FLASH-POINT BLOGGER: JOHN MARSHALL

Riding a bike on a regular basis, I have been accustomed to mom nature’s wrath of wind, rain, lightning sleet, snow, frigid, as well as, sweltering temperatures. But today, good ole mom nature decided to throw a curve ball of a different sort. During our early morning ride, the guys decided to mix up the route a bit and try some different roads. On one of the country roads, I felt my bike really starting to vibrate. It felt like riding over very large rumble strips, only the pavement didn’t show any divots in the surface. I first thought I flatted, but thought since it was an old farm road, it must be the condition of the surface we were riding on. Normally I wouldn’t have thought much of the vibration, but for some reason, it just seemed odd. When we got back to our starting point, I had called my wife to let her know I was on my way home. She informed me that Indiana had experienced a 5.2 earthquake. Here in the Midwest, tornados are more common than earthquakes, so witnessing my first tremor, while at the same time riding a bike, is an experience I will never forget. One last note, The FP60's dampened the shocks from the quake extremely well.

It's that time of year when the weather isn't conducive for anything outdoors. So while I'm spinning on rollers going nowhere, with headphones blaring in my ears to disrupt the boredom, I share with you random thoughts on this mindless journey.

I did reach my goal of 5,000 miles for 2007. Actually, I rode 5,035 miles. It was nice to get one more ride in before the year ended. When I finished the 27 mile ride, it rained.

It's time to get motivated to lose some weight. Yah, I know. Typical New Year's Eve resolution, but this time I'm sticking to it. The family and I have planned a Disney World vacation at the end of February. I want to lose enough weight to fit back into my shorts for the trip. So far, it's paying off. I've lost over 16 lbs. the last three weeks by cutting out processed sugar and reducing portion sizes. 20 more lbs. to go....

For 2008, I'm off to a great start. I have almost 100 miles in until the artic freeze hit. Usually, I don't get out and start riding until late February. After being subjected to 0 degree temperatures with negative wind chills, 40 degrees doesn't seem so bad.

The FP60s are still rolling great. I've had no problems, since putting them on last July. I'm looking forward to putting more miles on them this year. Stay tuned.

Well it's been just a half hour on the rollers and that's all I can stand. Now that my blood flow is up, I won't be freezing when I go to bed. Stay warm!

After adding in my miles from this morning’s ride into my mileage log, I find it hard to fathom that I have logged in over 3,175 miles for the year so far. That’s almost the length of the continental United States from coast to coast. Granted to some, that might not seem much, but trying to juggle a family life with a wife, 2 young girls, work and a passion for cycling and it becomes a big deal. 6 years ago, I was a 317 lb. slug and wouldn't have ever dreamt of riding so many miles a year, let alone even getting out on a bike. But now that idea doesn't seem so far fetched anymore. I remember when riding 12 miles seemed a lot. Now, I have to ride over 50 miles just to be satisfied.

My goal this year is to cross the 5,000 mile mark before Dec. 31st, 2007 expires. So far, on I’m still on track to make that mark, if not break it. For the last 3 years, I’ve increased my total outdoor mileage for each season by trying to ride a 1,000 more miles than I did the year before. Right now the goal strategy is working, but as my girls continue to grow and get more and more involved with after school activities, I fear my high mileage intake will soon start to decrease. But right now, I’m going to savor crossing this little mental hurdle, because I am more than half way there with still a lot of riding season left.