One goal met, one to go!

I've reached my fundraising goal!!! Thank you all so very much for your support! And it's so sweet to hear the appreciation for thank you cards.

On Saturday we had a buddy ride beginning at Orinda BART. The BART lady gave us an etiquette lesson when we went to use the bathroom, but the morning smoothed out quickly.

Rocky start to the ride--in the first 5 minutes we heard "rider down"--heart rates raced. Turns out it was Sarah--people not calling out properly. The beginning of the ride was a good suburban tour through Orinda and Moraga, onto Walnut Creek, Alamo, and a stop at Peet's in Danville. I rode with the front pack and we pacelined for a few miles. This style of group riding is still new to me but my frustrations with people who burn themselves out at the front were already building and I wanted to be with my friends. I was already craving pizza (I don't even like pizza that much) but the only options were sweet. The first group rode out and I chose to hang back and wait to ride with Sarah and Molly.

We rode out, past the development that was once my jr high and the mortuary that was our hometown library. We passed a guy setting up his "yes on 8" signs. "NO, sir." was all I could say to him. We rode past Susan's street and then the creek, the house I was raised in and on to San Ramon--GREAT tailwinds! In Dublin, we approached the 580 on-ramp. Tamara had a flat-glass.





Changed it and headed over to the SAG--chips-yum, otter pops-refreshing! I gave myself a bite mark parking my bike--gear wheel jammed into my leg.



We got back on the road, people were pretty lethargic and we weren't even halfway through the ride. Long, steady, boring incline along 580. Flat tire--Molly this time, although we never found the reason. Re-grouped, back on the road. Little climb and a descent--passed Holy Cross, Mark's church.



Then onto a couple more climbs. I was having troubling with the mileage counting on my cycling computer, but heartrate showed up fine--Riding slower meant I wasn't pushing into heart rate zone, an important part of training. K Sue told me to for it on the real climb--ride on ahead and wait. I did. It was a longer climb, but I pushed into zone only a couple times. Got to the top and gauged that I could ride down and encourage others who might be more tired. They were a ways back, but rode up behind Lisa, who needed to stop for a bit. Another flat tire down the hill. Headed on up one last time and enjoyed the beautiful descent into redwoods.

At this point we'd all had enough of being in the saddle, rode into Moraga, full of signs proclaiming "this is Moraga, not Berkeley!" Really? Huh? You really had me going there.

Post ride pizza and beer were yum. Headed home to finish my sermon and be up at 6 am.

This Saturday: 80 miles!

Broke a Spoke

Today was slotted for an easy 40 mile endurance ride. It was warm, calm, and absolutely gorgeous. I made it over the gauntlet, which was too bad at the lunch hour. My plan had been for the Tiburan Loop, but as I approached Camino Alto Scoop ice cream in Fairfax was calling out, so it was into Larkspur. There was some construction going on at the bike path.

Just as I passed Bon Air, I heard a loud POP! Something seemed off and I pulled off to the side. A quick check showed the problem: a broken spoke on the back tire. The tire wasn't sitting correctly. Fortunately the Village Peddler was just ahead. The desk guy said "when the spoke breaks the wheel isn't true." He wasn't sure they could do anything. Vanessa was willing to help out if I was stranded, despite her sick children. We chatted about shoe styles while they did a temporary fix of my spoke and trued the wheel.

No need to miss out on Scoop--I was hungry and it was only 4 miles away. Pumpkin ice cream and walnut maple. Yum.

Fueled, I road home. 40 miles. 1350 calories. High speed: 30 mph.

I stopped on the bridge--bike side, some thing I NEVER do, but it was so calm and the water so blue. We live in an inspiring place!

Thank you

Thank you. Thank you to everyone who has donated money to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society on my behalf. Thank you to you all for checking in on how the training is going. Thank you for your patience with my schedule. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for taking part in caring about this cause and people dealing with cancer. Cancer sucks. Let's get rid of it.

