Less than a year ago, I had my "event," as they say at New Heart. On June 25, 2005, I was brought to the Heart Hospital with a heart attack, and the next day, I had a triple bypass. After I returned home, my wife Terry drove me to New Heart for new patient orientation. I was using a bottle of oxygen, and I was so weak that I had to sit down at every opportunity as Goldyn took the group on a tour of the gym. Looking back now at my initial treadmill test photo, I see a ghost with a pale face and black circles around my eyes. It seems hard to believe that I could recover and train to complete the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, but I did. In fact, training for and riding the Iron Horse gave me the focus and drive I needed to recuperate.
At the time of my surgery, I was a program manager for a large aerospace company, managing 125 people in two locations and often working over seventy hours a week. There was little time for myself or my family, and my bicycle seldom made it out of the garage. After my heart attack, I realized that some things needed to change. I devoted myself to my exercise program, and I also took a stress management class to address some of the other factors affecting my health. I knew I couldn't continue as I had been at work, so I asked my boss for a different assignment with more reasonable hours. Around this time, I also decided to commit myself to training for the Iron Horse.
As I got stronger, I steadily increased the level and frequency of my workouts at New Heart. I began to add in bicycle rides with my son-in-law Michael, who had ridden the Iron Horse before. Finally, after all of our training, I was ready. We drove to Durango, CO on a Friday for the Saturday Memorial Day weekend ride. The town was bustling with over 2400 riders and people attending other events. My family joined me, including my wife Terry, our daughters, grandkids and Michael. On Friday evening, we went for the traditional pre-race carbohydrate-loading dinner and strolled the town before turning in to rest up for the big race.
The day of the ride was beautiful. Conditions in Durango were ideal - 39 degrees and calm. I rode to the starting line, near the Durango train station, and the excitement built with the steam of the Iron Horse. The whistle blew, signaling the start of the ride, and the mass of riders started for Silverton, 48 miles away. By the time we cleared Durango, the crowd had thinned out enough that we could relax and enjoy the ride. The countryside was beautiful, and we rode alongside the Iron Horse for several miles.
The ride was not always an easy one. We rode over two passes, each of which was over 10,000 feet, and there were some scary moments with narrow mountain roads, cattle trucks, and steep drop-offs with no guardrails. The last several miles were especially hard, but I pushed on past other bikers who by then were walking. I was tired and sore, but my heart felt great and inspired me on.
Finally, after a snack at the last aid station, we began our descent into Silverton. My family was waiting at the finish line, cheering like I was the first to cross. The Iron Horse was waiting in the station, and I knew I was back and could take on physical challenges again.
