Okay, I get it, I need a road bike! One of the most common things I heard on the ride yesterday was... "I can't believe your doing this on a mountain bike! Your like working twice as hard as the rest of us!"
What can I say... I like doing things the hard way. *lol*
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
T-Minus 4 Hours: Time to Nut up or Shut up
Here we go...
I'm packed and ready to head up to Fort Collins. Jeremy and I are going to go out and have breakfast together and then I am ready to roll. I am anticipating that once I get going it's going to take between three or four hours to complete the course which will put my completion time between noon and 1 o'clock. Speed isn't the point, completion is...
I spent all day yesterday and all night itching to ride so badly. Say I can't do something, or in this case shouldn't, and thats all I wanna do fortunately that can only help me at this point.
Not much else to say... I do want to thank everyone who's cheered me on and supported me through this journey. I really want to thank my friends Beth and Leslie for going out and riding with me and especially Beth who got me over my aversion to hills of any kind. I also want to thank my family, especially Jeremy, who sacrificed weekends going out and doing things so I could train.
Well... time to hit the road. It's GO time!
I'm packed and ready to head up to Fort Collins. Jeremy and I are going to go out and have breakfast together and then I am ready to roll. I am anticipating that once I get going it's going to take between three or four hours to complete the course which will put my completion time between noon and 1 o'clock. Speed isn't the point, completion is...
I spent all day yesterday and all night itching to ride so badly. Say I can't do something, or in this case shouldn't, and thats all I wanna do fortunately that can only help me at this point.
Not much else to say... I do want to thank everyone who's cheered me on and supported me through this journey. I really want to thank my friends Beth and Leslie for going out and riding with me and especially Beth who got me over my aversion to hills of any kind. I also want to thank my family, especially Jeremy, who sacrificed weekends going out and doing things so I could train.
Well... time to hit the road. It's GO time!
Friday, June 24, 2011
T-Minus 18 hours and Counting: Waiting Sucks
Tomorrow morning is Bike MS, check-in starts at 8 a.m. and the ride starts at 9:30. I've done just about everything I can do to be prepared and all I can do now is sit and wait for tomorrow.
Waiting Sucks! I am so antsy and edgy right now, it's hard to sit still. I really want to go for a ride, but I need to take it easy today and save my energy for tomorrow. All of this pent up edginess will be beneficial tomorrow, but I'm about ready to jump out of my skin.
All week people asked if I was getting excited and I was kind of.. 'Eh' but now the excitement is kicking in and now that I really shouldn't ride that's all I want to do.
This is going to be a very loooong night.
Waiting Sucks! I am so antsy and edgy right now, it's hard to sit still. I really want to go for a ride, but I need to take it easy today and save my energy for tomorrow. All of this pent up edginess will be beneficial tomorrow, but I'm about ready to jump out of my skin.
All week people asked if I was getting excited and I was kind of.. 'Eh' but now the excitement is kicking in and now that I really shouldn't ride that's all I want to do.
This is going to be a very loooong night.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
T-Minus 3 Days: The End is Near
Wow, after almost two months of training, the time has come to put my wheels where my mouth is and get this ride done. I've spent the past three weeks working like crazy to get my mileage up to the point where I can do 40 miles in an afternoon. Honestly, I'm not really worried about not making it through Bike MS, at least not physically... my bike may be another matter.
Last Sunday I set off for one last really long training ride only to have my bike chain fall off and get stuck against my bike frame while riding up a particularly gnarly hill. How I managed to do that, I have no idea, but a couple of friendly and helpful cyclists stopped and helped me get my chain out but my bike still wasn't road worthy until I got a new chain. So... I get a new chain and get it put on only to have it fall off *AGAIN* after riding to work on Tuesday. Fortunately it didn't get stuck and I managed to fix it myself (go me!). I don't know what is going on with all these chain issues but I just hope I get them all out of the way before Saturday.
This week... my training schedule is really light. Now is not the time to push but take it easy and reserve my strength for the ride. I can't stop cold turkey, but no more 20-30 mile jaunts around town and to Boulder. Lets face it... if I wasn't ready by now, I wasn't going to be ready by Saturday. However, I AM ready and as this weekend is approaching... I'm excited but also a little nervous. Not riding is making me a little antsy, which is kinda good because I will be more than ready to hit the road on Saturday.
I know I can do this...
Looking back, this has been an incredible journey. Starting off with making the decision that I wanted to challenge myself physically, to the incredible amount of training I underwent, to a major attitude shift towards a high level of physical activity... I'm not the same person I start off being. I am really glad and proud that my first major test of physical strength and endurance is going to be for MS. This condition kicked my ass when I was first diagnosed. It threatened to rob me of so much, and I think it's poetic justice that I use Bike MS to rob multiple sclerosis of its power over me.
When I first started this journey, there were some people who wondered if this was going to be too much for me. Was I putting my health at risk? They weren't wrong to have concerns... but for me that was the whole point of doing this, not to make myself sick but to go beyond the supposed limitations of MS. What I learned was that the limitations I had, I'd set for myself, and the moment I let go of the self imposed limitations there really wasn't anything I couldn't do. I learned that I had used MS as a crutch for not doing things; it was a convenient excuse to get out of a lot of things I don't like doing. Sometimes I would catch myself not pulling my weight and start to go... I have MS so I can't... then I'd stop and remind myself that I had no excuse, if I could ride 30 miles to Boulder in an afternoon, I can carry the big gigantic bag of dog food from the car into the house.
There is no crutch anymore...