Can't you hear that whistle blowing?

Yesterday I cut out of work early to head to Walnut Creek for some good climbing. It was warm, sunny, and a small group of us headed for the hills. Mt. Diablo, to be exact. In my haste to leave, I forgot my heart rate monitor and cycling computer, so it would have been a challenge to track intervals. We rode about 20 miles, 2000 feet in elevation. There were very few cars and it was peaceful and a nice ride.

I usually get a random song in my head on rides. This time was I've been Working on the Railroad-singing keeps your cadence and heart rate in check on climbs--you're breathing hard but have to be able to speak.

Tomorrow's time for an endurance ride--65 miles, maybe. Just have to decide where to ride!

Thank you for all your support! I'm halfway to my fundraising goals!

Just Keep Spinning

I need your help in reaching my fundraising goal: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/solvFnst08/jhornbeck !!!

On Tuesday, it was a short ride over the bridge into the headlands and back to the office before sunset. We have been having phenomenal weather in S.F. and it was warm and lovely, even facing the climbing.

My cycle computer had died. I've put off putting on the new one that I purchased with the heart rate monitor, but this forced the issue, so this morning involved figuring out all the pieces.

Today my endurance ride included hitting the gauntlet: the non-cycle side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The GGB opens a cycling side on the West after 3:30 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends. This makes a HUGE difference from the gauntlet which includes people stepping out right in front of a bike, or stopping quickly on their rental bikes to take photos, or just not looking where they're going. It's dangerous, but over quickly enough. I did the Tiburan loop--absolutely beautiful! The Bay was truly blue and clear today. I felt good and strong and knew today was my day to push for miles, so on my way back, I took a right turn at the Headlands tunnel (a dank, dark tunnel--a little Harry Potter-ish) and into the headlands. On the return, I turned right again--up McCullough road--good, long climb. Did some out-of-the saddle time on the way up and enjoyed the descent, despite cars literally parked in the road and people not paying attention. Park Ranger was on it!

At the Bridge I stopped to take care of a couple phone calls regarding evening plans and as I got ready to ride back over the bridge a sweet man in his 70s, with his wife, said "Is good to go to San Francisco?" Yes! It is good, but they were seeking directions and made their way. School groups on the bridge, and the Blue Angels practicing directly overhead--Lively!

48 miles, some good climbing, 1636 calories burned, Peak heart rate: 170, average: 140. Day: beautiful. Prayers for all those sick with any kind of cancer and all those seeking cures.

What's next?

So, the event is the Solvang Century on November 15, 2008. It will be just over 100 miles and is a timed event (you have to get off the course by a certain time). The team goes to Solvang on the 14th, eats a giant pasta dinner, stays overnight and awakens early for ride-out.

This week's training:
Monday--cycle and gym class
Tuesday--ride to the office, after-work: 30 miles, hill sprints
Wednesday--ride to work and home
Thursday--40-50 miles, yoga class
Friday--15-20 miles, sprints
Saturday--50-60 miles, endurance
Sunday--15-20 miles, off to Tahoe for friend's wedding

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/solvFnst08/jhornbeck

Should be a great week! We're getting gorgeous weather--perfect for riding!

Have I told you Lately?

Thank you all so much for your support!

I am still in need of financial support: http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/solvFnst08/jhornbeck

It's been a bit of a lighter week on the bike, so I'm planning to squeeze some miles in at the gym and in the misty morning tomorrow!

Cycling fit is a challenge. A millimeter can be the difference in knee pain and no knee pain. My psoas muscle has been killing me at the end of long rides and my lower back has never tolerated long rides well. I ended up in the chiropractic tent late one evening on the AIDS Lifecycle due to the lower back pain.

So, yesterday I made it back to my regular yoga class. It's a new teacher, who has a different teaching style, but a few headstands seemed to help!

