Ok... I've decided...

Ok, I’ve decided to ride the MS150 in May if I can make it there.

 

If I can make it?  Yea, there’s a catch.

 

I’m already dropping the coin to pay for the donation to cover this April’s ride--$400.

With little baby Breda coming I’m not going to be able to cover the contribution for the May ride (I might not be able to cover the contribution for the October ride, but I’ll cross that bridge when it approaches).  The 2 smaller rides are $300 each.

 

If I get the Dallas and San Antonio rides under my belt, there’s a much higher chance that I’ll be doing those 2 marathons in November (San Antonio) and December (Dallas).  That is, much higher than the current 0% chance.  And if I’m doing those 2 marathons, you can bet your bottom that the 60 miles of runs in October that have been haunting me will suddenly will come into my gun sights.  You see, everything’s connected.

 

If I can get pledges either privately (see the profile on blogspot for the e-mail addy) or below in the comments to cover 2/3 or more of the contribution for the May and October rides, I’ll be going to Dallas and San Antonio—twice.  100% of all contributions go directly to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and fund research to help people like my aunt who have MS*.  If there’s any interest at all I’ll set up an online donation site and we can go from there.  Otherwise, I’ll just have to get fat and turn into a human sofa and lose the remote and spare change in the folds of my several love handles.

 

After just talking to a few folks about this I’m already at $50.

 

 

*Multiple Sclerosis, in the best version of English and layman’s explanation that I can muster, is a disease where the proteins in the sheaths surrounding the nerves that carry the signals from the brain are eaten away by enzymes in your own body.  The resulting scar tissues—or multiple scleroses—cause interference with the transmission of data.  Consequently you’re left with an increasingly degenerative situation where fewer and fewer commands sent by the brain actually make it to the intended targets.  Balance, motor skills, speech, and innumerable other normal body functions that we generally take for granted—including running and biking—are affected.  Thanks to research largely funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society diagnosis has improved and the disease is being caught earlier and earlier allowing for more effective treatments.  In the past the condition manifests itself by showing symptoms of a tumor or some other disease (such as lupus) and only after other treatments were exhausted—such as chemotherapy—was MS finally diagnosed.  Also thanks largely to research by the NMSS more effective treatments have been pioneered to slow the progression of the disease.  They’re not quite at a cure—yet—but that’s why they sponsor the rides.  Thousands and thousands of people get out and ride in order to fund research to help those who can’t.