MS'ers Training in 2013

[AMFADVENTURES]

The Horsey Hundred

One of the things I like about cycling, and I’m sure you can say this about many activities, is the opportunity it presents to travel and ride in different places, meet new people and experience different kinds of terrain. The Horsey had all of that, plus Pell. What a deal!

We rode 3 days for a total of about 136 miles and 8,000 feet of ascent. Try to imagine miles upon miles of freshly mown grass on elaborate horse farms one after another covering either side of well paved country lanes. Trees, bushes, gardens, lawns, everything immaculately groomed and fenced and the occasional banner proclaiming a Derby winner or maybe even a Triple Crown breeder. Endless hill after hill punctuated by a bridge across a stream or a mill and dotted with small country churches now and then. A person could ride for a very long time in a beautiful setting like that, a very long time.

I have a new respect for those Kentucky hills. True, the hills around here, Colorado, can seem never ending in that they just go up and up and up with never a break until the top. But the hills on the Horsey were just as never ending in that as soon as you got to the bottom of one, you started up the next one. Short, yes but countlessly never ending. The bottom line is that at the end of a 60 mile ride with 4,000 ft of ascent, the legs felt the same either way.

I don’t know if it has to do with the more sophisticated eastern culture vs. the cowboyish attitudes in the west, but I found the 2,000 or so riders on the Horsey more disciplined than I’ve seen on many rides around here. It’s refreshing to ride in a group where you don’t have to constantly be ware of who and how the people around you are riding, you can mostly rely on them to do what’s reasonable and expected. We all played well together in the groups we rode with each day. I noticed and appreciated that particular aspect of this ride.

Pell and I rode well together. I really can’t imagine how we could have been better matched right down to “feeling the burn” at the tops of the very same hills. The weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful, the roads were good and the wind was light. We both felt good at the end of each days ride. If a ride can get any better than that, I don’t know how. Thank you Pell for an incredible all around experience.

Larry

ps: the picture is of a horse barn

[penkalet]

Hello every ones,

I am very glad that Larry and Pell got a great weather, great time and great fun in Kentucky because since I am in France for 2 weeks, it is rain,cold,wind in Paris and more rain and cold and wind in the south were I am now. Beat the 40 years record for rainiest spring.
Finaly rode my bike today ( just cold and windy) and after 3 weeks of inaction, I think I have lost most of my good work out from Texas.! Well, will see how fast the legs come back.
Congatulation for your great ride.
A bientot,
Alain

[AMFADVENTURES]

Hi all,

I hope the ride is amazing. I look forward to the news. My trainer couldn't come at the last minute last week. I was all ready at the bike so I decided to just keep trying and succeeded in getting on myself and doing 10 minutes continuously followed by a good strengthening routine, It felt so amazing and have since achieved this 2 other times. My trainer-who is studying olympic weight lifting-has taught me to think of training in percentages. For example, 80%, or, as I was exhausted last Sunday, just go at 30%. Which is what I did so I was able to train despite not feeling up to par. Squats are one of the most helpful exercises and now do 3 sets of 10.

Take good care,

Teena Marie

That's cool TM, I hope it feels good to see that much progress in such a relatively short time.

Did you see the abstract in the ACSM Journal about the vibration trainer? The only thing I wondered about was why they did it with mice?????? I mean it's a vibration trainer for crying out loud! What?, they didn't have any humans in the lab?

You and Pell have enviable energy and heavy exercise routines. I wouldn't say I struggle to do what I do but I'd sure be hard pressed to keep up with either of you guys on any kind of consistent basis. Nice job! I hope the swimming is on track?

[AMFADVENTURES]

Hello every ones,

I am very glad that Larry and Pell got a great weather, great time and great fun in Kentucky because since I am in France for 2 weeks, it is rain,cold,wind in Paris and more rain and cold and wind in the south were I am now. Beat the 40 years record for rainiest spring.
Finaly rode my bike today ( just cold and windy) and after 3 weeks of inaction, I think I have lost most of my good work out from Texas.! Well, will see how fast the legs come back.
Congatulation for your great ride.
A bientot,
Alain

Alain, I'd feel sorry for you about all that bad weather except that, well, you are in France!!!

I know exactly what you mean about loosing conditioning so fast. I took a week off after the Horsey, went out yesterday and felt like a load of bricks. I hope it comes back in a few days.

[AMFADVENTURES]

Got 135 miles in 3 rides this week. A 50, a 25, and a 60 mile ride. Did the 60 mile ride with the "A" team yesterday, because I wanted the miles and the ascent. Got dropped in the first half mile but caught back up 20 miles later as they were coming out of Starbucks. Stayed with them for the next mile until the base of the days main ascent. They were going up the steep side of the mountain, almost 6% but I decided to go around and up the other side, longer but only about a 4% average grade. Saw them again a couple miles after they crested and were preparing for the descent I had just come up. I finished the ascent and didn't see any more team members until I got back to base, the last guy in by about 45 minutes. The legs were a little heavy that day and I was a little slower than I sometimes am but I also rode 10 more miles than anyone else. I'll take that!

