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MSers in Training 2020

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  • ActiveMSers
    replied
    Larry, liking your plan! As for me and my quarantine, I've added another exercise routine... exercising patience.

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  • AMFADVENTURES
    replied
    The Plan is Coming Together

    This years plan is coming together if a bit serendipitously. One of my most consistent bike buddies lately is a 78 year old guy from the oil patch, nearly 10 years older and a stronger rider than me. He signed up for Ride the Rockies and asked me to help him train as well as be support during the ride. RTR is 418 miles and 28,484 ft. of ascent this year.

    The hot blond yoga chick got a wild hair and signed up for the Triple Bypass or at least a double bypass within the triple. They've added a lot of options to the Triple. She is crazy strong and fast this year and also wants to do some training together. The Double Bypass is 75 miles and 7,200 ft. of ascent.

    Fortunately the two dove-tail, allowing for the three of us to do at least one or two rides together each week. Although both Ride the Rockies and the Triple Bypass will likely be canceled due to Corvid-19, we will proceed with the training to the best of our abilities. After all, it really is all about the training, and since there's a good chance the Copper Triangle won't get cancelled and the three of us will be highly trained, well there we go!

    And my old high school buddy, who like me will turn 70 years old this year, has his sights set on winning his class and age group in the Senior Games. We consult regularly on his training methods and schedule. It's going to be a busy year with a lot of active involvement on the training front and I think I've got a good handle on how to manage it all, now we just need a little cooperation from the weather.

    For the year to date I have 300 miles in 25 hours with 9,900 ft of ascent and it's only just begun. We are using and will continue to use best practices with respect to Corvid-19.

    More as we get on with our program, stay active out there!

    Larry

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  • Suebee
    replied
    Hi all, it is good to see your posts, and hear about all about your accomplishments before pandemic, and now how you all are adjusting, staying active and safe during this crazy surreal time. TM I spent one winter in college living in a farm house heated by wood I chopped and working at Loon so I could ski for free with a seasons pass. I've never felt more alive than when I skied on that mountain, and that you've been successful at adaptive skiing gives me hope I will get to experience that again one day... My skis and equipment got ditched long ago, not much use in Houston. But I so love NH area....Larry, nice article and I agree great picture too! My hubby was training for the MS 150 Houston to Austin, but now training and event indefinitely on hold. We discussed renting a recumbent or racing trike for me to do training with him, but there will be time for that later. Good idea to avoid busy trails Dave. There are a lot of great trails where I live, but got scared the other day when I told an approaching group that I was at risk but they didnt slow down to give me time to get out of the way before they passed. OUt of lack of understanding, I'm sure, but no less dangerous. My time has been occupied with cleaning, cleaning, and more, as well.as cooking and being activity director for my kids. It resulted in more moments of complete MS type body and mind shutdown. So I started following a schedule with rest breaks, setting time to catch up with family and friends by phone and listening to music. That has been restorative. Reading about Larry and the other MSers highlighted in the article, also tells me I should be scheduling in some yoga or stationary biking each day too. My physiotherapist says I am weak because of core and extension exercises will help me get strong again. He seems to think it will be curative of my significant weakness. I can schedule PT when things normalize. Stay safe. Stay strong. Suebee.

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  • AMFADVENTURES
    replied
    Dave, I'm with you on the bike trails, there are so many folks using them now that they've become nearly impassable. Switching to roads here too.

    Karen, agri-logistics huh? I might need to talk to you about finding some bread quality rye flour, there seems to be a shortage around here. I bet you are in serious demand right now!

    The spring winds have arrived and they are already adding to the excitement of the ride! So it goes. I'm getting out two or three times a week, still weather permitting. Made it up lookout mountain already, only 10 miles but about 1300 ft of elevation gain! I have the weights and yoga props to be able to do it from home but there is that small matter of self dicipline that I'm not so great at always. It hasn't been a problem yet because it just snowed for two days and shoveling that heavy wet spring snow provided all the exercise I needed for a day or two. So, so far so good.

    Take care all,
    Larry

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  • cl3me
    replied
    Crazy times!
    I work in the Agri-Food Logistics business and our company was deemed essential by Canadian government so it is expected company remain operational and we continue to work.

    I have been granted ability to work from home given my higher risk of complications, today got the tech sorted out with laptop and logging in via VPN, my coworkers are continuing to go into office, but to mitigate risk there they are working shifts so no more than 50 people are on a given floor of office building. Social distancing to apply

    So day 1 of working from home and province wide state of emergency - pools closed, yoga studio is working on a online/virtual class. So how to stay active ?

    During my lunch hour at home, I took the dog for a long walk, got my sunshine and vitamin d, perfect break from work and a way to keep from being completely sedentary.

    Have face masks and hand sanitizer on ready if I can’t find anyone to go for grocery resupply but I’m well stocked.

