MSers Training in 2014

[AMFADVENTURES]

Thanks for the pics of the pool TM, it looks quite a bit nicer than I expected, matter of fact, it looks really nice, although I don't quite understand the harness set up. I think it’s pretty amazing you accomplished that at all. How’s your season lining up, I assume Cape Breton is on again, anything else?

LivWell, nice job on the long walks, you’re a mile or two ahead of me. I’m beginning to think I need a trainer or a physical therapist to teach me how to walk again. Besides not being able to get past the 2 mile mark, towards the end of my walks I’m so uncoordinated that it’s bothering my already bad knees which bothers my cycling and everything else. I shortened my walk today on account of cycling the previous two days. Probably have to look for a pedometer too.

My bike fanatic neighbor and I met up for a ride with the club we joined on Saturday. These guys were decked out in pro level apparel, riding ultra high-end bikes with all the latest and greatest gear, like electronic shifters and disc breaks. My neighbor brought his 15 YO touring bike with chrome fenders and panier rack and I brought my 8 YO beat up Bianchi triple sporting a lot of the slop I've been riding in so far this year. Not only were we seriously out classed but these guys were already 2 miles ahead of us by the time we were 3 miles down the road. Hopefully that was just the “A” team that showed up and the “B” team will appear when the conditions improve a little more.

There was a bright side. My neighbor, who normally rides circles around me, hadn’t been on a bike for about 6 months due to a couple of unrelated injuries. I actually had to circle back and pick him up a couple of times, something I don’t plan to let him hear the end of until he starts riding circles around me again. It felt pretty good!

Pell, M&T, Alain, are you still out there? Here’s my ride schedule so far, let me know if you or anyone else might be interested in any of these:

Saturday, April 5th, Tour de Mesa in Mesa, AZ. http://www.perimeterbicycling.com/el-tour-de-mesa/

Sunday, May 18th, Santa Fe Century in Santa Fe, NM. http://www.santafecentury.com/

Saturday, June 7th, Buena Vista Bike Fest in Buena Vista, CO. http://www.bvbf.org/

Saturday and Sunday, June 28th and 29th, MS 150 in Colorado. http://bikecoc.nationalmssociety.org...olorado_TwoDay

Saturday and Sunday, September 6th and 7th, MS 150 in New Mexico. http://bikearr.nationalmssociety.org...23826&pg=entry

I’m also open to suggestions for a few more to fill out the season.

Larry

[teena marie]

Wow, Larry, what a season you have approaching. I'd like to have the same number of swim events, so I'll have to get going. So far, I have 2 team triathlons (where I'm the swimmer), one in July and one in August. I'm also hoping to organize a beach to beach swim which would be a fundraiser for the local community centre, something which I'd like to do annually.

My swim harness is called a swim mill. It's like a big belt around my waist with long ties that I tie to each corner at the back of the pool. Then I float into the middle and swim on the spot. I hope that gives you a better picture.

Amazing walking, LivWell. I plan to do this-I'm just not sure when. At the moment it's survival mode. Winter continues to be brutal.

Take care, all,

Teena Marie

[ActiveMSers]

I'm finally shaking a hip injury that has been lingering since December. Still baffled at how I managed to hurt myself. I mean, I would like to know what I did so I don't do whatever I did again. Sigh.

But I've been steady in the exercise department otherwise and recently purchased a heart rate monitor to spy on my cardio work. Turns out I'm in my cardio zone of 114-146 BPM between 30-55 minutes daily, averaging about 45 min. For a gimpy guy, I'll take it!

Reading about all of your training is darn motivating; keep it up.

[pawpaw]

Winter training/spring and summer goals

Larry, I do think a good PT might help you. You need someone who is set up to do a gait analysis and really figure out how to help you.
Teena Marie- your pool set up is very cool. Glad you are doing to well.
Dave- Those heart rate numbers are great- keep it up.

In less than 2 weeks I will be in Tucson for a week long cycling camp. I am way out of my league- the recent newsletter reminded me to renew my racing license! I am not in prime cycling shape but it will be what it will be.
The first day we are climbing Mt Lemmon.
We have signed up for the Kentucky Century Challenge which includes:
Redbud Century April 12
Horsey Hundred May 24
Preservation Pedal June 21
Hub City Tour Sept 13th.
I think that will be enough for this season.

Mike had surgery on a nerve in his leg today- hopefully this will improve his post-riding leg pain.

Followup from the amazing week at the Pearl Spa at Laguna Beach.(It was a cleanse, weight loss, hiking and yoga week. Basically, hiking fast for 3 hours a day, 2 hours yoga, virtually nothing to eat (under 1000 calories/day) and no caffeine.) I continue to eat less than I did, have a new appreciation for clean eating and have lost another pound or two. I am currently still gluten free. I seem to be pretty addicted to bread. We will see if I stay with it. The cycling camp week I may break the gluten ban. I think I will need to eat everything to get through it.

