The MS 150 - Day 2 and the Pain Comes

Day 2

It's 4AM, and I am hearing alarms going off throughout the camp. I am hoping I can sneak in another 1/2 hour of sleep, but I know that will be hopeless. I am both too tired and too keyed up.

Last night the snoring in the tent was simply poetic - creative even. Stanza after stanza or poetry and aria after aria of opera were composed and performed. Fortunately, I anticipated this and brought a CD player and noise cancelling headphones.

It's 0430. My alarm and a dozen others have gone off. The sounds of sliding sleeping bag fabric, yawning and stretching. Before I open my eyes I dimly remember - "line up early for the pancake breakfast". My thoughts are now with my kids, they would have looooved the pancakes. I open my eyes to the weird scene. The tent is pitch black, yet illuminated by the ghostly glow of a dozen PDAs and cell phones making blue-white light. Hard to describe what that looks like. Not what I remember from boy scout days either.

I dress quickly and head for the chow line across the camp. Wow! They have at least a dozen griddles manned by the local volunteers, absolutely cranking out the pancakes. There is a guy making pancake mix with a drill with a beater attached (!) He's making mix as fast as he can in a 10 gallon bucket. A very short wait later and I have a stack of 4 hot, fresh pancakes, a bowl of toasted oats cereal and an orange juice. Pancakes....mmmmmmm. Life is good, except for the aches and pains, and oh yeah, it's 5AM and still dark.

It's now 5:30AM, chaos in the tent. Everyone is trying to pack their stuff and prepare their bikes and water as fast as possible to get in line for the start. The rumor is that if you don't get in line soon enough, it may take as long as an hour and a half to get on the road.

One cute note, I think one of the children of either a volunteer or another rider has managed to sleep all the way through the morning chaos. He is the object of a lot of "awwwww's" when folks would see him peacefully sleeping through our stress. Reminded *some* of us to take it easy and everything would be cool.

It's 6:30AM, and we have just lined up at the back on a huge line to get out the gate. Oh well, time to make friends on the line and chat.

0732 and we are off! It's day 2 and we are on our way!

The first decision, take the high road, or the low road. The starting gate is divided two ways. The old, traditional route for the MS 150 takes one through the extremely hilly Buescher and Bastrop State Parks. This is now renamed "The Bechtel Challenge" (after one of the sponsors, of course). The other choice is to follow along Highway 71, which is supposed to be quite a bit easier. Scott and I have talked about this some, but in the end, on the line, we decide for the traditional route. I would regret this later, but at this early morning moment, it seems the thing to do.

Well, I am worried about the hills that are supposed to be ahead of us, but with a nice full tummy and good feelings, we head off. Things even seem to be heading downhill a bit. So this can't be too bad?

The roads are becoming more interesting, a bit windier and things are getting more hilly, but all very do able, if I wasn't already tired. I am beginning to feel a funny tinge in the back of my knees, especially as I go on the hills. Hmmmm...it's nothing I figure.

Ok, it's coming up to another decision time, there is one more chance to avoid the hills of the state parks. There is a road around the parks. Nope, I've come to this point, and I still feel pretty good. Scott has dropped me by this time, I can't keep his pace up through these hills. My knees just aren't allowing it. What is this pain in the back of my knees?

Well, I am committed now, and certainly, the roads are narrower and rougher than I thought. Of course, it's a forest, so there are lots of trees around as well. One thing I don't remember right now, but wish I had noticed then....I bet the wind was way down because of the trees.

In any case, rest stop one is just inside the park, so this can't be too bad. I talk with some of the supporters, and they give me some idea of the big hills ahead. It sounds a bit ominous. They aren't even close to the truth.

Reminder to self: "what goes up, must come down". For every one of these brutal, twisiting uphills, there are some pretty hairy downhills. One of these is manned by volunteers, who have put up orange cones and a sign reading "Killer Hill Ahead - SLOW DOWN!!!". They are right. If any of us had taken this hill at speed, we would have been toast. It is a super steep downhill, then a hard right turn. I've heard of this hill from others. It is scary.

