I chose to ride the Bike MS: C.H. Robinson Cruise the Cornfields (June 21st, 2014) because I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in February of 2014 just a few short months before my 40th birthday. For those of you who do not know much about multiple sclerosis it is an autoimmune disease where a persons body attacks the protective coating, myelin, around the nervous system as well as the brain. It affects the nerves ability to send impulses correctly and can cause vision and motor impairment, as well as tingling in the extremities and fatigue just to name a few things. For more information about MS you can take a look at this great article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/37556.php
I wanted to do an MS event sponsored by the National MS Society. The MS Society and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America both do work to provide support programs, services and research which makes a huge difference to people LIKE ME who live with multiple sclerosis. When a fellow triathlete who has a spouse with MS told me that my MS Society Chapter was holding their MS Bike event in Ames where I live it was a no-brainer for me. I was in. I had two weeks to do the obligatory fundraising of $100 but I wasn’t worried. You can still donate for 2014 BikeMS until July 11th at the link below.
As for the actual event. My husband and I decided that it made sense for him to ride with me so I would not be out on the 25 mile open road course alone. These rides are supported but don’t have a designated start time so riders can be pretty spread out. It isn’t a race and neither is living with MS so we decided to go easy (keep pedaling, minimal stops but easy pace). I really struggle with the heat due to my MS so I wanted to make an early start of things so I could get home and rest for Copper Creek Triathlon the next morning.
We were blessed with a beautiful spring morning. It was in the mid-sixties with a light wind and glorious sunshine. We set out around 8:30 am and hit the course which ran right through our neighborhood. It set out to the North on Dakota until we got to Cameron School road where we caught up with the first MS Rider we would see. He was walking up a hill without a helmet on so I am going to use the opportunity to plug bicycle safety. It is NEVER ok to ride without a helmet. I have lost friends who were riding without a helmet and were hit. I have a friend with a metal plate in his head, and last year the bike helmet saved me from a head injury when I went over the handlebars and my helmet cracked instead of my skull. Be safe, wear a helmet, dress brightly, be aware and use a mirror on your bike, use arm signals, and follow traffic laws.
Ok, back to the ride. We continued along to County Line road where we passed a young woman wearing the same jersey as me. This is significant because they only give them to people who have been diagnosed with MS (my first perk :). One of my goals was to make a new MS friend so after we had passed her a couple of time the next time we rode up on her I asked her for her story. She was also a mom of two who was diagnosed ten years ago. She used to be a runner but had a major flare up while she was off meds and now has motor control issues in one leg. She has taken to biking for fitness now. Like me she has also changed to a whole food diet and appears to be living well with MS.
All in all doing this event makes me more grateful for every day I have energy and still have my mobility, vision and mental capacity. Joe and I rode in to the finish line and received our Bike MS shirts and medals, and then headed towards home to stop at the neighborhood coffee house for a cool cup of caf before heading home to kids and yard work
. It was a great day and I hope to do a ride again next year.
No comments:
Post a Comment