It’s Started!

Last year while fundraising and preparing for the bike MS 150 I had noticed the name of a lady that seemed to rock at the fundraising.  Sadly, she didn’t end up being the highest individual fundraiser.  But she still did very very well. 

One day at work I got an email from someone named Meghan who was asking me about the interview I did for our company paper during disability month.  She mentioned that her mom was recently diagnosed and that she, her husband and other family members were doing the bike MS 150 also.  And it clicked for me!  This Meghan at work was the same Meghan whose name I was seeing for so long as the top fundraiser. 

Meghan and I met in person on the second day of the ride.  When the ride was done and we were settled back into our regular routines we started email to see how it went, how we liked it, etc.  We’re both undecided about riding next year thanks to the hills.  If we don’t ride, we do plan on volunteering.  But, that’s not stopping us from trying to create a team.

To borrow and adjust Julie’sphrase, Meghan and I work for a HAC (huge ass company).  Our office in Tampa consists of five buildings and over 3000 employees.  And I’m pretty sure those employees include temps, and I don’t think that number includes the contractor companies we have – Aramark, our security and maintenance.  So with that number of people, Meghan and I connecting feels a little like finding a needle in a haystack!  But Meghan isn’t the only one I connected with that weekend.

During the course of the ride I noticed a gentleman wearing a jersey with HAC’s logo on it.  I went up to him and commented that I didn’t know HAC had a sponsored team.  I learned that the Tampa campus, which he works at, doesn’t.  But the Jacksonville campus (JAX) which his daughter works at does.  And he joined that team and would be riding with them in September. 

Thursday Meghan and I met with one of our HR reps to discuss what steps we need to take to start a team.  Sadly, and understandably, the MS Society is not a corporate sponsored charity, therefore the HR rep’s hands are somewhat tied in what he can do.  And we have to be very careful and walk a very fine line while recruiting people.  But, remember the JAX team I mentioned?  I found the captain of that team and sent him an email.  Meghan and I are going to be talking with him Monday to see how they got set up, how they were able to advertise for riders and volunteers for an event that solicits money and potentially may even become an offshoot of their team!  He said that HAC has 15 teams that participate in the walk and bike events around the country!  Last year his team of 226!! raised over $110,000!  Needless to say, Meghan and I are very very excited to get all of this started!

So, anyone in Florida or interested in heading to Florida next spring for the bike MS, wanna join our team?  If you do, go to my about page and send me a message!  We’d love to have you!

Clarification

I need to clarify Mom’s role in my decision to ride in the MS 150. When I wrote posts one and two it was pretty much right as I had gotten home Sunday after the ride. I was very tired and it’s been brought to my attention that some things can be and were taken in a way I totally didn’t intend and never occurred to me that it could be taken that way.

Mom is one of my best friends. She is someone that I can go to with any problem, any story or any time I need her. When I first told her I planned on doing the MS 150 she told me she was concerned about my ability to actually do the ride and finish. NOT that this was something I couldn’t do. But something she was concerned about my ability to do and not have my body get wore out or give up on me.

Mom’s concern was actually a good thing for me. It made me more determined to do what I could to complete the entire 150 miles. Her concern made me want to “prove Mom wrong” and, in a sense, prove me wrong. Although I can go to Mom anytime I have a problem or concern, this was something I didn’t share with her. I didn’t share with John, or anyone else. It’s not even something I really admitted to myself. After all, I was the one who’s legs felt like they were wrapped with saran wrap after getting off the stationary bike, the one who can no longer do a simple cardio class because my legs get too tired. The one who occasionally gives in and cries in the shower because my body won’t let me do those things anymore.

I didn’t want to admit to anyone that maybe this was going to be too much for me. So I clung to Mom’s concern. I let it drive my determination. And no matter how concerned Mom was, she still was behind me every step of the way. She has supported me through everything in my life. And I’m very very thankful that she’s not only my mom, but also my friend.

bike MS 150 – Day 2

Welcome to day 2 of the bike MS 150!

Day 2 started almost as early as day 1. The four of us (John, me, Mom and Dad) stayed at the host hotel, The Rosen Center, in Orlando rather than make the sometimes hour drive back to Lakeland. Breakfast started at 5:30, so today we got to sleep in to 5. Yes, again this is AM, while it’s still dark out. I did get a lot of sleep last night. I think I was asleep by 8:30, but try telling that to my body, it doesn’t like mornings. Especially when it’s still dark out.

