MS150 Day 1
Where does the time go? Well, in my case, I've been busy with keeping our house tidy and clean as it's listed on the market, taking my boys to various activities (T-ball is finally over!), and all sorts of other things that life presents to me. I feel like I've been exhausted since the MS150, and I've been sleeping a lot this holiday weekend hoping to remedy that feeling.
Speaking of the MS150, I never wrote anything but a short blip about it. I have so many runs and events to talk about, and I wondered if I should start with my most recent event (Saturday's long run) and work backward. Instead, I decided to go chronologically, so we'll now jump back to Friday, April 11. I guess six weeks late is better than no report at all. :o)
MS150 - The Long Version, albeit not as long as it would have been 6 weeks ago, lucky you, but it's still ridiculously long.
David drove me, my bike, and gear down to Houston Friday afternoon. I don't remember being nervous, which is a good thing for me. Ah, Houston traffic greeted us as we found our hotel (the hotel with the expo). We unloaded bikes and gears and found our rooms, and then wandered around the expo. We went to the St. David's room which had some food and drinks for the team members. It was all fairly boring, especially for David, and we eventually headed out for dinner. I can't remember where we ate, but it was an overpriced Mexican restaurant. I can't even remember what I ordered! See the details you get 6 weeks later?? Amazing!
I was sad for David to leave, sad to be without someone there who loved me, sad to be alone with my impending nervousness. Michelle, Lynette, and Lonnie are very nice, and all made me feel welcome and wanted. We went to our rooms to get our gear ready, and I got a bed to myself, which made sleeping a little easier. I actually slept fairly well considering my normal anxiety. 5:00am chimed, and we were up and at 'em.
We were supposed to meet the St. David's group in the parking garage at 6:15am, but it was pitch black at 6:15. I was ready, but Michelle and Lynette weren't quite done. I think we finally headed down around 6:30am. We loaded our bags into an SUV. I thought all the St. David's peeps got to put their bags in this SUV, and I wondered how 160 people's stuff was going to fit. I later learned that just those folks who donated to the Jabboury Foundation put their things there.
Me, Lonnie, Lynette & Michelle in the parking garage, ready to go:
If you want to see maps of the route as you read, click here. These include elevation maps, as well.
As soon as it was light, we headed out from the parking garage. We avoided the start at Tully stadium, but within a street or two, we had merged with those riders. I have never seen so many people on bikes in my entire life. I was nervous and gripping my handlebars so tightly. I didn't realize this until we were stopped several miles in to the ride at a stop light. I am still amazed that there weren't more bike wrecks.
I finally settled down. We didn't stop at the first break point. My gears were making lots of noise even though I had just had them checked and fixed the week before (after the Rosedale ride). We made it to the 2nd break point (BP from here on out). I took my bike to the repair section, where I was informed about my "half-gear." The mechanic clicked my gear half-way and the clanking stopped. I felt like an idiot. I had tried that, b/c I did indeed know about my "half-gear." Of course it magically stops for him. Relieved nonetheless, I thanked him and weaved through the masses to get a snack and drink.
Here's a picture of the 2nd BP, our first stop. I used a disposable camera, and this picture doesn't do the crowd any justice:
The first 40 or so miles of the ride were flat and pleasant. Honeysuckle was growing along the road (FM 529) for a good 20-30 miles, and it was sweet bliss. I let the aroma of those yellow and white flowers wrap around my like a shawl, and with each inhale I was taken back to the honeysuckle vines in our yard growing up, popping off the tiny green tip of the flower and sucking the wee drop of nectar.
The last 10 miles before our lunch stop in Belville had some hills. I think this is around the time the wind picked up. It may have been there the first 40 miles, but I don't remember it causing a problem. The hills were manageable, but I was surprised how many people were already struggling up the hills.
We rolled into lunch and found the St. David's tent, where we were treated to Jason's Deli boxed lunches (rather than the PBJ sack lunch provided for all riders). We sat in the shade, and it was actually chilly. The weather thus far had been ideal temperature-wise. Standing around was chilly, but after riding and getting warm, it was perfect. It was sunny and mild...highs in the low 70s. I was warned that the next 50 miles to La Grange were hilly...all the flat was behind us.
Small aside - we rode together in a sense. We always met back up at the BPs, but due to differences in speed and ability and how we were feeling, we always separated. Lonnie always finished first (to ride with us, he was riding much slower than his usual pace). Second was usually Lynette, with me third, and Michelle last. Michelle wasn't feeling 100% on day 1.
