I must ride!!

All last week I complained about my lower back pain. I have been training for Bike MS: Cape Cod Getaway, and the week preceding last week, being anxious to get miles in, I trained on Martha's Vineyard hitting some serious climbs in Chilmark and Aquinnah. I felt awesome when I made it to the edge of  the island. I truly felt bad ass because I came in as fast as I could right up the last hill before a team of appropriately dressed cyclist ladies in all the fanciest gear. Something about my elevated breathing combined with salt air off of Vineyard Sound and the Atlantic Ocean cast a momentary euphoric rush to my soul! That feeling trumped any back tightness that may have kicked in.

 I was anxious to get out there to test my ability and I over did it. I had planned on getting my bike tuned before a long ride like that. I also wanted to get the right clothing. I didn't have the time to do either.  I was on MV visiting family anyways on a gorgeous Mother's Day weekend so I had to go for it, as is.

 

MS Ride: Cape Cod Getaway will be my longest bike ride ever.  While I have been excited for the 150 mile challenge, which starts in South Boston and ends in beautiful Provincetown, the recent back injury has made me worry about whether or not I can physically do it.

I finally got in for a massage on Sunday. I am not one to just go get a massage, or a manicure or a pedicure. Even when I get gift cards for these services, it's almost a chore to get in there. I hate sitting still! 

The elite athletes in my life (I am lucky to have them as role models!) have told me how much getting a massage will increase my performance, endurance and help me work through the muscle tension I chronically have while training for an event like this.

I knew of a convenient place about 10 minutes away from me with Sunday hours so I went for it. I was greeted by a very helpful lady, who asked me to fill out some new customer forms.  I asked her about becoming a member, since there was a better price for members. We got to talking and it turns out that she has MS. She works there in part for the free massage benefits and also because, as a former hairdresser, she loves working with people. She pointed out her fancy walker with a Louis Vuitton bag attached to it. She was upbeat and awesome.

She told me she was eager to get back to her craft, which we all know requires a lot of standing.. She was diagnosed with MS in the 90s and I estimated her to be only a few years older than me. 
Holy crap. So I know about MS and think it's an awful disease but I don't know anyone who has it. To be perfectly honest, I wanted to do the MS Ride because the mileage and views of picturesque South Shore and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It didn't really matter what charity I was riding for. I love cycling and love the coastal region of my home state.

She thanked me for doing it. How do you respond to that? Say I can't, I am too out of shape? Give up?


Heck no. I swallowed that self pity right as I stood in the spa entryway. 

She then introduced me to my massage therapist for the hour. She was also highly personable and funny. The upbeat Ms. Vuiton explained to the therapist why I had come, and the therapist gleefully announced that she actually does massages at the Buzzards Bay finish line at the end of the first 75 miles on Day 1 of the MS Ride.

What?!

While she worked on me, she talked to me about what an empowering event it is for everyone. She said that all kinds of people do the ride, from people who are riding for a personal friend or family member affected by MS to people who are elite cyclists to everyday folks like me, just trying to reach a fitness milestone. Regardless of the reason people sign up, everyone is raising money to help end the debilitating disease. 

After the week's worth of constant pain in my back, doubt had began to creep it's way into my head.  The little doubt demon in my head was saying "Maybe I am not strong enough after all." and "No one has joined my team, I don't want to do it by myself."
These wonderful ladies unknowingly squashed these doubts right out of my head like the vile creatures they are. My competitive side was making it like it's a race. Well, it's not. It is a well organized event that ignites community passion and lasting friendships --- all while bringing in money for research to help people, like the lovely lady I met, live the lives they were living before the disease.

On my way out, Ms. Vuitton thanked me again and said "Now you know one of the people you are riding for, good luck on your ride!"

Meeting these ladies on Sunday made me feel so blessed. There is no doubt in my mind now. I may have muscle pain, but really, It will be there whether I sit on a bus or ride 150 miles. It is nothing that I can't handle, as long as I take care of myself and be smart about the pain. My pain is nothing compared to the pain people who live with MS encounter every day.

I must do this and I know that I can! I am training this weekend and I can't wait for the Ride on 6/28! 

Interested in helping end MS? Join my team or make a donation

 

I'm hooked!

Over four years ago, I met my boyfriend Tim, who at the time was the Captain of privately owned sportfish yacht. As we started to get to know each other, I began to see a life I never knew existed. I never thought there was much to fishing. So there's a rod, a hook and something like bait used to lure it in. How involved could it be?

I had seen plenty of fishermen on the shores of the coastal communities I frequented. As a young girl, I definitely had a big romantic fascination with the fishing boats coming in and out of Menemsha harbor on Martha's Vineyard, where I spent a lot of time in the summer. As a fairly imaginative individual, I would daydream about fantastic stories of what it would be like to be at sea or be in a family of a commercial fisherman.
The reality that I am still trying to understand is that there is way more to fishing than the rod, the hook and the bait and tackle. It takes a great deal of skills and patience.  Seasoned saltwater fishermen need to consider many factors, including weather, species and other things that I don't have any clue about.  Tim now makes his living as a charter fisherman. Over the years of just being around Tim, I have come to realize that his skill and passion for the sport is something to be admired. Not everyone can do what they are passionate about and great at for a living.
In previous years, Tim would take me out fishing and I just couldn't wrap my hands around the idea of actually picking up a rod and joining in on the angling. It seemed so intimidating with a lot of pressure! This comes with the territory of being an experienced master Captain and fisherman; serious about something that is a hobby to most. I tagged along on tuna trips, bass trips, etc. I would focus on the sights like whales or the seascape. I would sit away from the rods and follow my own  agenda of enjoying the day, which consisted in taking in the scenic beauty of the ocean and fresh sea air.

Last year, we moved into the Cape Cod Canal region of Massachusetts. My hobbies include hiking, kayaking and most anything outside. The Canal trail became my standard go-to running and walking track. I began to notice the surfcaster culture of the area. I became mesmerized by it. Some of the canal fishermen call themselves “canal rats” and actually have bikes with fishing rod holders on them.  Fishermen stake out a spot in accordance with the tide or how the fish have been rumored to run and move with the bike or on foot if needed. Friends and family often congregate in beach chairs and picnic. The culture seemed like something I could definitely be a part of! I had continual conversations with Tim about surfcasting vs. boat fishing all last winter.  For Christmas, he had his friend make me a beautiful custom rod wrapped in royal purple and my name painted on it. Being someone who prefers fishing from a boat over surfcasting, whenever he hasn’t had a client, he has brought me out on his boat for fishing lessons this summer. I have been having the best time.  

In June, I caught my first striped bass on his boat. I needed a lot of coaching but the experience was so exciting! My enthusiasm is expressed by screaming and hollering like an 8 year old when I catch a fish. The vivid colors of my rod are a perfect match to my level of enthusiasm. I am literally hooked on fishing now. Since June, I have caught cod, black sea bass, bergall and plenty of striped bass on my pretty purple rod. I have found such enjoyment out of this new hobby. I am learning from and spending time with an expert, who also happens to be my love. Each time I go out there, I learn something new. I can’t wait to get out there this weekend!

I'll keep my day job but still enjoy the thrill of fighting a fish and the satisfaction of knowing that I am, contrary to my prior beliefs, not too old to learn and enjoy new things!