    Time to hunker down, I suspect this is going to be a long haul. I’m an introvert so staying home not overly stressful and having work to do will keep me occupied.

    Virtual hugs all.
    Karen

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  • ActiveMSers
    replied
    Checking In! Hope you'all are hanging in there. I'm managing to exercise daily, getting out for regular rides and working out in my home gym. I'm making some changes, and now it appears I may need to avoid the bike trail for the time being. The bike lane isn't as wide as I'd like. While it would be unlikely, an errant cough from a fellow rider could be catastrophic. So maybe I'll stick to wide streets to be extra safe. Especially because the trail is waaay more popular these days! Curious what you guys are doing about this problem.

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  • ActiveMSers
    replied
    Larry, loved the article, TM way to go, and Veronica you know I'm getting that bike! I'll post more about that once I order--it's pretty trick.

    Laura and I were off on holiday this past week and I did nothing. Jack squat. Those breaks are usually good, but I'm glad to be back to my exercise routine and on my bike. Unfortunately I sprained my left wrist (dunno how) and torqued my right thumb (probably compensating). So that's beyond frustrating! Going on several weeks now. I can still ride mostly pain free, but transferring and stretching often tweak one or both, which sets me back. Trying, trying to be careful.

    On a final note, I have been avoiding the gym, first for the flu, now for coronavirus. My home gym works fine, so it's not worth the added stress/risk IMO.

    Leave a comment:


  • Veronica
    replied
    Hi all: Larry, that article was a really great read! Yours and all the others.... and I agree with Teena Marie....great photo, and all that shoveling has got to count as excellent workouts.. I think the West got all the snow that the East did not this winter..... I certainly saved money on plowing, but it has made finding consistently good snow challenging.... Now, I am far from complaining as I am skiing more often and better than I have ever in my life.... we end our adaptive lessons tomorrow at my local mountain, and then I plan one more trip up to New Hampshire mid March. IF we still have skiable snow at my mountain I hope to get there at the end of the month for a final Just Fun ski.

    Teena Marie, happy to hear you are seeing results. I am too...and it is so self motivating for me to continue my rowing. I am getting seriously addicted to this.... and am finding 15-20 mins easily every other day to row on the bowflex. Works my core, arms and my gluts . I see it in rolling from side to side while on my back, in my posture, and in better engaging my weaker leg when walking. And when I walk I am finding that I don’t fatigue out quite as soon since I am using more of my total body and have more even strides.

    I just got into NYC to see my PT...first time since last May! I certainly have kept in email contact with him, but things just didn’t work out for any earlier “reunion”. Living where I do now, it is a full day event between traveling the almost 6 hrs round trip drive, then getting parked and shlepping over to his office. I have always dreaded the “shlepp” and the walk inside Hunter University where his office is, as it is quite a long walk once I get in the front door.

    Well, I felt the difference when I did the internal walk, and then when he assessed me he also saw the positive effects. His comment “ You are stronger” just made me so happy.... he saw that my heel strikes were more even, and very solid and my stride lengths were pretty much even which wasn’t the case before, and when I was standing up from a seated position on the exam table I found no need to put a hand down to help me do so. That was so startling, I asked if I could do that again! It was a “Eureka” moment for sure...

    Our plan now is for me to, of course, continue what I have been doing, but to now add exercises for my hip abductors...side leg raises that I have had before, hated doing and just didn’t do them ( being honest here.....) to increase the fast walks to 5-6 sets, twice weekly, and to practice pivot turns with and without walking a few times weekly. All this will help with my lateral balance issues. And I am back on track to see him in 3 months...

    No cycling at all for me this winter since I didn’t bring the trike into the house, and never got in a winter ride or two as I had hoped. but I’ve got all the cold weather gear, so updated plan is to get out on the trike earlier than I have ever.... with this weather, that shouldn’t be too hard...

    Karen, What came to mind when I read your last post was the “Exercise is medicine for MS”.... Yahoo for you that yoga and swimming is keep you from needing the baclofin. Good stuff, this exercise, huh?

    And Dave, this is crossing threads.... from your Dave’s SCT Journey about “Plan J.....”
    You know I totally vote for that e-assist.... I remember you tried one kind of recently. Fun, wasn’t it?

    Leave a comment:


  • teena marie
    replied
    Wow, Larry!!! Inspirational read and fantastic photo. Well deserved. And all that shoveling sounds like a rather intense workout. No doubt it will be useful bike training.

    Training continues well. My YMCA is around the corner. The gym is surrounded by windows and bathed in sunlight. Such a wonderful workout space. I go 5 x per week. I'm working with 3 different professionals who come from different backgrounds that complement each other. I've incorporated some resistance training with weights and pulleys. Standing straighter and better able to push my pelvis forward. The various core exercises have contributed to this positive change. No pool for now. I may just wait until the outdoor season starts.