Lunch was over too soon, and we were headed out again. I wanted to stop at every single BP from lunch to La Grange, but my riding buddies wanted to skip some. I told them fine, but that I was stopping. The wind was brutal, and at BP 4 (approx 10 miles), all of us stopped. We lamented the head-wind that made the hills that much more challenging. All the riders felt it, and those that aren't used to hills or didn't train much, were suffering.
What I remember of those 2nd 50 miles on day 1 was lots of head-down-into-the-wind, slow riding. I just went from BP to BP. I told myself, "only X many miles to the next stop." I was texting David and Sarah at every stop to let them know of my progress. My right knee had been hurting since around lunch time or after. Even though it was windy, I still took the time to enjoy the scenery. We rode through some beautiful areas, and one town in particular touched my heart. I want to say it was Fayetteville, but my memory is poor. The entire town came out, it seemed, to cheer us on as we rode through their downtown streets. Many were yelling "Thank you for riding!" and one man was out in a wheel chair cheering and yelling "Thank you!" They had flags and banners and all-around goodwill. I was so moved that I teared up and choked back a sob. I felt that the emotion from that town would carry me through to La Grange...another 20 miles away.
The emotion did carry me, but the wind and fatigue overpowered it after a few miles. I tried to hold onto those faces cheering, I thought of David struggling through the last miles of his sub-3 marathon, I thought of Elijah's and Joshua's sweet faces chanting "Go, Mommy!", I remembered Sarah saying, "If I can do it, then you can do it," when she first talked me into riding the MS150, and I talked to God a lot. My right knee would hurt, so I'd try to use only my left leg for pedaling. I never felt like quitting. My neck and shoulders were aching beyond anything I had imagined.
We finally made it to La Grange. I was elated to see the city limit sign. I begged Lynette, Lonnie and Michelle to stop and take a picture. Lynette and Michelle weren't thrilled, but thankfully Lonnie backed my idea up as a good one. We stopped for a photo. This one is of me and Lynette with Michelle in the background.
Because we were with team St. David's, we didn't go the fair grounds. We rode ride passed them and headed to Pink's. I didn't really know what Pink's was, but I did know it was a house. A house that had food and a massage therapist. A house that I wanted to get to in a bad way. We made it there, and I finally figured out that only those who donated to Jabboury went to Pink's house. Pink is a woman who is active in the Jabboury Foundation. The suburban was only for those of us who donated and had host families. Ah...I understand now. There were team St. David's folks who did go to the fair grounds and camp or have family members drive them to a motel.
Our host, Hugh, was waiting for us (I honestly can't remember if that is his name!). We rolled in at 6pm - 2 hours later than the year before when Sarah rode with Lynette and Michelle. 2 hours later than we thought we'd arrive, and we were beat. We found out that everyone was later than years prior thanks to the wind. I heard over and over how much harder this year's ride was due to the wind. I heard folks say it was the hardest year they could remember. Yea for me, I thought sarcastically.
We ate delicious Carraba's food, and I waited a long time for my 20-minute massage. It was so worth it. My back, shoulders, and arms were stiff and sore. Our host had taken our bikes and bags to the house we were to stay at, and he was coming back for us. His daughter, Dana, was preparing a lasagna dinner for us at her house.
It turns out that our host is a very interesting man. He's a retired professor of Physics at Sam Houston (but still has an office there), he owns several houses and property in and around Winchester, where we stayed. At first, one might think he was a good ol' Texas country boy, but then he talked and told us of his jobs and Physics professorship, and we soon learned that this was not a typical good ol' boy. I wanted to ask him about String Theory, but I was too tired and shy.
Dana, his daughter, is interesting, too. She rescues animals and had about 9 dogs on her property that had been rescued. We ate dinner at her house and then headed back to the "town house" in Winchester proper to sleep. We had the house to ourselves, and I again got my own bed. We all took turns taking a shower and using the 1 bathroom before collapsing into bed. The house was literally right next to the first BP for day 2. It was also right next to a train track.
Trains rolled through and blew their horn about 4 times during the night. I was lucky and fell right back asleep after it woke me. Lynette, Lonnie and Michelle had a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep. The grandfather clock in the house also chimed and kept them awake, but I never heard the clock. I was determined to sleep until 6am, but I heard the others awake and moving around around about 5:15am. I did lay in the bed until 5:45am. It was a decent night's sleep considering.
