Back for Another Year!!

Well, folks, it is time to start the whole MS150 process again (8 months and 1 day after my last post!).

 

You may note a couple changes if you look at the banner to the blog here.  To point them out:

• Different Ride - I will be riding the Bike MS: Sam's Club Ride this year in the DFW area instead of Houston to Austin (more below)
• Different Name - The National MS Society has dropped the "MS150" term even though I am still using it for consistency.  The rides are now "Bike MS" events.  I think that the only real reason is that the "150" part of the name has become irrelevant to most of the rides (not a distance or a required fundraising goal).

A couple other personal changes which I will briefly mention here.

• New Bike - For some reason I decided this fall that I couldn't survive without owning a road bike again.  So I bought one.  I will post later on the specifics, but it is a Masi (U. S.) bike.  Nothing fancy, just a little better for road riding than my mountain frame (lighter, stiffer, more appropriate drive train).
• New Bike Computer - If you saw my training logs from last year, or even read my summary log of last year's MS 150 below, you will note that I had some reliability issues with my bike computer.  Hopefully I have solved these issues by getting a new one.  We see if it does in fact last the training season!

Allow me to elaborate on the change of venue for the ride.  I have a couple of reasons for the change.  First and foremost, the registration for the BP MS150 was only open 7 hours and 10 minutes (according to my source), and I didn't even think of looking at the registration site until about 23 hours after registration opened.  However, I can't say that I am disappointed by the change.  I completed the Sam's Club MS150 two years ago, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  The ride is less crowded (3500-4000 riders versus 13,000), and the route is a little more diverse (more hills; rolling terrain; fewer long, flat sections; trees on day one).  Also, my sister and her family live in Dallas, so I have a natural connection to the area.

 

Since my work group does not have a team for the Dallas event, I will be riding with the team with whom I rode two years ago.  They are an open team loosely affiliated with one of the hospitals in Dallas.  (I think my sister was a patient in the MS clinic there a few years ago, and this is how the connection was made for my brother-in-law.)  They have a nice support group, and they were most friendly to me two years ago when I was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger wearing their jersey.  My brother-in-law is also registered to ride with them again this year.

 

Fun fact: The Bike MS Sam's Club Ride utilizes the Texas Motor Speedway for it's over-night venue.  It is a natural fit, since there is lots of open space for team tents, lots of parking, permanent bathroom facilities, and easy access to the Interstate.  Plus, for the enjoyment of the cyclists, Sunday morning starts with an optional lap of the race-track.  Of course, the banking in the turns is so steep that you can't actually get on the track, but even riding a lap of the track apron is pretty cool (at least for a Southern boy like me)!

 

Well, I won't really start training until the new year, but I thought that I would go ahead an post an update to let everyone know that I am getting started again.

 

Note that if you would like to support my ride by making a donation to the MS Society, there is a link near the top of the right hand column of the page to do so.

 

Thanks for your support of the MS Society and of my efforts to support them.  I look forward to another year of training and riding, and I will do my best to keep everyone updated on my progress!

 

God Bless,

JAy.

MS 150 Ride Log

Thought I would post the ride log for me for the MS 150. Unfortunately, almost all of the data is estimated, as my cycling computer went on crazy again, and actually deleted it's history before the start on Sunday. I even lost the total odometer reading. Most of this data is from the MS150 website information, based upon the route I took.

	Day 1	Day 2	Total
Distance	74.45	74.14	148.59
Elevation Change	96.8	168	264.8
Climb Distance	35.31	36.2	71.51
Descent Distance	34.64	32.98	67.62
Climb Elevation	2958.7	3311.1	6269.8
Descent Elevation	2861.7	3143.2	6004.9
Min Elevation	119.5	262.5	119.5
Max Elevation	547.9	617.3	617.3

A couple other notable points:

Average Speed: 13.2 mph

Max Speed: 40.3 mph

Total Bike Time: 11.25 hours

Total Time: 17 hours

This was the slowest I have ever completed the MS150, but the headwinds really took it out of everyone. But look at that max speed - that was a blast!

