MS 150 Day Two

We finished! It was such an amazing feeling to turn south on to Lincoln Blvd and see the state Capitol!! Charlie rode the entire ride today (68 miles) and I did half. I was not excited about the cold weather (wind chill in the 30's early this morning), and the wind, in addition to the massive hills and my slow riding. So, Tracy dropped me off at the halfway point and I rode from there. Charlie and I met up on Lincoln Blvd and rode in together. My daughter, Laura, did a super job organzing the finish line event...of course! She is very passionate about fund raising for MS. I was so excited to see my family there and then several friends dropped by. Thanks, everyone, for your support!This is my brother, Charlie, my sister Cindy who we ride for, and me. It was an amazing experience and was a "better" ride for me this year than last year. My training paid off, and I love my new road bike. It definitely made the hills easier to ride! My goal for next year (I can't believe I'm saying that...while my body is still sore!) is to be able to keep up with my brother. So, over the next year I'm going to drop 40# and be able to average 17 mph on my rides.

Thanks for reading...thanks for your support...I can't wait until we beat this disease.

MS 150 Ride Day One!!

We survived!! In fact, my brother, Chuck, rode the entire 70 miles! I rode 50...and am very happy with that. Chuck averaged 17mph and I averaged 12mph. I told him to ride ahead and not wait on me. It would have been too frustrating for him since he's used to riding faster! The hills were a challenge sometimes, but I never got off my bike and walked. Woo-hoo! In fact, there were many people who chose to walk up some of the tougher hills but I think it's easier to just ride even though I was only going 4-5 mph.

There were some crazy things going on today along the ride. One lady was trying to take a picture of her riding buddy as they rode...clipped their tires and wiped out! She was taken care of by the OSU medical bus and was ok...just really scraped up and battered. Don't worry...I won't try to take pics as I ride! Another young man kept having flats...refused to get a new tube but just kept patching the one tube...Let's just say he should be really good at changing a bike tire!

I'm glad the first day is over....tomorrow's harder but the wind "might" help us since it will be behind us. I can't wait to cross the finish line at the Capitol and see my family, including my sister, Cindy, who has MS. She and her husband made it to Stillwater today from Kansas. My daughter, Laura, is in charge of the finish line so I know the food/activities will be great.

I've had my delicious steak dinner...a short walk to limber up my sore legs...life is good! Tracy will drive Chuck and me back to Chandler in the morning so we can start the second day of riding. Thanks for your support...for following my progress...stay tuned for the finale as well as pics tomorrow evening!!

Sept 19 MS 150 Training Update

OK...this is it...the last week before my big ride! Yesterday I rode 42 miles...around the lake for the most part. I was really bored so I left the path and rode through several neighborhoods close to the lake. That was awesome because I saw a part of Stillwater that I haven't seen yet. Then I finished my ride by circling the lake again and by then (9am) it had become very busy. It makes the ride more exhausting when you can't get into the "flow" of riding because you're constantly speeding up/slowing down...so I'm going to start riding Hwy 51 again. Riding the lake hasn't been the fun experience like my other rides, so I'm going back to my old path. I love the wide open spaces for cycling!!

This week my plan is ride two more times...20-30 miles...elliptical training at night...eat right...try to get some rest...and be ready for Saturday morning! My brother, Chuck, is coming down from Lawrence, KS, to ride with me again. My sister, Cindy, and her husband, are coming for the weekend so that she can be at the finish line at the Capitol on Sunday to watch us finish. That will be an emotional moment, I'm sure.

Thanks for reading my blog...and for your support...I'll try to post on both Saturday and Sunday so that you know how the ride is going...Have an amazing week!

Sept. 12 MS 150 Training Update

Even as I write this my heart is starting to pound because I realize that "the ride" is only two weeks away!! I have been working hard to prepare but since I know what the two days are going to be like, because I rode this same route last year, I'm worried about the huge hills...I have been doing great with my training routine...until the past two weeks. Between the rainy weather (don't worry...I would never ride my bike with an umbrella!) and my early morning meetings, I haven't ridden as much as I had been. So, I know I need to get on my elliptical at night, even if it's late, to keep my legs strong.

As you know, I've been riding around the lake, since the highways are so dangerous. Last week I ran into (well, not literally!) a lot of people I knew: one of my principals was running, one of my elementary teachers who is also a K-State grad was walking, our cross country team was training...In fact, the team was running four abreast, looking/talking as they ran and didn't see me approaching them. I came to an almost complete stop before they looked up and saw I was there. I can see the headlines now, if I hadn't been paying attention: "Superintendent runs over track team"!

My goal this week is to figure out how to do a 50 mile ride...that's 17 laps around the lake which does not sound like fun! Stay tuned...thanks for your support...thanks for reading...have an amazing week!