One hill after the other is going by and the effort is intense. Early on, I notice a few people walking up the hills with their bikes. As more time and hills go by, more and more riders are walking. I am now into something like the 4th major hill. I am in the lowest gear, cranking as hard as I can - breathing as hard as I can. Yet I am at a maintainable pace, I am not falling behind the hill. But my knees - man, the pain!

Uh oh, volunteers are waving at us to slow down, and I see an ambulance up ahead. Wow, it looks like this downhill and turn were too much on someone's bike. Has the whole front fork been sheared off that bike? I don't see the rider though. I hope they are all right.

Now almost everyone are walking up the hills. But something terrifying happens. A girl in front of me is truly struggling up the hill, and suddenly she gives out a squeal of pain. Her legs have given out and she is going to go down. Reflexively, she starts to turns her bike around and head straight back down the hill!!! But I am about to pass her, so I put on a huge burst of speed and get out of her way just in time. Whoever is behind me is not so fortunate, and I hear roars and screams coming from back over the hill from other riders. I am afraid things have not turned out well. But I couldn't stop. The burst forward carried me on over the top. But that burst cost me, and now my knees are on fire.

These hills are too much. I don't know if I can stay mounted on the bike.

Another brutal hill conquered, and hey, there's a patrol car directing traffic. Looks like we turn to the left - and hey! They are announcing "you're out of the park!!! well done!!!" Woo hoo!!! Man, what a relief!

Looks like we are coming back together with the other riders on 71. We have to stop at an intersection and wait for traffic control. Oops, a rider goes down while waiting at the light, clipped in to her pedals. Got some good scrapes on her, but she is ok. Several people are helping her up.

On to Highway 71!

So the ride now is much smoother, although traffic is much heavier, with cars running at highway speed beside us. A little nerve wracking compared to the park, but there are lots of riders, so the drivers know we are here.

Wow, we are traveling down a huge hill, this should be really fast. Uh oh. Hmmm...everyone is slowing down. Why? Oh no, I hope no one has.....yup...someone has gone down on this hill. That's not going to be good. I visualize a rider tearing down the hill at high speed and hitting a crossing car. The idea is not pleasant.

Eventually we are dismounted, as thousands of riders wait to pass by the accident scene. I don't see anyone, as the ambulance has already left, but the scene does not look good. I am afraid there may have been bad injuries, but I hope for the best.

We finish the hill, and we are very close to Bastrop and lunch. A right turn, and - what?!? Another ambulance? Another rider has gone down and they are putting him in a stretcher. What a bummer, so close to the lunch stop. Through another traffic light and finally...LUNCH!

This lunch is more chaotic than Belleville. Not too many team tents here. I heard we would have Subway sandwiches. This time I vow not to eat too much food. Ah, the lines are short. Just get one of each of something from some boxes it looks like. So I choose the turkey sub.

I put my bike down next to a shrub and take most of the vegetables off my subway (it's a bit soggy unfortunately). Hey, a guy I know has seen me and stops by, Kelly. I only met Kelly recently at a training ride - his chain had broken and I stopped by to see if I could help. We chat a bit. Remarkably, he is riding with a couple of young teenagers. Kelly says one is only 13 years old. That is amazing. But then he points him out, the poor kid is just dead asleep on the grass in the full noon sun. Awwwww. What a trooper!

Hey, I finally see Scott and we hook up again. He is ready to head out, so we part company and promise to meet at the finish at the HP tent. I take it easy for a little while. I am worried about why the backs of my knees hurt this way. I am afraid that my ligaments are in danger, perhaps from a poor riding posture or mis fit of the bike. Well, nothing to do about it yet. I am finding that if I ride "normally", without doing "perfect circles" I can keep the pain off. Well, this is not a good thing, because now I am really taxing my quads, and I have no relief muscles to call on.

Coming out of Bastrop, there have been a few ups and downs, but now we are swinging off highway 71 and into the countryside again. This is the best part of this ride. It is relatively flat, and I make good time. Very nice country side. I can see the riders in a long line, zia zagging down the roads for quite some distance. It's very nice.