John and I tossed around the idea of just hopping SAGs all the way to Cypress Gardens. And since I forgot to mention it, SAG is Support and Gear, it’s the people driving the route to pass out water/gatorade, minor first aid supplies and to pick up riders when needed. Some riders were just wore out, some were a little sore and needed a little rest, some blew out their tires and needed a ride to the next stop and the bike mechanics. I have a hybrid bike, so unlike all those very skinny bike tire peoples, I had no tire problems at all.

While we were at breakfast Mom and Dad started talking to one of the other volunteers. She said her name was Shannon and that she had ridden twice previously. Her husband and a friend were riding while she was a SAG driver. As we were talking, her husband mentioned being dropped last year when they had stopped at a gas station to get more water because the last SAG had gone buy and not looked in the parking lot of the store to see if any bikes were there. This clicked something for me (forgive the side trip here).

Last year after the ride I was on the Weight Watcher messenger boards and was a little bored. I headed to the 30 year old board, since I’m soon going to be in that category, to see what people were saying. I noticed one poster had listed in her signature line almost completing the 2007 MS 150 ride. I had gotten in contact with her to get an idea of what the ride was like, what to expect (guess I should have asked about the course!), and she had also told me about being dropped on the ride. So when Shannon’s husband mentioned this, I asked her if she had been on the WW message boards. Imagine our very pleasant surprise!

Anyway, John and I decided to head out and go as far as we could. When I woke up this morning the muscles behind my left knee were very sore, and the joint area on my right knee hurt. My legs other wise felt pretty good. That helped us decide to keep going. I pulled on my bike shorts (uh, bike store people, those of us with wider loads need wider padding!) and we headed to our bikes, and headed out with everyone. No, my butt wasn’t happy to be back on my bike again so soon after so many miles. Like yesterday we did pretty good. Our average to the first two rest stops was 14.4 miles. I even passed people today! On my bike without being in a SAG. Although I did start to develop a hatred for the “Uber Bikers” (Shannon’s very apt phrase), the bikers who average 20-25 miles an hour and who finished the century (100 mile ride) on Saturday in about 4, 4 1/2 hours!

When we got to rest stop two, my left knee was doing better, but my right was still hurting a little when I bent my knee. That was livable and no big deal. But getting off my bike I noticed that the muscles in my thighs felt a little weak. I walked around a little bit to try and keep those muscles loose, then joined the line at the porta-pottys. We did get a good laugh while waiting. One lady in front of John mentioned the handicap one being open since the indicator was green. So John went and opened the door, on some poor lady using the toilet! No, the lady in front of John was not aware someone was in there.

Heading back out, I made sure to tell John about my thigh muscles so he would know how I was doing, and we agreed to continue on. He said we’ll take it slow and get your muscles warmed up again. As we continued on I actually started to slow down and it was getting harder to push on. At stop three, I got off my bike (after climbing a small hill biking into the rest stop!) and headed to the snack table. My legs were weaker this time and I don’t know if I could have crossed the street back to my bike without support. I truly felt like my thighs were going to give out on me. So back onto the SAG wagon for me. John headed off into the hills (literally) on bike and I got to rest and relax in AC.

We got back together at the lunch stop and we both hopped Shannon’s SAG to rest stop seven (final rest stop). John’s back was very sore heading into the lunch, so we decided to bypass the rest of the ride. John did ride the last leg into Cypress Gardens and I hopped another SAG (this is starting to sound like bus or metro transfers). The driver let me out into the parking lot. He would have taken me to John’s truck, but I told him that I said I was going to cross the finish line on my bike. I did end the tour riding about 2 blocks, my thigh muscles were still feeling very weak while on my bike. But I said if I was dragging my feet or if John was pushing me, I was going to cross that finish line on my bike.

I don’t know if it was being so tired (remember, we were up while it was still dark out both days), or just the fact I managed to do as much as I did. But crossing that finish line was, and still is, a very emotional moment for me. I collected my medal while on my bike and with tears coming out of my eyes. Yes, I proved Mom right and my legs were not able to do the entire ride, but dammit, I did half of it. I did about 80 miles in all and I hauled my body, wide load and poor tired legs and all, up all those damn hills. I DID IT!

Day 1 I did about 53 miles and today I did about 26-27 miles. John did around 116 miles total. And while I did develope a slight hatred (ok, resentment?) towards the Uber Bikers, I have the utmost respect for everyone involved, from the organizers, to the bikers and all the way to the volunteers. Trust me, those volunteers worked just as hard as we bikers did. Check this poor tired volunteer out. I know that I’ve said I can pretty much sleep anywhere, but this person takes the cake, sleeping the way s/he is in the DJ tent with the speakers right there.