Only 3 more weeks to the MS 150. Hoping to be in form for the century.

[teena marie]

Larry, that sounds pretty impressive. What is the event in 3 weeks? You could be one of my team members in a team sprint triathalon.

Training is going well. Most of the time I can mount the spin bike and feet in the cages on my own. I can easily do 12 minutes and the other day did 15. Strengthening is also increasing but using the percentage principle so sometimes it's more resistance, more reps or longer sets. My trainer stretches me (it's such a break to have someone do it for you) and then get up off the floor-which is usually pretty labor intensive requiring some assistance. I need to be able to this on the beach this summer.

The swimming is not up to par. Time and weather conditions have hampered my water training. I'm hoping to organize a 3 km open water swim along the coast beach to beach in August. I'll have to see how quickly I get going in the ocean-I will start July 2.

Take good care,all,

Teena Marie

[AMFADVENTURES]

TM, I could definitely do the bike part of a triathlon, sprint or otherwise, never thought about that but it's a neat idea. Pell would undoubtedly be faster though.

Went out yesterday for 30 miles. Had heat, 97 degrees, wind, 20 to 30 miles per hour, and hills, my usual ride for intervals. It was an arduous ride.

I am thoroughly intrigued by your swim TM, hope that all starts working well for you.

Good luck,

[pawpaw]

Bad news, good news

TM- It sounds like you are making amazing progress. Keep up the good work. I can't swim much at all. It tried to swim laps last week and it wasn't pretty.

My DH's knee is not progressing as we had hoped. I put him back on steroids so he is temporarily a bit better, but he has is unable to apply any pressure to a bike pedal. He is 10 weeks post surgery, so I can't see that three more weeks will be sufficient to make the trip. We are in Hilton Head with absolutely no hills and he is still struggling on the bike. It looks like we are going to have to cancel our trip to France. Alain, I am so disappointed that we won't be able to meet in France.

I am working on a plan B. Our son is in Wyoming working at the Lake Jackson Lodge. He was disappointed that we weren't going to visit this summer. It now looks like we have some time on our hands. We may be able to incorporate that visit with a short cruise to Alaska so it isn't too shabby for a plan B.

I am looking forward to some riding next week.
Larry, it sounds like you are doing great.
Pell

[AMFADVENTURES]

Managed 5 rides for 195 miles in 13.5 hours last week. If I can even get close to that this week, I should be able to make the century on the MS 150, though it'll still be a challenge.

The mileage surprised me because we've had a house full of 30 somethings and a few grand kids hanging around. The good news about 30 somethings is that they don't get up and start moving until about noon which gives me all morning to get out for a ride. The bad news is they like to stay up all night which can make it kind of hard to get up and go riding in the morning. Somehow, it all worked out though.

Sorry to hear about DH's knee and the France trip Pell, that trip sounded incredible. Good luck with Plan B. Hope you're getting some saddle time in.

[teena marie]

muscle fatigue

Hi all,

Part of my training is learning to work with muscle fatigue and accepting it as part of the process. I know I've been training hard. The last few days, getting up my stairs has been hard. I've had to ask for help from neighbours passing by. It always makes me feel like my condition is worsening. But, for example, I slept poorly last night, was up at 6, had a dip before work. It was a good day albeit demanding and long. So no wonder getting on the sidewalk and up my 4 stairs was difficult. So tomorrow I'll work at 30-50% with my trainer instead of pushing past 100% which is my usual style. And aceepting that hard training can wear things out temporarily.

Pell, plan B sounds pretty nice. Good for you for finding an alternative. A swimmer by the name of Lyne Cox swam the Bering stait between Alaska and Russia as a way to bring the countries together. Let me know if you hear anything about it if you get that far north.

Larry, your cycling is enviable. Did you suceed in getting any of the 30 year old to accompany you?

Take good care,

Teena Marie

[AMFADVENTURES]

I need to get a long ride in, at least 75 miles, before next weeks taper into the MS 150. I tried yesterday but it was one of those days when nothing felt right, pedal stroke was uncoordinated, strength was down, heart rate was high relative to exertion, even the bike didn't seem to fit quite right. I managed 58 miles of labored pedaling at pitiful speed, and was dizzy and exhausted for the rest of the day. It was kind of a perfect example of when everything falls apart.

