Today’s Ride

length: 33.22 miles

average speed: 14.6 mph

maximum speed: 23.5 mph

2:16:31

average heartrate: 73% of max

maximum heartrate: 90% of max

Letter #3 to my MS 150 ride supporters

This was a letter sent to those who are suporting me in the 2008 BP MS150 ride from Houston to Austin:

It’s three weeks away and my excitement is growing! On April 12, I’ll be clipping in and cycling off into the sunrise for about 93 miles to LaGrange. (And then I’ll wake up and do it again the next morning, arriving in Austin after about 85 or so miles!!)

Incase you’re wondering, this is going to those of you who have committed to support me in the MS 150 either through prayer, warm fuzzies or through donations to the MS Society, as well as a few of you who I thought just might be interested. This is my third update, so if you’ve missed the others and are interested I reading them, please let me know and I’d be happy to send them to you.

But on with the update…

When I wrote last I was anxious about a 67-mile ride. Well, what an amazing 67-mile ride I had, thanks to many of you! As I made the turn onto the 67-mile route (as opposed to the 45 mile route) I felt this burst of excitement and energy and a really funky tingly feeling… I was literally energized by all those prayers! There is no other way to explain it. I giggled and pedaled along and then burst out in song (The Doxology). It wasn’t long before someone cycled past me, which made me smile even bigger… I wonder what he was thinking as I was singing praises to the Lord!! The ride was fantastic, a major confidence-builder and showed me not only where my help comes from (Him) but that when my sights are set on the right things, confidence will flow from Him as well. And at the end, I felt I really could have cycled 25-30 miles if I needed to. Hooray!

The following weekend I cycled a similar, hilly route, but this time I rode 43 miles with some of the team I’ll be camping with in LaGrange (Baker Hughes). On that ride, I averaged 15.6 mph, a personal best for speed and, again it was another confidence-builder. I just love being out there, pedaling away thinking about how much God loves me. How else would I be able to ride like this?

Yesterday I rode with a new training buddy, and she showed me a beautiful, somewhat rolling route very near our house. We went for 40 miles and plan to ride a similar route, but extend it to 60 miles in one or two Wednesdays, depending on our schedules. My confidence in my distance rides is growing (Thank you for your prayers!). Now I’m working to increase my speed. Next weekend I plan to ride in back-to-back training rides. (I’m still deciding on the distances.) I’m hoping to feel encouraged at the end of the rides, and not let my average speed decrease from day one to day two. We’ll see how that goes!!

Some of you may know of my involvement with Bible in 90 Days (www.biblein90days.org). I am so excited that they are screening a cycling jersey for me to wear on day 2 of the ride!! How cool is that? (On Day 1 I’ll wear the Baker Hughes team jersey.)

If you want to follow my progress during ride, let me know… I’ll be wearing a chip through which the MS Society can send updates on my progress via text messages or email. If you want to be on the update list, let me know and I’ll send you an ‘invitation.’ Gary and I will not be riding together, so I’m excited that I can see where he is along the route by checking my phone at rest stops.

Thanks, again, for all your support of me and of the MS Society. Your prayers help me to ride stronger and your financial donations encourage me, as well as help those who are suffering the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis. As of March 21, you have contributed $1,330!!! Thank you!!!

 

If you are intersted in contributing to the MS Society on my behalf, please click this link: http://www.ms150.org/edon.cfm?id=211033

Today’s ride was mostly flat with a few rolling hills. 

The training friend I rode with seems to know all sorts of wonderful routes… I am very excited she is sharing them with me. (She also told me about a website www.routeslip.com where you can plot new routes and see other routes people have plotted before you. It is pretty cool!)

 Anyhow, we rode behind Fairfield and out by the Oil Ranch in Hockley. We had a little wind against us coming back. The weather was beautiful… a little chilly at first, but it didn’t take long for the sun to come out. A few dogs found us and ran with us for a bit… nothing that a few harsh “NO!!”s didn’t stop, though. (wheeewww!!) I loved riding between the farms. We even went by a real working dairy farm and saw the big tanker truck taking the fresh milk away!! Cool!! (Feel free to laugh if you are more familiar with farm stuff than I, by the way.)

