Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Live for today and Love like it was your last


                                             “Life is short, Break the Rules.
                                               Forgive quickly, Kiss SLOWLY.
                                               Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably
                                               And never regret ANYTHING
                                               That makes you smile.”
                                                -Mark Twain

Last night when I got home from work, I was chilling on the sofa with my ipad and started scrolling down my Facebook feed when all of a sudden I read a post that someone left on another friend's wall and my heart sank. I immediately went over to that person's wall and my worst fear was confirmed. Dale had been hit by a car that morning, while doing his morning ride, something he was so passionate about. He died at the scene from his injuries. I couldn't help but think about his beautiful wife and 3 children. My heart hurt, I felt like throwing up and I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.

What scares me the most is that Dale is us. We are all Dale's. We ride out bikes on the road and we run on the road as part of our daily routines, whether for training or just shear enjoyment. That could have been any one of us out there yesterday. I wish I could say that I live everyday like it was my last but I am guilty as charged of not doing that as much as I should. It's these tragedies that remind me that I do take life for granted, then something like this happens and I see it as a wake up call. Unfortunately, these reminders have been happening more often as of late.

I met Dale through a website called Dailymile where people log their workouts. You can think of it as a the Facebook of training logs. I have met others on there in real life and some I haven't but nonetheless, you form a connection, a bond, that we're all in this together, training everyday to become better at whatever it is we do, and we all encourage each other along the way. Dale was known for his crazy workout posts where he described his AWESOME sweat FEST in his tight SPANDEX, after an 11 hour day in the pharmacy. Basically, he worked a ton of hours, had three kids, a wife, and still found time to squeeze in a lot of biking miles. And he loved every bit of it. He was also the first to comment on your workout post too. I watched this guy go from a clunker hybrid bike to a Trek Madone and his metamorphoses into a cyclist was a thing of beauty. I thought I rode a lot but this guy had me beat and that's a huge deal.

Dale and I were also friends on Facebook. His Facebook page and posts never mentioned his cycling. What he posted about really reflected on the kind of person he was. He posted about his daughter/daddy rides with his oldest child, he posted about date night at the Brown Derby with his wife, and he quoted scripture from the bible. I used to roll my eyes when I would hear others talk about someone who had just passed away and how they always say, "so and so was such a great person, never said anything bad or did anything bad to anyone." In my head I was saying, "yeah, right." But guess what, Dale was that guy. Never, ever did he post one negative thing on DailyMile or Facebook. Not one ugly, mean thing. It was always the most positive words. I would like to be more like Dale. I never met him but I'm saddened by the loss of this fellow cyclist. The world is not the same without him. Rest in peace, Dale. May God look over you, your children, your wife, and your family and comfort them always.

Which leads me to this. Dale's goal on DailyMile was ...



Cycle every single day in 2013. Stay HEALTHY and FIT through cycling and enjoy living life to the  FULLEST!






In honor of Dale, beginning today, I will cycle every single day in 2013, even if only 1 mile. Who wants to join me?

If you'd like to read the newspaper article about Dale, you can find it HERE.

Much love and peace out!

17 comments:

  1. Great post KC. I was moved to write something too. It is a bit amazing how much this affected me. I couldn't even sleep last night. I am with you on the bike. At least one mile. Every day.

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    1. Same here JC! I can't get it out of my head. It's all I thought of on my long run this AM. It just hits so close to home and not an easy pill to swallow.

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  2. It turns my stimach to hear that Dale was hit and died. You are right KC... it hits so close to home! Sending his family (and you) lotsgof love and prayers.

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  3. I am having SUCH a hard time with this....I am not a cryer, but this has really brought me to the emotional brink....Like you said, "he was 100% good." Never bitched about ANYTHING....not about the weather, working too many hours, his kids activities....NOTHING!! I've never known anyone like him and I'm sad that I took that friendship for granted...however remote it was....because now it's gone.

    The accident itself was so senseless...in my mind totally and easily avoidable. It would've been so easy to give him 3 feet....such a simple thing with such dire consequences if not practiced.

    The world lost a good guy, but I have not doubt he'll do his best to keep us all safe out there...The guardian angel for us all...

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  4. Just found you thru JunkMiles!

    Such a sad day for all of us but in particularly his friends and family who knew him well. I fear being run down each and every time I get out on the bike. So scary and we risk so much. I worry not for myself but for my family and always wonder if the risk is worth the reward.

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  5. Very sad accident. Thank you for a nice blog post about it.

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  6. Thank you for this write-up on Dale. I met him through DailyMile as well. He and his amazing positive energy will be sorely missed. What a truly beautiful person.

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  7. Very well stated. I wasn't fortunate enough to have known Dale(I can't imagine why, he has over 900 DM friends), but through so many of my friends who knew him, it's easy to see the kind of guy he was. We certainly all can, and should honor Dale by living life to the fullest. Great Post.

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  8. This is an extremely sad story.

    I can't help but say that this is an extremely dangerous sport we partake in. We need to stress the importance of watching out for our own safety on the roadways. Having just lost my Dad on Sunday, I am going through similar pain that his wife and kids are going through... and it is something you never want to experience.

    I don't know if it had anything to do with it (he was hit before 6am with sunrise at 6:22), but we need to stress with our fellow bikers/triathletes that biking before the sun comes up and also riding into the sunrise/sunset is just not a good idea. I didn't know what to devote my blog to this week, now I do.

    I will say a prayer for both my Dad and Dale/Dale's family tonight.

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  9. Much like you I met Dale via dm, and became fb friends too. I aspire to be more like Dale. The world could use more Dale's

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  10. OK this is just awesome! If interested there is a Facebook page set up in Dale's memory for his kids! Dale Tusen Memorial page. If you can not find it just look me up Maureen McDermott Kerik and send me a message for a friend request for Dale's memorial page! thank you
    Maureen

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  11. As you I also was a friend of Dale's on Daily MIle. We both found it funny, because he friended me up when he joined because he thought I was a cyclist- I'm a runner, and was recovering from surgery and putting up loads of cycle miles...He became a great supporter in my return to running and every morning, like clockwork, I could count of Dale responding to my early morning workout posted. This Tuesday...my phone did not give me the push alert. I thought it odd, and then Tuesday night I discovered the reason behind it. Looks as if they are planning a memorial ride for Dale next year, SOooo, I have a year to learn to ride a road bike instead of a bike trainer. Eeek. I have a similar post on my blog....

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  12. Thank you so much for this wonderful tribute! Dale was so positive. Always at the top of the leader board on DM, I shook my head wondering how he got the energy. Really going to miss his motivations on DM!!

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  13. I'm just one of the many family members affected by this tragedy, but I'm thrilled to see the legacy he is leaving behind! Words cannot say enough! Thank you for all of the kind words spoken about Dale. He was truly an inspiration, and his testimony will live on!

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  14. So sad. And you're right, we're all Dale. RIP Dale.

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  15. So very sobering a thought. Highlights how we should take every day for the Blessing that it is!

    RIP Dale

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