#28) Belated Notes from the Big W and Tour de Farms Update

Artwork from the house

I apologize for not keeping my journal up to date. The "Spring Break" trip down to the Florida panhandle was a much needed break from the horribly snowy winter we've been having in the Chicago metro-area... As it stands now, the 2013-14 snow season is the 3rd snowiest since record-keeping began in the 1890's.


We rented a beach-housed in Blue Mountain Beach, FL named "the Big W". I don't know if the name was in homage to the
 campy early 1960's comedic film "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" but the house had kind of a campy early 60's vibe although not in a good way. Don't get me wrong, the house was clean  and well maintained and all that, but it was a cross between a beach house and a north woods fishing cabin, with a stuffed swordfish on one wall, a large mouthed bass on another, paintings of seagulls next to pheasants, seashells and antlers , bedrooms painted in beachy pastel hues and a living room with walls of dark walnut.

Grayton Beach State Park

I was able to get out for three good 12.5 mile rides along the paved Timpoochee Trail, which  parallels State Highway 30-A, on the Florida panhandle, improving my time with each ride.

Surfer at Sunset on Blue Mountain Beach 

After basking in the 70f temperatures for one week the return to Chiberia has been difficult to handle. There has been two days where the daytime high neared 60f. On the first day, I went for a ride a 7.46 mile ride at the Morton Arboretum. The roadway was strewn with a mixture on salt, sand and water run-off from melting snow.  This was my first hill ride since last fall so my gearshift timing & technique  was off
but that will return with practice. On the second 60f-ish day I went to the Herrick Lake Forest Preserve. I went 100 yards down the muddy trail but decided to turn back after I discovered snow and ice would make it impossible to ride.

I have been going to the gym for more weight  and spin training in preparation for the June 21st Tour de Farms bike ride.
Earlier this week I took my hand-cycle into the shop for a tune-up (repacking of ball-bearings, cable/shifter adjustments, wheel alignment  and chain maintenance). In order to see what type of terrain I would be faced with on this ride I drove out to DeKalb, Il for a look-see. I didn't follow the entire course but from what I saw the terrain is relatively flat with long stretches slight inclines followed by long stretches of slight declines.

Finding the correct gear near the base of the climb will be essential.


Here is the bike route from last year.

Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyRide

Music

Indoor Cycling Mix from Youtube.com

#27) Kayla , Walter & Me

1/3 Split Avg 12.22mph

I have been waffling around about whether I should do the 35 mile or 50 mile loop at Tour de Farms Bike MS this June but after reading this New York Times article about this courageous and determined high school runner who has MS the deal was sealed...

Kayla, who plays soccer and was a mediocre high school runner,  complained of numbness in her legs after she ran. At first she tried to run through it but went to see a doctor. After she was diagnosed with MS she urged her coach to push her as hard as he could because as Kayla said, "Coach, I don't know how much time I have left, so I want to run fast-don't hold back." (Authors note: MS is not a terminal disease. She was referring to her ability to run.) The training efforts paid off. Before she learned she had MS Kayla ran her 1st 5k races in 24:29, after urging her coach to push her she ran it in 17:22 and placed 11th in a regional qualifier.

Her comment about not knowing how much longer she would be able to run is so true because MS is such an unpredictable disease. My first neurologist explained it to me this way, " you may never need a wheelchair or you may need one in six months or if you might get run-over by a bus in the parking, that's how MS is." He also advised me to try to remove as much "stress" from my lifestyle as possible. So I'm thinking to myself "I'm married with 3 kids under the age of 10, I own a home, I commute 2 hours each way to work in New York City and I'm a commodity broker, which of these "stessors" do I ditch first?"

After Kayla's story, how can I not try to push myself further. This is where the "Walter Mitty" in me clicks in and I begin to run through all sorts of calculations: 1)the furthest I have ridden on any single day was the 27 mile sight-seeing junket on Nantucket; 2) I just spun 12.6 mile in an hour and I spun for 99 minutes at a 12.21mph pace; 3) I could complete the 35mile ride in  less that 3 hours with 1 rest-stop; 4) 50miles would take me over 4 hours and I could rest more often; average high in June is 80f; 75miles/12mph average = 6:15:00.... pocketa, pocketa pocketa
Then I remember the last time I over did it on a hot day in June, but hey, I was home from the hospital before the fireworks on the 4th...

So that's it I will do the 50mile ride this year and see how that goes.

12.65 miles in 60mins

Then next year I maybe will try the century ride or maybe the Great Bike Ride Across Iowa or maybe the Race Across America..... Damn you Mr Mitty, get out of my head.

To Help Raise Money to Fight MS Click Here

MUSIC

XTC "Jason and the Argonauts"

Squeeze "Another Nail In My Heart"