Molalla Cycling Routes

Over the last 18 months of extensive cycling in the Molalla area, I have compiled a few routes -- some easy and flat, and some longer or with sustained, steep hill climbs.

A few of our more common routes are listed below. You can view the map and elevation profile if you click on a link.

• 14.5 mi. / SW of Molalla: https://www.strava.com/routes/2722833231498041326 (Few hills & flat)
• 15.75 mi. / Wilhoit Springs: https://www.strava.com/routes/20294362 (Sustained gradual climb out, fun downhill on way back, then some shorter climbs)
• 16.0 mi. / Wilhoit: https://www.strava.com/routes/20294450 (Adds steeper Soda Springs climb)
• 16.0 mi. / SW of Molalla: https://www.strava.com/routes/20640165 (Some hills and flat)
• 16.5 mi. / West: https://www.strava.com/routes/2724282788991035788 (Flat)
• 17.5 mi. / Molalla River Corridor: https://www.strava.com/routes/20640311 (Trout Creek & back - pretty flat)
• 17.5 mi. / East: https://www.strava.com/routes/2713807265374225276 (Long steep climbs, downhills, and roller coasters)
• 18 mi. / South: https://www.strava.com/routes/2712713512061987632 (Multiple steep climbs)
• 19 mi. / Trout Creek: https://www.strava.com/routes/2711702313896994410 (Some flat + long steep climb)
• 20 mi. / SW of Molalla: https://www.strava.com/routes/2718155690781360278 (Few hills, then flat)
• 20 mi. / Blair & Wilhoit: https://www.strava.com/routes/20294544 (Long steep climbs)
• 20.5 mi. / South: https://www.strava.com/routes/2711693804193688332 (Steep climbs & downhills)
• 21 mi. / SW of Molalla: https://www.strava.com/routes/2715225361769456858 (Steep climbs & flat)
• 21.5 mi. / West: https://www.strava.com/routes/2708448708475601764 (Mostly flat)
• 24.5 mi. / West: https://www.strava.com/routes/2710522307333165996 (Mostly flat)
• 27.5 mi. / West: https://www.strava.com/routes/2724283532042204060 (Mostly Flat)
• 28.5 mi. / West: https://www.strava.com/routes/2709134212268336698 (Mostly flat)
• 30 mi. / Marquam: https://www.strava.com/routes/29085480 (Some hills and flat)
• 31 mi. / South: https://www.strava.com/routes/2714141703610432172 (Long steep climbs)
• 34.3 mi. / Colton & East: https://www.strava.com/routes/20294101 (Multiple long steep climbs)
• 37 mi. / Mt. Angel: https://www.strava.com/routes/29074627 (Some hills and flat)
• 39.2 mi. / Molalla River Corridor: https://www.strava.com/routes/20294248 (To end of pavement, longer hill climbs past 2nd bridge)
• 40 mi. / West to Hubbard: https://www.strava.com/routes/24490108 (Mostly flat)
• 62 mi. (100 km) / St. Paul: https://www.strava.com/routes/29030628 (Mostly flat -- turn around at downtown St. Paul for 52 miles)

Happy cycling!

Just Say No

In the early 1980s, first lady Nancy Reagan launched a campaign to "Just Say No" to illegal drugs. My goal is to also apply that philosophy to prescription drugs as I grow older, and so far it's working.

I received more great news today from another set of labs, this time about my A1C numbers. Without using any prescription medications, my numbers have dropped well below the "prediabetic" range I had crept into. A1C test result reflects your average blood sugar level for the past two to three months. Specifically, the A1C test measures what percentage of your hemoglobin — a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen — is coated with sugar (glycated).

A1C percentages of 5.6 or lower are considered normal, and anything above that is prediabetic. Anything 6.5% or higher is considered full-on diabetes. 

My A1C numbers over the years look like this:

April 2011: 5.6%

April 2013: 5.7%

April 2014: 5.8%

May 2015: 5.6%

Sept. 2019: 5.2%

The only things that changed during that time-frame were the lifestyle changes I have documented on this blog, with the end result being considerable weight loss:

-- Eating a balanced diet

-- Drinking lots of water (no soda pop)

-- Exercising regularly

-- Reducing portion size

As I stated in a 2014 post, a common misconception is that you need to reduce your intake of starches and simple sugars in order to reverse the trend towards Type II Diabetes; but obesity is actually one of the primary factors, as it stresses your body's cells, which can cause them to suppress the signals of insulin receptors, which then leads to insulin resistance.

With Type II, either your body doesn't produce enough insulin on its own, or your body's cells ignore the insulin. When you eat starches and sugars, your body breaks them down into glucose, which is a basic fuel for the cells of your body. Insulin moves the glucose from the blood into the cells. 

If you aren't producing enough insulin on your own, or your body's cells are stressed to the point that they resist the insulin altogether, then you end up with excess glucose levels in your blood, which can starve your cells for energy, and over time the high glucose levels may harm your eyes, heart, kidneys, and nerves.

If you have been diagnosed as prediabetic, don't accept that you will need to depend on prescription medication to combat this disease. Take matters into your own hands and change your own life for the better! It may not be cutting edge technology, but the divine wisdom of "don't be a glutton" holds true today.

Must be doing something right...

I went to the doctor for cholesterol labs today ("Lipid Panel"), and the results were much improved -- so I must be doing something right! It had been 5 years since I'd had the same labs done -- you can see the difference below:

The results from 2013 were even worse than 2014, with Cholesterol at 211, Triglyceride at 175, HDL at 45, and LDL at 141. Never let anyone tell you that a balanced diet and regular exercise can't improve your health.