Hearing of the physical and emotional pain of those struggling with cancer, all my aches and woes are NOTHING! And it's worth making the time and investment in this training on their behalf. Sweet little ones deserve better, as do those who aren't so little anymore.

I need your help!

Help me reach my fundraising goals:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/solvFnst08/jhornbeck


Thank you all for the prayers and support!

Cycling makes you pretty

Thanks for the photos, Crawdaddy! Thanks for the riding together. Sorry I got grumpy about the green light--crankopotomus musta bit.

Deception

So, last week I mentioned that the 40 mile ride turned out to be 50?

This week the "buddy ride" was listed as 40 miles on the team calendar, with ride-out from Sports Basement in the Presidio. I rode over to SB in 15 minutes, got to the parking lot at 8 am sharp. No cyclists. Runners, but no cyclists. Called Sarah--oh, we're meeting at Mike's Bike's in Sausalito. I had half and hour to get over there. It was foggy and beautiful on the bridge and most tourists weren't out yet, so it was a smooth ride, but I was pushing hard to get there quickly, instead of warming up.

I rode with Sarah, Kieran and Molly to catch up with them, laugh and enjoy the scenery. They appreciated the Team Virgin jersey in all its glory! It was a beautiful ride into Fairfax, Lagunitas, and Samuel P Taylor (by accident). There were a few good climbs in there. Riding a little slower than you're used to has a bit of a disadvantage: more time in the saddle.






Even with my new saddle, this does not feel good. But we made it back to Mike's and they headed home in their cars. I rode on the 10 miles through the gauntlet of Sausalito tourists (it's truly frightening), up the hill, over the bridge, through the Presidio and into home--60 miles.

Last week I put in about 110 miles. This week only about 80. Shooting for a hundred this week, even with missing the team ride on Saturday.

Now, it's time to rest up for 5 baptisms and a youth bonfire tomorrow evening.

Pt Reyes

The schedule said Pt. Reyes, 40 miles.

The reality: Pt. Reyes, 50 miles. Yes, that's 25% more! But I can't complain.





I need your support! http://pages.teamintraining.org/sf/solvFnst08/jhornbeck

Training in Teams

Thank you all for your support in my training for the Solvang Century through Team in Training.

How's it going?

This training season kicked off with a bumpy start: some great rides, then a trip to Colorado with no riding, back in time to ride out before getting a cold. I continued training with the cold, until I pushed it too far on a training ride and needed to recoup.

We're back on track, though. Training for time has added components of improving my time in the saddle. This includes making sure to get on the bike every other day, using a heart rate monitor to track my exertion and improve lactic acid flushing. There's a huge ego component of this training--people getting competitive with each other, putting added expectations and it's far more enjoyable when I ignore all of that and just enjoy the ride and celebrate the little victories: feeling healthy and strong at the end of a ride, getting out of the saddle sooner, being able to talk and tell stories, sing and encourage others.

Cycling comes fairly naturally to me. I love it. And it's easy to get lazy. Training for time has added a new challenge to commit to being on the bike and making training a priority.

We can't take being healthy for granted. Riding in honor of the father of a six year old, of the three year receiving chemo treatments, riding in hopes of our children not knowing the heart-rending pain of losing loved ones to these diseases makes every spin worth while. Thank you for your support. I'll be updating here regularly.

Day 7

I never actually finished the AIDS Ride story that I started this blog to document. Day 6 was kind of a low day, with everyone a little quieter and grumpier.

That night, on the beach in Ventura, 2200 people gathered in a circle, each with a candle. It was entry into liturgy. I was tired, I was ready, I so wanted a good cry, and we gathered in a circle with lit candles--and stood. And we simply stood there. There wasn't conversation of prayer, or even simply what the candles might represent. There is an incredible power in seeing that many people in a gathering, especially in a circle. Many people around us were in tears. They held one another. After a little while slowly folks made there way to the water and doused their candles as the waves washed in. As someone who is spiritual, who does liturgy for a living, it was a deeply unsatisfying experience. It was just so close to being a very meaningful, powerful experience for all, as I'm sure it was for some.