Ok, the hills are starting again. There are only two rest stops to go, but now things are getting serious. My knees are really, really hurting now and I don't know how much worse it's going to get. It can't get too much worse, can it?

Ok, it's worse. The hills into Austin are just awful, one after the other, and I cannot take the pain. I am seriously thinking that it is not worth damaging my knees to make the finish. If I make it to the next rest stop, I am going to call in and quit.

This stop is at a high school in a neighborhood. Very hot in the open sun in a big parking lot. The rider density seems a lot lower than other stops. I guess the hills are really thinning out the riding pack.

I sit on the grass and think about this. Well, maybe it's worth it to ask a medic what is going on, so I head to the medical tent. I describe my knee pain to one of the volunteers, and she says "oh yeah, lots of people have that same pain". For the moment, I am encouraged, but what can I do about it?

She says she will put some Bio-Freeze on it. Hm??? It turns out to be this green gel I had seen at a couple of the last stops. I saw people rubbing it on their legs, and I guess I thought it was sun tan lotion or something. She rubs into the backs of my knees and I go off to the grass to rest.

Well, I call in to Kim and tell her I am not sure I am going to make it, even though I am at the last rest stop and only 14.8 miles away. I tell her I am going to rest and see what happens. She is at the finish line waiting. I hope she is not disappointed.

Well, after resting a while, I feel much, much better, so I send an SMS to Kim "going for it, see you in about 30 minutes". It was an SMS she would not get until 45 minutes later :(

So I mount up and start riding, and the pain is much reduced, but still there. Now it's just a test of will against the in bound hills. But we are clearly in territory I recognize. I can see some street names I know, even if I have never traveled on them. So I am very encouraged.

I figure it can't be far now. But still more hill climbing, and the pain is coming back now, very strong.

Finally we reach what looks like the UT campus. Lots of twisty turning riding through the campus. Oh, and here are some silly people. It turns out some groups and teams are stopping at landmarks to gather so they can cross the finish line together. Nice idea, but get...out...of...the...road to do it!!! Jeeeez.

Ok, I can hear the music and ruckus now and I feel a wave of exhaustion, pain and relief all at once. I actually think a photographer caught a picture of me right at that moment. I knew I had made it, but oh my aching body.

There it is, and suddenly I am across the finish line !!!!!! YESSSS!!!!!!!!! Lots of yelling combined with enormous relief.

But hey, where was Kim? I find out later she never saw me come by, and I never saw her in the line of faces on the fences, because she stood off the road on a slight hillside to see better. Very disappointed. Oh well. Kim and I finally get together. What a bummer we didn't see each other at the finish! Kim then suddenly looks at her phone - she has just gotten my SMS message to watch for me at the finish line - AARGH! Technology...

Off to the HP tent and some food. It turns out I get a free sandwich from Rudy's Bar-b-q - my favorite!!!! Kim was so kind and got me a sandwich. I really don't even feel like walking. It is so beautiful to just sit down and not pedal.

So Kim and I eat, and the whole thing is just ... all of a sudden ... history. Wow. What a ride.

The next challenge, in less than two hours, I go on stage with the Austin Jazz Band for a concert :)

So that's it. Seven weeks of intense training leading up to these two days. Days I will never forget, especially as I am writing all of this down to remind myself for next year. I think in retrospect that 6 weeks, while enough to get up to a 60 mile level, was not enough to prepare for this. It's just amazing what a long and difficult ride this is. And what an accomplishment it is to finish, especially going through the hills of the parks. No question it would have been a better idea to have ridden Highway 71 and the low road, that was perhaps not a great decision. But how would I have ever known what I didn't do? I guess that's really at the core of my personality, going on the road less traveled in life.

And now I can say "I did the MS 150", and paid my dues for the MS cause, that's what it's all about.

Cheers my sons. This has been one helluva life lesson and I love you more than ever.

