MS 150

This past weekend I set out to cycle 150 miles with my husband and our friends, Michelle and Brian. The purpose of this event, called the MS 150, is to raise money for multiple sclerosis. Michelle and I completed this event two years ago because it was towards the end of a triathlon season, and we figured it would be great training for the Ironman that we both plan to do...someday. Two years ago, we had great weather for the MS 150 and it was grueling but rewarding. We were thanked and cheered on the entire way. We loved it.
Last year we did not participate because I was recovering from birth and decided that putting all of my weight on my crotch for 6 hours, two days in a row, was not a good idea.
This year, however, our husbands decided that they wanted to give the MS 150 a shot. We have all been looking forward to it and training during this entire summer.
This past Saturday, the weather was a perfect 70 degrees and the sun was shining. The 75 mile ride from Berea to Sandusky was almost flawless. Ok...when I say "almost" I have to mention that I fell off my bike in front of a huge intersection. The impact was so hard that I thought I broke something, but it turns out that only my legs, arms, back, bike seat, bike chain, pedals and ego were battered. I was able to continue on.
When we arrived in Sandusky we were proud and exhausted. We decided to stay at a local hotel (for the soft beds), went to dinner and fell asleep early. None of us slept well because the pain in our bodies increased and woke us up during the night. By morning, I realized that my left knee was starting to function less like a knee and more like...well, something that can't bend. I was scared that I would not be able to make the return trip with the rest of my crew.
After about 30 minutes of icing and 4 Advil (who needs a liver, anyway?), the knee could bend a little. All of our spirits were low. It was pouring rain. It was in the mid-50's. We hurt. We had 75 miles ahead of us. We did not want this day to begin.

Do MS patients feel this way when they wake up some days? Yes. Of course they do.

We were able to put our soggy selves onto our slippery bikes to set out in the rain. By the first intersection, I had fallen again. I immediately burst into hot, frustrated tears and said some very unkind words about my bike and my knee that wasn't quite working right. After some time, we all began to smile and laugh and joke about how ridiculous this was. We were riding our bikes in the rain, and it was COLD. But we were together with a goal and a purpose. You just can't say that about every day.

To sum up that day, things didn't go as expected. By the time many riders completed the first 10 miles of the ride, they were starting to show signs of hypothermia. We were encouraged to not go on, but Michelle, well...that will be a different blog post. Let's just say "not completing things" makes her go insane. We kept going, but learned that we would not be allowed to continue after the half-way point, only 18 miles away, because the conditions (rain and cold) were just too dangerous. To make an already long story short, Brian and Michelle got flat tires before the half-way point. Brian's was not repairable (really Michelle, it wasn't), and we were transported by a Safety and Gear vehicle to the half-way point. While 2000 riders were waiting to be picked up by bus, we were offered a ride by two angels with an SUV big enough to fit 4 extra people and 4 extra bikes. Alleluia.
Unfortunately, these angels arrived a minute after a medical personnel saw how bad I was shivering and made me strip down to my sports bra in front of those 2000 riders. Michelle will never let me live this down. Who knew it would be so easy to get me to strip? I know this person thought I was in trouble and close to hypothermia. Maybe I was. Maybe I just didn't realize how much I like taking my clothes off in front of people. I will have to think about that one.

This post is already way too long. We all still hurt. The pain kept my husband and I up most of last night. My left leg from my first (of three total) falls feels ruined, which is going to make the triathlon that I have to do in 5 days a little difficult. We will recover.

The purpose of this post is gratitude. I have never felt so impressed by my friends, volunteers and other riders during this event which quickly turned into an emergency situation.
Things rarely go as planned. When they don't, you adapt. Nobody knows this more than a patient with MS. My gratitude to those patients overflows this morning...as my body recovers and I am warm and dry. I hope that my effort took the pain from one of those patients for one minute. I hope that they thought to themselves hey, I am pain-free at this moment for some reason. I hope that reason was me. If this did not happen, I hope the money that was raised from this event makes a big leap on the road to a cure.

Was the weekend fun? In a strange way, it was one of the best. Was it worth it to risk ourselves in this way? No question.
See you next year, MS 150.