Biking for MS

[erickpl]

About this time last year, my wife was diagnosed with MS. Initially the news hit her pretty hard, but she has learned from experience and from a triathlon friend of ours that it isn't. She's been working out consistently and while getting stronger and keeping weight in control, she has kept her MS symptoms at bay. If she doesn't work out, after a couple of days her legs and arms go numb. When she works out again, it may take 3 or 4 weeks for things to get back to 'normal' for her, though her vision is a consistent problem.

Back in February, we started a No Boundaries running program at a local shop with the goal being a 5k in April. Well, we did that and she finished it. Totally pumped her confidence up. In March, we had started a Tri 101 class with the goal being a sprint triathlon (400m swim, 8 mile bike, 5k run) on June 22. While it isn't here yet, she and I are about ready.

But the biggest challenge, as if the triathlon wasn't enough, is the Bike MS event we are doing on June 8. There are 25, 45, 75, and 100 mile options and she, with the idea of taking on the biggest challenges, wanted to do the full 100 miles over a course that has more than a few killer hills. After doing spin classes and a lot of road runs, we've decided the 75 mile option is our most likely target. We've only been riding since February and just haven't gotten to that 100 mile threshold yet. Especially in Alabama. In June. UGH.

It's gonna be tough anyway, but riding with MS has presented her challenges that she continues to fight through. A follow up visit a few weeks ago with a leading MS doc showed that she has no new brain lesions and that any issues she has while riding are results of damage she already has and not new damage being inflicted. Definitely good news.

The really cool thing about the Bike MS ride is that any money raised for it goes to 1) research for a cure and 2) helping families affected by MS. MS meds cost us over $4,200 a MONTH. So money raised helps those families that can't afford the medications to receive that treatment.

Our bike team is 'hosted' by our local Hogan YMCA and we're called Hogan's Heroes. Our team goal is to raise over $10,000 - and we're close! I set my personal goal at $1,500. If anybody wanted to make a donation, I'd be honored and humbled. Most of you don't know me from the next guy, but your money can be used to help somebody you likely DO know with MS.

Our triathlon friend... well he has MS as well and just competed down in Austin at the Paratriathlon event there and won the whole thing!! He's competing literally around the world. So medications are being made available to allow those with MS to live normal lives. While the medication didn't make him a great athlete, it allowed him to pursue his passions and reach as high as he has wanted to go.

With more donations, perhaps medications won't be needed, but that cure will make MS a notation in a history book.

If you're interested in donating, let me know and I can give you a website to make a secure online donation. If you're not, that's okay too. Either way, thanks for letting me ramble on a bit about how my wife is coping with her MS. She inspires me every day.

[HOWSER]

Good luck with the upcoming Tri and ride. They are a but addicting for some!

[erickpl]

Howser, you got that right. I'm still not fond of the running and neither is my wife. The MS has made her VERY sensitive to heat (and here we are in freakin' Alabama LOL), so the run is by far the toughest part. After that, pedaling hard into a headwind really affects her numbness and nerves in her feet. That's when I have to get in front and let her draft me till the numbness eases a bit. The numbness doesn't go away until after the ride is over but drafting certainly makes the feeling more tolerable for her.

As for the swimming, we're both divers, and like breathing whenever we want. The timing part in relation to the stroke sucks! LOL We're taking classes to improve our technique to make the swim portion less strenuous.

[HOWSER]

Running will get better with increase mileage.

Cycling is my background, nearly 20 years competed all over (road, MFN, and a little track). I would suggest joining a local club and riding with them. Proper fit, position, and technique, like many sports will make life a lot easier in the saddle. They'll help you with a lot of that. Also work on "spinning" in heavy headwinds and up hills. Lower your gear and increase cadence. Don't "power" through either.

I too have to really focus in kicking when breathing. I have two kids that are "club" swimmers and one of the first things that are ingrained at an early age is to kick through the breathe. Your body (legs) sink a little when they are not kicking. Ive used the coaches from my kids club (who've had many Olympic swimmers come up here) to help me with my technique. Again, proper form makes life easier.

There are forums out there for triathletes. Begginningtriathlete.com is a very popular one. Many newbies and experienced triathletes there.

Post pics if you get any and have fun!

[erickpl]

My parents are coming down for the tri, so I'm sure we'll have pics.

We're part of two local clubs so we have that covered.

