This was my second year riding the MS 150 and, although it was a hotter ride this year than last, I will be back in 2014. For those of you who have not heard about it, the MS 150 is an annual fundraising ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. There as MS rides around the country and I believe there was another one up in the Richmond area. All the riders are required to raise at least $300 to ride and many of them raise well over $1000.
This year's ride was June 1-2 and started in Cape Charles and finished the first day at Camp Silver Beach, the YMCA camp near Exmore. The second day reversed the course and ended up back in Cape Charles. The event offered a 75-mile ride each day or lesser distances. Our team, "Hats Off to Parris" had 25 members, including volunteers. One of our members, for whom the team is named, is diagnosed with MS, but she still rode with us on Saturday. We all met up for dinner on Friday night in Chick's Beach and then caravaned over to the Eastern Shore. We also did a Saturday night dinner at the Island House Restaurant in Wachapreague.
This year's ride was a bit hotter than last year's, with temperatures on Saturday afternoon topping 90 degrees along with a fairly stiff headwind. Sunday was a few degrees cooler, but will a steady headwind through most of the ride. Winding our way along the back roads of the Eastern Shore was also an enjoyable ride. The team broke into faster and slower groups on Saturday, with the faster group averaging about 17 mph. On Sunday, we tried to ride together as a group with an average pace of just under 15 mph. Our team still rose to the challenge and everyone finished. To their credit, the MS folks put on a nice ride with well stocked and staffed rest stops.
In the end, our team raised over $9000 and the entire event raised over $400,000 for National MS. Not a bad showing. If you are thinking about doing a long ride, consider an event like the MS 150, where you ride with a team. While riding solo is fine, nothing beats being part of a team.
I know this is supposed to be a blog on running, but allow me to deviate briefly. In addition to running, my fitness regimine has grown to include cycling. Actually, before I had taken up running seriously last year, I was cycling on my old mountain bike and racking up some serious miles. I felt that I was too heavy to run without risking some serious damage to my knees, so cycling allowing me to work on my endurance without the impact of running. This spring I transitioned to a road bike and found it to be an amazing ride. Cycling and running seem to be great compliments to one another and cycling allows me to recover from long runs while still working on my endurance.
Several months ago, I was approached about joining an MS 150 team to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The MS 150 is an annual ride of 150 miles over two days on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. I jumped at the chance, although I had never ridden 75 miles in a day before. In the weeks approaching the ride, a small group of fellow cyclists and team members did several rides to get ready and by March 2-3, we were ready. Our Saturday ride was at a faster pace with some unwanted wind in our faces. Sunday was perfect. Our team of about 14 riders managed to raise almost $8000 for MS. A great event for a great cause!
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