I am trying to get brave enough to draft behind someone, so I tried to pull up close to her a few times when I was in the back. It  makes me nervous to get too close. What if the rider in front stops suddenly or swerves or there is a huge pothole? I know I need to build trust… but I have to build the trust in myself, too! I don’t know that I’ll be brave enough to ride so close for the MS ride, but one day I will!

At the end of the ride I felt energized and still more encouraged. We were planning a few more rides to fit in out there before April 12. I cannot believe it is just 3 weeks until the big ride!

Length: 39 miles

average speed: 15 mph

max speed: 27.5 mph

2:36

Average heart rate: 78% of max

Wind wind wind!

Yippee! I did get a break from the potty-training to do my own training! (And my daughter is doing quite well with her training, by the way! )

 I got away for a quick ride, but I think the wind still made it a challenging one and time well spent. At one point, I thought the wind might actually blow me off the hill and into the field below me. I felt like I was climbing most of this ride, but the route we took was actually quite flat, aside from this one tiny hill I am describing. The wind sure got us!

length: 22.24 miles

average speed: 14.3 mph

maximum speed: 26.5 mph

1:33

average heartrate: 74%

maximum heartrate: 99%

A different kind of training

There is another kind of training going on at our house right now… It is time for our two-year-old to learn to use the potty. With the kiddos on Spring Break and very few definite plans, and because she certainly has been showing interest, I decided it was time to go for it. The trouble is, there’s just not enough time for two training schedules around here! If she’s training, that means I’m grounded, too. Well, at least somewhat… I can’t take her to childcare where I spin, but our babysitter is scheduled to come a few times, so maybe I’ll just cycle instead of grocery shop much this week.

Unfortunately today I planned to go for a ride and our sitter came, but the weather threatened so I stayed home. And then it didn’t rain! Oh well, my green jersey is at the printer, so what would I have worn on a St. Patty’s day ride?

I am getting nervous about not training much this week, but I think I’m doing the right thing sticking close to home and the kiddos.  I just hope a can find a way to sneak a couple rides in somewhere… And that my daughter gets the hang of the potty training thing so I won’t be grounded for too long!!

Baker Hughes team training ride

Today I met some of the people who are also riding with Baker Hughes at a team training ride. I was one of only 2 women riding, so I’m hoping some more show up on ride day!!  I’m riding with this team because a friend of mine rides with them, but his Baker Hughes connection has since moved away, so it’s hard for me to explain exactly where I fit in the whole Baker Hughes picture. But I’m excited nonetheless and am looking forward to seeing everyone at the start, middle and end of the big ride. And our team captain seems to cater to people like me who like to know every detail… his emails have answered a lot of my questions. (And, as my husband knows, I have a LOT of questions!!)

 The ride was roughly the same course as I rode the Sunday prior, except minus a huge hill and about 20 miles. I liked riding the same course again, as I knew what to expect and was able to enjoy some of the same scenery again. About 5 miles into the ride, when everyone was finding his or her own pace, I heard someone call out my name as I slowly passed by her…  a friend of mine training for a triathalon was cycling part of the same route! I hadn’t seen her in quite awhile and I don’t know how she recognized me in my cycling gear, but she did and it was pretty exciting to cycle along with her for a bit!  It seemed there were quite a few groups using that route that day.

After that nice surprise I rode on my own for awhile, then met at the appointed rest stop/ store at 17 miles. When I got there I felt a little awkward not knowing anyone and my phone rang. Another friend of mine was riding 70 miles that day and she called to check in and say hello. She was doing great, and her positive attitude encouraged me, too.

After the stop I rode alone for awhile and then rode with another Baker Hughes rider for about 10 miles. Riding with someone else made me push a little harder, but when he stopped, I couldn’t believe we rode 10 miles together… the time had vanished. I pedaled along, alone in my thoughts and prayers, marveling at all the farms and sunshine around me until it was time to turn onto a street where I remembered a dog from the weekend before. I rode as quickly as I could and, fortunately, never saw the dog. (Dogs have terrified me since I was about 8 or 9 and there a was a dog that would chase me on my bicycle when I drove by its house. It could have been a tiny dog, and it probably only ran after me the length of its yard, but I’ve always been afraid of any dog biting me.) Soon after being infused with the dog-fearing energy, I was nearing the end of the route and had the chance to cycle by a bed and breakfast where I had spent a scrapbook retreat in the summer. I thought about bringing my bike along the next time and then it was time to turn off into the parking lot. The ride was over and, again, I felt energized.  And, when I checked my computer, I was excited to see that I reached a personal best for an average speed. Hooray!

