Losing...Living...Loving: MS Bike - City to Shore

Howdy Blog World. Yes...it's been way too long. I have lacked motivation and discipline lately. That has to change. However, I didn't come here to whine and moan about weight loss...or lack of. I came to tell you about a huge goal I accomplished this weekend....

I rode in the MS Bike City to Shore Ride. It started in Cherry Hill, NJ and finished in Ocean City, NJ. I rode 78.6 miles! It was the hardest thing I have ever done and one of the most incredible experiences! I set out to do the ride for 2 reasons...I wanted to raise money for a great cause and I wanted to challenge myself. I did both!

The ride was tough. I was scared.

The day started at 4am. I picked up my incredible biking buddy, Heather. We arrived at the start about 6am. The energy of the crowd was amazing. There were over 7000 people riding. We took off about 6:45 am.

The first 20 miles to the first stop were no problem. We kept a pace of about 12 miles per hour. Not fast, but one I felt I could keep up with. Heather could have easily blown me away, but was my rock and encouragement for the day. She never left my side. Pretty much the entire time we heard "On your left" by riders blowing past us on their road bikes. We ride hybrids.

Second rest stop was at 30 miles. Again, no biggie, but quickly approaching my longest ride to day (35 miles).

The third rest stop at about 43 miles was the lunch stop. We enjoyed peanut butter and banana sandwiches and took a nice little break. Every stop was stocked with snacks, drinks, port-a-potties and amazing support. The event was incredibly run!

At mile 50 I hit a WALL. A big wall of mental and physical exhaustion. I felt like I needed to puke. My body was overheating, my face was going numb. I felt like I had botox. At this point my left hand was already numb but I was dealing with it. The rest was awful. I pushed through to the 4th rest stop at 53 miles. We quickly got some hydration and found a shady spot. We stopped at the medical tent for a couple cold packs. It was a long rest, but I needed it. When we pulled into this stop I had tears in my eyes and just wanted to stop. The break and the ice packs worked wonders! I felt (and looked, according to Heather) like a new person.

Next stop was about 64 miles. Almost there. The route was about 77 miles. I knew we had 2 bridges ahead of us so we took a little extra time here again and got another ice pack.

Time for the homestretch into Ocean City. We were so close. I wanted this! Around 70 miles I started to fade again. We took an unofficial rest stop in someone's driveway with a little shade. Soon the bridges came into sight. Up until now the route had been fairly flat with just a few small hills. The only think that stood between us and the finish line was these two, big, scary looking bridges. Never in my life had I been so scared of a bridge! I used every ounce of energy I could muster to get up the first one. The ride down it was awesome. Then came the second bridge...a little steeper and scarier. All I could see in front of me was people walking, riding, dragging their bikes up it. I didn't want to get off. I made it a little way up and had to surrender. We walked to the top and then marveled at the beauty of the day. Then down we went towards the shore...

Here we took a slight detour that added a little bit to the ride...we met some teammates at a shore house. They were going to wait for us and cross the finish line, but Heather's phone died earlier and we didn't get the message that they'd already done it. So we hopped back on the route to the finish....

As we approached there were people on the street cheering and clapping. I started to get emotional as the finish line came into sight. There was such excitement in the air. As I crossed that line I bawled like a baby. I couldn't believe I did it. I DID IT!! I DID IT!!!

We finished the day at 78.6 miles!!! We got our medals, certificates, shirts and some food for our hungry and tired bodies.

Then it was back to the house for the best shower I have ever taken and lots of ice cold water! Thankfully a friend met us there and drove us back so we didn't have to wait for a bus. I pulled into my driveway about 8:30pm. Long and incredible day.

When I woke up Sunday morning I was scared to move. I wasn't sure my body would cooperate. Surprisingly I wasn't nearly as sore as anticipated. Just worn out. I spent the day on the couch in my pajamas watching movies with the kids. Later in the day I enjoyed a wonderful 90 minutes massage.

The only issue I'm still having is 2 fingers on my left hand are still numb. From everything I've read it sounds like I pinched a nerve and it could take days or weeks for the feeling to completely return.

Yesterday I swore I would never do the ride again. Today I'm thinking what I need to do to train harder and prepare for next year. We shall see.

In the meantime, here are a few pics from the day..

6am...pre-ride jitters...still dark out....