And I thank everyone for supporting me, both with financial support as a donation to the MS Society and emotional support. It means so much to me and Dad that so many believed I could do this. However, next year, John and I think we’ll be one of the SAG vehicles instead. I think I’ll stick to the MS walk, it’s only 3 miles.

bike MS 150 – Day 1

Honestly I don’t know if I have enough to write about, but I’m going to split it into two posts anyway. After all, it is my blog And just so you know, all images are clickable to larger sizes.

Anyone who has spent time with me knows I am not a morning person. Never have been and probably never will be. Mom is the same way. However, Mom and Dad had to be at Cypress Gardens by 5:45 AM at the latest to get the details of their volunteer assignment. So, John and I got our butts out of bed at the crack of dawn and headed with them. We were at Cypress Gardens by 5:30, and guess what?, it was still dark out.

After getting in, we roamed around until about 7am, that’s when everyone loosely lined up to head out on the actual ride. There was a rumored 1600 people registered to ride! That’s a lot of people! Keep that number in mind…

Send off was supposed to be at 7, but we didn’t get going until about 7:10, by that time the natives were all getting restless. John and I did snap pictures of each other while waiting. We were both VIB’s, that means we were able to raise the minimum $1000 needed for jerseys. Given all the hard work that went into getting the jerseys, we wore them proudly on Saturday.

After taking off I thought we were doing pretty well. We were averaging about 15 mph to start and things were going pretty well. However, I was surprised when I came up onto the first direction sign with the milage. The ride was split into the option of 50mph, 75 mph or on Saturday 100 mph. John and I had decided we’d do the 75 each day. Well, it really wasn’t 50, 75 or 100 miles. It was 53, 83 or 103. They lied to us! But oh well, we’re on the way, we’re doing good. And if you’re interested in the route, here ya go!

We got to the first rest stop pretty quickly, took a quick break and headed on to the next. Somewhere between the first and second or second and third rest stop (pretty sure second and third) I discovered someone else had lied. I’d really like to find the person (persons?) who said Florida is a flat state. I want to know where they went that it’s flat and why we couldn’t be there too! This is the first hill section that we encountered. The picture is from the top. The downhill that is seen in the distance, we went up the other side of that, down the hill and then I hauled my butt up the hill I’m standing at the top of. That was not fun, but it wasn’t as bad as to come.

Rest stop three was the last stop before lunch. At this time it’s around 11 or so, we’d gone roughly 30-something miles or so. So we head out to lunch and discover a ton more hills. Lots of hills. I felt like I was biking in Duluth! Except we did have some down portions, just not as much as I would have liked. Or maybe it just felt that way. I honestly don’t know at this point. The trip from rest stop 3 to 4 was the longest one we had, it was roughly 14 1/2 miles, all of it hills. Leaving rest stop 3 I actually walked my bike up a hill because I needed to work a different set of muscles for a while.

On our way to lunch Mom and Dad called twice. The first time they said we didn’t have too much farther to go (yeah, it goes quicker in a motor vehicle!) and that when we came around the bend a photographer would be there. We kept saying “oh, there’s a bend, this must be it.” The second time they called, Mom asked where we were. My very testy response was “On another damn hill!” And besides, we were in the middle of the flippin‘ state, how did I know where we were? We FINALLY got to lunch, about 12:30 I think. It meant a nice long trip down a hill (Oh thank god!). We were served pb&j’s or Bubba Burgers. The burgers smelled really good, but by this time I didn’t know if I was hungry or wanted to throw up (we’ve decided it was the gatorade doing that), so I stuck with the sandwiches.

Heading out of lunch I had a problem with my bike, my chain got jammed. A SAG driver had some lubricant, so we lubed up my chain and decided to SAG to the next rest stop looking for one of the bike mechanics. When we left in the truck I commented that “I finally get to pass people.” Remember the 1600 people that were registered? Yeah, about 1/2 probably passed me. I passed no one except John. When we went into lunch maybe a dozen tops came in after us.

The mechanic looked at my chain (since it was “stuttering” when I switched gears) and found out my cable was loose. After getting that tightened, John headed to the next rest stop on bike and I caught a ride. We hung out at the next stop before trying to head to the final rest stop. We made it 8 miles I’m sorry to say before catching a ride to the end.

Dinner would have been much more enjoyable if the sound system was turned down. When the singer started to sing Mom and I actually had to shout to hear each other, and we were sitting right next to each other. So we didn’t stay to listen to the speaker, which I was a bit disappointed at. But, it’s probably a good thing, what do you guys think?

MS Ride

This time tomorrow J and I will be well into our first day of the bike MS 150. It seems like just yesterday I was signing up for the ride and setting my goal of $1000. Now, about 6 months later, I’ve meet my goal and I’m trying to believe that the ride is actually tomorrow.

