Why I Ride

I wanted to go ahead and describe why I put myself through the effort of this kind of activity. I mean, you have to be a little crazy to do this, right?

Well, for me the primary reason I ride the BikeMS/MS150 is because I have personally witnessed the impacts of MS on a sufferer. My sister has MS, and it nearly cost her life a few years back. Thankfully she has recovered and can lead a pretty normal life now.

But seen what MS can do, and having taken some time to research this terrible disease, I feel the need to respond. No, I cannot do medical research. I don't have the knowledge or training. And I likewise cannot go out and prescribe drugs for MS patients.

What I can do is help the National MS Society raise funds for crucial research that may soon find a cure for MS. I know that people talk all the time about finding a cure for a disease. But having read the important, ground-breaking research going on now, I honestly believe that MS can be cured in my lifetime if research is given the support needed.

Sadly, MS doesn't get the press that other diseases get. Not that I am minimizing the significance of other diseases. But seeing the hope for the eradication of MS, I want to support the movement.

Therefore, I ride. I raise money. And maybe I can help other people take note of MS, and they too will want to make a difference in the fight against this disease.

So, please join me in my efforts!

Training Log - February 20, 2009

I got to put in some time on the road this afternoon. It was a beautiful day for a ride. Temperature in the low 70's, low humidity (30-40%), and nice, clear blue skies. The only meteorological disappointment was a pretty stiff wind (I would guess 15-20 mph from the south). But I at least managed.

The particulars:

• Ride Time: 1:49:44
• Distance: 30.6 mils
• Average Speed: 16.7 mph
• Max Speed: 23.3 mph

If you compare this to my last 30 mile ride, you will note that I did considerably better (12 minutes). I feel a LOT better, too.

A few observations:

1. My odometer is approximately 2% off, giving me too much credit for each wheel revolution. At least it is if I compare it to Google Maps. I haven't decided if it is worth fixing.
2. I have crossed the 100 mile mark on the new cyclocomputer. It now reads 107. I am pleased. I think that this is the fastest I have ever racked up 100 miles in the beginning of a training season.
3. I am going to look for a shorter stem for my bike. The one I have is close, but if I could get it a little shorter, I think I would be more comfortable. Of course, I knew that this might be the case when I bought this bike, so I can't complain. I half expected this.

Well, until next time....

God Bless,
JAy.

Training Log - February 16, 2009

I got some more time on the trainer this evening. Here are the particulars:

• Ride Time: 0:42:30
• Distance: 14.6 mph
• Average Speed: 20.6 mph
• Max Speed: 28.0 mph
• Trainer Resistance: Low
• Exercise Type: Medium Intervals (2:30 each)

Today was a difficult day for me. I was pushing pretty hard (as can be seen by the increased average speed). I am not sure that I could have continued the intervals much longer than I did.

I started with a warm-up period (5 minutes), then went into standing intervals. I kept a pretty high speed (20mph) while standing, and my recovery period maintained about 18 mph. I actually only managed to stay standing for 2:30 on the first interval. Then I had to decrease the standing portion by :30 per interval. When I sat down early, I picked up the speed to 24 mph for the rest of the interval.

After four standing intervals, I went to speed intervals. I was targeting holding 26 mph on the interval, with a recovery period at 18 mph. As you can see from my max speed, when I was pushing at the end of the interval, I tended to lose control of my speed slightly. I only did three speed intervals because I was short on time and blowing out my lungs. I did manage a 5 minute cool down before feeling like I was going to pass out.

Learning for today: if I am going to do speed intervals, I need my recovery to be at a slower speed than 18-20 mph!

Training Log - February 12, 2009

Got an hour on the trainer this evening. Felt pretty good. Here are the particulars:

• Ride Time: 1:00
• Distance: 18.6 mph
• Average Speed: 18.5 mph
• Max Speed: 29.2 mph
• Trainer Resistance: Low
• Exercise Type: Medium Intervals (2:30 each)

So, I started with a long warm-up (7:30) of gradually increasing speed. Then I went through 4 sets of standing intervals. I picked a fairly low cadence (50 rpm) and held that cadence and speed (~16 mph) for both the standing and sitting periods.

