BP MS150!!! Day 2!

Sleeping at the campground was not the best camping experience I've ever had; we had only brought one blanket, and we put it under our sheets to prevent the ground and air mattress from stealing our warmth. So, that meant that all we had was the sheet on top of us, and our pajamas. I didn't have any socks either (we had put our luggage back into the car to prevent the rain from soaking everything), so I wrapped an extra sheet around my feet. Needless to say, I woke up numerous times through the night just from being cold. =(

5am came too soon; it was actually kinda cool, all the alarms in the tent started going off at once. =) And sure enough, everyone started moving and getting ready for the day. I got up, stretched my legs, and did NOT want to get up. I dragged myself up, hit the port-a-potties, and went to climb back into bed. =) James brought us a few kolaches and breakfast tacos and munched on those for a while (bad idea in retrospect; they actually made me feel ill for most of the morning until we took off riding). Around 5:15 or 5:30, the general silence of the morning was broken by a sudden downpour of rain. Chicki and I gave each other a look, and she said "If it's pouring, I'm not doin' it!" I joked "Nah, we'll just SAG over to the final breakpoint and bike in from there!" James said that wasn't allowed. =) People started dragging in their bikes, and I was thankful we took Afif's advice to put a plastic bag on our bike seats at night. =) The rain didn't last long, and we reluctantly started getting dressed. And sure enough, to add insult to injury, my bike shorts were SOAKED; not just damp, soaked. So I had to wear my other pair of shorts that were not anywhere near as padded as before, and hope for the best. Also while getting dressed, I learned a valuable lesson a bit too late...I found that I had indeed chafed the day before, and so I used Chicki's Body Glide. Alas, it was too late...but it's a lesson learned for next time!

Shortly before 7, we headed out to get in line to go; we couldn't find James anywhere, so I was kinda sad we couldn't say good-bye, but such is life. I had been told that the riders with MS would actually be at the very front of the line, and we were going to take a picture with our MS jerseys. However, we obviously should have headed out much earlier than we did, because it was impossible to get up anywhere. So, we just gave up on that idea and went back towards the Shell Tent. At least that allowed us to say good-bye to James! But at this point, it was just a whole lotta waiting...we might as well have stayed in bed an extra hour! Our legs were hurting, we kept trying to stretch; every time I'd say "OH, Chicki..." while stretching she'd say "Don't worry, once we get back on the bikes it'll be better! When I run my marathons, after a while my muscles just kinda stop caring anymore and just accept that I'm not gonna stop!" We didn't finally get up to the starting line til around 8:30am, and the 66 mile final journey began!


Sure enough, all of Chicki's words and encouragement for the hour we were waiting to leave were right; once we got on the bikes and our legs were moving again, the pain kinda faded away. However, within 5 minutes of leaving the campgrounds, we were already off course... At the first turn of the route, the officer directing us turned us onto a feeder road. I don't know now whether he turned us too soon, or if our group just missed the on-ramp to 71, but either way as we came down a hill we suddenly see a bunch of bikers off their bikes...and begin picking up their bikes and walking into the grass and down the valley between the feeder and the highway. "You have got to be kidding me!" Oh, no, they weren't; we turned around and saw the group behind us had gotten on 71 just fine, and yes, we WERE supposed to be up there. So Chicki and I hefted up our bikes and started climbing down into the valley. As it had rained the night before, sure enough there was a small stream of water. Luckily, I was able to jump the water without getting my socks and shoes wet! We got to the other side, got on our bikes, and started riding again.

Nothing else very eventful happened the rest of the morning, however the two Breakpoints before lunch really made me appreciate what it was the volunteers were doing for us. The first Breakpoint was manned by "cheerleaders," and talking to one (who was already hoarse!), she mentioned being up since 1am to be out there and setting up! But yet she was still out there, screaming and cheering up a storm for all the riders. Then the second Breakpoint was manned by some kids/teens, one of which who was leaning on her friend sleeping. We asked them how long they'd been up, and they got up at 2am to drive 2 hours to come volunteer for us! So it was really touching to see how much these guys were doing to support all of the riders.

Our lunch for Day 2 was in Bastrop, which is actually where I had participated in the Pedal Thru the Pines bike ride in early March. Lunch was, again, DELICIOUS; today was a turkey sandwich on a whole wheat bun, with some chips and more fruit. And we also had some tasty "apple soda!" No dessert today, at least none that we could find. We walked by the medical tent and saw that they had Biofreeze! It's a kind of IcyHot thing, and is supposed to help dull the pain. I have no idea whether it worked or not; my knees and legs were still hurting the rest of the day. =) As we head back to our bikes, we overhear a guy on the loudspeaker mentioning that the rain is definitely staying away...however, the wind pushing the rain also meant that we were going to have a head wind. We only had 32 miles to go...could it really be that bad?

Oh, it could. There were 14.6 miles to the first Breakpoint after lunch, then 8.7 to the last Breakpoint, and 8.6 in to Austin. Those 14.6 miles were perhaps the worst of the ENTIRE ride. Although the hills weren't all that bad, the wind was overwhelming. Our speed dropped to ~8mph, and we expended so much energy just to keep moving forward. At one point, finally, I couldn't go any further; I called to Chicki and said we had to stop. We got off the bikes, but we did at least keep moving forward by walking the bikes. I was breathing so hard, and I was so tired. We walked for a short while and up a short hill, and I sucked it up and told Chicki we'd get back on the bikes. We continued on, and I think sometime after this point is when we saw the ambulances; they came up behind us and sure enough, as we rounded a corner, we saw a collection of emergency vehicles and some Ride Marshals directing riders to slow down and move around the vehicles. (We later learned a car had hit two bikers; it must not have been too serious, though, as they hadn't life-flighted them out.) We pushed on, and we came across a sign saying "AUSTIN 24" and my heart lifted just a little bit...only 24 miles to Austin! I can do this, right?