Your loving father,

Dixon Chan Dick
Austin, TX
April, 2005


P.S. I fell asleep during the first set of the concert. Lucky for me, I only had one song to do right before the 1st break and someone woke me up :)

The MS 150 - Aftermath Day 1

One usually reserves the word "aftermath" to describe disasters, things like battles lost, tornados, tsunamis and "W" being elected. I think aftermath is an appropriate word to use here, based on how my body feels.

I was warned that much of the challenge, besides the distance, would come from two areas, the hills of the second day, and group riding with a lot of inexperienced riders. These warnings were not emphasized enough.

But first some recognition and thanks.

Without question, Kim's organizational help made all this not only possible, but enjoyable. Thanks Kim!!! And with the guidance of my friend Scott, I really got to enjoy the trip more than should be legal for a newbie. Scott got me on the HP team and answered my questions with great patience. Plus, he let me draft on him quite a bit, saving me huge amounts of energy, which was probably the single most important reason I finished at all. Thanks Scott!!!

Let me also say that the tour organizers must be geniuses and the people who volunteered were incredibly wonderful, all around. So many individuals were involved, and the sheer SCALE of this event was not to be believed. I tried taking a couple of pictures with a small camera to capture some of this, we'll see how it turns out. There were times when I could see the line of riders stretching as far as I could see, for what seemed like miles out in the farms.

As well, we have to thank the innumerable police and public safety folks who took weekend duty to direct traffic around us to keep us safe. Tough job. There were many times I would pass someone directing traffic, and I tried to shout a "thank you" to them whenever I could.

More thank you's to the crew at HP who helped put the accomodations together in La Grange, we had a wonderful tent to sleep in, a place to store the bikes, food, drinks, everything. Basically whatever we would ask for, someone would help. Fantastic!!!

At ConocoPhilips, we had a great private team start, and so avoided a huge amount of chaos in the stadiums, thanks guys! Oh yeah, and thanks for letting us use the rest rooms before the ride :)

Ok, so on to the ride itself. I'm dividing the blogs into days, lots to say.

Day 1

Everyone is assembled at the ConocoPhilips parking lot, we are pretty early, yet there is a PA stack blaring Beach Boys surfing music and other rock and roll. It's 5:15AM.

Got my bike out of the car, and I've met my friends. A few potty breaks and we are ready to go. Ah, I hear the Star Spangled Banner and everyone has stopped what they are doing to turn and listen. Big cheers and we are all assembling to go. The tour organizers and team leaders give us our last minute instructions and safety tips, and we are off!!! Woo hoo!

First impression, it's dark and chilly and we are riding on Houston roads. Hmmmm...well, we'll be out of the city shortly, and indeed we are.

The roads are amazingly flat (remember, I train in Austin Hill Country). We are cruising at at a nice pace, and my heart rate is barely above "recovery training", which is very low. Hey, this can't be bad! Even better, the forecast winds were to be at our back, and they are!

The sun is now just rising, we've gone through Rest Stop 2. Never even saw Rest Stop 1, unless it was that group of trees I saw some riders stopping at (blush).

This seems great, the weather is perfect, the roads are good, the tour is clearly well organized, and they even had a live band cranking out rock and roll at Rest Stop 2, all before 0800. The good times are not to last however.

Minutes out of Rest Stop 2, one of our group, Henry, has a flat. Scott and I press on, but a moment or two later, Scott says he is going back for Henry. I pause for a moment, thinking I can't add too much help that Scott wouldn't be able to give. So I stop to wait and take a picture. The air is slightly misty and the sun is coming up behind the long line of riders down the straight country road. Beautiful, so I took out my camera and took a picture of it.

But we are right in the middle of a construction zone where one side of the highway is newly paved a few inches higher than the other side. A perfect way for a rider to catch a wheel and fall. Moments after my picture, that's exactly what happens. At high speed, a rider goes down.

The medics finally arrive and they call in LifeFlight. Luckily, a Dr. rode by and was able to help before the medics even got there. Verrry lucky indeed.

