I’m not ready for a 40-mile bicycle ride tomorrow, but I’ll be doing it.

When I signed up of the LiveStrong Ride three months ago I resolved to get in better shape. But for three months it has been tomorrow, or next week, that I was going to make time for riding.

If I understand the statistics there are 3,850 new cases of cancer every day in the United States. These people are much less prepared for what they face than what I am. For me it is just sitting on a bike seat and cranking the pedals. I’ll stop and rest whenever I need to—often. People who get the cancer diagnosis face a physical and emotional challenge that has no defined finish line. Mind, body, and spirit will be in a battle for survival. Even cancer cases that aren’t life threatening have the power to create a dark cloud of fear.

When I picked up my ride packet today I got an “in honor of” tag and an “in memory of” tag that I’ll pin on my back. “Cynthia McCracken” will be the name under “in honor of.” She is my wife and a three-year survivor of breast cancer. “In memory of” will list Lucille McCracken [mother], Trina McCracken [daughter], and Steve LeBaron [step brother]. The list could go on, but I’m not in good enough shape to carry more.