length: 42.84 miles

average speed: 15.6 mph

maximum speed: 28.7 mph

time: 2:45

average heartrate: 83% of max

maximum heartrate: 94% of max

Spin and ride combo

Today a training buddy encouraged me to ride outside for bit and then go to spinning class for an hour afterwards. I have to admit that at first the idea seemed a little silly. And after riding outside for 20 miles, I expected my spin class to feel really long. Instead I had a blast out on the road and in the spin class. And I felt pretty strong after doing both!

length: 20.3 miles

average speed: 15.3 mph

maximum speed: 20.2 mph

1:24

average heartrate: 78% of max

Continental Classic- 67 miles!

Length of ride: 67 miles

average speed: 14.6 mph

max speed: 29.8 mph

time: 4:51:01

average heartrate: 79% of max

maximum heartrate: 93% of max

Woodlands ride

length: 35 miles

average speed: 15.5 mph

maximum speed: 23.7 mph

2:16

average heartrate: 81%

maximum heartrate: 104%

Update letter to my MS ride supporters

This is a letter that was sent to those who expressed an interest in my training and/ or are supporting my ride through prayer, warm fuzzies or donations to the MS Society. (And for those of you who mailed checks to me, I will be turning them in to the Society on March 25. And for those who still want to mail checks, have no fear—I can still turn them in after that date, as well. J )

In my last note I said I would be trying out some hills with Gary a few days later. We cycled through 2 state parks in Bastrop, Texas twice. These parks are on the MS ride route and I’ve been told their hills are the most grueling of the MS ride.  I hope that’s true… that morning held quite a few challenges for me. The roads were slick and twisty and the hills were quite steep. Twice I fell as I learned how to maneuver my gears. I was terrified at some points, flying down the hills and wondering which way the road would turn and if there was a climb or more descent ahead of me.

A Bible verse one of you sent to me and my Bible study two days prior gave me a lot of strength for that ride.

The verses I meditated on were Psalm 121:1-2, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” I needed, and called on, that help a LOT that morning!

In my women’s Bible study that week we discussed Jesus’ meeting in the upper room with his disciples prior to His crucifixion. Jesus was stressing the importance of their trust in Him. They seemed to want step-by–step instruction and He was telling them not to worry about those, as their relationship with Him would guide them. Our study leader suggested that the disciples wanted a roadmap, whereas Jesus was stressing the need for a relationship. On that ride, I had to keep reminding myself that I didn’t need a roadmap to see what was ahead… Jesus would guide me if I would just have faith.  What a lesson for me to see literally as well as figuratively.

I learned a lot on that ride about myself, my relationship with Jesus and my bicycle, as I finally learned how to shift those gears.

The next weekend I rode 36 miles in my second official training ride. This ride was also quite hilly, so I was able to put my biking lessons into practice from the previous weekend and I worked through all the gears on my bicycle… and never fell. J Jack (age 4) was so proud of me.

This weekend I’m signed up to ride 68 miles in another training ride. I’m a little intimidated by the distance, but I think it’s time to give it a try. And even if I were to go shorter this weekend, I’m planning 70 miles for March 15, so I guess I might as well give it a go. Please continue to pray for me. Each of my rides has built my confidence in some way, even if it did not go exactly as I had initially hoped. And with every ride I’ve heard God whispering things in my ear. I pray that this ride will continue to build my confidence and that I again will hear God speaking to me.

Thank you so much for your support of, and interest in, my ride. I really appreciate it. Today I received an email from our team coach ranking the team’s fundraisers and I was listed as #10, which was pretty exciting to see. What he doesn’t know, though, is that I’ve also got a ton of support through prayer, as well!!

I really appreciate your support and interest. This has been an exciting time for me. It’s hard to believe that we’re just over 5 weeks away from April 12-13 and the big ride.