Oh well, I think that about does it for this year. Hope everyone enjoyed seeing my training and event logs, and thankfully I made it to the end!

Until next time...

Gob Bless,
JAy.

I Made it to the Finish!

Well, sorry for the delay in posting the final details. I made in to Austin around 4:40 PM. The stretch from Breakpoint 5 to Breakpoint 6 was pretty rough, but I found someone else about my speed, and we stuck together to get through the wind.

The last stretch (10 miles) to the finish was actually pretty good. The ride was primarily cross-wind, which was a relief, and the adrenaline kicked in to keep me moving well on through the finish. I don't know what my average speed was, but it at least felt good!

After the finish, I was pretty exhausted. I managed to eat a little at my team tent, then got a shower before heading home. Thanks to my wife and daughter for meeting me at the finish and driving me back to Houston.

Unfortunately, the exhaustion from the ride, along with the head cold and the sunburn, was apparently too much for my body. I awoke Monday with a terrible sinus headache, blurred vision in my left eye (from sinus pressure), and poor balance (also sinus related, I think). I went back to bed and ended up sleeping until 3:30 PM!

I am feeling better today, and can even walk without too much pain. I haven't tried stairs yet, though. :)

Thanks to all those who supported me through this event, both via donations to the MS Society and with prayers and thoughts. I couldn't have completed it without your support.

And thanks to God, who definitely provided me considerable strength while on the bike. I know that he was answering prayers, because I am sure that my body should have given out around lunchtime on Day 2 otherwise.

I will provide a "log" post a little later.

God Bless,
JAy.

Day 2 - Breakpoint 5

I made it to BP 5 finally. I spent a long time at lunch, but I think that it was worth it. I am still tired, but feel some better.

A special thank you to the National Guard Medic who wrapped my left calf for me. Amazing how much better it feels with a layer of gauze to keep the sun off of it.

I hear that it is only 17 miles to finish, which I hope is true, because this wind is brutal. On my way here, I was literally going downhill at 12 MPH where I should have been going closer to 20 MPH.

See you at the finish!

God Bless,
JAy.

Day 2 Lunch

I made it to the lunch stop, and I feel pretty rough. My legs are like jell-o.

The worst thing is me left calf, though. I got a decent sun-burn on it yesterday, and now it just plain hurts. It's pretty demoralizing.

I am going to try to ride some more. I will post again later.

God Bless,
JAy.

Day 2 - Breakpoint 2

I made it to the entrance of Bauscher State Park. Thr hills in the park are pretty tough, frequent and steep.

I'll post after I make it through (God willing).

God Bless,
JAy.

Day 2 Start!

I am at least dressed and have my bike. Now I get to try and ride!

Updates from the road to come!

God Bless,
JAy.

Overnight!

I made it to the overnight about 5:00 this afternoon. It was a very long day.

Once we made the turn back to the south for the overnight, it was amazing how much speed I picked up. Suddenly 17 MPH across the flats was easy! The wind really made that much difference.

Now it is time to get some shut-eye. Thr ride starts at 7:00, but riders start lining up about 5:30 (not me).

God bless,
JAy.

Day 1 - Breakpoint 6

OWWWW!

That last stretch was tough. I now really hurt.

But I will take a break and try to recover. The next segment has always been good to me, so hopefully it will be again today.

God Bless,
JAy.

Day 1 - Breakpoint 5

Made it to Breakpoint 5 and am feeling OK.

Say a prayer for one of the riders, as we had a short stop a couple miles back for a Lifeflight. Don't know any details.

Well, 32 miles to go (or so we've been told). Post at you later.

God Bless,
JAy.

Day 1 Lunch!

Well, I made it to lunch stop on day one by now. Wasn't too bad a ride, since it was only 25 miles. Took me an hour and one-half. Not bad time.

Thr cold hasn't gotten me too bad. Bad I still have 50 miles left. We'll see how it goes!

