Sick, Sick, Sick - No training this weekend

Saturday I started feeling not so hot. The problem with dealing with mulitple sclerosis is that sometimes you can't tell if you are having an exacerbation or if you are truly getting sick. I was dizzy and had ringing in my ears and my left hand hurt really bad. My hand had been hurting for over a weeks so I just thought it was par for the course. As things developed and I push forward with my day, going to Faust Park with the family, I woke from my nap and knew.... I was sick and it wasn't an exacerbation. This caused me to not do the ride planned on Sunday night. I've been living on menthol drops, airborne and ibuprophen since then. I'm trying to get myself well enough to go to get to a benifit for the MS150 that my friend put together at the Scottish Arms. I don't know if I'm that organized to do something like that but I'm excited about going to see how it all turn out.

The MS 150 Benefit is at the Scottish Arms
#8 South Sarah St.
St. Louis, MO 63108
Sept 1st, Tuesday at 8pm
There will be raffle, auction and trivia and music
They will have G.C. to the Scottish Arms and other local places, massage certificate, staff auctions and a chef auction to cook a private dinner for you up for grabs.
It will go from 8pm-12am

We would welcome anyone to come check it out.

Since there are no pics from a ride this weekend I thought I'd post this one from last weekend. I thought it was funny because one of his lens on his glasses is darker than the other. These lens self adjust and I thought that the one failed to darken, but Jeremy assures me it was just a shadow. Still make for an odd looking picture.

Then this is a picture of what we got to do this weekend before I got so ill. We went to Faust park and Big Sis is learning to slide down a pole with Jeremy. Baby Girl is watching her wondering when will she get big enough to do that.

"I Ride With MS" Jersey

This is a pic of the design of the jersey that I've been asked to wear one day of the ride this year. In celebration of their 25 year anniversary, the MS Society had made these jerseys for those that were riding in the event and have the disease. These are being provided for us for free. The MS Society wants everyone to remember the reason behind each mile, the real motivation around each turn.

2009 Participating Teams - Tour of Missouri 2009 - Tour of Missouri 2009

2009 Participating Teams - Tour of Missouri 2009 - Tour of Missouri 2009

Above is the link for the team break down and some of the highlighted professional cyclist that will be appearing in the Tour of Missouri. So of the interesting info I found is that it will be Levi Leipheimer's first race since his injury in the Tour de France. I think it is awesome that he is using this tour to see where he stands physically. Basically I think that this list is a teaser of who will be there and not a complete release of info. US favorite George Hincapie will be there and I'm sure the Long family is happy about that.

As something totally unexpected the MS Society contacted me due to be a top fundraiser in MS150 of 2008 and offered 2 tickets to a special seated area for the start and finish of the St. Louis leg. With only 50 spot available it was sort of if you RSVPed in time. Well waiting to talk with Jeremy was my downfall. When I responded to the person in charge she only had one ticket left. I was then put on a waiting list for another ticket. About 6 hours later I got an e-mail about the good news of getting another ticket. So the quite unexpected pleasant surprise for me and Jeremy and that we get to go to the Tour of Missouri start and finish Stage 1 with special seating. Hopefully get to see an awesome race and see some awesome cyclist!

Today’s ride was a get together with some old friends. We did 40 mile along the Riverfront Trail and into IL past the Chain of Rocks Bridge. There was incredible weather to be having in August. This lent us to do something almost unheard of in the Dean household. We slept in until 8AM!!!! Knowing that the weather was going to be so good and having the girls spend the night at grandma’s the night before allowed us to not have to rush in the morning to get miles in before it got too hot. We met up with Doug and Nancy and we were off on the trail.
This ride turned out the ride of mechanical difficulty. First Doug lost the screw to his glasses (thank sgoodness for Nancy to fix it with a paper clip she found) then Doug got a flat tire then…. All I have to say is that Jeremy needed to listen to his wife when she said that something seemed wrong with her shoe when she tried to get out of the clip on her pedal. I ended up losing a screw on my pedal and the clip turned completely the wrong way. We had to stop on the Chain of Rocks Bridge at the fire truck to at least get the other screw tight so that it can attempt to stay put.Jeremy and I stop briefly for a photo op by using the self timer at the fire truck. Luckily I didn’t have to get out of my pedal until the very end because it probably wouldn’t have ended well. I would have ended up falling to the ground not able to get off the bike. Actually at the end of the ride Jeremy had to help me out of my bike and take off my shoe while it stayed attached to my bike. After the ride we went to 9th Street Deli and it was awesome. We got to eat outside and Nancy and I actually felt cold after eating. I saw this painting when getting a refill on my soda. Thought it was cool cosidering his death a month ago.
After the 40 mile ride today, I'm feeling pretty good that I will make the 150 mile ride in less than a month. Not to say that I won't hurt, but I feel it can be done.