Day 7 we woke before light at 5:00 a.m. or so and stumbled to breakfast, me making sure to get my mate in after packing up the tents and duffel bags-everything a bit wet and dewy. We ate our food quietly, took our bags to the big trucks one last time and got on the road. It was a slightly shorter day, but by about mid-day I experienced the first of feeling all those days on the bike. Generally, throughout the week, my body hurt from saddle-sore, sitting in the same position, but Day 7 my muscles were tired.

Ventura to L.A. on the Pacific Coast Highway may be beautiful, but trying it on a Saturday in June was possibly insane. There were cars everywhere. It was a very dangerous ride. There were plenty of near-misses and a couple accidents coming down some serious hills. We had a blast though, and were singing our songs and gaining energy from seeing how far we'd come and the end in sight.

We got into L.A. and made it to the closing ceremonies. Where we waited. We got our t-shirts, looked at AIDS quilts--tears, took pics, and hung out en masse under the Southern CA sunshine, waiting. We "rode" into the final ceremony, with plenty of talks and pump you up energy. It was alright. Maybe I didn't need it. Maybe I was tired. And then that was it! 500-something miles, 7 days, some good laughs and the satisfaction of riding every mile after wanting to do this ride for so long.

Mark had driven down and we dropped Kelly and Shayne at their hotel--I was a little bummed to be missing that night out, but we had to be back for church. We talked and caught up on the ride home--it was great! I got home and slept hard.

That evening at Unplugged, I was so incredibly happy to be there. All week people had spoken about this amazing community, how you'll be depressed to leave it, and here I was in the truly amazing, Spirit-filled community that knew it was about so much more than us, that God is present and alive and there is hope. One of the sweetest toddlers, with a smile that can kill, Isabelle was there that evening, with new baby brother in tow. She was a bit wiggly and at the peace I picked her up-we were both beaming! The little comedian made pirate faces back and forth with me! She stayed happily in my arms as I celebrated communion. This is the blessing of community, of a regular worshipping community in the presence of God and my vocation is truly my blessing! After the service, we got on the bus the Steyer's rented to head down to Wendy's music competition in the Mission, danced and had a blast! Oh, satisfied!

Order for living

At the stewardship conference, I went to a workshop put on by Karen Ward on the new monasticism movement. It's a fairly simple concept of a rule of life and an order for living, but requires community and commitment. There's a local order here in the Mission district. They have a monthly Thursday gathering that seems to have gone dormant. They also have a core group that follows an order for rhythm of prayer and vows.

They're rhythm looks like:
Morning and Evening Prayer
Daily Scripture Reading
Communal Prayer every other Friday morning
Weekly communal gathering
Monthly Tithe
Monthly Sharing of created artifacts
Yearly Silent Retreat
Yearly deinvestment of possessions
Hospitality
Caring for the stranger, orphan, elderly, poor and unaffliated


and they're order:
Service

We account for and leverage our time to serve others through evaluating our commitments and developing a written schedule we share with one another that reflects our most important priorities.
We give priority in our schedules to seeking the presence of God with orphans and widows and people who are hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, lonely or in prison.
We seek to do work that provides income and fulfills our true vocation with dignity and in ways that promote equality, sustainability and justice.

Simplicity

We keep careful account of our personal finances and live a budget that reflects sustainability and intentional conscientious priorities, and we share our income and expense budgets with one another in a yearly members meeting..
We give away 10% of our income; (5% to the common work of Seven and 5% to the charities of our choice).
We seek to live lives that are focused, content, sustainable, and generous. As a general principle we are mindful not accumulate possessions and, once a year, (on the day after thanksgiving) we collectively take an inventory of our belongings and evaluate what to keep, share, sell or give away.
Creativity

We cultivate divine imagination by reading the scriptures daily with our family or household.
We seek to find God in all of creation and our humanity through intentional and reflective interactions with nature and cultural artifacts.
We create cultural artifacts (recipes, poems, paintings, songs, stories, etc) and share them with each other once a month leaving a trail for others to discover and learn from.
Prayer

We begin and end the day with 15 minutes of prayer.
We take an annual three-day silent retreat.
We participate in cooperative morning-prayer the second and fourth Fridays of every month.

