My name is Lisa Christiansen; I believe everything happens for a reason. In 2001 I was diagnosed with sinus tachycardia and from that I allowed fear to take over and had challenges with the thought of even driving from one city to another or something as simple as driving from Lawton, Oklahoma to Medicine Park (our most beautiful wildlife refuge) which is a mere 20 minutes away. I found myself experiencing cardiac awareness which would cause mild panic attacks in the form of PVC’S (premature ventricular contractions) and I was my own worst enemy which is more disappointing as I am a doctor of exercise and nutritional sciences. I have always lived a healthy lifestyle never smoked, drank, nor have I ever done drugs of any kind, I was doing good to take an aspirin so you can imagine my confusion. Two short years later my daughter was diagnosed with supra-ventricular tachycardia and has had to have her heart restarted with adenosine and for extra fun she would have heart rates up to 260 BPM. As a mother this is very painful to watch knowing you can do nothing, well, not this mother! I started her on a live food diet, proper exercise against her physician’s wishes and she did show remarkable progress although she did not enjoy the exercise options I made available to her. In May of2008 I bought my first bicycle (trek) 2 weeks later I decided I enjoyed the sport enough that I bought a trek madone project one with the Icarus artwork portraying the most beautiful angel wings with the stem ring that reads PHEONIX made by TREK for Rhonda Hoyt of Richardson’s Bike Mart where Lance refers to Jim (Rhonda’s Husband) as Dad. Trek made this bike in memory of her son who was killed by a driver while cycling in 2006; Phoenix was her rising above her tragedy and now this bicycle and the sport of cycling has done the same for me as in August of 2008 my daughter and I completed the 50 miles in the hotter’n hell and I ride a minimum of 53 miles every other day through the wildlife refuge that I once could not drive through. I just rode my first climb all the way to the top of Mt. Scott all 2.6 miles of an 8% grade that finishes with a 13% grade in the Wichita mountains wildlife refuge which as you know is one of the 50 toughest climbs in the nation, I truly live my life passionately, I am the definition of strength, the vessel of pure power and energy, I AM LIFE! I don’t just live, my bicycle and I are one and I have experienced more in these last 10 months than in my entire lifetime. This August of 2009 I rode the hotter’n hell 100 and finished all 100 miles in under 4 hours! I live free, more than ever before and I do this as an example to my daughter as she has followed this example and found her passion in her bicycle and has not been to the emergency room in 8 months, her heart is stronger than ever and she is my hero! I have grown closer to my daughter through our passion for riding, we have both grown stronger physically, mentally, and emotionally, but most of all spiritually. We live in gratitude and forgiveness; our gifts are faith and passion which is where we also live! I have been called obsessed, but I heard it said best by one of the readers of Road Bike Action Magazine… it is love! When you are on the bike there comes your best ideas, thoughts, creativity, appreciation, and genuine honesty not just for others but honesty with yourself that is when you find humble.