What went wrong? First of all, old guys pursuing any kind of athletic endeavor, cannot hang out with a bunch of 30 somethings and expect to succeed. There is too much alcohol, too much saturated fat in a generally poor diet, not enough rest and a number of other factors related to 3 siblings and their SO's getting together for the first time in 4 or 5 years. Four out of five of the 30 somethings are gone now, I only hope I have enough time to recover before the MS 150.

Secondly, it is the last week of a three week training period, always a tough week of pushing past limits with an already tired body, but then, that is the process of stress it and rest it. Next week, I'll rest it.

Thirdly, the summer heat arrived virtually overnight, allowing very little time to acclimate. Going from mid 70's to mid 90's generally takes me 4 to 6 weeks to get used to and even once acclimated, the heat still negatively impacts performance. The MS of course, adds a whole other order of magnitude.

I'll have one more chance on Saturday to see if I can pull it all together for a long ride prior to the event. Until then, it'll be light effort, low mileage recovery riding.

TM, your training methods are exemplary. Either you've been doing this for a long time, pre MS, or your personal trainer is very good, or both. I assume this isn't your first long distance swim. The physical fatigue is indeed part of the process as is recovery from it. And, as you and I both know full well and as my recent example above shows, diet and lifestyle also play a big role in achievement. I can only imagine how much more important that might be for people with MS. I don't know if it feels this way to you TM but from where I sit, it looks like you're doing great.

Larry

[penkalet]

Sorry guy, I didn’t come as much on the board but my routine as change in France.
Larry, I am glad your training is going well except for the last ride but I am just like you if I don't eat right for couple days I will paid dearly and not only on the bike !!
Paw Paw, sorry you can't make it to France so may be next year! And yes plan B look pretty good!
On my side, I have made a full of myself, may be MS or old age, probably both!...
I register to a event to climb the 3000' peak de Nore 6000' total ascent for 60 kms with 2000 riders but when I went to get my registration they all crack up and told me that I won’t do more than 300 meters avec my road bike because it was all trails ride for VTT!!!
They were all with montage bike and all the protection gear!!
I will blame it on the French website that is not very clear!!
Have fun.
Alain

[AMFADVENTURES]

It is what it is

Well, I only managed 130 miles last week but nothing over 60 although the last one, at 55, had 4,000 ft. of ascent. Being somewhat of a professional when it comes to denial, I shall deny that not getting a ride longer than 75 miles in will make any difference in my ability to do the century, at least until I see the sign that says "Century Riders Turn Here". Then, hopefully, I will find the wherewithal to make that turn.

"The Last Training Ride", that's the way it was billed by the ride coordinator, was 55 miles of a lot of climbing but the most remarkable thing about it was all of the MS 150 riders from various teams that littered the roads and trails on what was the last viable training day. They were everywhere, like about every third bike rider was wearing an MS 150 jersey, and there were a lot of good vibrations in the air, it was quite touching. So, a little taper/recovery, as I am totally beat right now, and I'll be ready to roll out with 3,000 other riders next Saturday on my 8th Colorado MS 150.

Alain, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that perhaps it was the French food and wine that caused the "Peak de Nore" ride confusion, along with the MS of course. But, I am VERY IMPRESSED by your intentions! Hope you're getting some quality ride time in, despite not having a mountain bike when you needed one.

Keep the saddle side up,

Larry

[teena marie]

Alain, what a great story. I'm also impressed by your intentions.

Larry, you sound pretty ready and I have no doubt thngs will go well.

I agree wholeheartedly on diet and lifestyle contributions to the mix. My diet is pretty strict.
I have to force myself to bed to get enough rest. Last week I was in bed a few nights before dark. This notion of rest is really helping with the training. Like you say, Larry-stress it then rest it.

Take care all,

Teena Marie

[AMFADVENTURES]

Colorado MS 150

Just a couple of notes before I get too busy to post.

I finally told everyone, who I thought had a right to know, about my MS. Like, my family, close friends, none of my wife's family. That was really uncomfortable and I didn't enjoy doing it and I'm sure I did a lousy job of it, but I had to do it before the ride this weekend. Oddly, almost all of them feigned ignorance.

I'll be riding the Colorado MS 150 in two days and this time I'll wear my "I Ride With MS" jersey. I'll wear it on the century ride the first day. With any luck, I might be able to pass a few riders who don't have MS. And with a little more luck, I'll do it on a hill! With a whole lot of luck, maybe I'll even find another MSer or two to do it with. That would definitely be fun.

Also, I have a few pretty generous sponsors, $100 or more. Our team is the "Raw Hinies", so this year I told them I'd get them "Raw Hinie" T-shirts because....."Everybody who is a 'Raw Hinie' supporter should have a T-shirt. (did that come out right?)". Well, I thought it was funny. Hope it doesn't back fire on me.

If I can find a couple of girls to pose with me, I'll try to post a picture.

Take care all,

Larry