Upcoming highlights from Day 2:
* 38 degrees and no long sleeves or pants
* insane hills in Beuscher State Park
* skipping lunch and bonking really, really hard
* Hello, Austin! You sure look good to me!
Speaking of the MS150, I never wrote anything but a short blip about it. I have so many runs and events to talk about, and I wondered if I should start with my most recent event (Saturday's long run) and work backward. Instead, I decided to go chronologically, so we'll now jump back to Friday, April 11. I guess six weeks late is better than no report at all. :o)
MS150 - The Long Version, albeit not as long as it would have been 6 weeks ago, lucky you, but it's still ridiculously long.
David drove me, my bike, and gear down to Houston Friday afternoon. I don't remember being nervous, which is a good thing for me. Ah, Houston traffic greeted us as we found our hotel (the hotel with the expo). We unloaded bikes and gears and found our rooms, and then wandered around the expo. We went to the St. David's room which had some food and drinks for the team members. It was all fairly boring, especially for David, and we eventually headed out for dinner. I can't remember where we ate, but it was an overpriced Mexican restaurant. I can't even remember what I ordered! See the details you get 6 weeks later?? Amazing!
I was sad for David to leave, sad to be without someone there who loved me, sad to be alone with my impending nervousness. Michelle, Lynette, and Lonnie are very nice, and all made me feel welcome and wanted. We went to our rooms to get our gear ready, and I got a bed to myself, which made sleeping a little easier. I actually slept fairly well considering my normal anxiety. 5:00am chimed, and we were up and at 'em.
We were supposed to meet the St. David's group in the parking garage at 6:15am, but it was pitch black at 6:15. I was ready, but Michelle and Lynette weren't quite done. I think we finally headed down around 6:30am. We loaded our bags into an SUV. I thought all the St. David's peeps got to put their bags in this SUV, and I wondered how 160 people's stuff was going to fit. I later learned that just those folks who donated to the Jabboury Foundation put their things there.
Me, Lonnie, Lynette & Michelle in the parking garage, ready to go:
If you want to see maps of the route as you read, click here. These include elevation maps, as well.
As soon as it was light, we headed out from the parking garage. We avoided the start at Tully stadium, but within a street or two, we had merged with those riders. I have never seen so many people on bikes in my entire life. I was nervous and gripping my handlebars so tightly. I didn't realize this until we were stopped several miles in to the ride at a stop light. I am still amazed that there weren't more bike wrecks.
I finally settled down. We didn't stop at the first break point. My gears were making lots of noise even though I had just had them checked and fixed the week before (after the Rosedale ride). We made it to the 2nd break point (BP from here on out). I took my bike to the repair section, where I was informed about my "half-gear." The mechanic clicked my gear half-way and the clanking stopped. I felt like an idiot. I had tried that, b/c I did indeed know about my "half-gear." Of course it magically stops for him. Relieved nonetheless, I thanked him and weaved through the masses to get a snack and drink.
Here's a picture of the 2nd BP, our first stop. I used a disposable camera, and this picture doesn't do the crowd any justice:
The first 40 or so miles of the ride were flat and pleasant. Honeysuckle was growing along the road (FM 529) for a good 20-30 miles, and it was sweet bliss. I let the aroma of those yellow and white flowers wrap around my like a shawl, and with each inhale I was taken back to the honeysuckle vines in our yard growing up, popping off the tiny green tip of the flower and sucking the wee drop of nectar.
The last 10 miles before our lunch stop in Belville had some hills. I think this is around the time the wind picked up. It may have been there the first 40 miles, but I don't remember it causing a problem. The hills were manageable, but I was surprised how many people were already struggling up the hills.
We rolled into lunch and found the St. David's tent, where we were treated to Jason's Deli boxed lunches (rather than the PBJ sack lunch provided for all riders). We sat in the shade, and it was actually chilly. The weather thus far had been ideal temperature-wise. Standing around was chilly, but after riding and getting warm, it was perfect. It was sunny and mild...highs in the low 70s. I was warned that the next 50 miles to La Grange were hilly...all the flat was behind us.
Small aside - we rode together in a sense. We always met back up at the BPs, but due to differences in speed and ability and how we were feeling, we always separated. Lonnie always finished first (to ride with us, he was riding much slower than his usual pace). Second was usually Lynette, with me third, and Michelle last. Michelle wasn't feeling 100% on day 1.