    The days are longer and the sun is higher in the sky. Nice to be heading in that direction.

    Take care all,

    Teena Marie

    Leave a comment:


  • AMFADVENTURES
    replied
    15 Seconds of Fame

    Well, February was sure a bust! I got out on the bike a grand total of once. We had something on the order of 9 snow storms covering 16 of the 29 days in February. I shoveled snow 11 times! No bike, not even any getting to the gym. I did manage to get to yoga and do my stretching occasionally but I'm facing a restart now.

    I got out the other day, after recovering from a bout of the local version of the corona virus (a head and chest cold), just to see if my lungs and legs were still working. They were and things are beginning to look up around here. We're expecting mid to upper 50's today so I'll have to get out there soon, and the future is even brighter!

    On a side note, I was one of eight people interviewed for a piece about Living Strong with MS in Health Central. Of course it had to do with my cycling. A series of very short perspectives from active MSers living life strong, an inspirational read in case you're interested
    https://www.healthcentral.com/articl...iple-sclerosis
    Credit Lambeth Hochwald (@lambethhochwald)
    And thanks to Dave Bexfield for the referral.

    Keeping on keeping on even when it means a restart,
    Larry

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  • AMFADVENTURES
    replied
    Snow Weary or Enough of This Snowmagedan Already

    Hey Karen, glad you're enjoying yoga. I find that during periods when for one reason or another, I'm not exercising much, yoga is always my way back. And if I don't do it for even a couple of weeks I really notice how much stiffer I am.

    I hear you about the winter weather Dave. I've shoveled snow 7 out of the last 14 days. Snow shoveling has become my primary form of exercise and there's a storm moving in tonight that is expected to stick around for a while!!! Still hitting yoga on the days it doesn't snow and managing to get some stretching in once in a while.

    Looking forward to warmer and drier days,

    Larry

    Leave a comment:


  • cl3me
    replied
    I have a few weeks of Kripalu yoga under my belt and it is working great, I have noticed that the tightness in my left calf and hip flexors is better afterwards, such that the walk to the bus after is noticeably less stiff than the walk to class...and haven't had any mid sleep wake up to a charlie horse cramp in the middle of the night for some weeks, and no hobbling around when I first wake up. This means I can avoid drugs, neuro was ready with a script for baclofen but we decided to see if I could get it under control this way. Yoga and swimming is doing the trick for me. Last year I was doing lots of treadmill work, trying to progress on a couch to 5k walk/run program, and in hindsight it may have been contributing? Either way I am much happier this winter.

    My weekly adult swim lessons go until March 10th, have to decide if I am going to do another session or try public lap swimming on my own...

    Looking forward to spring. MS Bike tour in August, and also looking at a kayak event in September "Red River Paddle Challenge" a 45km paddle along the Red River all the way through the city of Winnipeg. Gives me all summer to build up fitness for a big endurance event....and the weather is cooler in september so I don't have to worry about the heat...gotta love a challenge!

    Cheers
    Karen in ~Winterpeg

    Leave a comment:


  • ActiveMSers
    replied
    Winter weather is rolling into New Mexico, so I jumped on my handcycle for three consecutive days. First day I cranked, second day I did ok, and yesterday was more of a spin. Today is definitely a leg day!

    What do I do leg-wise since I spend much of my time in a wheelchair? Some squats and calf raises to start (or train on my walker) while my legs are fresh, then a series of exercises on my chair, then I move down to the floor to work stuff I couldn't easily work seated, then I wrap up with stretching. And then I help Laura cook!

    Love seeing the progress of others. Newbies, don't be shy!

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  • AMFADVENTURES
    replied
    TM, great news on getting those sidestix going again! All my best vibes on continued recovery! And Marina, didn't know you were going through those problems with your hips. Hope you're getting on top of that too!

    Karen, how's the yoga?

    Dave and Veronica, I am soooo jealous! I've been out on the bike 4 times since the start of the year, granted I didn't take advantage of every possibility but I did do as much as I realistically could. However, the 4 times I did get out far exceeded my expectations. I also got up ski biking once. The equipment rental was free BUT, they gave me one of the old awkward and somewhat heavy K2 bike's, the boots cramped my toes, the binding on one ski was misadjusted so that the ski pointed outward, and I had some kind of gut problem, probably food induced from the night before. I didn't discover any of those things until we had already gone as far up the lifts as we could go and still stay on the green slopes. It was a long trip down and the only run I got in that day. I might have to go up again though just to prove to myself that the previous experience was a one off and that I really can do better - and because I have a free pass.

