2010 Bike Ms Ride

[AMFADVENTURES]

Just received notice of the 2010 MS 150 here in Colorado. As usual, there is a lot of good information regarding training for one of these rides. While it may still be a bit icy outside for riding, it's NOT too early to start the upper body and core conditioning that are so important to comfortably and successfully completing one of these rides, especially for those of us who might take a little longer to prepare.

If you think you might be interested, visit http://www.nationalmssociety.org/cha...ter/index.aspx
and check out Conditioning under Safety and Training.

AMF

[AMFADVENTURES]

Starting training

If anyone would be interested in a training schedule for the MS 150, the following web site has a couple of free excel spreadsheets available to download. They are complete with training tips and graphs to track your progress. http://www.boulderperformance.net/road_cycling.html

Started today on my near term training goal to reach at least 6 hours per week of moderate intensity cardio by the end of February. That should set a pretty good base level to start cycling outside when the weather turns.

[AMFADVENTURES]

Training for the MS 150

Up to 4 and 1/2 hours on the stationary bike this week. Still shooting for at least 6 hours per week by end of February, more if I can. Can't really say it's a whole lot of fun riding inside, sweating bullets, going nowhere, just keep telling myself it's got to be done.

For sure, out snowboarding sounds like a lot more fun, unfortunately skis and moguls took my knees out many, many years ago.

Later

[AMFADVENTURES]

Training 1/30/10

Got 5 & 1/2 hours for the week on the trainer, still at moderate intensity. Next week is a rest week, meaning only 4 hours at moderate intensity or less. Slightly ahead of schedule, so far, so good.

Anyone else out there care to post on training for Bike MS?

Here's a quote I came accross from David Baldacci's latest book, 'True Blue'. I thought it apropos for an MSer.

"How do I get off the ride?"
"You never get off the ride. You just learn to hold on a different way."

AMF

[AMFADVENTURES]

What a remarkable day

Finally, the temperatures nudged past the 45-degree mark for more than 20 minutes. Yeah, there was still quite a bit of snow around, but a drive next to as much of the bike path as possible indicated that it was, for the most part, clear. I got my old mountain bike down yesterday in anticipation of a few days like this and got rewarded almost right away, and what a reward it was.

The mountain bike is a 1990’s vintage steel frame seven speed with a triple crank, a heavy old girl, but she runs as good as the day I got her. We headed down the trail behind my house intending to hook up with a trail that runs along a creek about 4.5 miles away. There was a path closure that necessitated a detour, a short cut really, to get to the creek, but what the heck, that’s pretty standard for early season riding and I didn’t mind the short cut, it was after all my first day of the season outside on a bike.

The weatherman promised us a storm this evening and I could see the clouds streaming across the front range of the mountains as I left the house on the old bike. I got to the creek and as I turned west, heading down stream, I could feel the headwinds of the oncoming storm just starting to blow, yet at that moment, it was still a beautiful, partly sunny day. After all of the cold weather we’ve experienced over the last couple of months, 50 degrees felt absolutely balmy.

Most of the trail was clear but there were a few patches of melting snow and mud and the old bike just loved it, she ate it right up going out of her way to throw mud and snow all over, up my back and in my face. We got dirty and it was great, we slipped around a little but the tires bit when they needed to and we stayed up. There were quite a few bikers out too. About half and half, mountain bike and road bike and virtually everyone gave out a smile or a nod or a “hey!” as they passed the other bikers.

The closer I got to my turn around point, the more the clouds moved in and the wind picked up. When I did turn to head back home, the wind was up to about 15 mph, but at my back. I love days like this, down hill into a mild wind and uphill with a stronger one at your back. Today especially, as the wind picked up, it was as if I was being welcomed back by an old friend for another season and my gift on this day was to be gently blown home.

By the time I closed in on the last half mile the clouds had moved in and the temperature had dropped but with the wind still at my back, for just a brief minute, the sun made a final welcoming appearance too. Yes old friends, I’m back, and I’m happy to see you too, and so looking forward to our best season yet.

Last week was an off week but this week I got 5.5 hours including 2 great hours today for about 25 miles outside.

On a more somber note, Jimmie Heuga passed away earlier this week. He was the 1964 Olympic bronze medallist in the slalom ski event who, with Billy Kidd, became the first two American men to win Olympic medals for the U.S. in alpine skiing. Six years later he was diagnosed with MS. Perhaps he was the original Active MSer, because against all medical advice of the day, he decided to pursue a physically active life style. In 1984 he founded the Jimmie Heuga Center for MS, a non profit active outdoor life style center for people with MS, now called Can Do Multiple Sclerosis. I offer my sincerest thanks to Jimmie Heuga for all he did to help those of us with MS lead active lives, and my heart felt condolences to his family and friends.

