MS150

Well, I survived my second year of the MS150!! It was great fun and I was again amazed as I rode my bike through different towns to see MS patients in wheel chairs sitting on the side of the rode cheering and saying "Thank You!" Being the sap that I am, it brought tears to my eyes a few times... With that being said, I am so glad that this is such a huge well-run event. My mom's sister has MS, and I have a friend at church with MS. It is great that they can raise so much money for such a great cause!!

Well, to even get to the start line from Dallas, it is a bit of a logistical nightmare. Friday, I drove to Austin parked my car at UT, took a bus to Houston, then I crashed with my old high school soccer buddies. I had fun catching up with Becky & Jorge and adorable little Maddy. We all went out for pasta so Brian and I could "carbo load." Linda & Brian hosted my Friday night stay...and we all woke up at the insane hour of about 4AM then headed out to start two day trek from Houston to Austin. I of course rode with the Brewery team again, "St. Arnold's." Take a look at the crazy colored jerseys! They took good care of me, fed me well, and made sure that I had plenty of choice replacement beverages on tap in La Grange. I stuck with tradition since things went pretty well last year (about 3-4 beverages and a good massage, and I was good to go for the next day). Brian and I had a good day of riding the first day, we covered 80 miles with some nice hills as you get closer to La Grange. Things got pretty nutty at the second half with a stiff headwind...but we survived and headed into camp. I showered in a shower trailer and staked out my sleeping bag on a nice patch of grass. I then headed over to visit friends on the Sun & Ski Team. We all compared and embellished stories from the grueling ride, and before you know it, I was off to sleep.

DAY 2: Woke up about 4:45 AM, only to repeat the same routine all over again!! Except this time you have to line up for about 1 1/2 hours just waiting for them to release all 13,000 riders at once from the gate... It was a pretty chilly morning, as we slowly pedaled off waiting for the crowds to thin. The rider in front of me turned back and said to me, "I can hear your teeth chattering, are you okay??" After about 20 miles, I finally warmed up a bit, although my toes stayed numb for another hour or so. I headed into my favorite part of the ride into Bueshner state park in Bastrop. It is beautiful with tree covered winding roads with some pretty crazy hills to climb. After the park, I stopped for lunch and then headed into Austin. I was lucky to jump on with a fun pace line and cruise at a nice speed drafting into Austin. Just like last year it was a great feeling riding into Austin knowing I had covered 160 miles or so on my bike! I had a celebration beverage at the St. Arnold's tent and vowed to make this my last beverage until after my upcoming marathon. Yikes in two weeks, running OKC marathon! So, I headed back to Dallas to recover and see if I could recooperate my body and prepare mentally for an upcoming Marathon! What was I thinking??!!