We FINALLY arrived at the Breakpoint, and as we pulled in, Chicki and I put our bikes up together (oh yeah! We had learned out to get our bikes to stand up by leaning them against each other!) and I immediately got down on the pavement and laid down. I knew we only had 17 miles left, but I didn't want to go any further. The wind had taken it all out of me; if it kept up, I honestly wasn't sure that I could finish it. Chicki retrieved some oranges for me, and I ate them lying down for a while. I sat up a bit when one of the Ride Marshals we had talked to at a few rest stops came by, and then I laid back down again. Finally I asked Chicki, "What can I eat that will make me better?" She grinned and arched her eyebrow, "Caffeine...I have a gel shot with 50mg of caffeine, but you hate gels." I paused only a moment, and then said "I don't care...if it's going to help me finish, I'll do it." She gave me her Mocha gel, and I downed it as fast as I could, with a chaser of water. We gathered our will and spirit (well, at least I did, Chicki seemed to be doin' ok ;) ), and we headed out. Even as we were leaving there, a group of women were heading out, and sure enough one of them said "I'm just gonna SAG to the next breakpoint, I'll meet you there to head in to Austin." We were going to finish this on our own, not with van help!!! Off we went...

As we headed out, a voice behind us asked "What is the V in your rider number for?" Chicki must have been in a better mindframe than I, because she responded with "Oh, well my name is Vicki and hers is Val. So the V." And I said "No, that's a lie!" but was giggling. The guys said "Really?" "Oh yeah! You don't have your name's letter in front of your number? Crazy!" says Chicki. After a minute of bantering back and forth, I finally convince them she's lying (I swear she had them going for a while), and we get back onto the actual route. They ask if we mind them drafting off of us for a while, and we said No prob! Thank goodness the wind had either turned, or the route turned, because we were back up to ~14mph. Chicki and I led a small paceline of her, I, a Ride Marshal, and his two sons for the 8.7 miles to the final Breakpoint. It was pretty exciting to know that WE were actually pulling the line! We got into the the final Breakpoint, said our farewell to the guys, and called James and Jonathan to let them know we should be arriving in approximately 40 minutes! We snagged some food, and then back on the bikes from the home stretch!

By now, between the caffeine and the adrenaline rush of being less than an hour from the finish, I was feeling great. There were more hills again as we headed Austin proper, so it was a little tougher than the last 30 miles had been. But again, my body was pumping and excited, so it was barely even noticed. Riding the twists and turns to get towards the capitol was quite the tease; every turn I would think "Oh, is this it?!" and nope, not quite. But as we finally came around one corner, we saw the capitol building and the collection of spectators cheering us on. The final approach to the finish line took us up a small hill and then a turn to the left, and there it was: the Finish line sign with the capitol building behind it.

"OK Chicki, are you ready?!" "Yep, let's do it!" We had made our plans earlier on how we were going to cross the Finish line, and had positioned our bikes accordingly. As we straightened out our path, we released one hand each (Chicki's right, and my left) and held hands as we rode up to the finish line. It was an amazing, awesome feeling as we crossed, and then we saw James and Jonathan off to the side snapping our photos and greeting us as we got in. It was around 4:45. We followed the path around to get off the bikes, met up with James and Jonathan, and then headed to get our Certificates of Completion.


Now it was time to relax! After getting our certificates, we headed over to the Team Shell tent, which was fairly sparse. But Afif was there to greet us, and congratulated us on completing our first ride. We socialized for a bit at the Shell tent, snapping pictures and enjoying some tasty, well-deserved treats, and then said our farewells. It was time for dinner! We headed just a few blocks away to an italian restaurant and dined on some pizza, spinach artichoke dip, salad, caprese salad, and spinach ravioli. A great meal to end the weekend!


Now that it was all over, I could really take in the weight of our accomplishment; we had just biked from Houston to Austin. This could perhaps be one of the greatest accomplishments of my life! There was laughter, tears, joy, and pain; twice I wanted to cry and quit, and once I said I would never do it again. But in the end, we had done it...and I know now that I will definitely do it again. I will do things a little differently next year (probably will not do 100 miles the first day in the future...), but I will definitely do it again. It was an amazing ride, and one I will never forget! And I honestly don't believe I could have done it without my sister; she kept me going when I wanted to quit, she kept my spirits high with "only X more miles!", and she was always just a positive presence right next to me. Thank you SO much, Chicki...I love you!!!

To those who have stuck it out and actually read all of this...I hope you enjoyed it. =) Thank you for all of your support, as well; knowing that there were people out there that were cheering for me, pulling for me, I also knew I couldn't give up. You guys kept me going just as much as my sister. <3!!!

Until next year!!!

BP MS150!!! Day 1

The day had finally come! Chicki flew in Wednesday day, we had some fun and relaxation together Thursday night, and Friday we ran some errands (oil change, new tires for the car, etc) before heading to the west side to stay with my friend, Corey, for the night. That allowed us to sleep until 4am instead of 3 or so. =) Thanks Corey!

We got to the Shell Woodcreek Facility, to meet with the rest of Team Shell, shortly after 5:30am. We grabbed a quick bagel w/peanut butter for breakfast, and about that time my friends Angie and Vince showed up (Jes showed up shortly thereafter). It was so great to have them there to cheer us on and wish us luck...at 6am on a Saturday morning! It meant so much to me. We said good-bye to James and Jonathan, as they needed to get on the road, to head up to LaGrange, since they were working as volunteers. The team started to gather to leave, I made a quick last minute potty break, and then we were off to the starting line at the Omni Westside Hotel.

6:30am: Waiting at the start line! Team Shell was the 5th or 6th team to get to leave the Starting Line, as one of the top fundraising teams (around $323,000 last I checked). The official start was 7am, but by the time we were able to go it was around 7:30. It was a really exciting time at the start line; music was playing and everyone was ready to get started and going! It was finally Team Shell's turn, and Chicki and I snapped a quick picture before starting our ~100 mile journey to LaGrange.


