviting people to join West Michigan Sea to Sea cyclists on one of their training rides either for 5, 15, 25, 40 or 60 miles.  We are providing snacks and support along the route and have lunch planned from 12-2 at East Paris Nature Park in Kentwood for time of sharing and meeting fellow riders.  We are looking forward to warmer, sunnier weather, but know we may have to ride in the rain  to get all our training miles in before June 24th 2013.

This week  staff at World Renew held a prayer time for Sea To Sea 2013.  The following were prayer requests:
  • cyclists as they train and put in 1000 miles that they are safe and not injured, gain strength and endurance over the next 9 weeks in order to handle the challenges of each day’s ride .
  • That all cyclists are able to achieve or exceed their fund raising goal.
  • Additional people are lead to cycle a segment or two as we still have capacity for others to join,
  • For the planning currently being undertaken for worship and Celebration events planned along the route.
  • For staff who are feeling the pressure of many tasks still to be completed and praying everything is in place and in order when needed.
  • For logistics to ensure a safe and enjoyable ride for everyone participating.
  • Thankfulness for all the volunteers who have signed up to provide support for the tour.
  • Praise and thanksgiving for the Spiritual Support committee who worked and completed the daily devotional for the tour.
  • Thanks for praying for Sea to Sea. We pray it may be a blessing to all who participate but also to the agencies and the people they serve.
 If you are reading this blog will you join us in these prayers. We know that the Lord works and there is tremendous power in prayer.
 
 
 

No comments: