I have been asked to chronicle my days on the road and journey to New Orleans from Houston to help spread awareness of Neuroblastoma and the launching of the Layla Grace Foundation for children & families suffering with pediatric cancer.Like many, I was more than touched by Layla's story & her battle for survival, her suffering, her spirit, and her parents' unfailing strength and faith. After Layla Grace earned her wings & after her courageous fight with this horrible disease, I felt called, and an immediate connection with Layla & her dreams, to the point of chills and hair raising moments every time I would train, and speak to her through the Lord. "Suffering" became the most important word in my vocabulary.
For me, a father of four precious angels, one of which was nearing only 5 months old when I left on this journey, "suffering" meant discovering & experiencing a near & beyond intolerable pain, from physical exhaustion to emotional & spiritual breakdowns, resulting in personal breakthroughs. After all, as close as I have become to what would have been an otherwise perfect stranger had it not been for fate & this disease, it could impact me even closer at any time with any of my own young children.
Realizing, of course, this is just the beginning, as I have not biked across the country, nor ran in any "ultra-endurance" races exceeding 100 miles or experienced grueling elements such as fierce altitudes or challenging terrain (YET?). But, like most things in life, even "suffering" is relative. In NO WAY am I ever going to suggest that any of my personal challenges or experiences a long my way to spreading awareness and raising contributions to support the funding & research for a cure compares to the pain & suffering these children and families have had & continue to endure, only, that it is my own way to dig deeper within me to play my part towards greater hope and one day, a cure. It is all relative to ones self & circumstances. As my strength grows & my abilities become more refined, my challenges will become bigger, and my suffering, my contributions to the cause will hopefully have even larger impacts not only on Layla's Foundation, but for Neuroblastoma, and success with the fight against pediatric cancer.
In a way, though I have much larger challenges planned & fundraising aspirations, this trip with Layla was sort of a "Dream" journey. In large part, because Layla's dream is to stop the suffering & find a cure. But also, because through her I was able to experience feelings and emotions I had not known to exist before, meet people I would not otherwise have come to know, and most importantly, come to know the end of myself & realize it takes time to learn how to rely on God & to see that he IS personal!
On my bike ride to New Orleans from Houston, I battled some heat & humidity, my fair share of aggressive & curious dogs, terrible roads, not so impressed motorists, more than a truckload of dead animals a long the side of the roads, differences in philosophies, sunburn, and of course fatigue. NONE of what I experienced can begin to shake a stick at what Layla & others experience every day of their fight! Not even close! But, there was one thing that just would not let up, would not cut me some slack, or even weaken for a moment-THE HEAD WIND!
From the first touch of the wind, my thoughts immediately turned to Layla (& her fellow Angels)& her battles, her incredible spirit through it all, her strength, and if I may say it, her never quit attitude that was so very contagious. THE WIND became my "Cancer", my fight for the cause. I continued to battle the "Cancer" one pedal turn at a time, though it often felt like I was standing still-motionless, yet pushing as hard as I could with every ounce of strength I could muster. I am battling THE WIND OF CANCER for those who are fighting the real fight for survival & a cure. Would this wind ever show mercy? I made this a "one on one fight", though in time, I would come to realize this fight was all by design, maybe not my design, but it was not being fought alone, nor without "wings", wings of an Angel.
When I finally reached the New Orleans City Limits, and rode my tires across the final inches nearing the signage I had been seeking for three and a half days, the wind stood still, providing me with even more hope that the battle can & will be won.
Because some have asked that I provide some details of my ride, I have included some notes from a long the way below should you choose to reflect with me. Remember to continue to share Layla's story, her hopes & dreams, & her life by directing people to LaylaGrace.org where anyone can still help the foundation make a difference and spread awareness & be touched by an Angel!
Day 1
"Iron Wings Takes Flight With Layla"
Date: Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Distance Traveled: 117 miles *Arriving In/At Deweyville, Louisiana
Starting temperature and time: 60 degrees & 9am, *late start as a result of thick fog-waited for it to burn off before beginning journey towards Louisiana border
Finishing temperature and time: 83 degrees & 7:30pm
Food:Breakfast- McDonald's Coffee & apple juice, & cliff bar . Lunch-DQ, Dinner-Pasta with meatballs & garden salad
Overnight: Hampton Inn -Orange, Texas
Strength: "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed"...Proverbs 11:25
*Preparing to mount my bike at the Houston City Limits to begin my journey just outside of Lake Houston.....Always nice to remind myself how "un-photogenic" I remain...LOL
The search to stay on track of my personal journey has been a lifetime of trial & error to say the least. I hope my "purpose" for this journey will inspire someone, if only one person, to add a little motivational "push" to his or her journeys & "Passion" for life, All Life. Riding for Layla & Her Foundation has been an enlightening, gratifying, spiritual experience. I hope reflecting with me will be an equally gratifying & motivating experience for you on your journey in your own life & the differences we can make in the lives of the children & families battling Pediatric Cancer!
Let me start by saying, I am FAR from athletic & to be perfectly honest, I do not even enjoy cycling all that much, in large part, because I am not all that good at it & I have always struggled in the past at completing long distances, not to mention, just staying on the bike without instance or crashing! So, back to the "relative" point from earlier, to complete this distance in the timeline necessary to attend and complete the race on the back end was, at this stage in my own personal journey, going to be quite an undertaking for me & "suffer ring" was about to take a strangle hold around my soul.
On April 14, 2010, I awoke from a very brief sleep, would not even call it a "nap", as I was terribly nervous, anxious & excited & already kind of feeling some doubt creeping in myself & hearing the voices of doubters from the outside. What would the roads be like, as I had never even driven them before? What would the weather be like? How would motorists react? All of the things that were completely out of my control, had all but consumed me? I knew I had trained hard, extremely hard since Layla earned her wings, & I knew the foundation was all but official, and would be by the time I hit the road. I knew the bike shop (Bike Barn) had well equipped & fine tuned my road bike, but I was still balancing on a fine line between furthering Layla's story & sharing her dreams & spreading awareness for the Foundation, and that of getting too much attention on myself, which is NOT what I wanted at all. The hard, fast line was, I was not going to be able to one without the other, it was what it was. I would have to simply deflect all of the attention I was going to receive in only one direction-Layla's Life, Her Story & Foundation!
Day 1: The support vehicle was ready to roll out early this morning (5:30am) to the "drop off" point for the beginning of the ride to New Orleans. I expected to get out early & planned to ride at least 120 miles or better to allow for some cushion later in the week if needed. However, right from the start, or shall I say "delayed" start we faced our first of many obstacles dealt our way: FOG. The fog over and beyond Lake Houston was very thick, virtually no visibility, and with the beginning of the ride set to take place on a 2 lane stretch of road with no shoulder, just not safe to begin. We allowed for the fog to burn off and grab a quick bite to eat, while doing so, my start of 6:30am, now became 9am, but safety had to remain a priority & common theme of this journey. I couldn't very well draw attention to Layla's story nor her Foundation if I were not upright on the bike and lying in a ditch somewhere! I began cycling at 9am. departing near Huffman, just outside of Lake Houston on FM 1960. The beginning luxury of mild, cross winds would not be long lived, as I would have to begin the destination to the "East" shortly into the day and then feel what would be the beginning of the "real" winds and my symbolism with Cancer. After riding nearly 14 miles, I passed through the small community of Dayton, the ride and journey was really happening & even if I wanted to back out, the time had come to pass, I was in this to the finish & for all of the right reasons. But was my heart larger than my fitness?
After a few safety stops and refueling with fluids & nutrition (something I struggled with the entire trip & would pay dearly for in the days ahead), we had already approached the 50 mile point and was nearing Saratoga, Texas. The bike route we elected, after much consideration, took us far North of most heavily traveled roads and cities such as Beaumont, Texas. At the time, it seemed like a pretty smart strategy, but like most anything, would prove to have more than its fair share of challenges. If I was seeking an enjoyable, scenic ride with much fluff & fanfare, I had obviously selected the wrong route and challenge. That was ok-there is nothing "fluffy" or "scenic" about Cancer!
Thoughts of where I would end up after day 1 without pushing to far to fast & burning what energy I would need to continue for the 3 additional days were quickly entering my mind, far from daydreaming, but definitely consuming my attention. To this point, aside from the wind, the weather was near perfect, not to hot (yet) humidity in check, and most importantly, any calls for rain showers had disappeared. In my mind I knew if I averaged 100 miles per day I would be safe, but, there was a part of me that thought I could do more miles per day (of course I did) & make it into New Orleans sooner than anyone expected, after all, this was my first real "road trip" to speak of. I settled into a comfortable pace & then decided to just try and make it into Louisiana before concluding day #1, then and only then re-evaluate the route, weather, physical effects, and future distance goals, day by day. We ("Captain Dave") & I had determined before we left & he made it one of the conditions of his participation that I COULD NOT ride in or after dark-PERIOD, I graciously accepted & agreed. So this obviously had to play a major role in the strategy moving forward, especially if we ran into late starts or traffic conditions beyond our control, as it limits the number of actual "ride" hours in a day's time-And of course, we would.
We made it into Kountze,Texas at 2:15 pm, nearly 65 miles into day 1, and time for a lunch break and rest. We stopped off at a little DQ and grabbed a bite to eat, quick wash up, a seat in the air conditioning & some much needed soda and caffeine for me. With the 9am, late start and trying to get some kind of rhythm going with the support vehicle following my every move, we were by no means "blazing" the pace, but still covering what I thought to be enough ground, while making the necessary stops for fluids and sun screen spray downs-yes, by now the sun was in full effect, not real high temperatures, but definitely strong enough to take its toll on me & my skin!
I mounted back up on the bike at 3:30 and off we went, continuing towards US-69 for a brief stretch & then onward towards Kountze. To this point, for the most part, motorists were receptive to the whole car following the bike thing, and we were even getting several honks and thumbs up for Layla Grace. We would travel mostly rural, secluded roads at this point, & rode past my share of "curious" and at times, very fast dogs! No bites to speak of, none that I know of anyway, just some close encounters with several of man's best friends! Prior to reaching Kountze, the wind had picked up noticeably, to a direct wind from the East at 15-20mph, right in my head, ALL OF THE TIME. Riding in wind is normal, and very much expected, do not get me wrong, but, normally you catch a break, go a different direction, it changes up for you, not on this trip, at least not to this point. The miles were becoming harder and very much fewer and further between "pit" stops. The temps. were climbing and the sun, of course was hitting directly one side of my body for a very long stretch, most noticeably, my right leg-OUCH! I guess I should have "faked" tanned a bit prior to leaving?
I was nearing mile 75 and Silsbee. In a normal "multi-day" bike ride, I would have peeled back and called it in for day 1 around mile 65, at least that is what I have researched, couldn't find anything with suggestions for this type of challenge, especially with a Half Ironman Race on the final day? But I wanted to at the very least hit 100 miles, if not make it into Louisiana, knowing this would be closer to 115 miles, but I really wanted to be able to call my wife, provide her with some comfort & confidence, letting her know that I was already in Louisiana, knowing full well that she would not comprehend the day & distance stuff, only feel better about my progress & have a little peace of mind.
We pulled over in Texla, after a grueling stretch of wide open roads with absolutely no relief from the wind. I felt like for the past 15 miles, I was literally riding in place! I am sure my speed would reflect not much faster than riding in one place, but, I was giving it everything I had and fighting the wind like there was no tomorrow, as for some, the harsh reality is that there isn't a tomorrow-that is why I am out here in the first place. At Texla (which is on a map, but I did not really see much of anything except a convenience store), we stopped for a break and I pulled out the mat from the car as I needed to stretch. By now it was already 6:15pm and I had not ridden 100 miles yet. 9 plus hours of actual time had escaped, not all of course was on the bike, but not nearly the progress I had hoped for thus far. But then again, "Hope" is not the best of all available strategies for a task such as this? I visited with "Captain Dave" briefly, told him I really wanted to push into Louisiana, eclipse the 100 mile mark and then make dinner & hotel arrangements & plan for the next day's start. He informed me what the mileage was and what needed to be ridden to accomplish my goal and put an end to day 1. I needed 20 more miles and we would cross over into Louisiana, arriving in Deweyville & exceeding the 100 mile mark, in fact, putting us over 115 miles-My entire mental state changed for the better.
So, I am off-destination Deweyville! At Deweyville, I will have logged 117 miles, and all in all would feel good about my first day's ride-But, I wasn't there yet. I took off on the bike and again battled the wind, at least the sun was providing me some relief at this point, but that damn wind would not give in, Neither would I! I had less than 20 miles to go, and began speaking out loud on my bike. No one could hear me of course, no one other than Layla & The Lord that is. I was provided the strength not only to finish the last stretch of Day 1, but do the stretch faster than I had ridden all day long, even after biking nearly 100 miles already-I believe in Angels, Do you?
I arrived in Deweyville, crossing into Louisiana a little after 7:30. I must admit, feeling more than a bit soar, humbled to say the least (not that I need to eat any more of the old "Humble Pie"-I have digested my fair share), and already fearing getting up the next morning only to do it all over again-this would be the true test, how I recover and respond in just a few hours-Yikes!
We loaded the bike up, marked our finishing spot (which was easy, as I rode into a parking lot of a gas station)and took off to find a decent hotel in nearby Orange, Texas.
After checking into a nearby Hampton, on the Texas side of the border, I grabbed a quick shower & some ice and headed to a Pizza Hut for some pasta. After returning to the Hotel after dinner, I threw some clothes in the wash, spoke briefly with "Captain Dave" about tomorrow's route (not that I retained any of what he was saying-but I listened), and I hit the sack.
Little did I know what was happening back home and the amount of time & effort my wife was exhausting, communicating & collecting donations & pledges, and the outpouring of support & prayers that were coming my and Layla's way.....A movement was beginning or shall I say, continuing!
"Life has meaning only if one barters it day by day for something other than itself".....Antoine de Saint-Exupery
