MS 150: Mother Nature Wins Again

Well, it wasn't necessarily the epic training weekend I was hoping for, but I still had an amazing time this weekend riding the MS 150 with Hubster, Trigreyhound and Coach Liz! 

DAY ONE

Day 1 of the MS 150 charity ride was officially cancelled by organizers because Mother Nature unleashed a load of rain, thundersorms and lightening in the area all day and night on Friday. Shawn and I pressed on to Houston to stay at Casa Greyhound (Thanks Pauline and Superpounce!)  thinking and hoping that we could still get up on Saturday morning and do the ride into Bastrop (approximately 130 miles). There would be no official water stops or breakpoints, but we weren't planning on using them anyways. We're Ironmen and we pack enough food and nutrition for an African safari. Plus, if we got in trouble, we could always call Pauline to rescue us. 

All smiles before leaving for our unofficial 130 mile ride into Bastrop

Lo and behold, we drove an hour for our unofficial start and the second our shoes hit the pavement, we saw a lightening strike. Minutes later...another lightening strike...We stood there like lost souls not knowing what to do. Should we wait it out or just call it a day and a valiant attempt? Shawn consulted the iPhone radar and there was no doubt that we were riding directly into a huge storm front.  Pauline made the executive decision. We were NOT riding. It was too risky and too potentially dangerous. While we pouted like little kids who couldn't go out for recess, it ended up being absolutely the right call because the impending storms were huge and approaching quickly.

Pouty faces after we aborted the ride because of weather (The Starbucks helped)

Fortunately, we didn't really have much to be depressed about because we were bunking at the luxurious Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop. All this meant was that we would be on the road sooner!  We ate a great lunch (ok--I had a TON of vegetables and salad) and after checking in, the four of us infiltrated the group fitness room and proceeded to have our own spin class for three hours! We would not be denied a decent workout!!! (We all had thought ahead to bring our trainers in case of rain)

Getting ready to kick out the Nia Dance Class so that we could get our spin on!

After that, we headed to dinner and were treated to wonderful massages by Austin Pro Triathlete Terra Castro.  Once again, Greyhound went above and beyond to make this such a memorable weekend! 

DAY TWO

Wonderful sunrise this morning...a far cry from yesterday. Pauline drove us to what would be our unofficial start in Smithville. We essentially started at the entrance to Buescher State Park and our first 11 miles were through the pines and hills to Bastrop State Park.

The sun was glorious, but the headwind was atrocious! Pretty demoralizing for several miles, but I just had to hunker down and keep pedaling without giving any regard to average speed. I just tried to focus on the purpose of this ride--to support those with MS who can't ride.

The four of us were separated for most of the ride, but convened to ride the last few miles together.

Yay! We got to ride!!

While the weekend a little frustrating because things didn't totally go as planned, I had a spectacular time hanging and training with Greyhound, Coach Liz and Hubster. Special thanks go to Mrs. Grehound, family-friend Teri and Superpounce for catering to our every whim. Thanks also to Terra for the great massage! I need you NOW!!! :-)

I was definitely beat after battling the headwind, but when I crossed the Finish Line, I saw a young girl holding a sign that said, "My Dad has M.S. Thanks for riding!"  It made the entire weekend complete.