My legs feel dead after all the weight lifting yesterday. Good thing it’s a rest day. Took a long walk with Bella, met with one of my communication clients, and took in a good show at the Denver Art Museum.
I don’t know if it’s the MS or if I’m just getting old but I need a nap every day. A 20-minute nap is just enough to shake off that sinking feeling and give me a fresh burst of energy. If I go on for much more than 20 minutes then I don’t recover so quickly — I think I’m just down too deep. A short nap has become an integral part of my training.
Bella, our dachsund, is my napping buddy. Whenever I head to the couch, Bella trails right after me. It’s like having ten pounds of pure puppy love on my chest.
Snow day — did an hour of yoga, an hour of weight lifting and pilates, and 45 minutes on the spinning bike at 24 mph. Now to walk the dog for a couple of miles.
Suellen has book club tonight so it’s off to a hamburger joint for me.
We’ll spend our first day zipping around Astoria, Oregon on the Pacific coast. Astoria, about to celebrate its 200th anniversary, is one of the oldest American cities in the Pacific Northwest. Named after John Jacob Astor, it was originally a fur trading center and transportation hub. More recently, it became the home of canned tuna and the famous Bumble Bee tuna brand.
We’ll spend a few hours riding to make sure all our gear works right. Then we’ll dip our rear wheel in the Pacific Ocean and get under way.
If you’re right handed, the right side of your body is probably a bit stronger than the left side. For a cross-country bike ride, this can be a problem. Your left leg is weaker and tends to tire out more quickly — putting more strain on your right leg.
So, every time I approach a stair case, I take the first step with my left leg. This means I often take more steps with my left leg than with my right — which tends to balance out my strength.
I wanted to watch the college basketball tournament so I went to the gym rather than riding outside. I spent 65 minutes on the spinning bicycle at an average speed of 24 miles per hour. I burned ~900 calories and got my heartbeat up to about 175 beats per minute. Also did some weights and pilates.
Like most days, I also walked Bella, our dachsund, several miles. Bella’s now my training and napping partner.
I’m 61. I have multiple sclerosis. I’m going to bike across America.
I’m doing this because I love America and to raise as much money as I can for MS research. I hope you’ll follow my progress. I also hope you’ll help me — and everyone who has MS — by donating as much as you can. You can make a donation by going to my fund raising page under the “Donate” tab on the menu above. Once you arrive at the fund raising page, please use the “Make A Donation” button under my picture
You can also follow me on Twitter at: @TravisBikeGuy