The roads were a bit wet, and we got drizzled on just a little bit on our way to the first rest stop, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been. At Breakpoint 1, we took a quick stop to recharge with some food, fill out water bottles with some gatorade, and break out the iHome for some tunes! Unfortunately, in the process of getting the iHome out of my bag, I kinda fell over a bit and caught myself with one hand into some kind of burr plant/weed. So our first injury of the ride happened within an hour of leaving! We pulled out the burrs, cleaned it up a bit, and then just continued on. At least we had tunes! =D Nothing specifically eventful for any of the breakpoints from there until lunch; we did stop to snap a quick shot at one point where they had this really cool sign (well, I thought it was cool...). I was just impressed because it was actually a heavy duty sign, rather than just the plastic stuff they had elsewhere. We took a quick couple pics holding our bikes next to the sign and then continued on.

Around the third Breakpoint, we started realizing that we must be pulling up the rear of the pack; when we'd first arrive at any of the rest stops, there would be lots of people, but by the time we left there were very few. It was a little disheartening, because I knew we were doing a fairly good pace (16-17mph), and we had passed people, and so I couldn't understand how we were SO far behind. (Later, we determined it was likely because we were on the 100-mile route, and so we started further behind than a lot of people, too, and just weren't fast enough to beat them). It was a bit of a bummer, but we just kept on going.

About 40 miles in (10 miles from lunch), we started hitting the hills. Nothing too bad before lunch; just enough to let you know you aren't in Houston anymore! ;) We climbed up a hill into Belville for lunch, and ate a delicious peanut butter & jelly sandwich and a turkey sandwich, with some yogurt and Doritos and pasta. OK, maybe it wasn't DELICIOUS, but after biking 50 miles it sure seemed like it! We finished off the meal with an ice cream sandwich, and then got back on the road. We were, unfortunately, one of the very last people to leave Belville...but we just hit the road and kept on going.

After lunch, the hills got worse. It was constant up and down, with no real time for recovery. And, to make matters worse, the road was extremely bumpy; our bikes were constantly rattling and shaking our entire bodies. At the first Breakpoint after lunch, we asked around to find out if the road was still going to be as bumpy for the rest of the way in to LaGrange; one guy, also from Team Shell, mentioned he has ridden before and he didn't remember it being quite so bad. Not much more for us to do but get on the bike and keep going, so that's what we did.

Hills, hills, and more hills were all we dealt with the rest of the way in to LaGrange. As we hit Breakpoints 5 and 6, we saw people waiting in long lines for the SAG vans. SAG stands for "Support And Gear," and they travel the route to provide riders with help as necessary. If something happens to your bike on the road that you can't fix, the SAG vans will pick you up and take you to the next rest stop, where you can get repaired. However, it seems as though the SAG vans will also ferry you from one break point to another, I guess if you're too tired. We saw plenty of that happening, and although slightly tempting, we weren't going to give up! So we pushed on to Breakpoint 7, the final stop of the day.

Around a mile from Breakpoint 7, approximately 87 miles into the ride, I started getting emotionally spent. As we finished climbing a hill, I could feel tears starting to well up, but I fought against them. However, the emotions were still there, and I was panting hard from pedaling up the hill, so I started wheezing/hyperventilating just a little bit. Chicki asked if I was all right, and I said yes; we could see the Breakpoint now that we had crested the hill. We made our way over to it and took a fair bit of rest. We kept telling each other "OK, we only have 11 more miles!" More people climbed into the SAG vans, and even as we were getting ready to leave, we were asked if we needed a ride. We said "nope!" and began to head out. "Your clip just fell off" a woman called from behind Vicki. We look at her bike, and the ground, and see her pedal was on the ground. Luckily, the bike repair tent was just across the road from us, so we hopped back over and got it tightened back on. We start to head off again...and I realize my bike doesn't feel right. "Chicki, do I have a flat?" "Yep!" So, once again, we turn around and go to the bike repair tent. A few minutes later, the bikes are repaired and we again try to head out for our final ride into LaGrange. Third time's a charm, I guess, cause we were able to head out and make it all the way to LaGrange with no further incidents.

We arrived in LaGrange around 6pm Saturday night and made our way over to the Team Shell tents. James and Jonathan were no where to be found. We grabbed some food: some BBQ brisket and sausage, cole slaw, potato salad, and beans, and just waited for the guys to get back. We learned that my car had died at some point and required a jump start, so they had taken it out for a drive to try to recharge the batteries. However, when they tried to get back in to the Fairegrounds, the police wouldn't let them! So they had to park far away and walk all the way back in. When we finally met up with them, we went to get our shower stuff to try to enjoy a nice warm shower.

And that is when the "rush" and frustration began. We headed over to the massage tables in the Team Shell tent to put our names down for a massage after the shower, and we were told that they were no longer taking any names because there would be no way they finished everyone before Lights Out (9pm). I was pretty bummed out, but James had made friends with one of the therapists there while he had been working in the tent, and he managed to work it out with her to get me in when my shower was done. However, he said "make it quick," cause she would likely have room in about 20 minutes. Chicki and I headed over to the shower trucks, where we were supposed to have special access to "Club 300" showers. Club 300 is for the top 300 fundraisers of the MS150, and has special perks associated with it (like a special shower truck, so you don't have to wait in 45-60 mi lines for the showers). Unfortunately, they must have shut down the "special showers," because we saw no Club 300 sign. I knew there was no way I would make the massage if I stayed, and I knew it was far more important to get the massage then to shower before getting the massage, so I headed back to the tent and Chicki showered.

I waited patiently and sleepily for my massage, and finally got on the table for about 20 minutes, just to stretch out some muscles and get the soreness out as best as possible. Chicki had finished her shower and reported back that the showers would close at 10pm, so James and I grabbed our stuff and headed that way, expecting to be able to enjoy a nice long shower. However, as we arrived at the trucks, we saw a maintenance guy flicking the lights on and off in one of the trucks. "What time do they close?" "9pm." It was 8:58. "You have a couple minutes, but make it quick, we have to get to Austin." I jumped in the shower, rinsing and washing as best and fast as I could, as well as trying to rinse my bike shorts for the ride the next day (people had told me that you could easily wash your shorts in the shower and wear them the second day). We headed back to the tent and had a few minutes of light before the tent lights went out. As I began preparing for bed, I found my pajama bottoms were soaked from the shower (they had gotten wet in my rush to wash my shorts), and so I only had one layer for warmth.