Pell

[AMFADVENTURES]

Awesome Stuff guys. Geez, I took yesterday off, not even yoga, I feel like such a piker. Got on the trainer today though.

Way to keep moving,
Larry

[ActiveMSers]

Larry, I was thinking the same thing. You are such a piker, ha ha. Isn't it weird how when we take one day off we feel like lazy slugs? Of course, that's harder to do when you have a pool staring at you every day (TM) or preparing to go to camp (PP).

[LivWell]

I'll join the piker club Larry. No worries, we'll be back at it here shortly!

I took a bit of a gamble earlier in the week and ran a bit, mid-walk... I'm still alive. In fact, I did it again, slowly, for 20 minutes, on a treadmill at the gym. Shocking!!

Now, that was two days ago and yes, I'm moving pretty slowly today but omg, how awesome it was to feel "normal" for a bit!

I have a little mantra I say to myself with the understanding that there is a neurological disease in the equation. I say, "What did you do, before you knew?" as a way to check my attitude. Because as we all know, attitude is everything. Whether I can walk today or not, or if by 4:00 in the afternoon I'm ready for bed, what's more important is what's going on between my ears.

Stay well and keep a grin on your chin!

[cindy2939]

I just wanted to let you all know how inspired I am when I read all the posts in MSers in Training. I am trying to do some type of exercise everyday because of reading about all that everyone does.

It is still weird to me to have my body humming after exercising hard but since it goes away I keep telling myself it is okay and not making the MS worse.

I started Yoga because of these boards and it is my new favorite exercise but still trying to get cardio in as much as possible because of the benefits I read about here.

Thank you all for inspiring people who are newly diagnosed like me!

[AMFADVENTURES]

Thank You Cindy, that means quite a lot. I hope the exercise serves you well. Please feel free to join us, reporting in about what we've been doing keeps us motivated.

Larry

[pawpaw]

Humming away

Join us Cindy. I had forgotten that everyone doesn't have the humming body after exercise. I have grown to like it. I feel really alive when all of my muscles are humming away.
Off to Tucson and bike camp on Saturday. For a week I am going to be left in the dust on my bike. I do hope to gain some bike skills, strength and cycling strategy. It will also be very nice to be warm for the week. I just hope it isn't so hot that my MS comes out to play.
I do seem to be a glutton for punishment lately.
Pell

[AMFADVENTURES]

Have fun Pell, I'm looking forward to a full report, especially MT. Lemmon.

I know exactly what you mean by that awesome feeling LivWell. I just started riding the small hills, did an hour and 20 minutes last Saturday and felt absolutely great! Tried to go for an easy ride two days later and could barely make the cranks turn. But a couple of days after that, as soon as I got my legs back under me, I did it again except this time a longer ride on bigger hills. It hurts today, but it's a good hurt.

Still having knee problems with the walking so I finally got back to the club and the elliptical, definitely a little easier on the knees. The goal now is to stick with that until the knees toughen up a bit. I need to pick back up on the stairs and the weights though, kind of dropped those last week.

Keep moving everyone,
Larry

[cindy2939]

Thanks pawpaw for letting me know that other people have bodies that "hum". I kept telling myself today while I was doing walk/run intervals on the treadmill that this is good for my muscles to be humming away. It really did help thinking about your words.

[AMFADVENTURES]

Had a pretty good week here. Got outside on the bike 3 times, in between snow storms, for a couple of really good climbing rides. I'm past the short hills now and starting on the long ones and it's not going too bad. My best ride was 41 miles with 3,100 ft. of climb.

Also got to the club for an elliptical session, a few stairs and a little high cadence spinning. Still need to find some time for core and weights though, other than my regular yoga.

The weather is improving! Everyone else getting some time in?

Larry

[kristen.gallegos]

I'm starting to taper off in preparation for my next half marathon on the 23rd. I had a 10-mile run on Monday which was great, then I nearly died on my 3-miler the following day. I've been changing my diet, so I'm still experimenting on what foods will sustain me for my runs. I hope to get back on the treadmill this evening for a 5-miler.

I also am going to start incorporating strength training into my week. I like the endorphins of running, so it's time I find endorphins with strength training

[AMFADVENTURES]

Nice job Kristen, if you figure that food thing out be sure to let us know. Right now oatmeal and brown sugar with a little soy protein mixed in is my go to. I supplement that with Fig Newtons on long rides, although I can't help but think I could do better on both.

Quote for the day:
"Dear Winter, this is your two week's notice. Thanks for your extraordinary efforts this year."
Selene Yeager - The Fit Chick