    I participated in a focus group for the NSCD (National Sports Center for the Disabled). An interesting exercise comprised of both caregivers and disabled participants geared toward rebranding the NSCD. There's no doubt their brand might be a little outdated, apparently they've been around for 50 years, a fresh coat of paint couldn't hurt. I hope we helped them.

    Other than that I've just been up to the same old same old. Lifting weights every 3 to 4 days, doing my stretching and core routine, and still hitting the yoga class on a regular basis. This particular week is dedicated to snow shoveling and cooking. I've been out shoveling once already and will be after it again tomorrow, and making a pot of beef chili between storms seemed a fitting enterprise considering the bitter cold we're currently experiencing. And of course I had to make some bread to go along with the chili. Things just seem to have a way of escalating, don't they? Interestingly, the 10" of snow we got back in early December never completely melted!

    Off to get a beer now, could be my last chance for a day or two.

    Keep it up all,
    Larry

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  • Veronica
    replied
    So, I participated in the Can Do MS event at Loon Mountain, New Hampshire this weekend. The event, Ski for MS, was a combination of vertical challenge, fun ski race, and opportunities for MSers to try out ski equipment, or in my case, to ski a new mountain with an adaptive instructor working with me.

    What a hoot it was! The vertical challenge was really out of my league, and I wanted to work with the coaches on bumping up my abilities, so I also opted not to participate in the race. Did that during my 4 tracking years, and really enjoyed it, but wanted/needed some concentrated time for training.

    Well... my coach, Peter, was probably one of the top 3 instructors that I have ever worked with. He trained me on all intermediate runs that were freaking me out by tethering me ( just for speed control) which gave me confidence I wouldn’t plow into a tree or do a straight run down the slope if I lost control...and he called out my turns for me. The same way a visually impaired skier is guided down the hill. I just did what he said to do....no need for me to figure it out. All he said on a run was “Turn...hold..hold...hold ( as I traversed the hill). turn...hold.hold...turn.....” and on and on. As I gained some confidence and he saw I was edging well, he made the turns quicker. “turn..h o l d ..Turn....”. It kept me from over analyzing my turns, and taught me how to judge my terrain as I was moving thru it. And I trusted him, and just wasn’t very nervous at all, as I knew he was well skilled in this.

    It was just so much fun! We were a good team, and he was so close behind me that I really felt we were in this together. I did those challenging blue trails quite well, if I do say so myself! Yes, I had a moment or two, when I picked up more speed than I wanted to, and scared the heck out of myself, but he reminded me to lean into my turn more, and that got things back under control. When I called out that I needed a break, it was to let the adrenaline rush calm down! So thrilling!


    So that was the ski event of Ski for MS, and then we headed inside for the awards party..... great group of skiers of all abilities, and just a happy time. And my thrill for that part of the event, was that I got to spend some time with Tyler Hamilton, as he has gotten himself very involved in Can Do MS, which I am sure several of you know. Well, I am such a Tour de France geek, that I HAD to chat with him, and get my photo with him. After we had a fun chat, and we had the photo taken side by side, I told him I needed to give him a kiss, did so on his cheek ( camera clicking) and then he turned and gave me a big smooch right on the lips ( of course, camera still clicking!). Such goofy fun! I ended the evening totally exhausted but so satisfied with my skiing.... and lip locking with Tyler .... (wink, wink)

    Now, the next day my friend and her family and I went on to a neighboring mountain, Bretton Woods. My friend is also an MSer, and uses a sitski. She introduced me to Bretton last year, and we all love the wide, well groomed trails and the adaptive program there.

    Well, my instructor for the day, Hans, had been volunteering in the adaptive program for 20 years and really knew the ski bike, but also how to get me more confident in my abilities.

    I told him I was worked hard the day before and just wanted a fun day of all greens...some easy peasy runs. He didn’t need to call my turns, but did so when we had to work on headwalls (drop down short steep sections usually at the start or end of a trail) of some new beginner trails. In the afternoon we ended up on more new trails when one of the lifts we wanted to take was closed and we had to improvise.

    Of course, Nervous Nellie here constantly was asking what color the trail was and he kept telling me there were no worries, “ALL the trails over here are green ( beginner..).”

    So I did them, thinking they were a little more challenging, but never did I think anything else. Well.... we got back at the end of the day and he chuckled when he told me he LIED to me...they were all intermediate (blue) trails.... I got up from the bench and gave HIM a big kiss and hug, and told him I was SO GLAD he didn’t tell me out there.

    So I can proudly say I am now a solid intermediate level skier. Never would have gotten here without my ski bike, and these phenomenal volunteer adaptive instructors....

    So now, apart from all this riotous fun, I learned how much I need to continue working on my core as my right turns suffer from my ride side weakness. It makes getting my weight over the outside of the ski really challenging, and this is where I will feel fatigue creeping in first. Gonna give it my all with the rowing and some other core exercises and see what happens... stay tuned!

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