At this point, I was so frustrated and unhappy: I was hurting from 100 miles of biking, I couldn't get a proper warm shower, and I didn't have warmth for the night of sleep (we had only brought one blanket, which we had to put under us to keep the ground from sucking our warmth). I made the statement that if I ever do this again, I am not staying at the campgrounds, I would just find a hotel because then I can be warm, get a shower whenever I want, and not have to deal with any other people. I curled up in my sheets and fairly quickly fell asleep.

The Space Race!

Sorry this post is a little late; we were trying to get our guest bedroom finished to let Chicki sleep there on her visit, but alas it didn't all get done anyway. But on to biking!

One week before the MS150, I did my final training ride; The Space Race out of Gulf Greyhound Park! This ride benefited Ronald McDonald House. This ride was unique in that it had an open start; you could start the ride at anytime between 7am and 9am. I got out around 8:45 after all was said and done, and reached the first rest stop around 9:30. I was shocked to find they had already almost shut down! I grabbed a few quick oranges and gatorade, and rushed to the next rest stop for fear of that closing too. Luckily, the rest of the rest stops weren't quite so close to closing by the time I got there.

The other interesting thing about this ride is that I wore my MS jersey, which helped me to meet Ron Brannigan. He has MS and runs a group called "Because We Can," a group for cyclists with MS. It was really cool to meet him and talk with him, and I even rode the last couple miles to the finish with him. Unfortunately, they mostly meet on the west side, but I know at least that if I ever need any help or support I can talk to them!

That was really about it for this ride; just had to get in one last ride before the MS150!

Keep on ridin'...

Today was another solo ride, so not quite the distance of some of my group rides, but still enough to get my muscles working! The morning started off kinda cloudy, and I did fear rain for a short while, but after checking the weather and seeing only a 10% chance I decided to take a chance! And boy am I glad I did; the weather was beautiful!

Small snag in today's ride; I got about a mile or so out and realized that I was a COMPLETE idiot; I hadn't worn my helmet! So I had to turn around and get that, and my biking gloves (no where near as critical). Once that was set right, I started off again. All in all, a generally normal ride other than that! About halfway through or so the sun came out and followed me the rest of the ride; however, that meant that I ended up sunburned! So I have a pretty funny tan now. =)

Only two weeks til the 150! I'm riding 62 miles next week in the Space Race, and then timet o taper down, eat some carbs, and rest up! I can't wait!

Back to the grind!

This past weekend, I had every intention of biking ~30 miles on Sunday. However, due to gaming all day Saturday and the sleep deprivation surrounding that, I did not get that ride in. Luckily though, I had to work late last night, so I got myself up at a normal work-day hour and got out on the bike! I didn't get the full 30miles in, but I did at least get 23!

Exciting part of this ride was my new iHome2Go! It's a speaker for an iPod, and it looks just like a water bottle on your bike! Mom got it for me, so I got to rock out a bit during my ~2 hour ride. Only bummer was I was on my Exercise playlist instead of my General playlist, which is only about 50 minutes of music! So I had to listen to the same songs twice. Ah well, I like the songs! =)

The ride did kinda hurt my quads, though; I haven't biked since the 14th, and I've been fighting the cold through all that, so I guess my body just wasn't ready for it. But it's getting really close! I can't believe I only have 2 more training weekends until the ride! Better make them count!

Waging War...

So alas, I did not get out on a long ride this past weekend. I woke up with a sore throat on Friday, and it progressed into a full on cold as the day went on. So this weekend my body "waged war" on the interloper, draining me of all energy.

I did make it to both Spinning classes last week, and I attended Yoga tonight (despite still feeling pretty drained), so I am at least keeping up with training. This Sunday I don't have plans for any organized ride, but I'm planning to get out for at least 30 miles this week. I get to try out my new iHome for my iPod; gift from my momma! The MS150 (and most organized rides) don't allow you wear headphones on the rides, for safety reasons. But I've seen a lot of people with speaker systems on their bikes, and evidently those are allowed! So now I can listen to some tunes while I'm out cruisin'. =)

Other exciting news! My sister is coming down to bike the MS150 with me! Exciting stuff! So now I won't have to ride alone, and we'll have some good tunes to listen to...despite being sick all weekend, I would have to say the week ended on a fairly high note!

As for my sister, she needs to raise the $400 minimum pledge, so if you were thinking about donating to me, it would be better for you to donate to her. Her page is: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=7833558&pg=personal&fr_id=12962

Thanks!

New record!

Well, distance at least; even though last week I didn't do the full 50 mile route, I redeemed myself today! I biked 55 miles today on the Pearland Cycling Club's "The Great Escape" ride!

The morning was a bit of a bummer, as last night we had to set our clocks ahead! So I lost an hour of sleep just to that silliness. I got up at 6am (which felt like 5am...oh wait... ;) ), got myself packed, and headed out to Manvel High School. The morning was quite chilly, but I knew at least it wasn't going to be as cold as the last night I started at Manvel High School (that was my first group ride, Ride to the to Rescue). As we arrived at the high school, though, we were shocked to see a VERY different sight than Ride to the Rescue; the parking lot was PACKED, and worse, the Port-a-Potty line was crazy too!

Nonetheless, I soon got on the road, and for the first short bit of the ride my wheel was making a "funny" noise. Luckily I had to stop at a stop light, so I checked it out; it appeared my sensor for my speedometer had shifts slightly and was hitting the fork of my front wheel. With a quick realignment, the annoying sound was gone! As with most bike rides, a huge group of people started off all bunched up together, and I would pass some, and be passed by others. The first rest stop came, and yet again the port-a-potty line was crazy! So I decided to pass this one and head for the next stop at 20 miles.

The first 20 miles were generally pretty good! And it was really cool towards the end of that stretch, I was actually the "lead dog" in a pace line; I had GUYS following in my draft! And I was averaging about 16-17mph in general, so I was feeling pretty good! Being about 1.25 hours in to the ride, I knew I was already off to a better start than last week's ride, putting me only 10mi in about the same time. However, arriving at the 20mi rest stop, I was saddened to once again see a ridiculous port-a-potty line. This time, however, I had no real choice but to stop, so I lost over 30 minutes at this rest stop.