My weight has fluctuated a little in the almost 5 years of being "glutton free", as has my level of self control with regard to what, and how much, I eat. If I hadn't picked up cycling after last year's running injury, I don't think I could have maintained this. I'm so thankful for the support of the running and cycling groups that I see on a weekly basis -- they truly are a God-send.

I was curious about my blood sugars (A1C), but my doc didn't order those labs, so he must not be concerned about them since the last result from 2015 had returned to the normal range. Hallelujah!

This is a very simple concept, thousands of years old, and it works. Don't be a glutton. I know, it's definitely not as easy as it sounds, and it's not as glamorous as some of the fad diets; but with a little willpower and hard work, it can be very effective.

Special Kind of Crazy

At one point during my Half Fanatics qualifying string of half marathons, someone jokingly told me I was a "special kind of crazy". I simply replied, "thank you".

Now three years later, I just finished my 11th half on Saturday (my legs have finally recovered), and I will join a group for a metric century (62-miles) bike ride on Sunday. #specialkindofcrazy

The half marathon serves as my old way of setting a challenge to overcome, and the bike ride is hopefully the way of the future for me. #crosstraining

Glutton Free Lunch

Breakfast casserole with hot sauce, and a side of strawberries (in a little maple syrup).

Freedom 5K

Picture this: Small town America on the 4th of July, and the streets are lined with thousands of people -- families, rodeo fans, veterans, grandparents, young and old alike; all waiting with much anticipation to watch one of the largest Independence Day street parades west of the Mississippi. Now, imagine that they are also waiting to cheer on YOU. 

That's right, you too can run or walk the Freedom 5K road race in Molalla, Oregon, just ahead of the Giant Street Parade. How often do you get a chance to have your spirits buoyed by thousands of adoring fans? And the best part is the little kids along the course who are always happy to give high-fives to runners and walkers -- they don't know, or care, if you are in 43rd place of 343rd place, they're just out there having fun. 

All participants receive a tri-blend athletic t-shirt, a Molalla Buckaroo rodeo ticket, and a finisher's medal. There is a fee to run/walk the Freedom 5K, but all profits are donated back into the Molalla community. To register, go to: http://molallarunningclub.com/races/freedom-5k/

You can also register the morning of the race, but numbers are capped at 575 participants, and this has become a very popular race, so keep that in mind. I'm bummed that I won't be around to run it this year, so someone else is needs to go an have fun in my place.

Here's a fun course preview from the 2015 Freedom 5K:

4:29

I have posted about encouragement before, but have been wanting to look at it a little more in-depth, and maybe from a slightly different perspective. One reason for starting this blog was to write about how following God's basic principles ("don't be a glutton") has made positive impacts in my life, and I can't honestly look at the topic of "encouragement" without viewing it through the same lens.

2016 was quite a year for me and my family. I ran a whole bunch of half marathons, we committed to being part of a new church congregation (Foothills Community Church), and I discovered the joys of group runs with the Molalla Running Club. After about a year attending Foothills, we really started to feel confirmation that this was where God had been leading us; and after one week with with an especially stirring message and several "taste and see the Lord is good" moments, I sent notes to some of the pastors, letting them know how much I appreciated them.

That Saturday at running club, I had a chance to run and chat for a while with Pastor Jon (the leader of MRC and worship pastor at Foothills) and he said something I wasn't quite prepared for: "I think you have the gift of encouragement". My reaction was one of, "no, you've got the wrong guy", and I quickly deflected that notion; noting how my wife was the one gifted at encouraging others, and any encouraging I was doing was just from what I had learned in recent years during my service at our former congregation, or possibly from managing a small family business. But coming from someone who I had learned to respect and appreciate, the statement stuck in my head.

Maybe Jon has the ability to see gifts in others. Maybe it was simply prophetic. Maybe there was truth to what he had said. I definitely wanted to be "an encourager", but being human, there were many times in the past when I had failed miserably at this -- when I had let negative words dominate my conversation, engaged in unhealthy communication practices, and let a sometimes cynical heart cloud my outlook. Luckily, we don't need to hang on to the past -- as another Foothills pastor (Sam) so profoundly stated this week, "God's greatest victories aren't in your history. Stop looking back."

In the following weeks, I began to take Jon's words to heart, earnestly trying to follow through with what all followers of Christ are instructed to do in Ephesians 4:29:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

The great thing about encouragement is that there's no need to form a committee or ministry team to go around encouraging others. It's something we can all do. It's especially important in a church setting, but it also needs to be reflected on the rest of the world -- shining light, "like a city on a hill". Even those who don't feel gifted in this area are called to speak kindly to, and of, others.

There was a time when I thought it was somehow fake to present a positive outlook to the world around you when so many things in life seem to try and drag every last ounce of positive energy from you. On the flip side, I thought that the truly uplifting people around me must be leading perfect, problem-free lives of ease. But then I realized they were living in the same broken world that I was, experiencing the heart-breaks and setbacks that we all experience; and the difference was their genuine desire to follow Christ, and to reflect His light to others. They were making a conscious choice to GO BEYOND the difficult situations life deals out, and choosing to build others up instead. That is who I want to be, too.

So what part of this is the "gift" Jon referred to? It might be in the fact that writing comes easier to me than speaking face-to-face, so sending encouraging notes to others seems natural for me. Maybe it's the fact that I'm willing to say something at all. So often we think that others just know that they are appreciated, when the truth is that everyone benefits from a little encouragement from time to time, no matter how accomplished and confident they may appear. 

To truly lift others up, I need to be willing to say it in person, too; and that is something I am working on. The starting point is making sure that what I say in person, and what I post on social media, reflects the light of the One whom I claim to follow -- Jesus Christ. That is where it has to start. I'm not perfect, and I know I will fail at this again; but I will keep trying, regardless.