MSers Training in 2014

[Veronica]

Hi all I am happy to read about all of the adventures and wanted to share an update about my new trike.

Well Steve is a great guy, because he did end up "driving" it home from the bike store (mostly on the trail) about about 10 miles.

I have ridden it twice since it came home. Yesterday Steve took me to a large office park with a huge connecting parking area so I could get comfortable and figure out the shifting (SRAM shifters on the hand grips, very new to me). We did about 8 miles and I felt a lot more comfortable. Today I went out on my own on the road (with the cars!) about did about 10 miles.

It was a blast. I have been stuck walking/jogging for past few years and I have missed the speed. I have some one-leg balance issues that made the bike feel very unsafe to me (mainly the starting and stopping parts) and the trike takes that out of the equation completely. I feel a lot more confident and comfortable on three wheels, much more stable.

One thing I will note is that the trike requires completely different muscles then walking/spin class/the two wheel bike in a trainer. Muscles I did not realize existed. Dragging that thing up an incline is much harder then the same incline on my much lighter road bike. I don't know if this would be less prevent in a more upright seating position and the choice in trike I made affects this. But, I do know I am going to need to 1) figure out what those muscles are and 2) Develop them.

Hi all: I posted a question for Dave on his blog about testing trikes, but now see that Marina has a new trike, so I am also asking you for advise. Dave's blog just got me thinking how limiting my little two wheeler is. My issues sound very similar to yours concerning the bike, and I am now really thinking of selling my only two year old bike for a recumbent trike. Catrike makes a "Pocket" model for smaller riders...I am 5 foot....but it isn't foldable, which really is something I need. I have been researching a Greenspeed...which is foldable....
Besides what you wrote about different muscles used, could you give me more info on what it is like to adjust to the trike? I am so longing to go for a ride and to not be thinking about "what ifs" of sudden stops, intersections. And I am sick of avoid hills.....you mentioned how much harder the inclines are...do you think this is just for now, until you figure out what muscles need to be strengthened??

Whatever you can share, I SO appreciate! I got really excited when you said the ride was a blast! I haven't had a ride that I would label "a blast" in way too long!!

[AMFADVENTURES]

Marina, good writeup on the trike, I wondered if trikes didn't require some different muscles, especially core, some trike riders have told me things like that. But you're right, there are so many different kinds of trikes, a person might be able to choose based on their strengths. I guess that's the point of hand crank's vs pedal power and upright vs a more prone position. Interesting stuff, much more complicated than 2 wheel bikes.

TM, good news on the walking without sticks progress and opening the outdoor pool. I finished my "walking pole" classes. Using 2 poles definitely takes the strain off of my knees, probably allows me a better gait, and seems to afford less likelihood of falling. Even with 2 poles though, I can only walk a little over a mile before I begin to loose control of my foot and leg. The PT who was conducting the class thought I walked better with an ankle brace on but suggested I look at some different types. An ankle brace did help me with my cycling to the point I didn't need it after a while, so maybe I'll look into it. My plan is to work more on the walking after the MS 150 ride at the end of June. I'd really like to be able to hike again someday.

Pell, you recovered from your century yet? I was awfully puny for the following two weeks after mine but I seem to be OK now.

Rode 170 miles last week, without much climbing to speak of. My climbing buddy, the hot blond yoga chick, has been out of commission so far this year and my other buddies aren't real keen on it. The ride coming up next weekend includes a major climb as part of the century loop so it's very possible I may not end up with the whole 100 miles. Gonna have to play this one by ear.

Keep it up,
Larry

[teena marie]

training

Hi all,

Training is going well. The outdoor pool has remained cold and really has a good effect. I have a short swim before my trainer arrives. Then, we walk down the hall-Tuesday 26 steps and yesterday, 51 steps unassisted. I really try and focus on where things don't work such as transfer of weight from side to side, and try to pinpoint in my body what isn't firing. Then, the spin bike, followed by some strengthening using a resistance band. I'm getting better at organizing some food to eat right after and then I work at my desk and don't push myself too much physically. I'm lucky that I can work 2 days a week at home. This allows me the opportunity to incorporate this training into my work day. Days when I'm working out of the house, I have a swim with some good kicking at the ladder in the morning before I leave and a couple of strengthening exercises in the evening. My first team triathlon is the end of July and I feel I'm ahead of schedule compared to last year.

As I keep saying, the longterm goal is to walk without sticks, I'm just not sure when. But suddenly I feel this is coming in to sight.

I look forward to hearing about everyone else's training, goals, etc. Larry, I believe you have a ride soon?