AMF

[AMFADVENTURES]

Training log week ending 2/20/10

2/20/10
Got 6.5 hours in on the trainer this week which made my February goal. Watching the Olympics while pedaling the trainer helped the time go by a little faster but still, indoors and cycling are not two words that should occur in the same sentence. It’s cold and snowing right now and the forecast for next week is for more of the same so might change up my routine to include some strength and interval work at the expense of more time inside.

Later

[AMFADVENTURES]

2/27/10

Got 7 hours in for the week including 2.5 hrs outside today and 1.5 hrs of intensive aerobic work earlier in the week. Today was tough, not sure why, diet maybe??? Next week's a rest week then the real training starts.

Weather's improving!!!

AMF

[AMFADVENTURES]

3/6/10

Got 6 hrs. in for the week, 5 hrs. outside for 75 miles, a little more than I intended but the weather was so phenomenal, just couldn’t help it.

My cycling buddy and I will be 60 yrs. old this year. A while back we talked about doing Ride the Rockies, a symbol of defiance against the ravages of age, and in my case, MS. We applied and were selected in the lottery, we're in. It’s 7 straight days of riding, 532 mi., 27,000 ft. of climbing. The MS 150 the week after will merely be a recovery ride. Only 3 mos. left to train, pressure’s definitely on!

Keep the rubber side down,
AMF

[AMFADVENTURES]

3/12/10 Crap!!!!

Got 2 hrs. in on a trainer and 2 hrs. outside so far this week. Then slipped on the basement stairs last night and whacked my shoulder, hard. Tried yoga this morning hoping for the best but that didn’t work very well so went to the “DOC in a Box” this afternoon to have things checked out.

You know “Doc in the Box" right? Your local neighborhood Urgent Care Center where you walk in and the girl takes your order.
“I’ll have 3 x-rays, a consultation and a prescription pain reliever please.”
“Yes sir, that will be 150 dollars, would you like a sling with that?”
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing but praise for low cost, highly efficient emergency treatment centers. In an era of absurd healthcare costs, “Doc in the Box” is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I did try to get an appointment with my PCP first but since I haven’t been there for a few years, they don’t seem to know who I am anymore.

Three x-rays (by a lovely technician whose name I neglected to get) and a conference with the doc gave me a definite maybe that there probably was no bone damage, but who knows about the rotator cuff which is already screwed up anyway. However, since there is a very slight possibility of a hairline fracture in the shoulder, I walked out in a sling. I asked the young Doc about continuing my bike training and found out he’s also an avid cyclist who rides with an old Pro who beats him up regularly on the bike. Bikers are everywhere!!! Anyway, the short answer was “not outside, but pedaling on the stationary trainer is still OK”. I’ll see the orthopedic Doc next week, evaluate the damage and go from there. But, if the damage is just the rotator cuff, I’ve got way too much stuff going on right now so, pain permitting, it’ll just have to wait. Oh, and BTW, the orthopedic guy that the doc referred me to is the old Pro that the young Doc cycles with. Can’t wait to see him.

I’m sure nobody who reads this stuff believes much of it but you know, if you just forget yourself and pay attention to life around you, sometimes the most amazing things are at play.

Welcome August, please post freely. This appears to be a proud, independent crowd who don’t seem to require a lot of emotional support, but still like to read about one another’s accomplishments as well as keep abreast of the latest MS related gizmos and studies and such.

AMF

[AMFADVENTURES]

Cycling tip #101 “ON YOUR LEFT”

“ON YOUR LEFT”
I’m stuck on the trainer indoors when my cycling buddy, who is still out on the roads and trails, calls me to tell me about a near miss he just had. Apparently he found himself playing leapfrog with a small group of cyclists whom he didn’t know. They had been passing each other safely, some being faster on the uphill, others on the downhill, for several miles until a rider cut him off as he went to pass, forcing him off the trail. This didn’t surprise me because, as my buddy proceeded to tell me, he had just given the offending rider a rather lengthy warning about how he was approaching from the rear to pass on the left on this awesomely beautiful day and bla, bla, bla.

