The MS 150 (Day One)

Greetings friends!

Wow! Where to even begin? We've been on this journey together for quite some time, and it all came to a close on Sunday afternoon at Lake Erie.

First thing first, if you contributed to my efforts, or prayed for me, or offered your support in any way, shape, or form, thank you from the bottom of my heart! I was basked in support from friends, family members, and the Westminster Family. So thank you so much!

Friday night we had a dinner for the team, where we heard from a few team mates and friends who have MS. Up until that point, I was really only riding the 150 as a physical challenge. But man, the importance of this ride is so under stated, or at least it was by me. Every dollar we raised together goes towards making new strides in medications to make the disease more manageable, and of course is one step closer towards finding a cure. At the moment, I give you the following numbers to celebrate:

• Together, we raised $1100 for my ride. This blows my mind, as I thought raising the minimum of $250 would be a challenge. You folks are crazy!
  
• As a team, RKW raised over $43,000. That is even crazier to me!
  

(It's worth mentioning, if you have intended to donate either to me personally, or to the Roadkill Warriors, there's still time to do so. I'll leave the link on the left up on the Crankset as long as Bike MS will accept a donation.)

Saturday, Travis and I woke up at the obscene hour of 4:45 AM to drive to Cooper's Lake. At the starting line, I was forever grateful for participating in Pedal Pittsburgh this year, as there was really not a whole lot to rattle me in terms of getting signed in, registered, and all that goes with the start of the event. But before we even knew it, we were rolling out on day one of riding.

I had been aware that day one would be significantly harder than day two, so my focus was on finishing day one strong. The course started with a series of rolling hills, which made it very hard to get into my usual rhythm. But after a few miles, my legs settled into a good pace and we got things going. We rode hard the first fifteen miles into the rest stop. So well in fact, I was strongly considering passing the first rest stop, were it not for the fact that mother nature had been calling me since mile one.

The rest stops were paced about 12-15 miles apart, so we were really just going in short spurts. After the second rest stop, we were traveling at a pretty good pace of about 15 mph, which was surprising for everyone on the team.

I started to notice my training on hills throughout the course. I went into the MS 150 knowing that I wanted to attack each hill, try to sprint to the top, and recover on the downhill on the other side. Hills have never been my strong suit, but I was finding a power and comfort on hills that hadn't been there before. It was amazing!

The only trouble spot on day one was immediately after lunch, where we were met with a massive hill. After eating a full lunch to try to replenish some of the calories that were burned along the ride, I was really in no place to climb a big mountain. So unfortunately that was a hill I would have to walk the bike, so as to avoid throwing up. Luckily though, it was the only time my feet would hit the ground.

Crossing the finish line on day one was an amazing feeling. The faster members of our team were waiting for us at the team tent with food and beer, and we were even met with some of the folks we were riding for. I took advantage of a massage, which felt amazing! We went to bed rather early, ready to tackle the less intense course of day two.

This post is already plenty long, so if you stuck with me this long, I'll let you know that I'll post the recap of day two tomorrow. Also, a big announcement on Thursday (HINT: Cycling season isn't over.)

Godspeed,

Jason