MS 150...What A Ride!

Well, I survived 160 plus miles of cycling this past weekend. Yes, it's false advertising as the ride is actually over 160 miles, but the cause is worth the extra effort! I had a great time riding with Team Liberty Ford. Paul Stone, our team captain (and Ryan's business partner) was a great leader. He kept everyone motivated the last several months to raise money, ride hard, and most importantly to have fun!! Our 21 member team raised $15,000 thus far!
I won't pretend like it was all fun times from start to finish. We started out Saturday morning in Frisco freezing our lycra butts off! The temperature was in the 40's and the wind was out of control! We were not at all prepared with extra clothing and assumed it would be warm as soon as the sun started to rise. We were still cold at lunch, but our fingers and toes began defrosting by that time. It was much more enjoyable riding in the afternoon! It also made it easy to forget about being cold at lunch with the energy of all the other riders, the enthusiastic volunteers, and the thankful people who suffer from MS that gave us high fives in the lunch line.
We did a total of 86 miles on day one so I figured the foot massage at the finish line was well-deserved!

After a great night of sleep in a comfy Hampton Inn bed, we were off to an early start at Texas Motor Speedway. Most of our teammates did a lap around the speedway together and then were off to complete another 74 miles. Ryan rode with the big boys (and Lisa) on Day 2 and thankfully Lauren served as both my riding partner and psychological support team throughout the day. The course was pretty hilly on Day 2 and it felt good to watch other riders walk their bikes up the hills, while we cycled past.
The last rest stop was a quick break to refuel with some water and cold Blue Powerade (my favorite beverage of the weekend) and then it was on to the last 9 miles into Sundance Square, Fort Worth. I'd like to act like I felt wonderful all 160 miles, but that last leg was pretty tough. Everything started to hurt and I wanted those awful spandex shorts off my body!! My smile could not possibly get any bigger than it was when I saw the Finish Line sign. OK, it probably got a little bigger when I saw Ryan at the end of the Finish Line (he had of course already been there for a long time...we won't admit how long though). My awesome roommate, Katie, was our cheerleader at the Finish Line. She is such a trooper. She and our friend, Patty, got to Sundance Square hours earlier to reserve the perfect spot on the patio at Flying Saucer. Thanks ladies for being there to cheer us on! Thank you to everyone that supported me! It was a great experience and I am already ready to upgrade my bike.

Ryan is already planning for MS 150 2009. If you could see my tan lines right now, you would agree that it would not be the smartest thing to do a week before my wedding. We shall see...