Trailnet Fun Rides

Aside from riding with the Sunset Cyclery bike shop in Columbia, IL at times Jeremy and I will ride with the Trialnet Bicycle Fun Club. We traveled to Mills Apple Farm in Marine IL to try a ride. I think that day we expected to do 44 miles. Well the route didn't led itself to do that milage. It was either a choice of 38 or 52. We decided to do the 38.

At the end of it for me it seemed to end to quickly, but during the ride was a different story. I felt like I was experiencing a training tunnel. As you can see from the above picture it didn't seem to hinder Jeremy's ability. He seems to be held up by me and having a little fun on the flat road. There was so much wind and it took us a few miles/hour slower than what we were capable. I guess it only mattered to me because it was the first ride that I got to use my new computer. In the end it didn't matter because none of my numbers were correct because the computer was set to a wrong wheel size to do the calculating.

This last picture is a slight view of how many people come out each week to do these rides. Many of them are doing this for the same reason we are doing this, that is to prepare for the MS 150. The picture doesn't do it justice because there is that same view if you turn to the front of our car. I think it is awesome to think that it is that many people prepare for the MS 150. It also gets me excited to think that Sept 12-13 I'll be cycling with a crowd that is much larger.

Haven't trained in 2 weeks!! Yikes!

Well the last two weekends I haven’t been on a bike and workouts in the gym have been minimal. This makes me a little worried, but I’m hoping that will change this weekend given we only have 26 days left. So almost a month ago we did the St. Louis City Ride. We decided to take Big Sis along and Jeremy could have her train behind his bike. Big sis made this decision and honestly I didn’t know if she was going to be in for it.
The alternative choice was to go with Baby Girl to grandma and grandpa’s house and that normally is the more exciting choice for her. She is ultimately excited to go. It is funny that after you have two or more kids that when you get those kids alone they are almost different people. It was a great morning to show her what mommy and daddy do when she is at a grandparent’s house on the weekends. She was interested in to prep work that Jeremy did to get us going. We got food to start the ride and made a pit stop at the port a potty. Big Sis’s response was that the port a potty was fun and cool. I responded that it wasn’t so much. Now when we need to use one she says to hurry because it isn’t fun. This ride was great for getting pictures of the city and getting good at bike handling. There were so many stops along the route that shifting and clipping in and out of the bike seem a little much.
I feel that by the end of it I was more comfortable with my new bike. It was a workout for Jeremy to pull Big Sis which leveled the playing field for me. It gave me a bit of a confidence boost to be able to climb hills and pass some people also. It was fun to show Big Sis all the riders on the road. She liked the rest stops the best because she got to eat all the snacks. We packed the trailer with some toys and music to occupy her a bit so we could do longer miles.She took some good picture that we didn’t even know about. We met a family that rigged their tandem to allow their little one to be the stoker. Jeremy studied the set up and that might be in our future. Big Sis did eventually fall asleep. When we got back to the car she woke up and was ready for YOU GUESSED IT---- LUNCH! My kids can eat.

Good intentions....

Well I wanted to start this blog to give insight to my life living with MS and training for the fundraising event the MS 150. I had good intentions to get this going before now but life and fatigue has not allowed it to happen. Now we are at the point of 29 days before the MS 150 and this is my first entry. Hopefully this will be more about the cycling training from newbie rider with a little bit about having MS splashed in here.

My husband and I have done the MS150 for years. I should say my husband has done it for numerous year and I've been hit or miss due pregnancys or just delivery but this year is different. I would say more thought and effort has been put into this year for me than years past. I would say that one of the reason for this is that I got the bug. The love of riding on a bike on my own. Years past Jeremy and I have riden a tandem bike due to me not being able to keep up with him. Last year during the MS150 I got a taste of riding a single bike when my sister rode the tandem with Jeremy.

That prompted us to make a single bike purchase for me so this year I would be able to train and do the entire 150 miles on a single bike along side my husband on his single bike. Although Jeremy didn't mind riding the tandem with me, I know that he is excited about riding along side of me instead of directly infront of me.

My new toy - I love it!!!

Someone should've told Jeremy that getting me this bike would have had his wife totally invade his hobby. I don't think he minds that much as long as I can keep up, which I'm working hard at doing.

This is a little extra toy that we got. I'm having fun with it. I'm attempting to photograph it while riding therefore had to slow down to get the photo. My bike handling skills are not that great yet but are getting better with each ride that I do. As for the toy I get to see how fast I'm going, how far I've gone and how fast my heart is going. I love this toy too because I'm numbers oriented person and that way I can tell if I'm improving.