Not "bummed out" anymore

Feeling much better.  My butt is recovering much faster and feeling much better.  I can ride 90 minutes and I feel fine the next morning as opposed to before when I couldn't sit down the next day at work.  I am beginning to understand patience.  I'm thankful to God for his patience with me.  Starting on this journey I had alot of thoughts, things like, I can bike 120 kms a day, I can sleep in a tent every night, I can train, I can raise $10,000, I can do all this so I can help raise awareness and funds for poverty.  After going through the struggles to start my journey, God has reminded me that the "I can" only works if your include "with God's help and blessing"  Its funny how as soon as I came to this realization things started to fall into place.  I'm not saying there won't be any more struggles but I know God will be with me in good times and bad. 
Thanks to those who have so generously donated to this worthy cause.  The goal of Sea to Sea is to move people out of the trap of poverty through education and enabling organizations.  Did you know the DRS programs will be sponsored through your donation?  Many other awesome projects will benefit from your donations, from wells in Africa to local soup kitchens in your area. 
Your donation could:
$3,500 can buy a house
$300 can provide temporary, transitional shelter for a family in need
$120 can buy a bicycle for a health care worker or student or entrepreneur
$60 can buy a sheep
$40 can buy a goat
$25 can buy food for a month.
$25 can buy a water filter to provide clean drinking water in Honduras
$15 can buy a lantern and allow men to learn at night after working to feed their families during the day
$12 can buy a mosquito net to protect against malaria
Thanks again for all your support both financially and through prayers and words of encouragement. 

Got my bike!!

Looking up

The new seat is hard as a rock but yet fairly comfortable. It's leather and supposed to form to me that can't happen fast enough! I've upped my riding time to 80 mins. I'm feeling a lot better about the whole seat thing. I've been riding on my new seat for a few weeks now and things are feeling much better. I took the weekend off and went up north to the cottage Three feet of snow everywhere well almost everywhere. There was actually five feet on the side deck - see photo the kids are standing on top of the pile of snow. Seeing as I wasn't biking I figured a little snow shovelling was good exercise. Three hours later the side deck was cleared.

Just got news today that my bike is ready to be picked up. Going tomorrow to get it. So excited! Pics to follow!!

The long and the shorts

So test results came back. Good well positive well actually negative Lets just say things are okay. Back on the bike. Got some shorts um more like spandex with padding. I now have the most expensive underwear in the house and I don't look good in them. I'm thinking I may be the only one riding in track pants or board shorts.

Struggling

It's been awhile since I've posted. Let me share some of the things that have been going on in the last while. I've been riding an exercise bike with a seat from mountain bike. I'm riding an hour every other day. I didn't know pain like I know it now. I thought I could just work through the pain from the seat. I tried but I've figured out after a month of riding this seat is not working. The legs, the heart-no problem but the rear end? Trouble.. I started having pain in the groin and figured it was a muscle strain from hockey but after four weeks its still there. I went to the doctor who sent me for an ultrasound. It made me start to doubt if this is really something I should be doing. I've been telling anyone who will listen about sea to sea. I tell them I'm riding to raise money and awareness for poverty. Sounds good they tell me but the fundraising isn't really happening. That's another struggle for me. Keep soldering on I tell myself and back on that pain in the butt seat. Finally some good news. A friend gives me a contact for someone who will give me a road bike at cost. Things are looking up I'm feeling optimistic. I head to the warehouse to pick up the bike but they don't have the bike I want in my size They might be able to bring one in from the states. I'm struggling again thinking okay Lord is this a sign with no sponsors, no bike, sore butt, groin pain.. Maybe this is something I shouldn't be doing Could that be your answer? Are you saving me some money and heartache along with some other aches? I start thinking to myself, is my God not bigger than this? Can He not help me physically? Financially? You bet He can. These are all obstacles I can overcome with His strength through me. I think I started to lose sight of the real goal and the real cause. I'm here worried about things that are solvable. "Trust in me God says and I'll take care of everything "
I got the initial results back from the doctor and things are okay and look to be fine. I put a bigger seat on my exercise bike and experience some relief for the first time in awhile. I've been enjoying reading the posts on Sea to Sea. It's good to hear updates and questions answers about bike stuff. Seeing as I'm new to biking I'm learning to take advice. Yesterday I brought a Brooks seat. I put it on my exercise bike and rode for 70 minutes. Well it's no pillow I'm sitting on but I'll give it some time. Prayers is what I need-lots of them. Keeping my chin up and head down. Pedal to the metal.

My first bike ride

And it starts....

   My name is Len Kooy, I live in the Holland Marsh which is 30 minutes north of Toronto in Ontario. I am 45 years old.  I am married to Carrie for 27 years and we have been together for 30 (yes I'm asking her those stats)  We have 5 children, 1 son-in-law and 2 grandchildren.  I'm writing this blog under duress, it will be more writing than I've done since highschool. 
   I became interested in this trip after a young man in our church biked across Canada with Sea to Sea 2008.  I admired him and envied him as well, and always thought to myself if they do that again I'm going.  I'm not sure why I wanted to go so badly, I'm not a biker.  I've been a Christian all my life, but my relationship with the Lord has grown in the last two years.  One of our sons was struggling in his life with addictions.  We encouraged him to do a YWAM after hearing from another young man in our church that he was going.  Hockey has always been big in our family, so naturally a hockey YWAM made sense.  He decided to go last minute and we encouraged him and sent him on his way.  After three months of discipleship training he went to Russia for two months to play hockey.  When we brought him home five months later the changes were drastic and amazing and my wife and I were challenged in our faith daily by him.  He was relentless and it was good. 
   Growing up one of the younger of 9 kids in a family that was always on the go seemed to put my compassion level quite low.  Suck it up, work through it, if you don't do it no one else will.  The last two years have opened my eyes and heart.  What better way to serve God and others than to raise money for poverty?
   This trip will not be without challenges.  I'm not a biker.  I borrowed a stationery bike and have been on many times, 6 miles, 9 miles, 13 miles..
   A few weeks back I went out for my first "road" training.  I was on the bike for an hour and did 15.5 kms.  Wow did I learn alot that day!  My bike is a lower end mountain bike that my wife bought me for fathers day about 15 years ago.  So what did I learn?  well to start I should have pumped up my tires.. I now know what rolling resistance is!  2 kms into the ride and I started to struggle- come on fight through it I told myself.  Head down and pedal.  I look up and their runs a black cat right in front of me.  Good thing I'm not superstitious.  Lord help me I'm praying.  Another km and things go a little better.  I'm not listening to music so its just me and the road ahead. Its a quiet crisp morning, no wind -2 degrees.  All bundled up and I'm starting to struggle again.  Head down and I dig in again.  My mind starts to wander, hmmm lots of garbage along these roads, don't notice when driving the car... keep going, sacrifice, this is for poverty, I can do this.  I eat plenty I think to myself.  Just heard on the radio the other day that there are more obese people in North America than hungry people.  Things are going a little better again.  And the mind wanders again... my butt hurts, wow so many dogs around here- good thing they're on chains, why didn't I take the time to pump up my tires?  another tough stretch, but I talk myself through it.  Maybe my wife will have breakfast for me when I get home..  Are you kidding me?? Is that a Big Mac box on the side of the road (my weakness)  Lord you're supposed to be helping me..a little farther along a french fry box... ugh this is hard!  Alright Lord I hear you loud and clear, this ride is not at all about me.  It's about helping people who couldn't imagine eating as well and having as much as we do.  Thanks Lord for the reminder I think to myself as I dig in and keep biking...