i've been busy

in case you haven't gotten my emails, this is what i've been up to: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?type=fr_personal&fr_id=9230&px=5452244&bpg=list&pg=personal

various posts:
(redundent if you get my emails- SORRY!)
so now you know the real reason i've turned into a bike maniac. i've been hard training for this for two months now, have gone from 30-40 miles a week at 10 mph to 120+ miles a week, average ride length (LOTS of hills) of 30 miles, doing that 3-4 times a week, have done 48 miles in about 3 hours, 36 miles INCLUDING sugarloaf.
average speed of 15-16 mph, so should be able to do this, even if i have to crawl.
will be updating the profile on the MS site later tonight, but leaving on a training ride in an hour!wish me luck, please make a pledge and i thank you for your support!

clipless pedals
i tried them.
i'm not sure if i like them, but i tried them. it's a learning curve i am going to coast down. coast, not skid. i hope. i don't need any more bruises. really. i don't. in my eternal battle between the curbs and my flesh, the curbs are winning.
anyway, i CAN feel the difference. it's a smoother stroke, conserves energy, utilizes all the muscles, is bidirectional. the foot is bound to the pedals, so the force that would be used to remain in contact with the pedals is instead transferred to the wheels. it takes full advantage of inertia, that a body at rest wants to remain at rest and a body in motion wants to remain in motion. the push accelerates the pull and the pull motivates the push.
it'll give me better control of the beast between my legs, that wild piece of hardware i've been riding. am i talking about pedaling a bike or am i talking about....? hmmm. oh well.ride 'em, cowgirl! hey. i DO live in kissimee! the MS150 (and i) would like to thank bike fitters of ponte vedra for their continued support. visit them on the web at http://bikefitters.com.

sunday's ride
rode with a different group. much easier pace, no curbs, no stairwells, no in-and-out of buildings. kept to officially designated bike trails (west orange trail) but took it AWAY from sugarloaf where there was a massive assault of bike riders. apparently a few of the groups who regularly ride up that way avoided sugarloaf because of that. felt odd to be so close and NOT be struggling with the mountain. then again, i had the pedals to deal with, my first real ride. they take getting used to but i can see that they conserve energy. we did a total of 37 miles, then i did an additional 10. so a total of 47, legs not tired, wrist was okay too.i have acquired a biker's tan: my arms are dark from shoulder to wrist,my hands almost white from the gloves, my upper thighs dark, lower legs medium, stops at my socks, back has odd lines from my various bike tops.

and guess what?
NO NEW BRUISES! the gash on my shin is healing nicely. well, let's see what happens this week. i need to be in tip-top shape for saturday am, have to be there by 6 am to sign in, get my tags, arrange to have my overnight bag shipped to my hotel (along with my extra eyeglasses, i'll be wearing my sunglasses) (no i do NOT need a full medical kit, they have EMS squads every 10-15 miles along the route. and one EMT has been personally assigned to moi)and then i get to ride 75 miles to daytona (it's actually a little bit more than that, but when you're looking at such big numbers, we stop counting. you know, one, two, three, more than 75....) eat, sleep, tend my wounds (my wrist hurts already)

and do it all over again the next day.

SO MAKE IT WORTH MY WHILE. HELP FIND A CURE. WE ARE ALL LESS THAN SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION. IN FACT, MY SENDING YOU THIS MEANS YOU ARE AT MOST 2 DEGREES OF SEPARATION FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS MS.

my first post, i said "maybe i don't know anyone with MS. maybe it's not personal. maybe i do. maybe it is." well, it turns out i know more than one. more than two. i am hoping not more than three. those senior moments we all get? maybe they're not just senior moments... pray that they are.

thank you for helping
robyn

wait a sec. does that say the finish line celebration starts at 10 am? for the road racers who think nothing of riding along at 22+ mph, sprinting at 28+ mph? the guys (and ladies) who intimate the beejesus out of me? i'm figuring on hauling my almost dead ass over the finish line at about 3 or 4 pm. if i have to claw my way across.
[robyn's mantra: stubborn stubborn stubborn, up down up down, you are NOT going to let the road win, stubborn stubborn stubborn.] you have doubts? DON'T DARE ME