Community

We are active in a Jesus dojo cohort.
We participate regularly in Sunday night SEVEN gatherings.
We practice hospitality on a weekly basis (Thursdays suggested) with neighbors, coworkers, travelers and strangers on a weekly basis.
Obedience

We keep our vows.
We meet with a trusted mentor at least once a month to talk about personal growth. (either someone within SEVEN or another local person.)
We seek community discernment on major life decisions (change of vocation, marriage, relocation, personal crisis, etc) through a listening meeting
Love

We seek to meet one another’s needs.
We seek to be reconciled one with another and with all people.
We seek unity, cooperation and goodwill with all groups and people locally and globally seeking God in the way of Jesus.



What would it look like? A monthly gathering? A group to develop a rule? A group to be responsible to? Tell me what you think? Are there people that come to mind?

Re-membering

When I got to Transfiguration in 2001, the parish welcomed me with open arms, parties, and so many new people. I met and quickly connected with Kathy, a former Roman Catholic nun, who left the order to pursue relationship and was now married to Bob and taught at Notre Dame University in Belmont. She was smart and insightful and incredibly spiritual. She was also sick when I got there--the doctor's weren't sure, maybe mono? maybe a virus? She had a low-grade fever for a few months. Finally, she was referred to her oncologist, who had treated her in her previous two bouts with ovarian cancer, which, incidentally, Bob's first wife had died of. Do you see where this was going?

It turns out that fever can be an indicator of cancer. Kathy's doctor knew this, her brother, a physician, knew this, and both were in denial. No one wanted to admit the possibility of cancer again and a cancer that came with fever. She was diagnosed and decided to fight. As she became weaker, I drove her down to her chemo treatment in Campbell and recall addressing my ordination invitations sitting across from her as the drugs made their way into her body. After a couple months of decline, Kathy, who was incredibly verbal about this process acknowledged she was dying, called her circle of family, friends, sisters around her. She was so very present through the process. And Bob allowed me to care for him in his grief, as their house was constantly inundated and he finally had to demand private time with his dying wife.

Kathy asked that I celebrate at her burial office. It was an incredible honor and blessing and it was so very healing. At the reception, nun after nun came up and spoke to me about the joy of seeing a woman at the altar. Kathy was very much present there. A few months later, Bob brought me some of Kathy's old books, including some inclusive scriptures. I have rarely used them, but opened one today and found a prayer Kathy wrote to God. It quickly brought tears to my eyes. These ghosts are gifts. These spirits are alive. There is true joy in this communion of saints!

I haven't missed that end of life "midwifery" in this new job and still feel so honored by the opportunity to be welcomed into people's journeys in profound ways.

Dude

I've mentioned before how often the word "dude" has come upand how useful it is since becoming a cyclist-it takes on different tones and is a looong or short word depending on the situation. Today "dude" is reserved for my frustration and curiosity about google. If I Google my name an untrue, unprofessional post on a website comes up front and center. If I Yahoo search my name, it comes up later. I work hard, in a job that requires my intellect, spirit, and intention, I biked 585 miles, traveled on a pilgrimage, and yet, somehow, this stupid post comes up. It's stupid and boring, really. REALLY. And it was posted by a professional, a woman, and would it have been posted if I was a man? Who knows?