I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’m nervous because I’ve never ridden this many miles at a time. I’m excited to join the thousands fighting to help get rid of MS. It’s amazing how many people are willing to go to the lengths that they do to help me, Dad and thousands others like us. I know some people are out there just to ride, they enjoy the idea of doing a brisk 150 miles total. But they are there, and they did the necessary fundraising to be there. Scientists are making such huge strides these days and hopefully one day soon a cure will be found.

So that is what I’ll be doing this weekend. To get ready for having to get up at the crack of dawn Saturday and Sunday, I took today and Monday off of work. I think it’s going to be needed.

Mom and Dad (ok, right now it’s pretty much just dad) have joined the blogging world! They are cruise travel agents for Cruises Inc and started The Cruisin’ Fools to share their experiences at different vacation spots. It just got started so there isn’t a lot on there yet. But if you’re interested in reading a personalized account of some of the places the cruise ships go, check it out!

Co-Pay Issues for certain medications

One of the blogs I read is I’m an MS Activist, for obvious reassons. I don’t always read all of the posts, but there was one today that caught my attention. Today’s post contained this article from The New York Times, an article that is important not just for those with MS, but anyone taking specialized medications for rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, hepatitis C and some cancers. Please please read the article.

I’m currently on Rebif, it’s one of the most recent medications approved by the FDA to help slow the progression of MS. My medication costs my insurance company approximately $1900 a month. When I was first started on Rebif at my previous job my co-pay was $100 a month, or $250 for a 90 day supply. When I changed to my current company my co-pay dropped dramaticly. In 2007 I had a co-pay of $16.90, and insurance was paying $1700 something. This year due my co-pay is $30. I’m greatful that I’m not paying more, I know many many are. This is one of many reasons why this weekend I’m riding 150 miles to help fight MS.

It’s Done!

The auction was held Saturday April 5th, 2008. And while we didn’t raise as much as I was hoping, we still did a very good job. The grand total raised was $808.00! Half of this will actually be matched by my part time job. So I guess that means the eventual total raised will be about $1200. Not too bad.

I think we had two major issues that contributed to not raising as much as we would have liked. One was location. Yes, it’s true what they say in real estate. Location is very important. Plant City’s bike fest is set up like a T, and we were the last space at the end of the left hand arm of the top of the T. Right next to us was a group from Gibsonton, the winter and retirement home of many many circus folks. So we had a gentleman swallowing a sword, amongst other little tricks. Most people would wander down, watch the show and then wander back.

The other issue we had was another fundraiser event, this one an auction and raffle to benefit breast cancer and cancer awareness. Now, I know cancer is another important disease to fight, it’s something that has affected my family and the family of a very close friend of mine. But did they have to fight cancer on the same night I wanted to fight MS?

The ladies fighting cancer had put together around 30 baskets of different items and they raffled those off. They also had a live auction of various items. So even though we had some really cool items to offer, it seemed like an uphill battle.

But we did have a very good time and I’m very thankful for everyone who bid on an item or donated a little bit to us. And I thank everyone else for their support!

It’s been awhile

So I thought I’d do a quick post and run today. First off, my bike MS goal. I set my goal at $1000 for two reasons. One I thought it’d be fairly easy to get to that goal and two, that’s the amount needed for a jersey. And I want a jersey. As of yesterday, my goal has been met!! One of my parents neighbors very generously donated a whopping $500!!!!! Yay!

Tonight is the silent auction. I’m hoping, wishing, praying and whatever else there is to whatever powers that be there are that it doesn’t rain. Or at least only rains very very early on. Granted that doesn’t usually stop the bikers, they’re pretty dedicated. But no rain equals more people. And since I have some seriously awesome stuff, more people will equal more money raised. Most everything can be seen at my auction preview site. A couple things not added include: 2 adult tickets for the dinner train out of Ft. Myers, they usually do a mystery dinner; 2 tickets for lunch or brunch aboard the StarShip Yacht, they do meal cruises around Tampa Bay; 2 gift certificates for Partylite. I really think I’ll be able to raise a very decent amount of money tonight, money that will go to the MS Society to help fight this stupid disease.

So that’s my Saturday night. We need to be at Plant City by 3 to set up, so before heading there I need to run to Walmart and pick up some snacks for us and some thank you notes. That way all the notes can be writting for the winners in advance! Enjoy your weekend everyone!