So, here I am at the cusp of a major feat that I've work so hard to get to and there is no fear or doubt, just determination. I will make it across that finish line come Saturday.
I want to thank everyone who has helped me by making a donation to the National MS Society in my name. It really means a lot to me. If anyone hasn't had a chance to make a donation you can go to my donation page and donate. Any amount is appreciated, and the money goes towards helping those of us inflicted by MS get care and support that is needed.
Last Sunday I set off for one last really long training ride only to have my bike chain fall off and get stuck against my bike frame while riding up a particularly gnarly hill. How I managed to do that, I have no idea, but a couple of friendly and helpful cyclists stopped and helped me get my chain out but my bike still wasn't road worthy until I got a new chain. So... I get a new chain and get it put on only to have it fall off *AGAIN* after riding to work on Tuesday. Fortunately it didn't get stuck and I managed to fix it myself (go me!). I don't know what is going on with all these chain issues but I just hope I get them all out of the way before Saturday.
This week... my training schedule is really light. Now is not the time to push but take it easy and reserve my strength for the ride. I can't stop cold turkey, but no more 20-30 mile jaunts around town and to Boulder. Lets face it... if I wasn't ready by now, I wasn't going to be ready by Saturday. However, I AM ready and as this weekend is approaching... I'm excited but also a little nervous. Not riding is making me a little antsy, which is kinda good because I will be more than ready to hit the road on Saturday.
I know I can do this...
Looking back, this has been an incredible journey. Starting off with making the decision that I wanted to challenge myself physically, to the incredible amount of training I underwent, to a major attitude shift towards a high level of physical activity... I'm not the same person I start off being. I am really glad and proud that my first major test of physical strength and endurance is going to be for MS. This condition kicked my ass when I was first diagnosed. It threatened to rob me of so much, and I think it's poetic justice that I use Bike MS to rob multiple sclerosis of its power over me.
When I first started this journey, there were some people who wondered if this was going to be too much for me. Was I putting my health at risk? They weren't wrong to have concerns... but for me that was the whole point of doing this, not to make myself sick but to go beyond the supposed limitations of MS. What I learned was that the limitations I had, I'd set for myself, and the moment I let go of the self imposed limitations there really wasn't anything I couldn't do. I learned that I had used MS as a crutch for not doing things; it was a convenient excuse to get out of a lot of things I don't like doing. Sometimes I would catch myself not pulling my weight and start to go... I have MS so I can't... then I'd stop and remind myself that I had no excuse, if I could ride 30 miles to Boulder in an afternoon, I can carry the big gigantic bag of dog food from the car into the house.
There is no crutch anymore...
So, here I am at the cusp of a major feat that I've work so hard to get to and there is no fear or doubt, just determination. I will make it across that finish line come Saturday.
I want to thank everyone who has helped me by making a donation to the National MS Society in my name. It really means a lot to me. If anyone hasn't had a chance to make a donation you can go to my donation page and donate. Any amount is appreciated, and the money goes towards helping those of us inflicted by MS get care and support that is needed.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
T-Minus 21 Days: Failure is not an option
When I first thought about doing Bike MS, my thought was... "I'm going to attempt the challenge." A healthy attitude towards a major physical feat. However, over the past several weeks my attitude towards riding isn't really "I'll try" but "I will". I will ride Bike MS, and I will complete the 40 miles.
Today I rode into Boulder for the first time ever. I needed to rev up my training by going for longer distances and riding to Boulder was a perfect step up. When I planned my route my mindset wasn't... "I'm going to try to make it to Boulder." I had just decided that I was going to go and ride to my favorite coffee shop, it never once occurred to me that I wasn't going to succeed.
When I rode into Boulder proper, I felt this major sense of accomplishment; I'd met a major personal goal.
Let me just say, the ride in wasn't easy. I spent most of the ride on dirt trails with LOTS of hills. Not much fun but GREAT conditioning for my body; it made riding on pavement seem like cake. Riding back was a lot easier... a lot more down hill, I was more familiar with the route, and since I'd already made it to Boulder there was absolutely no question that I wasn't going to make it home.
Failure is not an option... Even if I am the last person to cross the finish like on the 25th, I will make it the full 40 miles come hell or high water.
For me, the most important thing about Bike MS isn't the money I raised, or going the distance... it's knowing that no matter what happens in my future, I will be able to fight my way back. I did it once, and look where I'm at now...
No, failure is NOT an option.
Today I rode into Boulder for the first time ever. I needed to rev up my training by going for longer distances and riding to Boulder was a perfect step up. When I planned my route my mindset wasn't... "I'm going to try to make it to Boulder." I had just decided that I was going to go and ride to my favorite coffee shop, it never once occurred to me that I wasn't going to succeed.
When I rode into Boulder proper, I felt this major sense of accomplishment; I'd met a major personal goal.
Let me just say, the ride in wasn't easy. I spent most of the ride on dirt trails with LOTS of hills. Not much fun but GREAT conditioning for my body; it made riding on pavement seem like cake. Riding back was a lot easier... a lot more down hill, I was more familiar with the route, and since I'd already made it to Boulder there was absolutely no question that I wasn't going to make it home.
Failure is not an option... Even if I am the last person to cross the finish like on the 25th, I will make it the full 40 miles come hell or high water.
For me, the most important thing about Bike MS isn't the money I raised, or going the distance... it's knowing that no matter what happens in my future, I will be able to fight my way back. I did it once, and look where I'm at now...
No, failure is NOT an option.
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