Then I started speed intervals. I rode the fast periods by sustaining different speeds (20, 22, 22, 24, 28, 25 mph), with the rest periods at 18 mph.

Finally, a 5 minute cool down of gradually decreasing intensity.

An interesting note: I weighed myself both before and after the ride to see how much water I was losing during the exercise. The result was the same for both weights. (And, no, I will not tell you what I weigh.) The scarier part is that between the weigh-ins, I had drunk a full 24 oz bike bottle. Further, I was wearing the same clothes as both weigh-ins, but afterwards I think I could have wrung water out of my shirt it was so wet. I think I probably lost 28-30 oz of water during the 1 hour ride.

Maybe switching to bike bottles for the BikeMS event isn't such a good idea...

God Bless,
JAy.

Training Log - February 7, 2008

Well, as I had hoped, I got to go for a bike ride. The details:

• Ride Distance: 30.3 miles
• Ride Time: 2:01
• Average Speed: 15.0 mph
• Max Speed: 21.1 mph

After this ride, I feel pretty darn bad. I think there are three reasons:

1. There was a 20 mph average wind. Even in a cross-wind, that is tough.
2. I was probably mildly dehydrated before the ride, worse so after.
3. I think I ran out of fuel at about mile 27.

OK, so the last two issues are mine, and I should have done better. I had actually thought about needing some sort of energy while on the ride, and stuck a bar in my pocket. Probably should have eaten it somewhere along the way.

Also, I don't think it helped that I decided to try water bottles instead of the hydration pack that I am used to. (I am trying to ride like a roady, now that I have a road bike.) I did stop to refill the bottles along the route. But starting with too little water and not drinking regularly enough on the ride was a nearly tragic combination.

Well, at least I got on bike. Even a bad ride is better for me that no ride at all!

Wii Fit can be Tough!

So, I didn't have time to ride on Thursday, and I knew I wouldn't have time to ride on Friday, either. So I got out the Wii Fit for the first time and tried it.

WOW!

I know that this is going to be one of those devices where you get out what you put into it. So I tried to be serious about it.

I started with the Yoga poses available to me (it started with 4 or 5 poses). While none of them were super tough, I could feel my body working to do them right. Not bad.

Then I switched to the strength training exercises. The Lunges looked good, but I wasn't sure about them once I started. They weren't what I am used to as lunges. For the Wii, you don't step out and back for the lunge. Instead you keep your feet planted and just raise and lower your body. It was a lot tougher than I expected!

Then I did the "Rowing Squat". This was the exercises I had the toughest time with because the system wants you to keep your weight on your heels, which was not natural to me. After trying it a couple times, I was able to work it pretty well.

Then I realized something. My legs hurt. A lot. I was tired. I couldn't believe that I had gotten that much of a workout on this little device. My legs hurt worse than when I rode my bike trainer Wednesday. Amazing!

Well, I will definitely have to try and find time to continue using the Wii. This could be a good addition to my BikeMS training!

Training Log - February 4, 2009

Well, I got some time on my trainer on Wednesday. I also got my new cyclocomputer hooked up. Therefore, here are some (relatively) accurate data on the ride:

• Ride Time: 30:00
• Distance: 8.9 miles
• Average Speed: 17.9 mph
• Max Speed: 25.1 mph
• Resistance Setting: Low
• Excerise type: Long intervals (5 min)

So, it wasn't the longest or toughest ride ever, but it felt good to be back on the bike, at least for a little while. Also, I took the time to get my cyclocomputer properly installed before the ride, so that ate into my available time to ride.

My intervals for this ride were 5 minutes of warm-up, 5 minutes at high speed (20+ mph), 5 minutes relax (~16 mph), and so on. I think I stretched the last high-speed interval beyond 5 minutes and added 30 seconds out of the saddle to make it tougher.

Overall, I felt good and am looking forward to more time on the bike. I won't be able to ride again until Saturday, but it is supposed to be a nice day, so I am hoping to get on the road for 20 miles or more.

God Bless,
JAy.