20% payraise Batman!

I don't know what I can do until I do it, and if I keep my fear of failing at bay; there's nothing I can't do.

"Fatigue makes cowards of us all". -the late great Vince Lombardi

What lessons has MS taught you about yourself when you realized you couldn't do something anymore...or at least not the way you had before...and how did you adapt and find new ways in your lives? And what lessons have you learned when you tried to do something you thought you couldn't...and succeeded because you weren't afraid to fail?

MS has taught me that when I cannot do something physically anymore, then enjoy watching others do the activity, and be thankful that you had your time. My wife, for example, just finished her 100 mile ride a few minutes ago and she averaged over 15 mph (route maps shown below). That makes me feel great! Wishing I could still do that would not be beneficial.

There have been times when I thought I could not do something because of my MS, but found that unless physical barriers were present, I could do those things. The personal lesson for me is to keep always trying until you fail, and then create a new mental image of what success means for that given task. That has helped me a bunch.

-Vic

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Wow Vic! Tell her congrats from me! That looks like a tough ride. I did 43 miles yesterday and I am definitely feeling it today...

She did her recovery ride the next day (2 hours of lower intensity riding) and she feels great, but.....now she needs new shorts because the ride really ruined her best ones.

As I type this, Tania is going her four hour ride on the indoor trainer since it is so wet outside. I can hear the hummmmmmm of the trainer in the background right now.

I admire her grit. She is one tough cookie.

The funny thing is that throughout high school and college she avoided athletics like the plague! Now look at her...



What does my discussion have to do with MS and how does it relate to your original post? As a person with MS I gain inspiration from her and have the chance to relive on a daily basis what it was like to be that athletic. I really enjoy that and it keeps me sane.

I hope that you next ride goes well. I am sure that it will.

-Vic

Man oh man indoor trainer time is brutal. I have been doing spinning classes at the gym just to avoid having to sit at home on weeknights with the whirr of the trainer going on and on.

Its kind of funny that you mention the athletics part, because I was kind of the same way. I played soccer from the time I was 6 to the time I was 18 and played football and baseball for a couple of years, but when it came to endurance running or anything like that, I HATED it! I dreaded the running days during off-season soccer practice. What I always did without thinking about it as a kid, was ride my bike everywhere, sometimes all day long.

I started liking the idea of riding the MS150 before my first symptoms, but it has really been since I got my dx that I have really gotten into it hardcore. I used to never understand runners who "craved" getting out and running. But I found myself sitting there yesterday wishing I could go for a ride that night. Maybe that is one of the things MS has taught me so far...

It's a driving urge to run with the wind. I really craved it. I ran cross country in high school and college - 10-15 miles a day. Then the army. The day after I got dx'ed with MS? I ran. I ran almost every day for the first 4-3/4 years with MS. I stopped in August 1992.

Tom

I've learned to stop spending so much time worrying about little petty things and instead spend more time with my family and doing things that make me happy. I have also learned that no matter how crummy the disease, you have to love the variety. Each day is something new to experience, it never gets boring!

I've learned not to expect too much from the old bod...keep expectations low and enjoy each day for whatever it brings.