The next 15 miles was an out and back to the same place, and here I dealt with a little bit of wind. My mph dropped to around 14, but I knew that at least I'd have a good wind on the way back! Around 6 miles was the turnaround, with a small rest stop; I stopped to take off my final piece of "warm" gear and stuff it in my backpack, and then headed back on the road again. Another brief stop at the 20-mile rest stop, for another potty break, but this time there was no one there! Thanks goodness! So back on the road again...

Final rest stop was around 46 miles, and there I met a woman named Karen wearing a special MS150 jersey; it says "I have MS...It's WHY I ride!" She was riding a recumbant bike, and it was great to meet another person with MS that is still out there riding! We chatted for a short bit, and then I went about the last 8 miles of the ride. All was well until about 1.5 miles out; a large group of bikers were at a stop light, but we didn't have enough weight to trigger the light that we were waiting to go! It went through 2 full cycles before FINALLY letting us pass (we ended up all trying to scrunch together so the car behind us would move up and set off the sensor). But soon after, I was back at the high school and getting some much needed rest as I changed out of my shoes, etc.

Now, into the evening, I'm feeling very drained actually. At this exact moment, I don't even want to do another long ride next weekend; maybe I'll give myself a week off, we'll see. I was thinking of doing a 40mile ride in Houston, and I probably will and then take the following weekend off. But right now, I'll relish in my success by curling up in bed, resting my legs, and reading before some well deserved sleep. =)

Pedal Thru the Pines!

I headed about 2.5 hours away from Houston this weekend to try the "Pedal Thru the Pines" ride in Bastrop, TX. I had heard that it was a good ride for hills, and since Houston is pretty much flat, I figured this would be a good time to practice!


This ride started an hour later than the rest, at 9am. And it was a good thing too, cause we didn't get in to our hotel in Bastrop until after 11pm last night! Then I had to fit my new helmet, make sure the Camelbak was ready (I borrowed it from a friend to see if I liked it), and just generally make sure I was ready to go. Nonetheless, by the time the ride started the weather was beautiful! The sun was shining, and the temp was warm enough that I actually did not have to wear my jacket! =)

The ride's website has this to say: "Many riders find the route challenging because of the hills through the state parks. The route is through probably the most challenging part of the BP MS150 and the first 14 miles are very hilly. Riders have to climb two steep hills in the first 4 miles of the ride that many find challenging. For the next 10 miles there are several short, but steep hills that quite a few riders need to walk up." And they aren't kidding! I managed to make it up the first hill, but on the second hill I nearly fell because it was just so steep, I couldn't get enough power, and almost couldn't unclip. The next two hills I tried again, but this time I wimped out early enough to be able to unclip. And the final hill I don't think I made it up at all before I had to unclip to climb it. It was crazy! The other hills, though, made for a GREAT workout, and I definitely got my heartrate up. =)

However, after about 10 miles, it was already ~10:15. I knew that if I did the entire 50 mile ride, I would be biking ALL DAY. So on the second to last hill, I called James & Co and let them know I was changing to the 27 mile route, so I would be finished much earlier than expected. Then I finished out the last major hill, got through to the first rest stop, and recharged.

The rest of the ride was fairly uneventful; just rolling hills through the rest of the state park. The next rest stop came much quicker than the first, and there was a guy handing out "Pickle Juice." Yes, it IS pickle juice! One of the senior cyclists swears by it; says he's ridden miles and miles and never got cramps. So I tried it out, just to see. It probably wouldn't have been that bad about halfway through the bottle, but drinking the whole thing was a bit much.

Heading out of that rest stop, I started biking with a woman named Tiffany, who was fairly new to biking herself. We biked the last bit from that rest stop to the finish line, and that definitely helped make the last of the ride much more enjoyable! Thanks to Tiffany, and best of luck to you in the future of your biking!

Way to go Team!

Today was the 4th annual Team Shell ride, supported by the Team Shell MS150 team. I was under the impression the weather was going to be quite nice, so originally I did not put my standard 3 layers of clothing on...but then decided it's always easier to take them off than wish I had them on! And I'm lucky I did; when we arrived at Sun & Ski around 7:45am, I was concerned it might be a bit colder than I had expected. Luckily, though, once that sun came up the day turned out to be yet another beautiful day for riding!


Afif started the ride with a safety/route briefing, and then handed the megaphone over to me. Knowing I had been diagnosed with MS, he had asked me to speak a few words to the team sometime; many of the riders don't necessarily know someone with MS, and so it helps to inspire/motivate some people to be able to connect with someone that is actually receiving benefits from what they are doing. I had planned to tell them about all the benefits I have received since I've been diagnosed; instead, I got a bit emotional as I thanked them all for riding the MS150, and how much it meant to me. I do truly appreciate everything the riders have done in the past, and will do this year, and I wanted them to know that.


As we started to head out as a group, I quickly had to run back to the car to get my sunglasses (as many of you know, I am ALWAYS forgetting something!) and the first riders (22+mph) headed out. They split us up into speed groups so that we weren' all clumped together, and trying to pass later, etc, and I think that worked out great! Sunglasses firmly in place, I got into place and joined the 15-17mph crowd. As we headed out, I did a much better job clipping into my shoes (all day, in fact!). As we headed out of the mall, a woman started riding beside me and thanked me for the speech and inspiration. She was wonderful for me on this ride, because I managed to stay with her the entire ride (in general), so I didn't have to bike entirely "alone"! So a big thanks to Kathy, though I don't know her last name! Thanks for keeping me company. =)

The first part of the ride was tougher perhaps than anything else I'd done so far; the first rest area wasn't for about 20 miles. My other rides I had become accustomed to 10-12 miles between stops, so perhaps I had become spoiled! After we passed the 10 mile mark, I kept counting down the miles til we could reach 20; I wasn't specifically hurting, but I just wanted to be able to get some food! =) I had stashed a banana and some Clif Shot Bloks in my jersey; they has warned us that they weren't actually staffing any rest areas, so although a location was available, we were on our own as far as providing our drinks and nutrition. I had briefly lost Kathy shortly before this, so we met up at this Rest Area and then continued on together.