MS Training Ride

Our local MS Society chapter held the first training ride for the Tampa area today. So J and I joined in since we really do need to start doing longer rides. The ride took place at the Suncoast Parkway trail and the email I received said we had the choice of 40, 45 or 55 miles. When we got there (at 10 to 8 this morning!) it turned out the 40 mile one was changed to 32. Which was ok, we had previously only done 28 miles.

The coordinators said heading out should be pretty good, we were to have a tailwind. But coming back they were anticipating rain. So J and I join the slow riders for the 32 miles and head out. We went 10 (from State Road 54 to State Road 52), took a short break, then headed back 6 miles to Jay Starkey Wilderness Park. Our next rest was at the restrooms in the park, at mile 22 (we did a very short rest just before entering the park). Heading back out of the park it started to rain. It was coming down steady, not really heavy thankfully. However I decided I don’t like riding in the rain. I couldn’t see, I had to wear sunglasses because of my contacts. And the rain on my bare arms and legs started feeling a little too pricky.

By the time we completed the ride we were soaked through. I took my shoes off in the parking lot because it truly felt like I had a small pond in each toe. Although my shoes gained water weight (they were retaining water, is there a water pill for that?) not all that much water came out. I think it’s going to take a few days for them to dry. J carries an older blanket in his truck and we sat on it for the drive home. The blanket was just to keep the dirt that had kicked up onto us off of the seats. When he left my place about 5 hours after getting back, his seats were still very wet.

We enjoyed the ride overall. It was nice riding with a group of people and surprisingly the headwinds were a little easier for me because of the group. I’m very proud to say that the “slow riders” was the only group of the 3 to actually complete their intended milage. The other two groups wimped out because of the gray clouds. We did our 32.something miles in about 2 hours 40 minutes and I honestly felt like I could continue riding for awhile at the end. So bring on the 150 miles!

Oh, and I have to mention the two animals we saw! The first one had the tail of a squirrel, but the face/body of I don’t know what! Some of the group members were thinking it looked like a lemur. The second was a white tailed doe as it bounded across the trail just feet in front of the group leaders. I didn’t bring my camera, and I’m glad I left it home because of the rain, so I sadly have no pictures. There was no way I could have taken pictures of the deer anyway, it was in too much of a hurry to get away from us

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day!

I hope everyone had a good Valentine’s Day. I was stuck working that night, so J and I saw each other very briefly. It didn’t bother me that I was working since I’ve never really been all that big on Valentine’s Day, J isn’t either which is nice. We kept things very low key, got each other a card. He got me a Peanut Butter Twix (since I had been craving one lately) and I got him a smallish Reese’s heart and a little picture frame. Nothing major, nothing break the bank expensive. Our anniversary is coming up at the end of this month and that to me is more of a celebration.

It’s sometimes hard to believe we’ve been together two years already. On one hand the time seems to have flown by at the speed of light. On the other hand, because we are so comfortable with each other (in a good way, I promise!) it feels like it’s been longer. I still thank my lucky stars everyday for him. And I’m very thankful to L for thinking he’d be a great match for me. So L, thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart

I haven’t been up to a whole lot of anything exciting. I’ve been busy crocheting as usual. I three current projects going, one of which is a very pretty doily. I signed up for the doily swap at Crochetville and I might give this to my swap partner. It depends on what s/he requests for colors and shapes. And as usual I will post pictures once I am able to.

I’ve also been busy sending out letters and making contacts for the auction. I stopped at my local Best Buy yesterday and spoke with the manager on duty. I am very excited to say that from the words he used and the impression I got, I should be able to get something from them to auction off. He asked what I wanted and I told him “I’ll be honest, I would love to have a tv or digital camera. It doesn’t have to be a high end expensive item either. But, I’ll take what I can get.” I don’t want to be greedy after all I received confirmation regarding another item the other day too. Mom works for the travel company for Great Escapes Vacation Club and they donated a certificate regarding one of their condos in the area. This is good for a week and has a value of up to $1500! I am really thrilled that they were so generous in doing this. I’ll get the paperwork tomorrow so I’ll be able to see what they are defining as area. As J pointed out since this event is taking place at a bike (motorcycle) fest, if GEVC counts Daytona as an area then this certificate will be a huge hit!

I’m still hustling my butt off to get donations. I’ve been very excited about the responses I’ve received and the generosity shown. If any of you knows anyone who would be willing to donate a service or product please let me know or send them to my Silent Auction website. Hugs and Kisses to all! I need to get ready for the day so that J and I can go find me some nice padded bike shorts. I tried on a pair recently to see what size I would need and they felt a little like wearing a diaper. However, if it’ll keep my butt nice and cushioned for those 150 miles, I’ll take it! Enjoy your weekend everyone!