Wednesday, July 27, 2005

MS150 sponsorship details

After vacillating for months I finally went ahead and signed up for the MS150. For those that don't know it's a bike ride of 150 miles split over two days with the aim of benefiting multiple sclerosis patients in eastern NC and funding the search for a cure. There's a minimum sponsorship of $200, but I'm hoping to make at least double that.

If anyone reading this would like to sponsor me, here's the link:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/pledge

Just put in "Paul" "Smith" and "North Carolina" into the fields and I should show up. Another clue - I'll be riding for Team GSK. Also, thanks Even for the first pledge !

This had better be one flat old piece of land.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

The MS150 in NC

This week is to hot as the pope is to catholic. Despite this I decided to bike into work yesterday in an effort to get some more base mileage in. This comes after I decided to ride (or at least attempt) the MS150 this year. It's an annual event hosted by the mulitple sclerosis society, with two days of riding, 75 miles each day. The local chapter aims to bring in over $1,000,000 in sponsorship this year.

Since I have yet to ride even 40 miles in a single ride I need to get some extra training in, hence the ride to work with ozone warnings and heat advisories hanging over me. It's only 13 miles each way, but the ride home was promising to be a hot one. In an effort to stay cool I ditched the backpack at work to be brought home next time I have the car and used my newly installed frame-mounted water bottles instead. I also had on a white cycling shirt to reflect the rays - yet another example of how thinking can be useful - who knew ?

So despite the fact that it was nearing 100F I set off home. And it was OK. Moving on the bike, you make your own breeze. I didn't try to break any records, just kept the wheels going round and managed about 17.5mph average.

I have another training ride for Team GSK this weekend, my first 40 mile ride. That should be possible now.

The idea of riding 150 miles in two days is no longer freaking me out. I'll post sponsorship details later in case anyone would like to make a pledge.

Friday, July 22, 2005

Done got hot

Heat records are being broken around the country. Homeless shelters in Phoenix are being opened in the day for the first time in years. And so armed with this knowledge, last night I set out to ride the bike. Michael came round and we hit west Durham and bits of Orange county for 23 humid shirt soaking miles. Even more odd, it was fun.

I almost decided to ride into work today but I'm heading out for lunch with Scotty-too-hotty, to a chinese buffet. I will inevitably need to be rolled out of the restaurant and back to the car. Faced with 95F weather and the thought of spinning the bike wheels round while belching spring rolls and sushi, I decided to bring the car in instead.

Tomorrow morning I hope to get in a quick seventeen miles though, including Mt Sinai Road. We rode that last night. There's one long old hill on it that forces me to go way down the gears. By the time I reach the top I'm down to 9mph at best and gasping for breath, chest heaving. Heart, meet world, world, heart. Heart, I know you've heard a lot about world, now's your chance to see it.