Take care all,

Teena Marie

[teena marie]

Great report. Thank you.

Teena Marie

[Marinadca]

It actually inspires a lot more confidence to me in traffic. Its quite wide so I often end up just taking the lane. I think cars are more afraid of it then bikes. People don't know what it is so they give it a wide berth

As for getting in an out of it, this is something I need to work, as getting out requires skooting to the top of the seat and using the wheels to get up. I need to get my core a little stronger to do this with ease. Getting in it requires putting a leg over the crank/pedals and just sitting down into the seat. Since my issue is one leg balance I end up starting at the top of the pedals/boom/crank and just skooting back until I can sit in the seat. This works as well. Overall, with some modifications I think getting in and out is pretty easy on me. It is fairly low to the ground though, so someone who has trouble standing more such a position might find a more upright model works best or they may need to keep something on them that will help. there is a lot of room to store stuff on the bike if you get the bags that go behind your head. There may be a way to attached something else to it as well, but luckily this part is OK for me.

[teena marie]

This sounds pretty amazing. What's it like riding in traffic? It looks hard to get in and out of-how do you find it?

Great update.

Teena Marie

[Marinadca]

Hi all I am happy to read about all of the adventures and wanted to share an update about my new trike.

Well Steve is a great guy, because he did end up "driving" it home from the bike store (mostly on the trail) about about 10 miles.

I have ridden it twice since it came home. Yesterday Steve took me to a large office park with a huge connecting parking area so I could get comfortable and figure out the shifting (SRAM shifters on the hand grips, very new to me). We did about 8 miles and I felt a lot more comfortable. Today I went out on my own on the road (with the cars!) about did about 10 miles.

It was a blast. I have been stuck walking/jogging for past few years and I have missed the speed. I have some one-leg balance issues that made the bike feel very unsafe to me (mainly the starting and stopping parts) and the trike takes that out of the equation completely. I feel a lot more confident and comfortable on three wheels, much more stable.

One thing I will note is that the trike requires completely different muscles then walking/spin class/the two wheel bike in a trainer. Muscles I did not realize existed. Dragging that thing up an incline is much harder then the same incline on my much lighter road bike. I don't know if this would be less prevent in a more upright seating position and the choice in trike I made affects this. But, I do know I am going to need to 1) figure out what those muscles are and 2) Develop them.

[AMFADVENTURES]

Nice job Pell! It appears you are conquering the hills very well. Having ridden in Kentucky, I don’t have any problem believing either one of those ascent numbers. The ride the next day was a smart move too, seems like the best thing for cranky, achy muscles is to get them moving again, they forgive you for abusing them sooner that way. Less sure about the pre-century ride, I agree with you, that might have been a little too much.

TM, you were right, two poles are better than one, there seems to be less strain on the knees. In “Pole Walking Class” I also learned to push off with the pole and lift my knee which automatically helps kick my sagging foot forward, both techniques seemed to help but will take quite a bit more practice. I tried the Black Diamond Z Poles which Dave loaned me, but the poles were a couple inches too short and the grips were too small for my hands. They are labeled a large but I think maybe they’re a women’s large.

Hey AF-PA, how was your Santa Fe Century?

I got about 110 miles in last week, wanted to get out right after I got back from Santa Fe but we had several days of high winds and nasty hail storms. I did get out last weekend but it was kind of a restart, the first day went okay but the second day was hard. I had better be back in form by the end of this week though because my next ride is less than 2 weeks away and I hope to do the century option.

Larry

[teena marie]

My goodness, Pell, that sounds truly remarkable. Enjoy those rubber legs and rejoice in your accomplishment. Enjoy the recovery period and you'll be back with legs of steel.

Marinadca, how's the trike?

Kristen,how's the training for the New York marathon-what's your routine?

LivWell,what about the hiking and yoga?

Take care all,

Teena Marie

[pawpaw]

Reporting in

Teena Marie,
The effect of your cold swims is impressive and very interesting. It will be fascinating to see if you can build on your progress.

The Horsey Hundred is in the record books. I rode the entire 104 miles with a lot of steep, long hills. Ride with GPS said there was 5900' of elevation change but my husband's computer said nearly 7000'. In any case, we did some climbing. On several hills I wasn't sure I was riding up, but I never walked. The worst of the hills were between the rest stops at 50 and 76 miles. By mile 76 I wasn't sure that I could finish. I took some long breaks, hydrated and ate and somehow came up with a second wind. I finished with 7 hours of pedaling time, . A good friend, George, pulled me almost the entire ride and I couldn't have done it without his help. I left my husband lying in the grass at the 76 mile stop and assumed he was going to sag in. He and George's wife rode together and did finish with 8 hours of pedaling time.