Both of us have had our bikes fitted for us and when we got them were sure to get the right sized frame. Bars, seat post, seat position/angle, neck, everything was adjusted for us. Worth the extra cost.

And I'm a HUGE believer in cadence over gearing. Once your legs wear out from trying to power it, you're done. But if you run a higher cadence, your cardio may get over threshold, but THAT can recover and you can go at it again.

We've got the technique pretty good through our classes and our breathing is doing pretty well. I'm normally really comfortable in the water, especially when I'm below the surface in scuba gear, so as one who never had swim lessons, learning a proper freestyle and breathing techniques has been a challenge. My wife, OTOH, is a natural for that swimming part. She's quick!

I follow slowtwitch for the biking part. I'll look into the beginningtriathlete.com and check it out!

[HOWSER]

Try beginnertriathlete.com instead. I may have misspelled the other. Sorry.

[C5Nate]

Do they have supported training rides set up in your area? Be sure you do as many of the training rides that you can.


Ours is called the MS150. 150 mile bike ride.

You do the century ride on Saturday (100 miles) and the 50 miles on Sunday.

I've done several and even received my Lifetime Rider jersey for doing it 6 years consecutively.

The training rides are essential in prepping for the ride. Ours usually progressed 25, 40, 50, 60 and a 75 miler the weekend prior to the 150 ride. If you can do 75, you can do 100.

Ours is usually held in August, but that gives us most of the summer to prep.

Good luck, good cause and it helps keep you in shape.

[erickpl]

August used to be the month for it here too. I've heard of the MS150, but it isn't here this year. They have one down in Orange Beach in September over a couple of days, but not 100% certain on the distance.

We have had some training rides, and we've been doing some of them. But with the triathlon training and other stuff going on with family, we haven't gotten as many as we'd like.

I've done quite a few 25 and 30 milers, a few 40 and 50 milers, just not a 60.

We're riding the route on Saturday so we won't have any surprises on the 8th.

The last long ride we did we headed back and found a kitten. I'm hoping no more animals make it home with us this time! LOL

[erickpl]

Just got to work and I found a check for $100.00 on my desk for the National MS society!!!!

Getting there!

[bradc6]

Good luck with everything.

I started riding again a little over a year ago, it's very addictive.

[erickpl]

Yeah it is!!!!

[fartleker]

Have fun with the running, swimming, and cycling! This stuff really is addictive.

I was at the Captex Tri in Austin that your friend was. It was the paratriathlete US championships, and it was freaking incredible seeing them out there. There are a bunch of different categories depending on what the ailment was. There were lots racing on prosthetics who were military members who lost limbs. Others were blind and had a guide. I'm sure your friend was part of a different class. Either way, it was very inspiring seeing them on the course.

Good luck in your training!

[wwomanC6]

Your wife is inspiring!

I keep hearing those with MS that get out and run and do lots of exercise seem to do and cope better with this neurological problem.

Wishing the best to you both and hope you reach your fundraising goal!! What is the website?

[OddBall]

Originally Posted by wwomanC6

Your wife is inspiring!

I keep hearing those with MS that get out and run and do lots of exercise seem to do and cope better with this neurological problem.

Wishing the best to you both and hope you reach your fundraising goal!! What is the website?

What Wendy said

[markyerger]

this thread hits deep for me.

My Mom was diagnosed with MS in 1970. I was 3 at the time.
She was in remission until about 1978, then it slowly started to take its effects.
Loss of balance (some turds even started a rumor that she was a drunk - and Mom never drank), spasms, fatigue.
I watched her progress from a cane, to a walker, then to a motorized little "Rascal" scooter.

About 10 years ago she passed at the age of 63.
One morning she woke up, said she did not feel right and she was gonna lay in bed for a couple of minutes.
15 minutes later, the nursing home assistant came to check on her and she was already gone.
Being sedentary for over 20 years had clogged her arteries up. She was always on the skinny side, never appeared fat or overweight.

Up here on the Mid-Atlantic, we have the MS "Bike to the Bay" in Delaware, and the "City to Shore" in New Jersey.
I have done the 75 mile bike rides (75 Saturday to the beach / shore, then 75 back home the next day)

If you see a biker with a red bandana attached to his or her bike, it means that the person has lost someone in his or her life to the effects of MS.

I routinely shed a tear, just like I am now, knowing that all of my training and miles are for a good cause.

