MS150

Well, I did it.  I rode my bike from Houston to Austin, and I had FUN doing it!

To prepare, I participated in the Ready2Roll Training series (totally worth it, if you're considering riding!).  Thursday before the race, I started "carbing up".  I had lunch at my favorite restaurant, then had delicious lasagna and bread sticks at our team Carbo Load dinner.  Friday, I went for a loaded baked potato at lunch, and then chowed down on more pasta at Grotto on Friday night.

Since the start is almost an hour from my house, I spent the night with my cousin on Friday night.  She lives only 16 minutes from the start, which proved to be a very good thing!  I had planned to wake up at 5, swing by McDonalds for more carbs, and be at the start by 5:45.  My nervous energy woke me up at 4:30, so we were out the door before 5.  The husband had located the nearest McD's (even though my cousin had directed us to a different one).  When we got there, it was in a Wal-Mart, and closed.  So on to the next one.  Also closed.  Google mapped a third one (which claimed to be open) also closed.  Started to get nervous that I was going to ride on an empty stomach.  Found a 4th one very close to the starting line, which claimed to open at 5:30.  We got there at 5:27, and they were already doing a booming business.  I got my pancakes, the husband had to double back for his McMuffin, and never did get his coffee.  Then it was on to the chaos of the finding the luggage truck and my ride partner. We finally found the luggage van (after more confusion), then directed my partner to the luggage van (further confusion ensued).  Then we all said our good-byes, and the partner and I headed for the chute.

Our start was supposed to roll at 6:45.  At 6:46 they announced that we were waiting until 7, because of how many people were still lined up, trying to get in.  I don't know why we had to wait for people who slept in, but whatever..!  I think we hit the road about 7:30, and it was COLD.

42 degrees cold

So, we rolled through the first rest stop, took a quick break at the second rest stop, and got back on the road.  At mile 20, the "medium" route that we were on merges with the "long" route.  When we got there, everyone was stopped for the left turn.  We could see a little down the road that people were walking their bikes past some cop cars, so we wondered what was going on.  Then, we were all stopped while an ambulance arrived.  The ambulance departed (not in a huge hurry) and the course was opened back up.  We weren't sure what happened.  Once we got started again, we saw that the lane for the riders had been repaved, while the other lane wasn't, creating uneven lanes.  We assumed that someone had fallen off the edge and crashed, maybe cause a pile-up.  The rumor at lunch was that the person did indeed fall off the edge, and got hit by a car...  but, we didn't see a wrecker, or a damaged car, or a damaged bike, or cops questioning anyone.  The "hit by a car" thing seemed unlikely.  Either way, we heard that the rider was ok, and expected to make a full recovery.

After lunch, we were still rolling strong, when the ride started to get hilly.  It was mostly small climbs, but they started to wear on us.  We pulled into the 65 mile break point around 1:30, and decided to rest for a bit.  I think my partner was getting tired, and the balls of my feet were SCREAMING.  I kept trying to remind myself to be grateful for the pain, to think of the people who can't ride because they can't depend on their bodies.  That helped me power through, but I'm not sure it made my feet hurt any less. :) So, I grabbed my usual fuel (assorted nuts/trail mix and fig newtons), but also was tempted by some cookies.  We left that rest stop around 2:15, and were rolling hard, when I started to feel super crummy.  Each climb was making me feel nauseous, and I just felt yuck!  So we slowed down a bit, which made me feel much better. Looking back, I think it was the sugar that made me feel so bad.

After the next rest stop, I started to recover, and we powered to the finish.  We rode 85 miles, and finished right around 4:30.  We hopped in the shower, grabbed some dinner and a massage, and camped out for the night.  As we were going to sleep, my ride partner offered me some ear plugs.  I thought he was just being considerate, because we were camping in a busy tent.  I found out a few hours later that it's because he (and every other man in the tent!) is a snorer!!  I finally fell asleep shortly after 11, and was awoken at 3:30 when the shuttle buses started their engines.  Fun times for sure!!

Along the route, people come out to cheer us on.  We had two Texas Country fiddlers (in overalls!) jamming outside of their ranch, we had some teenagers playing their clarinets, we had people with cowbells, and bubbles.  But my favorite thing was the town of Fayetteville. The people of Fayetteville come out in force.  They blast music, blow bubbles, hand out water and baked goods, and just generally give you a boost of energy on a hilly part of the ride.  We rode past two different sets of crazy old ladies rocking out to Thrift Shop.  It was a great time, and a stark contrast to Day 2 in Bastrop, when it's obvious that everyone hates the traffic caused by the riders!