DUDE

So I'm dumb

Yesterday, I was overdue for a bike ride and really wanted some Scoop in Fairfax--20 miles up and 20 miles back. I got a double, that I couldn't finish, but yum--super creamy cookie dough and mint chip. Then I checked the bike, climbed back into the saddle and rode for a couple blocks. Hmm...something's wrong with the back tire. Oh, yeah the tire that had a bit of a hole that I patched over--the OUTSIDE. The patches are really for the tube that goes inside the tire. But, me-brilliant, poor and brilliant. Priscilla really needs a tune-up and tire care. I've had her for a year and ridden over 2000 miles in that time.

There I was in San Anselmo, listening to the hissing tire and trying to patch it over, because, did I mention? I'm dumb, or more acurately I was being dumb. And somehow cut my finger, so it was bleeding everywhere and getting blood and grease mixed-awesome! So I pumped some air in until it was full and decided to keep stopping and filling--because: me+bike=dumb. About a mile later, I pulled over and decided to actually change the tube, since that was part of the problem. Did this part go smoothly? Nope! I was trying to get the tube out and having a really hard time, before I realized the tire needed to be taken OFF the bike to change it. And I was fumbling my way through and trying not to get everything gross. Then I realized I had water, which could wash my cut out.

Finally I was back on the road. Along the bike route in Marin, which is a well-used route, there is a section that looks like a bike lane, but is really a shoulder--how do you know? Oh the giant cars that are parked in such a way that you can get stuck between them and the moving traffic. So I'm biking along and get honked at--People! I beg of you not to honk unless your life or the cyclist's life is in peril. Horns are loud for cars, but cars have metal and glass to deaden the noise. We cyclists, we have no protective metal, glass, and are on two very narrow tires. There's not a lot between us and the noise and us and the road. It may be difficult for drivers to see what we see, (and yes there are some cyclists that give us a bad name) but we're not out to get you drivers. Oh, so this loud horn honks at me--a couple in their 60's in their giant, expensive, gas-guzzling SUV, because I'm a biker, riding outside the shoulder. They open their window at the next light and yell at me about the bike lane as I try to explain that it's a shoulder. A SHOULDER--with cars parked all along the way. There's a whole thing about predictable riding that people don't sense. But I said a prayer for those b's anyway.

So it was forty miles in 4 hours, including the ice cream stop, the tire issues, road closures, and my lack of a brain.

Three-O

Have you ever been so tired you can barely type? This isn't even half as tired as last night, or really this morning, as our heads hit the many beds in this one-bedroom apartment a little after 3 a.m. And now a lovely day with amazing friends--I am truly blessed.

Happy Birthday Mom!

She may not read here but it is my mom's birthday and in honor of that:



Cheers!

Stunning skies, warm wind, and still climbing!

I know it's been months and I need to finish the story of the Ride. Only time for a quick update. Some people have wondered how much riding we've gotten in since the Ride. And the answer is: not as much as I'd like. Usually it's been once a week at most. Leading up to and returning from the pilgrimage it was less. When we got to L.A. we all agreed we wanted to keep up with riding to not lose the muscle, strength, and stamina we had gained. But riding is time-consuming and it's easier to find excuses when you allow them. There was no excuse when we knew 585 miles lay ahead. My recent rides, since returning from England have mostly been great climbs into the headlands, but have maxed at 20 miles and my last ride was more than 2 weeks ago-13.5 miles. Then it was family time and Marma's 90th birthday and then 10 days of sick with a cold.

So, with the gorgeous weather, and the last few long days, I got on the saddle. And rode 32 miles in a little over 2 hours. It is such a blessing to be on the Golden Gate Bridge with a sunset in the clear sky over the Bay. It's so easy to get caught up with life and busy-ness, but the insights and energy and renewal that come with rides are like nothing else. It's prayer-time. So, I'm committed to getting out on Friday.

As the weather gets colder, the days shorter, I'll find a gym--probably the Y, with spinning classes, and get outdoors as often as possible--that's what the tights and riding jacket are for!