Next 12 miles to the next rest stop were a bit tough; the wind was really blowing along some of the country roads, and by now most of the riders were spread out. So Kathy and I were trying very hard to push through, though our speed definitely dropped to about 12mph. Finally, another pair of riders came up and got in front of us, so we tailed on to them and followed them pretty much to the next rest stop. At this rest stop, I refilled my water bottles, visited briefly with Afif (who also was there...but he had done the 60+ mile route, not the 44 =) ), and then Kathy and I headed out for the home stretch. 12 more miles to go!

The final part of the ride was a great way to end the ride. The wind was at least only a cross wind, and the shoulders were fairly large, so Kathy and I just kinda took it eay and rode side by side to chat for the last leg of our journey. As we were nearing our final turn back towards Katy Mills, however, we saw some flashing lights and what looked to be stopped traffic. "Please don't let there be an accident with one of the bikers!" I thought. But luckily, as we came up to the cops, they directed us through the nearby parking lot; there was a parade going on that traffic was stopped for. We were going the same direction of the parade, so when we exited the parking lot we just kinda rode down the street, tried to "blend in" to the parade, and then continued on to the finish!

Overall, it was another great ride! These two rides definitely make up for the very cold and traumatic experience of my first ride. =) And after the ride, we got to snack on some Subway sandwiches, and I took a brief shopping trip into Sun & Ski Sports. I bought myself a new cycling jersey, on sale! I'll plan to wear it for my ride next week, in Bastrop State Park...50 miles, oh man! Wish me luck!

Safety First!

I forgot to post for Sunday of last week; I went to the required Bike Safety Training for Team Shell last Sunday afternoon, meaning I got to pick up my jersey! I did once again fall off my bike during the training; it was still the fault of my new bike shoes and being unable to unclip! This time, though, I had to keep things even; I fell to my left (no...that was sarcasm...I didn't really purposely fall on my left instead of right ;) ). This fall actually screwed up my bike a bit temporarily! It was crazy! First, my bike tilted off centerline, quite dramatically actually. Then, I noticed the rear brake had shift so that the left side of it was continuously touching the rim (meaning the brakes were squealing until a nice guy helped me fix it...and the seat). Finally, the gear shifter on my left handlebar also got shifted, but that didn't really seem to have any major effect other than cosmetic. And then I come to find out the next day that I have a HUGE dark bruise on my hip where I fell. It was quite impressive, actually. ;)

But falling aside, I managed to get through my bike safety training, met Afif, our team captain, and got to pick up my Team Shell jersey. Exciting stuff!!!

Humble Lions Bike Ride

Today I went out on another group ride, the Humble Lions Club Bike Ride. This ride benefits handicapped and diabetic children, which is a great cause! John is a great friend and decided to join me on this ride again, even though it did require him to get up before 6am on a Saturday morning... And James, of course, was a trooper too, for coming out with us and not even riding! Just wonderful moral support. =)

Today's ride was a BEAUTIFUL ride! I commented to John only about a mile or three in that this was far less traumatic than our first ride; the weather temp was around 50 today, I believe, and only mild wind. And the sun was shining! So it made the ride so much more pleasant; I said "good morning!" to all the officers directing traffic for us, and chatted up various riders as they passed (and John too, of course!). So overall, a much better experience this time around. =)

The route itself was pretty flat, and so with the minimal wind John and I were able to keep up a pace of around 17pmh on average. On one downhill portion, John managed to actually get his bike up to 30mph! That's a bit fast for me, I think I'd be quite scared...though I think I got my bike up to 25mph (I was definitely over 22 on one of the downhills...)

This ride was my first ride with my bike shoes, too! Overall, they were great! I can honestly say though, right now, I don't notice any specific difference. =) Unless between that, the no wind, and my spinning class, that's all made me able to get up to an average 17mph. ;) My one misadventure for the day was the fault of these bike shoes; however... After our rest stop ~12mi, I had taken off my gloves because I was warm enough by then. John noticed one fell out of my pocket (and I must have lost the other somewhere else...) and so turned around to get it. As I was slowing down, I couldn't unclip from my pedals! I tried and tried, multiple times, to no avail. Finally, I ended up too slow to stay upright anymore, and finally my bike literally just tipped over. I'm sure it was quite the funny site to see. =D I landed on my wrist and shoulder, which I am sure will be unhappy with me tomorrow, and luckily as I fell my foot FINALLY unclipped from the pedal. I'm fine, and the bike as a whole is fine (there a scratch on the outside of my right pedal now, though...a battle scar in tribute to my failure ;) ). I think after the ride now, though, I've become much more comfortable clipping in and out of the pedals...so hopefully it won't be quite so bad next time!

Just under 2 months til I bike to Austin!!!

Long time no blog...

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't done anything "really cool" to post about! Don't worry, I have continued training, but I've just been doing the Spinning classes because the weather has been so cold and rainy. But I've gotten 3 spinning classes in since my last post; we're going every Tuesday and Thursday for a 40min class (which really ends up being about 30min for us, because we're always late due to me not getting home in enough time from work...). And we also went to the MS150 Training class, which is a 90min workout. It's definitely working up some strength and endurance for me!

So although not out on the bike, I promise I HAVE been training for the last 2.5 weeks!

Spinning!

Been almost a couple weeks since I managed to get any training in; last week I was quite busy with work and worked late a couple nights, and then last weekend I was down for the count, but I knew I had to get back into some training this week. Unfortunately, the weather here has been ridiculous! Almost continuous rain! And it's cold... So, James and I decided to head up to the YMCA for a Spinning class, to try to at least get some training in this week.

It was only a 40 minute class, and we started off ~10 min late anyway due to my late exodus from work. But it was a good hard 30 minutes of work, and it definitely made me feel better about getting back into the swing of things. I got my new bike shoes this week, so I can't wait to (hopefully!) get out this weekend to try them out!

Ride to the Rescue!