To the OP, make sure your wife stays active. I am not going to push weights over cardio or vice-versa.
Just keep her moving and healthy

and from what I have read, the medicine for MS has advanced greatly in the past 10 years.

[erickpl]

Originally Posted by fartleker

Have fun with the running, swimming, and cycling! This stuff really is addictive.

I was at the Captex Tri in Austin that your friend was. It was the paratriathlete US championships, and it was freaking incredible seeing them out there. There are a bunch of different categories depending on what the ailment was. There were lots racing on prosthetics who were military members who lost limbs. Others were blind and had a guide. I'm sure your friend was part of a different class. Either way, it was very inspiring seeing them on the course.

Good luck in your training!

My friend is in the T3 class with his MS. David Kyle is his name. He is truly an inspiration and been a huge positive influence for my wife keeping a good attitude and outlook after her diagnosis.

[erickpl]

Originally Posted by wwomanC6

Your wife is inspiring!

I keep hearing those with MS that get out and run and do lots of exercise seem to do and cope better with this neurological problem.

Wishing the best to you both and hope you reach your fundraising goal!! What is the website?

The website for donations?

2013 Bike MS: North Alabama: Mr. Paul Erickson - National MS Society

The Bike MS information is here: Event Details - National MS Society

Her exercise really does help keep her issues at bay. After one year, she had another MRI to see how things had progressed. She has no new lesions. Now she does get symptom flareup with excessive heat or when running. But that is just a result of where her lesions are. No new damage. So as long as she can deal with the symptom flareups, she can do it.

And keeping the positive outlook is HUGE.

[erickpl]

Originally Posted by markyerger

this thread hits deep for me.

My Mom was diagnosed with MS in 1970. I was 3 at the time.
She was in remission until about 1978, then it slowly started to take its effects.
Loss of balance (some turds even started a rumor that she was a drunk - and Mom never drank), spasms, fatigue.
I watched her progress from a cane, to a walker, then to a motorized little "Rascal" scooter.

About 10 years ago she passed at the age of 63.
One morning she woke up, said she did not feel right and she was gonna lay in bed for a couple of minutes.
15 minutes later, the nursing home assistant came to check on her and she was already gone.
Being sedentary for over 20 years had clogged her arteries up. She was always on the skinny side, never appeared fat or overweight.

Up here on the Mid-Atlantic, we have the MS "Bike to the Bay" in Delaware, and the "City to Shore" in New Jersey.
I have done the 75 mile bike rides (75 Saturday to the beach / shore, then 75 back home the next day)

If you see a biker with a red bandana attached to his or her bike, it means that the person has lost someone in his or her life to the effects of MS.

I routinely shed a tear, just like I am now, knowing that all of my training and miles are for a good cause.

To the OP, make sure your wife stays active. I am not going to push weights over cardio or vice-versa.
Just keep her moving and healthy

and from what I have read, the medicine for MS has advanced greatly in the past 10 years.

Mark, I'm truly sorry to hear about your mother. Medical advances and medications have greatly progressed, though my wife is on an older medication that is working well. She has alternatives if necessary, and our doc is VERY aggressive in MS research, treatments, and therapies. He lost his mom to MS and promised her on her deathbed to do what he could to get rid of it. He's driven and dedicated.

Thank you for your cycling efforts in the Bike MS events. They are truly appreciated by more people than you can possibly know.

My wife does spin, body pump, swimming, running, cycling, hiking, scuba diving, sailing, and gardening. Getting her to sit still is the challenge. She LOVES being active and with her positive attitude and stubbornness, she is doing quite well. She has her tired days too, but still gets up to do what she can, even if it isn't at 100% of what she can normally do.

She is definitely not shying away from fighting this and doing everything she can to be as fit and healthy as possible.

[C5Nate]

Be sure you find a few of these carrots to follow.

It will boost your.......... well everything!

[wwomanC6]

Originally Posted by erickpl

The website for donations?

2013 Bike MS: North Alabama: Mr. Paul Erickson - National MS Society

The Bike MS information is here: Event Details - National MS Society

Her exercise really does help keep her issues at bay. After one year, she had another MRI to see how things had progressed. She has no new lesions. Now she does get symptom flareup with excessive heat or when running. But that is just a result of where her lesions are. No new damage. So as long as she can deal with the symptom flareups, she can do it.

And keeping the positive outlook is HUGE.

Your a lot closer to your goal!