MSers in Training 2017

[Stewart]

getting motivated

Tell ya what folks - reading all the amazing stuff being done by people here motivates me. I've changed up my routine a little - I believe changing routine makes your body adapt harder and train better. I was reading about the south American lady who protests and looks so fit its incredible - so I added a thing she does to my routine. She walks up mountains every morning carrying weights - I walk up my stairs and back carrying weights - more than once *grin*. It stresses my body like very little else. I have no idea what it will do - I'll stick with it for 3 months and let folks know.

[ActiveMSers]

Great to see all the motivating posts here. I was planning on taking a little R&R but that never seems to happen even when I'm supposedly R&Ring, ha.

[Marinadca]

Long time no post my friends - I have not been feeling it at some things are happening on the personal/MS front that have me stressed. I won't detail then here as this is my positive place!

Sue - that's great, congratulations and also thank you to your Hubby.

penkalet - That's great that you are getting out there! I wish I knew a way to make climbing on the trike easier or more pleasant. I have had some luck improving the "engine" and also with changing out the rear cassette with the biggest gears I would buy for hilly rides. I still go slow as molasses up hills but at least it feels less "hard" on my legs.

walkerhe09 - Wow 2 hours is a great goal, I wish you luck that you will achieve it!

Stewart - That's actually a great idea! I have been trying to do more up/down stairs as that seems so tough for me. Perhaps adding weights is the way to go.

As for me... The 6 Pillars Century ended up being a 67 mile ride for me. It was "cold" 55ish and VERY windy (about 30 mph at my head) so it was already pretty unpleasant. But then it started raining. At that point I was kind of concerned about hypothermia as we were already so cold, adding rain to that seemed bad. So I took the bail out that cut the century into more of a metric century. When we got back the finish area had flooded so we just went back to our car and never crossed the finish line!

Next up for me in mid June is the MS 150 - hopefully the weather is better for that. It was nice this weekend, though we were short of time on Saturday (first party in our new house, went great!) so we did 20 miles on Saturday and 30 on Sunday. After the bad time I had getting steroids on Tuesday I was very happy with that!

[Suebee]

I've been sidelined for awhile because of weak core/ hip abductors, flexors. I had min improvement from PT, so all your routines encouraged me to try again. I found the following for weak/ unbalanced hips for rumners on line. it is almost the same as PT recommended exercisrs with addition of massage. I'm gonna give a try and report back- need to be accountable, right? ����r
recommended exercises:

2x a week min.

clamshell 3-4 reps, 8-12 reps (add bands for extra)

& side step - 8-10 steps one direction with band keeping hips level and back
min. 3-4 reps

for balance of legs to hip:

single leg deadlift 5-12 reps, 3-5 sets
trx lunge 5-12 reps, 3-5 sets

stretching/ mobility
plank psoas (most powerful hip flexor in body) massage

quad / hip abductor foam roll

it band (hip) foam roll

kneeling hip flexor stretch

link with pictures of excercises : http://www.active.com/running/Articl...es-for-Runners

[Veronica]

Been reading faithfully everyone's training routines, and planned events....nice stuff.....

I especially enjoy the creativity we all seem to have developed to target those areas that are our weakest.... I've been, like Suebee, dealing with a very weak core for such a long time, and have been finding progress very very slow when doing the designated exercises that my PT and I agreed on. But one thing that I realized the other day, is that I may be, in a way, undoing my work, or at least, not putting these exercises into functional use as I need to. I always use my left hand on the rail when climbing stairs as this is the easier way for me. When I recently needed to use a right rail as there was no left rail, it was considerably harder as it always is, and FINALLY, the lightbulb went off in my head that since I feel the core muscles being used this way, that I just need to use the right rail MUCH more than I do. It definitely makes climbing harder, but I am engaging the very area that I feel is the weakest. So, I am starting to do this when I can...especially been doing this at home on my deck stairs, or even just the two steps into my house from the garage. Some days I have just used these two steps over and over to get the core engaged. This, in addition to the dynamic balancing exercises may be my ticket to gain SOME strength here... Fingers crossed.

Apart from that, I've been on the trike outside only a few times due to my free time and Mother Nature not being on the same page. I've decided to take all pressure off myself this season and just to enjoy the ride, challenge myself each time, but not to the point of getting myself dejected when I don't get in the ride I thought I needed to do. I'm liking this new approach... and it fits the trails that I ride now...just very rural, beautiful trails through farm country. Gotta keep challenging myself, but gotta have fun!