Street Party in Fayetteville

Day 2 was a rough start.  The only thing that got me out of bed that morning was the thought of being able to say, "I did it!" in a few hours.  Shockingly, I wasn't sore or anything, I had just heard tales of the hills that were waiting for me, and I wanted to stay in bed!  But, I got up, packed up my stuff, and headed out.  The first few miles were super awkward.  I felt like my legs were 3" too short for my bike, and I was having to lean side to side to turn the pedals.  I think the other riders were feeling the same, because we saw lots of crashes!  People were riding sloppy, and there was a general lack of energy.  Once we got warmed up, it was much easier!  The first part of Day 2 is lots of tall, gentle hills, because you are riding on a highway (the hills are graded for cars).  Once it merges with the challenge route, it flattens out, and you can really crank it out until the final 10 miles.  Again, as we approached the merge, we came to a complete stop.  This time, we couldn't see what was happening, but we got to roll shortly thereafter.  The car traffic was also stopped, which makes me think it was another crash, but I don't have anything to verify that.

One change that the organizers made this year was to avoid the new Buccee's on 71.  I completely understand why they didn't want us trying to cross that driveway all day, but it made for a very dangerous situation.  The road we were routed onto was a HUGE downhill, ending in a traffic light.  And since we were crossing, we had to wait for the signal.  The light backed up, almost completely up the hill, to where we were having to walk our bikes downhill, then remount, then stop and walk.  It was a MESS.  Hopefully, they can find something better for next year!  That was the last excitement before lunch.

At lunch, we saw a guy on a unicycle.  We also spotted a guy with one of those old Groucho Marx type bikes, with the giant front wheel and the tiny back wheel.  There was also a CRAZY old man on an Ellipta-GO.  And a miserable couple on a tandem recumbent. 

After lunch, we hit the road again, and we were both feeling good.  We pressed through until there were 8 miles left.  My riding buddy had been preparing me for the last 8 miles.  He has driven the SAG vans in years past, and he said people just get completely worn out on those hills in east Austin.  Luckily for us, we had trained on some awesome hills, with headwinds, so it ended up being a piece of cake.  There were 3 or 4 massive hills, then some little rollers, and TA-DAH we were on campus.  We cranked it, and just totally blew it out, so that we could cross the finish line without a crowd.  It was AMAZING to breeze through campus and around the corner to the Capitol.

I don't even remember coming through the chute, it was such an exciting blur.  Once we turned the corner from Red River onto MLK, I just felt this rush of, "OMG we did it!  It's over, I feel amazing, Hallelujah!!"  Getting up that morning, I really thought I might tear up at the finish, but I didn't.  I grinned like a mad woman, and enjoyed the heck out of it!!

Tradition

My husband met me at the finish line with slutty brownies and Texas Yellow roses.  I knocked back some Endurox and some Muscle Milk to speed my recovery, and then set off to shower at my friend's casa.  However, my brain wasn't fully engaged, so there was some miscommunication between myself and the hubs.  And we ended up south of Austin, back in the path of the bikers.  So, I decided that I was too tired to fight my way back in, and we just headed for Houston instead.

Monday, I felt like my feet had been strapped into 4" heels for 2 weeks.  I slept for 12 hours Sunday night, and then took a 3 hour nap.  Tuesday, I tried to put on some ballet flats, but my feet were too swollen.  As the day went on, my lower back got more and more sore.  But all in all, it's been a very easy recovery.  I had planned to give myself the whole week off from the gym, but I may end up back at it on Thursday, if I continue feeling this good!

Motivation

Several people have asked me how I've stayed motivated.  I put in so much effort, and reap small rewards, how do I get up every day and do it again?  I have lots of ways, but I'm going to focus on the most important two.

First: getting out of bed in the morning.  I do my gym sessions before work, which means I roll out of bed at 4:40 am.  Yes, 4:40.  It hurts to even type it.  I tried everything to make those mornings easier.  One big helper is to plan my workout the night before, so in the morning I can be on auto-pilot.  But sometimes that doesn't do it, so I enlisted the help of my husband, demanding that he literally kick me out of bed.  Take his foot, put it on my booty, and push.  That only works on mornings that he stays awake long enough to help!  So, here's what actually works for me, for work-outs and for eating.

