I Need A Goal !

It is the 24th of Sept. 2009, & I thought that this would be a good time to update all of you who have an interest in  my challenges.  I have been told, that from the dates that appear on most of my activities that it looks like I quit cycling in 2006.  Let me assure you that this is not true.  Although, because of side-effects from my PD, it has limited my riding to just locally, in, & around the Hemet area, where I live.  The last multi-day ride that I attempted was the "2008 Face Of America Ride".  It was a  2 day ride from Bethesda, Maryland to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  If  my memory serves me properly, the 1st day was 67 miles, & the 2nd was only 45 miles.  So it was to be a very enjoyable ride, in an area of America that I had never seen, & with new people whom I had never met.    But instead, it turned out to be a  total embarrassment  for me.  On day 1, after about the 1st 30 miles, my bladder had become so irritated, that I could no longer  control it,  & with shorts that were dripping wet, I wasn't able to finish the 1st day's ride.  But on day 2, with new hope, & only 45 miles to go, I was ready to again, challenge the day.  But again humiliation !  After 30, or so miles, no control.  So for the 2nd day I finished the ride with my trike in the back of a truck.  Since then I've been trying to keep riding close to home. 

Some weeks, when I was feeling good, or I think it would be more correct to say "feeling better", I would try to ride 3 days.  But 3 day weeks didn't happen very often.  Some days I can get on my trike, & ride easily at 15 mph.  Other days, I feel like I am wearing a governor that makes it impossible to exceed 8 - 9mph.  This use to frustrate me, & I would go home.  But in my last 2 years I have learned that going home, was giving control to the PD, & the PD has advanced because of my choices.  The goal I had set, to ride, & to surpass 50,000 miles helped me to keep going, but after I reached that goal, I lost some of the incentive that was pushing me to ride.  Luckily, within the group of guys that I ride with is a guy named Forrest, who is happy to ride at 8 - 10mph, He rides a recumbent trike, & the last time I asked, he had close to 20,000 miles on his trike since he bought it, new.  Oh yes, let me tell you, Forrest will be celebrating his 83rd birthday, this week.  He helps me to keep going.

My New Goal

It is imperative that I have a goal, because it gives me something to focus on besides how I feel.  It would be, & is too tempting to just go lay down on the bed, & turn on the TV, & relax, but if I did, my brother, who is my housemate, would be brushing my teeth within a month, because I wouldn't be able too.  Lucky for him, I can leave them by the sink.  But I don't want that, & I'm sure he doesn't either.  I still have a car, & I still drive, & I want to keep it that way!  So I've set a goal for 2010.  I may not complete all of it, but that is not important.  What is important is getting my mind, & my body prepared to go to Iowa in July, & ride with my friends at "Pedaling For Parkinson's" in the 2010 RAGBRAI.  For a while, I thought that this would not be possible, because of my most recent PD symptom.  Another embarrassment, "drooling".  Luckily, I ride a recumbent style (laidback) trike, which hides the problem while I am riding.  I Have approximately 300 days  to get in shape for the ride, so watch for updates.   

                                                  Parky
                                                      INGU