This is the second time I have seen that type of accident. The first time was when I saw a friend crash crossing railroad tracks. Same accident - BAM! - right on to your head with no warning. No time to even put your hands out to break your fall. Moral: ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET!!!

The postscript on this incident; as riders are going around the scene of the accident, they have to go on to the rough pavement, and then try to cross back "up" to the new pavement, exactly the same way the accident happened. Well, sure enough, they start crashing like flies, so myself and a couple of others became temporary traffic cops until the ride marshalls can get traffic under control. Even then, people try to "cut in" among those of us trying to direct traffic, and then THEY crash. One such fellow apologizes for his error. I guess the look on my face tells him exactly what I think of his bad judgement, especially as we are trying to help him(!)

So it's heads up for me for the rest of the ride. It's only a charity ride - no need to take any chances. It's all for a good cause.

The rest of the ride is now targeted at making Belleville for lunch. Things are supposed to be pretty flat and they are.

Lunch at Belleville is great, I have a turkey sandwich, peanut butter sandwich, fruit cup and a small bowl of pasta. Lot's o' calories for the rest of the trip. We tank up on water, and then more water and then we are off, first heading right through downtown Belleville on highway 36 and then off to La Grange.

The terrain is supposed to start becoming hilly, and it does. But first, things are pretty downhill, and feelings are good. As the ride goes on though, the hills start to come. They are long hills and short hills, lots of climbing. This is the first time I really start noticing what my guide friend Scott calls "bunching". When all the riders hit the hill, the well separated riders bunch up as they slowly, and with difficulty, pass each other. Well, one of the bad things that can happen, is a rider can stop suddenly (chain break, leg fatigue etc.) and the riders behind lose their "momentum", the pace they have set themselves to get up the hill. Or worse, a rider can go down and a slow motion chain reaction crash can happen. More on this, Day 2.

So I learned to navigate the bunching better, as it appeared I could hill climb pretty well (remember the Austin Hill Country training). But one of the bad things about passing on hills is being exposed to on coming traffic, so I try to pay a lot of attention to things ahead of me. Not always easy though, hill climbing takes intense effort and concentration. Plus, as I was to later learn, the climbing technique I use requires the extended use of a little known muscle in the back of the knees, the popliteus. This muscle is now becoming a wee bit tender in both knees. More on this little muscle and its big impact in Day 2.

The only other thing I notice is that my tummy doesn't feel all that great, kind of a full feeling, and I begin to think I ate too much food at lunch. Perhaps I should have spread all that food out over time to avoid digestion problems. Too late now, but lesson learned: eat small, but eat often.

Now we are seeing mile marker signs for La Grange, great! And without too much more fanfare, we finally reach La Grange and a big traffic jam trying to get in to the camp grounds. There are many, many people waiting at the finish line for loved ones, and cars are parked everywhere along the highway.

I finally get in and dismount, reflecting on the fact that I just rode 100 miles, averaging about 16.5 MPH, right at my personal best. I can hardly walk and talk at the same time. I run into an old acquaintance from Compaq days, and he takes my picture. I'll try to post this picture, along with others, after I get them developed.

When I finally find the HP tent, I can tell I am really run down. That last few miles of hills must have been on adrenaline, because very quickly I am slowing down. I need food and water.

The HP volunteer takes my number and asks me if I want someone to take my bike and store it. I must look confused, because after a moment of not answering, she becomes concerned and asks, "are you all right?" I finally tell her yes, and we both agree I need food and water right away. Without futher ado, I head into the tent, find my buddy Scott and tuck in to barbeque chicken and Kim's home made apple bread until I am stuffed. Much better.

Now I can find my luggage, unpack it and get myself set up. But before I do anything else, I sign up for a muscle massage, a great idea Team HP! The next order of business is a decent shower, which takes maybe a half hour of standing in line but ends in a great hot shower in a mobile trailer. Next I get to unpack my bags, set up my cot, and get ready to sleep. But first, I have to find and meet Kim, who is wandering around the fair grounds, having just arrived. We meet and get to hang out, setting up my cot and stuff. Nice to have friends around when you are hurting :)

Ah, my turn for a massage. I get a half hour of shoulder and neck massage, because the masseuse correctly guesses that my biggest problem was the tension of dealing with group riding. She is absolutely correct, and really helps me relax.