Here’s the tip. Passing on a bike trail is serious business, KEEP IT SIMPLE and use those boring but brief, expected and understandable terms. Don’t think that old guy with MS in front of you is going to understand and process a bunch of useless information in time to figure out that all he needs to do is stay out of your way, it might not happen.

Stay Safe

[pawpaw]

MS Bike ride and injuries

Hi!
I am planning to ride our local MS150 in early June. I just started road cycling last year but have become an avid cyclist. I truely believe that my push to become fit for the past 3 years has positively affected my MS symptoms. I am actually off meds now as a result of my improvement and reactions to various meds.
Anyway, back to cycling. I fell last October on a slow scenic ride and had a significant concussion. It caused severe vertigo which I didn't need given my pre-existing balance issues. I am trying to get back into endurance riding but it is tough. I also fell on some ice in February and hurt my back which has slowed me up a bit. I have been riding my trainer and taking Pilates classes.
In the past 10 days the weather has warmed up and we have taken some road rides. I am really struggling to keep up and am not really enjoying the rides. I guess I am just too impatient and want to be back in shape immediately. Last Friday I did do a 30 mile ride and I felt stronger and much better on the bike. I have also been doing single leg drills on the trainer to improve my cycling stroke.
Your cycling is inspiring. I can't imagine the 500+ mile ride you are planning. We did a century last year and that was enough riding for one day. If you don't mind, I will follow your training and post occasionally.
PAW

[AMFADVENTURES]

If you don't mind, I will follow your training and post occasionally.
PAW

Paw, I am grateful for the company, thank you. Even riding down the electronic trail can get a little lonely and having someone to share with should be beneficial for everyone. I try to post about once a week, and whenever something notable pops up.

This is a training article I posted somewhere else on this site. I should have posted it here since it is cycling specific.
http://www.active.com/cycling/Articl...ement=5&Dy=Wed
Basically it says that about 80% of pro athlete training takes place at a heart rate of less than 80% of maximum and only 20 % of training at a heart rate of around 90% or more of maximum. It’s an interesting article that I’ve only begun to follow. I realize we’re not pro’s but seems like the principals should still apply. You in particular may have better insight.

I’ve become pretty good at NOT trying to keep up with my buddies, but rather ride my own ride. Normally I hold my own no problem, except on hills, where my buddies can be real animals. Fortunately, they actually seem happy to wait for me at the top or get a little extra mileage in by coming back to harass me. Avoiding further injury is a huge issue now, as we both seem to have found out.

Looking forward to trading tips and stories along the road,

BTW, congrats on the century!

Keep the rubber side down,

[AMFADVENTURES]

3/20/10 Training

Got 7.25 hrs. for the week, 5 hrs. indoors on the trainer and 2.25 hrs. outside on the trail (right after the Ortho., not a pro biker, gave me the OK… just more rotator cuff injury). The workouts included about 1.5 hrs. of interval work.

Here’s a cool fund raising idea the MS 150 team I’m on did. They arranged for a limited number of reduced price tickets to a professional hockey game AND for $10 of each ticket to go toward our teams MS 150 fund raising effort. Looks like they’re serious about being the #1 fund raiser again this year.

We’ve got 4-6 in. of snow on the ground at the moment but looks like it’ll be gone by Monday, things are looking good for spring training.

AMF

[AMFADVENTURES]

3/27/10 Training Log

Got 9:10 in for the week, 4:40 outside and 4:30 on a trainer, here’s the blow by blow.

Sun – normal day off
Mon. – 2:20 outside, hills and intervals, moderate to high intensity
Tues. – 2:20 outside, downhill with a tail wind going out, uphill into a 15 mph headwind coming back, moderate to high intensity
Wed. – normal day off, headwind from yesterday brought a storm that dropped 10” of snow.
Thurs. – 1:30 on a trainer, used every mind trick I knew to force myself onto the trainer, no problem after the first 20 min. though, low to moderate intensity
Fri. – 1:30 low to moderate intensity
Sat. – 1:30 low intensity

Still waiting for the spring weather.

AMF

[Tanya]

me, too!!

I'm 34-years-old, newly diagnosed (September), and now am training for the 150--my ride's the first weekend in May. I downloaded a training schedule that I found online, and I'm doing my best to follow it. I was supposed to ride 47 miles today, but I ended at 41. (I can do wind...I can do hills...but high winds+steep hills=torture!!)
I've been very inspired by reading your posts. It's exciting to know that you can be doing this at 60 with the MS. I look forward to reading more of your posts and following your training.