Oh! And I am happy to report that I am now devoted to my yoga class. Made four Monday 8am classes so far, and wow, all I can say, is WHAT took me so long???

Suebee, I also thank your husband for doing the BikeMS 150. Always very thankful for those riders who are not actual MSers....

And Marina, just giving you a shout out...steroids??? Hmmm, well, a hell of a lot of us have been that route, remember that you can come out the other side of this as strong... and remember that you have us to vent with.....We'll keep it a happy place, but we are your "buds" in this, aren't we??

Larry, have you run out of mountains to climb yet??

[teena marie]

Hi all,

I am back from the dead, literally. March 17, I was found unconscious on my kitchen floor where I had been for probably 18 hours. I was severely hypothermic with a core temperature of 28C. I did in fact cross over and encountered the dead in my life, namely my husband and my parents. I remained unconscious for 2 more days and was diagnosed with pancreatitis although I had no symptoms. Friends and colleagues reported that I had been acting fuzzy brained and that my speech was at times weak or slurred. MRI showed stable MS with no recent activity so it was ruled out. I was hospitalized in bed for 2 months so I have lost an incredible amount of strength. I am presently working with an incredible physio and feel I am on the road to recovery although it will be a while. I have yet to swim, still too cold. So no team triathlon this summer.

I have yet to read all posts since March but having looked at the most recent ones, looks like the usual inspirational group.

Take care, all and nice to be back,

Teena Marie

[AMFADVENTURES]

Good grief Teena Marie, I don't know what to say except that I'm sure glad you're still with us! Interesting about the encounters. I'll be thinking of you during the recovery, I hope it will be easier and fuller than you might suspect right now.

All the best Teena Marie,
Larry

[Veronica]

Oh Teena Marie....I have missed reading posts from you, and so when I saw notice that you posted, I thought " Oh good, I missed Teena Marie..." Good Lord, I wasn't expecting to read this.... I am also SO glad that you are still with us, what an ordeal... Your crossing over experience comforted me....but I am glad that you didn't stay with your loving family...selfish of me, but there it is... I am happy that you have a PT that you feel is going to get you through this....you need to have that type of confidence I would think as you climb back up from this. And climb back up from this is what I would expect you to do your darnedess to accomplish. I really think that having the mindset that you had before this, will serve you well. I'm sending you loving, healing vibes......

[Suebee]

TM, om gosh, i'm so sorry to hear about what happened to you, but so thankful they got you to hospital and you are on road to recovery. I felt the presence of late mum and grandmum when i was really ill with MS. And i am able to remember the calm and comfort it gave me when i need calm and comfort. i hope you can do the same. With regard to recovery, a friend of mine had similar pancreatic attack (no ms) and after recovery she said her body felt so much better after suffering years of vague gastro distress and other symptoms. So my prayer for you is to come back better than ever! Suebee

[ActiveMSers]

Holy cow, I leave for a couple weeks and come back to this!? Jesus, TM, hang in there. Glad you are on the mend. And Marina, thinking about you, two. And AMF, and Suebee, and....

I managed to get in more than a few hard exercise sessions on my 2-week vacation (Mediterranean cruise), although the ship's gym was ill equipped. For the lighter hand weights, they only had one of each. And they were not hexagonal, so if you put them down, they were off like a toddler. I did get some stares as I did seated cardio and did fast, high reps (25) on the machines to keep the HR up.

Also had some unplanned exercise experiences as well. I thought the hills in Santorini were hard, and then we went into a cave in Slovenia. OMG. More on that to come. Catching up now....

[walkerhe09]

May Totals

Somehow I was able to overcome my desire to sleep and got out the door to go running 18 times in May for a total of 101.3 miles. I just need to keep it going.

[AMFADVENTURES]

Marina, sounds like a pretty miserable day in the saddle at 6 Pillars, bummer. But at least you got a metric out of it! BTW, what are the steroids all about, just a transition from Tysabri I hope?

Walker! Over 100 miles in May!!!! That doesn't sound too shabby! Looks like you're well on your way.

Dave, looking forward to reading all about your latest adventures.

Veronica, you are just sooo busy. Congrats on getting hooked up with yoga. It can be a lot more exercise than most people probably think but it can also be quite relaxing. Super to know you are enjoying it. And yes, Leggs and I just did our first mountain climb of the year and on our way up, we too decided to take some pressure off by not committing to the Copper Triangle. But we also decided to try some more challenging climbs - on our own terms.

It hasn't stopped snowing here yet, you might have heard about the 2 to 4 FEET of snow we got just a couple of weeks ago. Yes it was only in the mountains but geez, give me a break, 2 to 4 FEET, in late April??? Anyway, Leggs and I decided to see just how high we could get before we got snowed out yesterday.