More chicken barbeque. Yum.

I walk Kim to her car, as she is heading home to Austin to sleep. Wow, she sure had to park far away.

I have a quick phone call with my boys and let them know I made the first half of the trip ok. Then it's off to the tent for sleep. Most of the camp is trying to get to sleep by now, as we have to be awake at 4:30 the next morning.

So it's now 9:30 PM, the generator is finally turned off, and the lights and stars are out. Nothing to do but sleep as best as I can, and hope I feel up to the 82 mile ride tomorrow. The weather was perfect, I hope it stays that way for Day 2.

1 day to go

Got in a half hour ride today, just a few laps around a neighborhood here in Houston. Felt ok, but a little stiff. I am more relaxed now, as I think things will turn out fine. I feel pretty good, and my taxes got mailed in yesterday :)

So no stress, just chillin' and waiting for the big weekend.

I won't be able to blog on site I don't think, so the next post will be after the ride.

Cheers boys, and thanks for wishing me well!

2 days - no joy

Got all my work done today, but still not 100%, so no riding for me, just resting. Now I am plenty nervous.

3 days - packing out

Sick or not, I have to pack out today (Wednesday) and head for Houston. I'll be doing some business all day Thursday, then Friday is a rest day off. Still not well enough to ride, so I wonder how my muscles and system will respond on the big day. Yeesh.

4 days - still sick ?!?

I can't belive this. All this training, and right at the end, I get a bad cold. I am going to absolutely stay in bed, drink fluids and rest. I *have* to get better, FAST.

5 days - still sick

Five days to go and I am still sick and resting. Bleargh!

6 days - Creedmore Cruise & Glucose Experiments

This past weekend's ride could also be called "Lost in Lockhart", as I lost my map somewhere along the line and had to rely on either chasing other riders or calling back home for directions when I got to Lockhart, TX. Very embarrassing.

Well anyway, this was a 69 mile ride, and the weather turned out very nice, though just a tad windy. This ride was well attended, and there were a few folks who were going for the long 69 mile distance. Lucky for me, as I had to tag along sometimes to keep on track.

The big riding highlight was a stretch of road called FM 2001. I got to this road later in the morning, and the winds had started to pick up. Well, there was one stretch that was newly paved, and where I had the wind completely at my back, so I decided to do some sprint training and see how fast I could go all out, and for how long. The sprints are part of my training program, and I rarely have a chance to see a flat road in Austin.

Well, the data from my watch says I got up to 36 mph and held some of that speed for quite some time. Cooool. That's pretty fast for me. I ended up averaging 16.5 MPH for the ride, and that is really fast, as I usually do 14.5 mph average.

The other interesting fact about this ride, I did not "carbo load" ahead of time. What's carbo loading you ask? And why is this important to a diabetic?

Well, the human body carries energy in the form of a substance called "glycogen". It can carry this substance in the muscles and in the liver. When working the muscles hard, the stored glycogen in the muscles lasts about an hour, sometimes only a half hour. After that, the liver has to release glycogen to supply the muscles with the energy they need to keep working.

Now, the student of diabetes will say, "now wait a minute, glycogen is just a bunch of sugar molecules all tied together in a packet. How does the liver know when to release the glycogen?" Well, the pancreas, which we know produces insulin, ALSO produces glucagon, the anti-hormone of insulin. Where insulin is used to get cells to remove glucose from the bloodstream, glucagon does the opposite, causing the liver to increase the levels of glucose in the blood stream.

So, back to "carbo loading". Athletes eat enormous quantities of carbohydrates (carbos) before an event in order to fill up the muscles and liver with as much glycogen as possible. Carbohydrates are converted very quickly into glucose by the body (or into fat there is too much glucose, which is why you see so many "low carb" labels on food these days). The average athlete can store up to 1600 calories worth in their bodies. Cool, so "carbo loading" is just like filling a car with gas, so every athlete should do this, right?