God Bless,
JAy.

Final Thoughts Before the Start!

Well, I'm about 30 minutes from the start of the ride. I did decide to start from the shorter, later start line. I think it ends up being a blessing, as I can down with a head cold yesterday. I am feeling a little better this morning after 24 hours of medicine, but I will have to just see how the ride goes.

Thanks for everyones support for the ride.

I will send another note a little later!

God Bless,
JAy.

Wekend Summary

So, I got in two rides this weekend. Overall thoughts and observations:

I did better than I thought I would. Not to say I am in great shape, and I am not anywhere near the fittest I have ever been, but I definitely am not disappointed.

Had an interesting occurence after both rides. My legs didn't ache when I got off the bike. But about two hours later, man, were they sore! Normally the soreness doesn't get worse after the ride is over.

I think that I may actually survive next week. My bikes seems to be behaving well. My legs felt stronger than I expected. As long as I manage my speed, I think I will do OK.

6 Days and Counting!

Training Ride: April 6

I spent some time on the trainer this afternoon. Here is the log:

• Ride Time: 95 minutes

I was going for a longer time on the bike, which I got. Most of the ride I spent pushing moderately in terms of exertion level (say a 7 out of 10). I did 20 minutes pushing, then 10 recovering.

It was definitely a good workout!

Training Ride: April 5

Saturday I joined a group from a local bike shop for a morning ride. Here is the log:

• Distance: 30 miles
• Ride Time: 1:49

The average speed doesn't look great, but afterwards, I was really beat. I think the deception is because the ride was primarily in neighborhoods, which meant a lot of slowing down for intersections, then quick accelerations afterwards. It was a good workout.

I think that I will have to continue to join this ride occasionally after the MS 150.

7 days and counting!

Training Ride - March 29

I got a training ride in on Saturday. Here is the log:

• Distance: 35.3 miles
• Ride Time: 2hr 18m

OK, so the ride wasn't quite as long as I would have liked. However, I did have to ride 16 miles into the wind solo. I think that is worth a little something.

I am not sure what I will do this weekend yet for a ride. I know that there is a big organized ride on Sunday, but I really do not like missing church for a training ride. Plus, with the MS150 next weekend, that would make two weeks in a row I would miss service.

Of course, I also hope to use my traininer between now and then. We will see!

Training Ride - March 24

Got some time on the trainer last night.  The log is below:

• Total time: 31 minutes
• Warm Up: 5 minutes
• 14 jump intervals: 21 minutes
• Cool Down: 5 minutes

First, let me explain what I call a "jump interval".  I begin at max output standing for 30 seconds, then max output sitting for 30 seconds (actually higher cadence than standing), then 30 seconds recovery.  Let me tell you, by then end of 14 of those, I could barely breath and thought I might lose my supper.  It actually took the whole 5 minutes of cool-down just to regain normal breathing.

 

I wouldn't have minded doing a little more time (no more intervals, please!), but since it was the first time I had used my trainer, I had to make some adjustments to it, and that ate into my time available.

 

18 Days and Counting!

Training Diary - March 22

Rode in the Katy Ram Challenge Saturday morning. Here is the log:
Distance: 44.1 miles
Average Speed: 15.9 mph
This was a little slower than I would have liked. I do think that my average speed was greatly affected by the start, also. It took at least 1.5 miles to get up to a normal riding pace.

Overall, the ride felt pretty good for the first 30+ miles. Then it started to hurt. But, hey, that's what training is all about, right!

On the plus side, when I was training three years ago, I only did 40 miles in this ride, and the MS150 that year wasn't bad at all. Now to keep on the saddle!

Ready to Ride (My Trainer)

Still haven't gotten the chance to ride on my trainer yet, but I was able to set it up and make sure my bike fits in it OK. You never know for sure since I ride a mountain bike frame with 26"x1" tires and a 50-tooth chain ring. Kind of a pieced-together ride.

