Training For Next Year

After Ride Ataxia 3 (about a month and a half ago) I was sick for 2 weeks straight. At a couple points during that time, I thought it was never going to end. However after two weeks of couch time and some thrilling surfing on my way too basic cable I finally pulled out of it and now I am back to feeling 100%.

During the two ill weeks I did absolutely zero physical activity and my muscles tightened up big time. The muscles holding my knees together were so tight that it was painful to ride. I was a little concerned so I paid a visit to Dirk, my Physical Therapist, who told me that there is no reason to be alarmed, I just needed to get loosened up. So I massaged and stretched the heck out of my legs for two weeks in preparation for the Chico Wildflower ride. The ride was yesterday and there was a strong presence from the Ride Ataxia Cycling Team.
Left to Right: ED, Chris, Becky, Karen, Stephanie, Diane, Mike, Me, John. Not Pictured: Tess, Mark

There were many options for the ride. A century (100 miles), 65 miler, flat 60 miler, flat 30 miler. John was the only brave soul to complete the century (his first century), congratulations John! A few of our group modified the century route to complete about 85 miles, some of us did the flat 60 miler which turned into about 75 after we got lost, hooray! And a couple in our group completed the 30 miler, congratulations ladies!

The weather was fantastic and we all had a great time. We enjoyed a large meal and massages at the end.

Today I was very tight but it could have been much worse. I am headed back to see Dirk to make sure I continue to stay loose!

Reflection

We left Seattle about a week ago and after surviving a terrible fever I have had time to reflect on our Journey. I spoke with a few teammates and the general feeling is that the time spent on the bike was wet, cold and extremely difficult. However everyone came away with a positive experience. Each person challenged him/herself every day and in the end we came together as a team to encourage each other to the finish each day.
I think everyone agrees that this is not something that any of us would have done if we did not have a reason to ride out on a limb for a deserving cause. In fact, at times the travel was quite treacherous:
But despite the horrendous riding conditions we managed to have fun:
And we kept moving toward our goal with purpose. Our purpose was to improve ourselves personally in hopes that we would benefit others at the same time. I am confident that we accomplished these goals as I hear positive feedback from teammates and as I see the research dollars continuing to trickle in. We have already doubled our fundraising goal and the total keeps rising as we passed $220,000.

There were a number of defining moments during this ride, but a particularly significant one came 2 miles before the end on a 21% grade incline. Without a feasible alternate route, cyclists were left with no other choice but to climb this wall of a hill. In a striking parallel to facing the challenges of life with FA, the nearly 70 cyclists dug in and approached the uphill battle with determination and perseverance. Many of the recumbent trikes were unable to gain traction on such a steep incline; so their teammates abandoned their bikes and helped push them up. Other teammates picked up the abandoned bikes and cyclists reported that very few words were exchanged- just recognition of need followed by action.

Morning Show

Hi.

The NAF conference was fantastic as usual and we are headed home now. I will have some thoughts and reflections soon but in the mean time, I will be on a morning show in Portland in the morning. Not sure if you can watch live on the web but check it out: AM North West