I OWN my choices.

For my workouts, I read somewhere about the power of thought in making choices.  The change from "I can't" to "I won't" is huge.  So on the mornings when I realllllly don't want to get up, and my head starts in with, "I can't get up this morning, I'm too tired," I make the conscious decision to think, "I won't get up this morning."  And then I feel like a big brat, pouting that I *won't* do something, and that makes me get out of bed.  Another trick is when the husband asks if he needs set my gym alarm (the clock is on his side of the bed).  He says, "you going to the gym in the morning?" and I say, "I should," because it's easier for me to turn that "should" into "will".

Here's how it works for eating.  When temptation strikes (usually in the form of sweets!), I ask myself, "will this put you closer to or further from your goals?"  Some days the answer is, "further from, but I still want it!" and sometimes, it's "further from, walk away!"  Either way, the question slows me down enough to think about what I'm eating, and be confident about that choice.  Then I'm not staring at the scale the next day, thinking "well, I crap shouldn't have had that second cookie that I don't even remember eating, there's those 2 pounds."  Since I made the choice, it's easier to bounce back and say, "well, there's that cookie.  It was good, you enjoyed it, and now you work it off!"

Now, the only thing I haven't figured out is when the opposite happens.  Yesterday, we had a brownie extravaganza at work.  So I had a brownie and some ice cream.  And this morning, I was expecting to see it on the scale, and I was going to be completely fine with that.  But that PCOS-monster showed up, and I've lost 5 pounds since yesterday.  When that happens, my head is all, "Hooray, brownies and ice cream everyday!"

Both examples (food and workouts) come back to control.  When I'm knocking out reps at the gym and not seeing results on the scale, it can be frustrating.  But knowing that I am the one in control of when I workout and what I eat, it makes it easier to keep going.

I hope that makes sense, and that it helps someone who is struggling.  Small changes in thinking can make huge differences!!

Fellow Cysters

When I decided to write this blog, my goal was for it to be an inspiration for other people to start on their fitness journeys.  What I didn't expect was how many people have told me, "I sent your blog to my cousin [sister, friend, boss...] who also has PCOS, and struggles with her weight."  I know that PCOS affects 1 in 20 women (some say 1 in 10), but I forget how common that really is.

So, I read online that it's almost TWICE as hard to lose weight with PCOS as it is to lose without it.  The statistic went on to say that every 4 pounds lost by a Cyster is equivalent to 7 pounds lost by someone without the Syndrome.  While I don't want to brag... I did the math.  Since April 2012, I've lost 45 pounds.  That's 78.75 pounds for a "normal" person.  So, while I sit here feeling a little sorry for myself that I've *only* lost 45 pounds in a year, I can flip it and fell pretty darn good about losing close to 80 "normal" pounds.  Because that's 6.5 pounds/month, and it's been beaten into my head that 6-8 pounds/month is a good goal for maintaining the loss long term.  Any faster and you risk packing it (and more) right back on.

A friend of mine posted this link: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/story/21818155/local-beauty-queen  about her husband's cousin.  She's a young lady who competes in beauty pageants, and was diagnosed with PCOS. She gained 30 pounds in 3 months, while working out (hey, that sounds familiar!).  She's controlling her symptoms with diet, and continuing to compete.  Way to go, girl!!  :)

Jillien Michaels has it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk8bIKdMFVw

Victoria Beckham (::swoon:: I LOVE her!!!!) has it.

The list goes on and on.  Celebrities, friends, strangers.  Chances are, you know someone that has it.

I'm currently controlling my symptoms with intense exercise, Metformin, and Yasmin.  I've discussed how I've altered what I eat, but I know that I can do better.  After the MS150 is over, I'm going to embark on a new course with what I eat.  As for why I'm waiting, I've already figured out that the best way for me to fuel is to have (complex) carbs on the ride, and avoid the sugars that are offered.  The ride is just 2 weeks away, so I don't want to try to mess with anything new in that short of a time frame.

The people that I've mentioned above are controlling their symptoms through their food choices.  I still need to research if I'm going to go Low GI, Paleo, South Beach... the options are many, and I still have a few weeks to decide.  Whatever I choose, it will have to include fruit, because I LOVE fruit.  I can give up carbs, or dairy, I'd even consider giving up alcohol before I could give up fruit.  :)  I know that I can reach my goals, but I feel like I need a little bit more of a boost to get there on my schedule.