Today was my first ever group ride! In the triathlon I did in October, there were all kinds of bike rules about not drafting, etc, probably cause it's a bit more competitive in the triathlon. Because group riding is so very different, and the MS150 is a group ride, it was about time for me to get some practice in that! =)

Ride to the Rescue is a ride that benefits local animal rescue organizations and is one of the BP MS150 recommended rides. I knew I had to ride it as soon as I heard about the animal thing. =) I woke up around 5:30 this morning to get ready and get out there; I knew it was supposed to be cold, so I wanted to make sure I was bundled up and had a good hot breakfast. We swung by and picked up my friend John, and were on our way.

The start of the ride was pretty interesting; nothing at ALL like the triathlon. People just kinda started grouping up, and the "officials" would let gorups of people go at a time. No particular rhyme or reason, no pace groups, just get out and ride! So John and I took off at 8am for our bitter cold ride...temp was about 37 degrees when we left.

My feet were the first to get cold, and that was even before we hit the first rest stop (at 10 miles). I kept trying to wiggle them to get some blood flow to them, but no luck. We grabbed some food at the first rest area (banana and two cookies for me, along with some Gatorade!) and headed out for the next 10 miles. During this stretch of the ride, John pulled away from me for a bit, and I fought the strongest wind probably during this time. My fingers would go from cold to warm and then cold again...probably because of the wind. Around mile 20, I began to get concerned; I hadn't seen the next rest area yet! My arms and legs were feeling "numb;" when I would try to move my arm a bit to change positions, they felt slow to react, and very heavy. But I pushed on through to mile 22, where our final rest stop luckily was waiting.

John was waiting for me as I pulled in, and I grabbed a quick 3 sandwich squares (peanut butter and banana, mmm!), more cookies, and a handful of pretzels. I was RAVENOUS; I can only assumed because of biking and also burning energy just to keep warm. John and I decided to do the final 7 miles together, and so we took off for the finish line. The trip in was enjoyable other than the wind; we were able to chat some, though, and that was nice. But then, with about 2 miles left, we suddenly got off the trail. We ended up on a highway, and saw some bikers on another part of the road, so we turned off the road and walked across the ditch separating it. We started following these other bikers, but we concerned when we saw no arrows. Two bikers stopped to check the map, and claimed we were on the right path, so we just followed them. Sure enough, soon we returned to Hwy 6 and thus made our way to the high school.

I have learned since, in looking at this map on Map My Ride, that we were INDEED on the wrong road, which explains why we saw no more arrows the entire last couple miles of the ride. But luckily, we made our way back to the high school safely, and enjoyed some chili hot dogs and water. After spending some time in the car warming up, that is. =D Total time was 2.5 hours almost to the minute, which included our 2 rest breaks.

Next month my goal is to get in a ~45mi group ride/race, just to keep increasing my distance as I get closer to the goal! =)

MS150 Spinning Class

Yesterday I decided to try out a Spinning class at the YMCA, since the class was called "MS150 Training Ride" or something like that. I was up late Friday night, so I didn't want to get up at 7am to go ride with Bike Barn people, so I chose the 10:30am class instead. =)

The class definitely kicked my butt! About halfway through, I had to stop doing the "standing" part of the class. The instructor will call out for us to stand up in the bikes and work. It's excellent aerobic activity, but was just a little too much for me; I began overheating and definitely needed to tone it down a bit. But I just cooled down, got back on the cycle and started doing the drills sitting instead of standing. It was still a tough class, and I'm glad I went! I'll try to fit in a bit of Spinning during various points in my training, just to make sure I'm getting some good legwork in. =)

What goes up must come down!

This is a day late, sorry! Did this workout Thursday the 28th.

Decided to try a bit of a hill workout during the week this week, and I have to admit the wind could have been a bit more cooperative. I headed out eastwards on 96, and I knew the wind was going to be tough. In general, I was able to average 12-15mph even into the wind, but there were definitely some times the wind was trying to knock me over!

I got to Hwy 3 and saw the overpass that would be the best I could hope for a hill in my area. After the light, I built my momentum and started climbing. I was doing all right, downshifted, and felt the burn in my quads as I neared the crest of the hill. And then the wind just SLAMMED into me. My bike wobbled a bit with the strength of the wind, but I managed to keep control of the bike. I pedaled harder, barely going ~8mph as I finished the climb to the top of the hill, and then tried to enjoy the coast down the hill. Unfortunately, the wind was so strong there wasn't much to enjoy; I barely got to 15mph on the downhill (on Sunday John and I were going well over 20mph down the hill). Nonetheless, I used the momentum as best I could, then got over into the left lane to turn around.

And as soon as I started heading west, It was as if the wind didn't exist. I pedaled easy, building up speed and momentum as I approached the hill again. Needless to say, it was MUCH easier to get up the hill in the westward direction! =) I climbed the hill, able to maintain a slightly higher speed in this direction, and then coasted back down to the light at Hwy 3 to turn around again.

I did the hill a total of 5 times in each direction; it was interesting to see the traffic slowly increase over the time I was biking. As I got further into my ride, I tried to work myself harder on the hills; do one less downshift, so stay in a slightly higher gear while climbing the hill, to try to build some good climbing quad muscles. I'm sure this pathetic little overpass "hill" is nothing compared to what I'll face on the ride to Austin, but at least it's better than nothing!

I'm going to go check out the MS150 Training Class at the YMCA tomorrow; supposedly it's a "red" level class, which is the toughest/most intense. But I figure it would be a good thing to do; I might try the Bike Barn ride tomorrow instead, but I think at this point it's kinda late to try to get up early enough for that. We'll see what the morning holds. =)

Coming up Sunday: Ride to the Rescue in Manvel, my first true bike "race!" I'll let you know how it turns out!

Always better with a friend!

For today's ride, I was joined by my friend John. He's riding in the Ride to the Rescue! ride with me next weekend, so we figured it'd be a good time to get some distance biking in. (He's training for an Olympic distance triathlon in April.) I mapped out a 19.5mi route, meeting John's requested criteria of "18-20 miles."