I hope to be able to get a bit of work in on the trainer tonight after I put my daughter to bed. I will post afterwards!

26 days and counting!

Bought a Trainer

Just as an update, I bough a trainer today also. I ended up getting a magnetic trainer, as the price was far too good to pass up.

I haven't taken it out of the box yet, since I got to go for a ride this afternoon.

I will let you know when I get a chance to use it!

Training Diary - March 15

Got in a ride this afternoon. Here is the log:

Distance: 21.2 miles

Average Speed: 16.5 miles/hour

Note that the speed is an estimate, as I had a very weird occurence during the ride. I was stopped at a light waiting for it to change. I glanced down to see how far I had ridden, and then was flipping through the different display option. Then I realized that the spedometer said 70 mph. It continued to increase to 72.4 mph before I started riding again. Once I was under way again, the spedometer returned to working properly. I had no problems during the rest of the ride.

I guess there is another reason not to have a wireless cycle computer - apparently they can be affect by interference!

A Ray of Hope

I found some information yesterday that gave me a bit of hope for the MS 150 this year. The MS Society has created the oft rumored northern start.

This is the first year that the BP MS150 will have a starting point in Waller, TX. This is promising to me because (1) the start is two hours later (more sleep!), and (2) it makes the first day about 25 miles shorter. I might survive this thing after all!

(28 days and counting!)

What Kind of Trainer do I Want?

Well,  I am thinking that to successfully complete the MS150 in 30 days time, I am going to have to train during the week.  And that means riding in the dark.  The best way I think I can do this is to use a trainer.

 

I have an old trainer in my garage.  I think I bought it in 1996.  I haven't used it in probably 6 years.  It is an old friction trainer.  By that I mean that the axle of the trainer is a single machined bar.  One side has a small flywheel.  The other side has a similar ring with four slots in the perimeter.  In the slots are four fiber brake pads.  Around this ring, there is a fixed brake drum in which the brake pads rub.  The concept is that the faster the axle spins, the harder the pads press against the drum, and the more resistance to spinning is provided.  In actuality, the axle never turns freely and you always feel like the bike wheel is dragging a brake pad.  If you want to just burn out, it is a great trainer.  If you wanted to do intervals or something more varied, it isn't a good trainer.

 

So I have been looking, and I can't decide what I might like to purchase.  There are several inexpensive ($100) magnetic trainers that look somewhat appealing.  I even found one manufacturer that provides the resistance (power) curves for their magnetic trainers based upon speed and resistance selection.  Looks interesting.

 

Or will I find that I don't like the magnetic trainer any more than I like my friction trainer?  Should I just go ahead and spend the extra to get a fluid trainer (probably not the $1900 item I found on-line)?

 

I will let you know what I decide.  I hope to have something purchased by the weekend.  (I may try my old trainer in the mean time.)

 

30 days and counting!

Intro to the Blog

I wanted to post a quick introduction to this new blog. Let me start by explaining my situation and the root of this blog.

I am apparently (1) big-hearted, (2) a poor planner, and (3) crazy. I have committed to riding the BP MS150 bicycle ride. In case you don't know, this is a two day, 160 or 180 mile bike ride from Houston to Austin, Texas. The ride is a fund-raising event for the Lonestar Chapter of the National MS Society. This year, the ride is scheduled for April 12 and 13. Day one is basically 100 miles, starting flat and getting hilly near the finish. Day two offers the choice of 60 miles with some long, ginding hills, or 80 miles with lots of shorter, steep hills.

My specific situation is that I have to date done almost no training. This is not my first MS 150. In fact, I have completed the BP MS150 four times (2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005). Last year, I completed the Sam's Club MS150 in Dallas/Forth Worth, TX. I know what it takes. I just am behind schedule in training.

So far this calendar year, I have taken one bicycle ride that was about 15 miles.

I now have 31 days to get ready for the big ride. I will try to post regularly as I train. And I will try to send a few posts a day from the ride as I make the trip.

Enjoy the adventure along with me!