We chose Squaw pass for our first shot of the year. She decided we needed to get started by 6:30 in the am! I thought it would be freezing, but no, it turned out to be perfect. A cloudless sky on a breezeless day, temps starting in the mid 60's, really couldn't have been better.

Since it was our first foray to altitude and since we were expecting to encounter snow, we didn't really set any goals other than to get as high as we could. We started at about 7,500 feet, at 9750 we spotted the first snow drifts in the forest along the road. At that same time the temperature dropped a good 10 degrees. We continued for a couple more miles and another 500 feet of elevation, the snow becoming more prevalent and the temperature constantly dropping as we climbed higher. Finally at 10,250 and 13.5 miles we called it, we didn't have the right clothes for the changing conditions and we still had 5 miles to go to the turn around point. It took a while to thaw out our hands and toes when we got down too.

All in all we were happy with our effort, in fact we talked about how the climb didn't seem as tough as it was last year, either we were stronger or just more efficient cyclists now than we were the year before.

So, life is good, a major warming trend is on the way and I imagine we'll complete the climb the next time. We got 27 miles round trip, almost 3,000 feet of ascent.

Later,
Larry

Ps thinking of you TM

Quote of the day:
There's a lot of excuses you can use in your life to not chase your dreams. If you believe in it, you can make it happen. From a severe hemophiliac who summited Mt. Everest

[Marinadca]

Oh my gosh Teena Marie how scary and thank goodness you are with us! Best of luck on your road to recovery, may you come back even stronger than before.

It is very nice to read about all of your adventures...100+ miles in a month Walker? Wow!! And a weak core? I feel you Sue. I am so glad you tried and are enjoying yoga Veronica, its so simple yet so good! And AMF my legs are burning just thinking about those climbs!

As for me, this weekend is my MS ride. The weather says it will be a high in the upper 80s with a chance of rain all day, both days, so I guess we will see. I am going to try for the full 150, but 100 miles the first day is my main goal, I am not too fussed with what I do the 2nd day, just getting on the bike again at all the 2nd day is goal enough for me.

On the MS front I did get one day of steroids during my wash from Tysabri. That 1 day really messed me up. I opted not to get another dose and will get Occrevus as soon as my insurance company approves it. My last Ty infusion was toward the end of April and not being on any meds is really having a (I think) mental effect on me, phyching me out a bunch. But onwards and upwards

[AMFADVENTURES]

Marina, did you get wet?

Made it all the way up Squaw pass last week, the altitude started getting to me about 10,500 but not so bad I couldn't keep going. Got 4,000 ft and 37 miles.

Tried to do Loveland pass or at least to the base of it. Winds were horrific, nothing like pedaling uphill into a headwind! They weren't consistent either, occasional gusts from the side moved the bike a couple of feet. Gave it up after 18 miles. The trip back down was sure fast. 36 miles and 2500 ft.

Keep it up all,

Larry

[teena marie]

Hello all,

First of all, thank you all so much for your kind words and well wishes. It is enormously helpful. Training is different these days. I have to focus on recovery so I look at all activities as part of my rehab. The schedule is full. Home physio 2xweek, robot walker and FES bike 2xweek (more on that later), swim 4xweek and most recently weekly acupuncture/Chinese massage. I am also concentrating on basic functional moves namely sit to stand and getting out of bed with minimal assistance. It is all coming along slowly. After a recent swim, I walked with my sticks a short distance. Strength is returning and I can see increased muscle mass. Still a road ahead but it feels hopeful.

I am incredibly lucky to have access to this clinic. A first here in Quebec. The G-eo robot walker is life changing. A true gait trainer. I walk for 30 minutes, sometimes with electrical stimulation. It has an option to increase resistance or climb stairs. I am strung up in a sling, much like a jolly jumper, feet in shoes attached to the mechanism that propels you. There is a mirror in front of you so that you can correct your positioning. As well, a physiotherapist is guiding you along with constant feedback. Truly amazing. Now I'm up to 1200 steps and 300 stairs. Then it's off to the bike for 30 minutes with electrodes on the main muscle groups. For both the robot and the bike, the intensity of the electrical stim can be increased. I especially feel core strength increasing. Here is a link to the clinic.
http://neuro-concept.ca/en/technologies/g-eo-system/

I remain cautiously optimistic that I will come out new and improved.

Amazing feats of excellence by you all. I remain continually inspired.

Take good care,

Teena Marie