Unfortunately, a 69 mile ride will cost about 3,500 calories to complete, more than a full tank of carbos. So the average athlete therefore has to eat the other calories during the ride. Now here's MY problem. As a diabetic, I can NOT carbo load, because to do so would severely spike my glucose, as I do not produce or utilize insulin as well as a non-diabetic. Too many carbos too fast is very bad for diabetes because too much glucose is produced too fast. It has to get used up right away, and carbo loading is done days before the athletic event.

Well, if I can't fill my fuel tank up as much as the average athlete, what does that mean for doing long distance riding? It means, I have to "pay as I go", or eat what I need as I ride.

This ride therefore, was a huge experiment on my body to see WHAT I needed to eat, HOW MUCH I needed to eat, and WHEN I needed to eat it, in order to go the whole distance without "bonking", or running out of energy and collapsing in a tired heap.

The experiment was a pretty good success. I started the day with a bowl of oatmeal, which is fine for an everyday breakfast. Then, as I rode, I ate often, and I ate well, eating bananas, homemade apple bread, and turkey & pumpernickel sandwiches plus somewhere near 4 liters of water (about a gallon).

However, right near the end of the ride were a series of diabolical hills, one right after the other. As I climbed these hills, I began to feel the pain and heaviness in my legs that told me I was getting very close to running out of glycogen and energy.

Fortunately, I had just enough energy to make it the whole way. So what I like to say about this ride - "it needed just one more banana".

The results of this experiment have been great. Instead of messing up my glucose days before the ride, I now have an idea how to eat and ride and manage my glucose. Better, my after-ride numbers have all been right in the zone. Excellent!

The true test will be my HbA1C test in about a week to see how my average blood glucose has been over the last 4 weeks. I think it will be lower than the last test, when I was carbo loading before my rides. I sure hope so.

The MS 150 is only a few days away. I am resting now and doing recovery rides until the big event. Oh yeah, and I got a cold Sunday so I couldn't ride. I spent the whole day in bed Sunday, and am still resting up today. I hope I am better quickly.

Cheers boys!

9 days - MS 150 = 150 miles? NOT!

This week was a good recovery ride week, nice weather all the time. Spent four days riding in the neighborhood. Friday is a rest day.

Well, I picked up my "packet" for the MS 150, so it's real! The "packet" consists of my rider number, T-shirt, numbers for the bike, wrist band identifying me etc. I am number 5407. And I signed off on the waiver and fund raising commitment of at least $300. I've already hit $500, so I am going to save the rest of my fund raising for the Tour de Cure.

So here's a shocker. I checked the MS 150 route maps, because I could not believe what other riders were telling me about the actual distance. I heard it was 100 miles the first day, 80 the second day. So how does that add up to 150 miles?

Well, the other riders were right, mostly. It's 99.1 miles the first day, 80.2 the second (and that does NOT add up to 150). I guess the sponsors kept the number nice and small so people wouldn't freak out at the distance. Well, I'm not quite freaking out, but this is definitely time for PLAN B. As soon as I figure out what PLAN B is.

So really, it's two 50 mile rides the first day with a nice lunch in Belleville, TX. On the second day 43.8 miles to lunch in Bastrop and then 36.4 to the finish. But the second day apparently has all the tough hills in it. No worries (I hope), as we in Austin have been training in the hills. It's the Houston crowd that will be facing the unfamiliar challenge of climbing while tired. I've heard this is where a lot of riders drop out. We'll see.

My friend Bob who runs track & field tells me to do a century (100 miles) this weekend in a single day and get my body used to it. Hoo boy, we'll see. This weekend the two rides are the Creedmore Cruise and Long Lake Loops - see them on the Austin Cycling Association web site. The Creedmore Cruise goes as far as 69 miles, the Long Lake Loops goes 50, but has some tough hills.