My nephew was down for the ride and rode with the elite crowd- 19.5mph for the century. He flew by me going up one of the hills "dancing" on his pedals.
Today I rode the 50 mile route- same one we did last year, Larry. I was a bit tired and basically rode it alone, but I did it. Luckily, it stayed in the mid-seventies both days and there was a lot of shade.
My legs are just rubber now. I need a few days to recover. Thursday night before the century I made a somewhat ill advised move. I went out on a pace line training ride and averaged nearly 18 mph for a 27 mile ride. Probably would have been better to have gone into the century with a bit fresher legs.
I have 4 weeks until the next century.

Pell

[teena marie]

Hi all,

Larry, the ride sounded like your usual spectacular biking. Good for you.

I also look forward to the trike report.

I took 15 steps without my sticks with my trainer ready to catch me. I decided to try after my cold swim. I really think this helps me with the rewiring. Then I did some stair climbing, followed by a great core workout on the floor-bridging, superman, knee-ups,modified pushups, stretching, help getting up, then a few steps, without my sticks, lightly hanging on to Karly. Hours later, I still feel amazing.

How's everyone else's training?

Take good care all-this is such an amazing active bunch.

Teena Marie

[AMFADVENTURES]

Marina, I'm looking forward to hearing all about the trike riding, you're the first one one of us to do this, your insights will be invaluable to others looking at the trike option, and I expect there are many others. Also, Steve sure sounds like a great guy.

Sky's at the Santa Fe Century were overcast all day, so even though temperatures rose to almost 80, there was no glaring sun to contend with. The wind played nice most of the time too, the head winds going out were moderate but increased steadily until the route turned back toward Santa Fe. From there, it was a long downhill run with 15 to 20 mph tailwinds most of the way. Soft peddling at 25 mph was a new experience. It really couldn't have worked out better. But the best part was that I actually managed to climb up Heartbreak Hill ON THE BIKE! Yeah, yeah, it took a couple of stops and I did have to zig zag my way up, but hey, it 's a half mile of 15 degree hill and I'm no spring chicken. The fact that I made it up at all was a real confidence booster, I'm not afraid to tackle ANY hill now! The ride ended at 101 miles in 7:30 saddle time, 9:30 elapsed time with 4,800 ft of ascent.

DW and I spent a fantastic evening with Dave and Maggie and their spouses Laura and Jim. It was interesting to see in just how many ways they are all dedicated to the MS cause. We, as PWMS, are quite fortunate to have these great folks involved on so many different fronts on our behalf. We owe these people and many others like them, a deep debt of gratitude. Thank you so much Dave and Maggie, for all that you do. About the beers - for some of us, there is no such thing as A BEER. One beer leads to another and that leads to something else and then something else again. It all made the tune up ride the next morning a bit more difficult than it needed to be, but it was undoubtedly well worth it to have experienced such a great evening.

Good luck on the Horsey Pell, don't worry about the hills, I know you can do them, if it takes a little extra time, so what. Fuel right and drink right and may the wind be at your back, looking forward to hearing all about it!

BTW, Dave entrusted me with the task of testing a set of Black Diamond Z-Poles. Very timely. Hiking pole class starts tonight!

Larry

[ActiveMSers]

The beer? Fantastic. The company of Larry and Betty? I fear even better. Can't wait to hear about the ride and more about the trike! And way to go Pell!

[pawpaw]

Awaiting reports

Larry- How was the ride?
Dave- How was the beer?
Marinda- How is the race trike? It sounds fun!

Horsey Hundred is Saturday and I think I am ready. We rode 50 on Sunday without much fatigue. Tonight we rode the tandem and had one of our best rides this year- 28 miles @19.4mph. We plan to ride single bikes for the Horsey as Mike doesn't think he will be able to do 100 miles. Wednesday will probably be my last ride so I can hit Saturday with fresh legs. There are some serious hills and 5800' of climbing.

Pell

[Marinadca]

Marina, loved the Catrike I tested! All three wheels were the same size. That bigger wheel looks like it is even more built for speed. Is that why you picked that particular model? I was not able to test that one and am trying to narrow down my choices. But it will be a tadpole like yours. It felt so great.

It was, the 700 is as close to a "race" trike as you can get. And I am so sick of going sloooooow.

I just got the call from the shop that it is ready. Steve hasnt rigged something in time to transport it on the car (not my car!) so he will be "driving" it home.