Lunch was over too soon, and we were headed out again. I wanted to stop at every single BP from lunch to La Grange, but my riding buddies wanted to skip some. I told them fine, but that I was stopping. The wind was brutal, and at BP 4 (approx 10 miles), all of us stopped. We lamented the head-wind that made the hills that much more challenging. All the riders felt it, and those that aren't used to hills or didn't train much, were suffering.
What I remember of those 2nd 50 miles on day 1 was lots of head-down-into-the-wind, slow riding. I just went from BP to BP. I told myself, "only X many miles to the next stop." I was texting David and Sarah at every stop to let them know of my progress. My right knee had been hurting since around lunch time or after. Even though it was windy, I still took the time to enjoy the scenery. We rode through some beautiful areas, and one town in particular touched my heart. I want to say it was Fayetteville, but my memory is poor. The entire town came out, it seemed, to cheer us on as we rode through their downtown streets. Many were yelling "Thank you for riding!" and one man was out in a wheel chair cheering and yelling "Thank you!" They had flags and banners and all-around goodwill. I was so moved that I teared up and choked back a sob. I felt that the emotion from that town would carry me through to La Grange...another 20 miles away.
The emotion did carry me, but the wind and fatigue overpowered it after a few miles. I tried to hold onto those faces cheering, I thought of David struggling through the last miles of his sub-3 marathon, I thought of Elijah's and Joshua's sweet faces chanting "Go, Mommy!", I remembered Sarah saying, "If I can do it, then you can do it," when she first talked me into riding the MS150, and I talked to God a lot. My right knee would hurt, so I'd try to use only my left leg for pedaling. I never felt like quitting. My neck and shoulders were aching beyond anything I had imagined.
We finally made it to La Grange. I was elated to see the city limit sign. I begged Lynette, Lonnie and Michelle to stop and take a picture. Lynette and Michelle weren't thrilled, but thankfully Lonnie backed my idea up as a good one. We stopped for a photo. This one is of me and Lynette with Michelle in the background.
Because we were with team St. David's, we didn't go the fair grounds. We rode ride passed them and headed to Pink's. I didn't really know what Pink's was, but I did know it was a house. A house that had food and a massage therapist. A house that I wanted to get to in a bad way. We made it there, and I finally figured out that only those who donated to Jabboury went to Pink's house. Pink is a woman who is active in the Jabboury Foundation. The suburban was only for those of us who donated and had host families. Ah...I understand now. There were team St. David's folks who did go to the fair grounds and camp or have family members drive them to a motel.
Our host, Hugh, was waiting for us (I honestly can't remember if that is his name!). We rolled in at 6pm - 2 hours later than the year before when Sarah rode with Lynette and Michelle. 2 hours later than we thought we'd arrive, and we were beat. We found out that everyone was later than years prior thanks to the wind. I heard over and over how much harder this year's ride was due to the wind. I heard folks say it was the hardest year they could remember. Yea for me, I thought sarcastically.
We ate delicious Carraba's food, and I waited a long time for my 20-minute massage. It was so worth it. My back, shoulders, and arms were stiff and sore. Our host had taken our bikes and bags to the house we were to stay at, and he was coming back for us. His daughter, Dana, was preparing a lasagna dinner for us at her house.
It turns out that our host is a very interesting man. He's a retired professor of Physics at Sam Houston (but still has an office there), he owns several houses and property in and around Winchester, where we stayed. At first, one might think he was a good ol' Texas country boy, but then he talked and told us of his jobs and Physics professorship, and we soon learned that this was not a typical good ol' boy. I wanted to ask him about String Theory, but I was too tired and shy.
Dana, his daughter, is interesting, too. She rescues animals and had about 9 dogs on her property that had been rescued. We ate dinner at her house and then headed back to the "town house" in Winchester proper to sleep. We had the house to ourselves, and I again got my own bed. We all took turns taking a shower and using the 1 bathroom before collapsing into bed. The house was literally right next to the first BP for day 2. It was also right next to a train track.
Trains rolled through and blew their horn about 4 times during the night. I was lucky and fell right back asleep after it woke me. Lynette, Lonnie and Michelle had a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep. The grandfather clock in the house also chimed and kept them awake, but I never heard the clock. I was determined to sleep until 6am, but I heard the others awake and moving around around about 5:15am. I did lay in the bed until 5:45am. It was a decent night's sleep considering.
Upcoming highlights from Day 2:
* 38 degrees and no long sleeves or pants
* insane hills in Beuscher State Park
* skipping lunch and bonking really, really hard
* Hello, Austin! You sure look good to me!
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