The day itself was beautiful; sun was shining, and cool enough that we weren't dying while riding. The ride started out amazing; I was certain that it was a "calm" day, with not a lot of wind, because we were cruisin' around 20mph. When we made our first turn onto South Shore Blvd, we both knew it was going to be a HORRIBLE ride home...the wind was just killer! But we didn't even fully know how bad it was until we got onto 646 and were pedalling into the wind... We were thankful that our next turn, at 1266, was not very far at all.

Our joy, however, was short lived as when we turned onto 1266 we were greeted by one of the roughest roads in existance. The entire ~1 mile we were on that road, our entire bikes were shaking. We were thankful when we got back onto smooth pavement...and I think that made up for the hell of going back west and into the wind. But perhaps the worst wind was coming back north on Hwy 3; or maybe it was simply that we were at ~10 miles by that point and it just FELT like the worst.

We took a quick break at a gas station, hydrating and stretching. I also, luckily, remembered some energy this time, so I downed the gel. We headed back west on 646 and came to the overpass over 45; oh what fun. Uphill into the wind. My quads were unhappy with me! I remembered this time, though, to stay on the road on 646, even though it was frustrating some of the cars behind us (since it's only a 2 lane road, and technically no passing).

RIGHT around the same place I ran into the mud the last time I was on 646, suddenly I couldn't pedal. We pulled over, and my chain had not "caught" right. We fixed it quickly and easily, I did a quick ride in the parking lot, and we headed out again. But not long after we decided to change our route slightly, cutting off about 1.5 miles (so we thought) and heading back home. Although my legs were not quite as bad as the last time I rode that road, it still sucked because of the wind! Nonetheless, we made it back safe and sound, and then went out to enjoy some lunch. =)

Until next time!

Thwarted by darkness...

I decided to try a speed workout today, mostly because trying to fit in a distance workout on a weeknight would be quite difficult. I originally intended on trying to get in ~10 miles, but alas I didn't get onto the road until just before 6, and so after about 2.5 miles I decided that I needed to just turn around and come back home.

The workout was still a good one, for me to understand where I am fitness-wise; I varied from ~15mph during my "rest" periods and ~20mph during my speed periods (basically just every stop sign along the road I swapped between the two). I found that I've lost a lot of my cardiovascular fitness compared to my triathlon training last fall; I was really having a hard time breathing towards the end of my speed periods! So I'm definitely going to have to make sure I focus on overall cardio training, too.

That's all for now! I plan to try a Group Ride this Saturday, to try to give me a little group biking experience in preparation for my "race" next weekend (Ride to the Rescue!). Stay tuned! =)

On the road again!

I finally got back on the bike today after 3 months; I haven't been out biking since my triathlon in October. I decided to try to do about a 20 mile bike, as one of the groups that have some "structured" training plans had a 22 mile bike scheduled for this weekend. I heard about this great website called "Map My Ride" (http://www.mapmyride.com) that does just that; helps you to map out some routes, tells you the mileage, etc. After mapping out my first route, I got out the bike equipment (including my new bike shorts; thanks Grandpa! =) ) and headed out.

Things started off with me turning the wrong direction out of my subdivision. =) I was also having some issues with my iPod; I forgot to turn Shuffle on, but prevent the motion Shuffle from happening, and the volume was just a little too low once I was actually out on the road. (Don't worry, I only keep one headphone in; my left ear can still hear and pay attention to traffic. ;) ) And then about a mile down the road, my pant leg started getting caught on one of my spokes, even though I specifically tied it close to my ankle before beginning. But once I got all these minor issues taken care of, I was on my way!

The first 8 miles were down Hwy 96; overall, the road was pretty good for biking. There's a hill just past Hwy 3 that gave me a bit of a hill challenge; I've decided I'll try to make a route for myself on that hill, just going back and forth a few times, to get a hill workout later in my training. Otherwise, there were nice large shoulder the entire length of the road after Hwy 3, so no major traffic issues. Hwy 146 was also decent; the shoulder was not as large as 96, but the traffic was a bit lighter. And I was able to speed up a bit on 146, because the wind was more at my back; that was nice. =) The final leg was Hwy 646; at this point I was about halfway through and still feeling pretty good.

Around 15 miles, though, I became very thankful for my biking shorts; my butt started to get sore. But overall, it wasn't that big of a deal; I knew I was almost done. As I continued down 646, I started considering whether or not to stop at a friend's house, who lives right off of 646, to take a quick potty break, or just push through til I got home. Well, the universe made that decision for me...

Along 646, once I had passed I-45, I was riding on the sidewalk. that portion of 646 is under construction (I don't know if I've ever known that road to NOT be under construction...). I suddenly notice that a ~10ft section of the sidewalk just does not exist. It ends abruptly at one point, is just mud for 10', and then starts again as if nothing happened. So I think fast and just barely come off the sidewalk into the grass and begin guiding myself back towards the sidewalk. However, I was too concerned with dealing with the immediate gap that I didn't pay attention to the general path of the sidewalk as it continued; it began turning to the left. So as I came back up onto the sidewalk, I tried to quickly turn my bike to head to the left...but my momentum was too much for my balance/control. I went straight over the sidewalk and into the awaiting mud puddle...and sank down about an inch.

After putting one foot down in the mud to keep myself from falling (also sinking that foot into the mud, I pulled my bike back out onto to relative safety of the sidewalk. Unfortunately, from pulling the bike out of the mud, a bunch of mud had collected at the forks of my bike and the wheels were fighting the friction of the mud. I cleaned it off the best I could and tried to set out biking again, but the mud was just too much. I could either call James to come pick me up, and "wuss out," or I could do my best to get to Jes' place and hose down the bike. I chose to Be Tough!

Thankfully, Jes was home and she helped me spray down my bike and my shoes, allowing me to make my way back home the final 4 miles. This short break, however, must have been an indication to my body that it was done; prior to the break, I was feeling fine, no muscle soreness, able to maintain 13-15 mph. Those last 4 miles were killer; my legs felt like they were shaking, and it took everything I had to keep up 10-11 miles an hour. But I made it home, and rewarded myself with a nice hot shower...and then a Big Mac from McDonald's. =D

Until next time!