This pair of rides pretty much simulates the MS 150, as long as I stop for lunch during the 69 miler. Yup, that's what I think will do, a slightly shortened version of the MS 150. This way I will learn how my body handles a full lunch and rest stop day 1, and how well I recover for day 2 and tough hills.

I can foresee lots of leg massages and hot tubs during the following week though. So here comes the final training push, beginning this weekend. More to come!

Cheers boys!

13 days - Pfinally Pflugerville

Pflugerville (the "P" is silent) is a small town just east of Austin. It's straight east from my house about 25 minutes away. This ride was through flat to rolling farmland, and followed my 40 mile ride from yesterday, the Rosedale Ride. My plan was to ride the 47 miler.

Well, plans change. One of my other riding buddies showed up, Sherri, and she was planning to ride the 67 mile ride. So I figured, what the heck! Teammates!

So here's what I learned today - sixty seven miles is a loooong way to ride a bicycle. Especially when the wind is up. To be sure, we were in really pretty farm country, very little traffic for the most part. But with no trees around, the wind could get at you, and it did. When you have a solid 15-20 MPH wind in your face and you are trying to get uphill, well, you learn what you are really capable of doing.

We finished the ride uneventfully in about 6 hours, of which about 4 3/4 hours were spent actually on the bike. By staying together as a group, at a slower pace than I did the day before, I learned to pace my strength better for longer rides. Thanks Sherri! So now I know where to keep my heart rate so I don't burn my muscles out. All the data has been downloaded to the PC so I can see it really clearly.

Still, that doesn't mean I don't ache! I really have sore muscles from head to toe, but no bad things, like strained ligaments, knees or anything. Just basic soreness. That's a good thing.

Oh yeah, one other interesting note about the ride. We were truly in farm country, and the farmers in their trucks were so kind and courteous to us on the road. They never tried to blow past us or be mean. They waited until we acknowledged them and gave them room or signals to pass. That was very, very nice.

So the rest of this week, I will do my recovery rides and make sure I make permanent all the new things I just taught my body to do. By doing 107 miles in one weekend, I think I've made a huge milestone toward doing 150. My confidence is up that I can make the MS 150, but I am still cautious. I've heard the second day of the MS 150 is the one with the hills, so day 1 has to be done with an eye towards reserving strength for the next day.

Now I just have to find a cot to sleep on in the tent overnight in La Grange.

Cheers boys!

P.S. I just checked my web page for my fund raising for the Tour de Cure, I have two donors so far - yippee!!! The Tour de Cure is another 150 mile charity ride from San Antonio to Austin benefitting Diabetes research, four weeks after the MS 150, so I will be counting down to that as well. Gotta find a cure!!!

14 days - The Rosedale Ride

Saturday I rode the Rosedale Ride, for the Rosedale School, an Austin school dedicated to teaching young children who have multiple disabilities. My student that I rode for was named Brandon, a very special young man. I am very pleased to be able to help the Rosedale cause.

The ride was my first "supported" ride. That meant there were rest stops with folks who gave out water, fruit and other foods while we rested. Most importantly, it meant there were POTTIEs at the rest stops. Woo-hoo! The support teams were wonderful and so helpful.

It was a beautiful day for a beautiful cause, and we took advantage of that. We rode pretty hard between rest stops, and I clocked my highest average MPH during this ride. My teammate, Jason, had an incredible amount of energy, and at the end of the ride, he was able to sprint to the finish. Wow.

Speaking of Wow, the most amazing thing about this ride were all the wonderful people from the Rosedale School, they cheered us on and were very appreciative of our efforts. Of course, the cheering went both ways as well, from us to them, appreciating their efforts to help the children. That's the best thing anyone can do.

Well done Rosedale!

Pictures from the ride will be posted on the web. When I find my picture posted, I will put the link here. We all had numbers taped to our helmets. I guess one thing I'll find out also is how many people rode for the charity cause. I had heard over 1,000 riders registered. Yeah!

So it's two weeks to my first overnight ride, the MS 150. Tomorrow I will try a 47 miler to see how well I am doing with back to back distance rides. I'm getting a bit nervous at the distance.

Take care boys.