Please watch ABC News tonight to see an interview about the Bike To The Bay and Bob Evans fund raiser:)

     Please humor me and watch the interview between Joe Nugent from 13 abc news and I tonight.  This is so exciting! I'm hoping it will bring  a lot of attention to the Bike to the bay and help our teams raise more money for MS.

    Joe, his camera man and I spent about an hour trying to get the footage that would make the most impact and believe it or not I wasn't lacking for words:) Then they attached a Go Pro camera to my bike and  had me ride back and forth on the bike trail, adjusting the camera and microphone from place to place. 


     

     I must have rode that same stretch around 300 times, (give or take...) And from what I understand, shooting from all different angles then piecing it together gives the appearance of a crew of ten camera men.  Who knew... After so many shots I sure hope they were able to come up with at least 30 seconds of interesting material!!

    If you aren't going to be around to watch it you could always set your DVR for the 6:00 and 11:00 news (6:20 ish and 11:20 ish to be exact), hopefully it will be informative and explain what the ride means to me as well as the other riders along with those with MS.

     The Joe will have the interview up on the ABC website and link it to The Leapfrog site, so there's no excuse not to catch it.  Who knows, I may end up finding my calling yet, and we'll all be saying remember way back when... Okay, there I go dreaming again, lol.

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

aa

We pulled one more victim into our brain storming web

          Now that we have so many riders on Team Leapfrog I just have to make another one of my very important goals happen; and that is to cross the "actual" finish line.

     A lot of people want to ride for the exercise and because it's for a good cause, or maybe because it's a great way to spend time with family and friends.  Where it starts and where it finishes isn't really important.

     But I just have to ride over the finish line because I want to feel the sense of accomplishment for doing something I never thought I could do.  And who knows how my body will react to 35 miles, but I sure have to give it my best shot.  My reward for making myself complete it after training the three days a week at 14 miles each day is seeing the finish line.  I just have to have a feeling of finishing;  and for me it's over the finish line.

     So our committee of three amigos: Reeves, Brian and I had to pull in some back up to make this option happen.  In the past years the 35 mile riders began riding at the start and finished 35 miles out where the buses would take them along with there bikes back to the starting point.

     We had a meeting with Julie Roberts, the Community Relations Director at Kingston Healthcare who is riding for the first time and is also very passionate about crossing the finish line (besides, Kingston is supplying watermelon at the end so she'll be doing double duty that day and she surely can't be at the start and finish line at the same time.  

     We brainstormed for quite a while and we have several ideas in mind.  I'm not sure how, just yet, but mark my word I will see you at the finish line;)

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

* Oh... for the record, this is my 75th post!! Yay:)
(and I didn't think I would have enough to say!)

Our next step was the media

          If we're going to make the 25th year Bike To The Bay huge then we're going to have to get media help, so the first person Reeves contacted was Fred LeFebvre from  1370 WSPD AM radio, and asked him if he would put us on the air a few times to promote our cause.  He said he would be happy to!  Now it's getting exciting!  There sure are a lot of people out there that care about this great cause:)

     I know Reeves has several other media avenues he wants to pursue but I'm thrilled to even get one!  Between him getting media and me with the sponsors and fundraisers, we have this!  Keep your Eyes peeled and ears open because we'll be around!

Have a great day!!

Christine:)


Please sponsor me or join my team:) msohiobike.org

Time to kick some MS tail!

     Remember in a previous post I said I could pretend I'm a Ninja?  Well you and I both know that is one battle I would never win; I couldn't hurt a fly ( the fly might die laughing though).  

     However, now that I have my team under way and the wheels are turning I'm ready to do what I said I planned to do when I started this journey, and that was to try to lick MS.  

     The harder we try and the more money our team raises gets us that much closer to ending MS once and for all.

     So if you want to see me lose the goofy outfit,  please help me with my battle before I start scaring small animals or worse, I could be committed:) I guess I'm just a legend in my own mind...

Please join my team or sponsor us.  We can do this!

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

What does a humble girl with MS look like??

          Remember a few posts ago I had a picture similar to this titled "what does MS look like"??  Well this a picture of someone who's very grateful for so many people wanting to help my team; whether its riding or sponsoring me.

     Way back in the summer I told the folks at the Local National MS Society that I meant business and I promised I could get at least 25 riders and probably more to ride on my newly formed team.  Someone suggested I have a team goal of 25,000.00 for the 25th anniversary.  I'll admit that is a very far fetched goal and It may seem impossible, but you should know me by now; nothing is impossible until I've exhausted every effort. Just watch me try:) We can do it!!

     When I was first talking about starting a team I asked a lot of my friends and family who assured me they would ride. I know this is a commitment and I really hoped they would be able to come through for me, but I also didn't blame them if they wanted to bail because sometimes I wonder what I got myself into, not even knowing what 35 miles looks like outside of a car.

     Well my friends didn't let me down, and so many of those who can't ride for a number of reasons, be it schedule or otherwise, graciously offered to sponsor me or buy a team shirt!  Look at how many riders I have now!!  and don't forget the awesome team committee and team sponsors:)

     So now you know what a humble girl with MS looks like:)  Thanks friends!

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Please join our team or sponsor us!!
msohiobike.org

OR BUY A TEAM LEAPFROG SHIRT:)

Pink trend setter or retro

     Yes, I've always been obsessed with pink and my recent history gave me all the more reason to embrace the color as well.  For many years I've walked in the "Walk MS"  and  volunteered at the "Bike MS/ Bike-To-The-Bay".  As much of a passion as I have for this cause I have to except that the color that represents MS is orange.

     However, when I decided to actually ride in the Bike-To-The-Bay I just knew I had to make my team shirts pink, if not to stand out, then to give me strength.  So many of my friends supported me in my crazy request and never batted an eye, but a few questioned me as to why "pink" when the MS color is clearly orange... My only answer was "because I love pink" and that was good enough for me.

     Then I finally had a theory to back up my crazy rebellious decision.  For the past five or so years I've been meeting some friends for breakfast at Bob Evans on Saturday mornings and by now they were all quite aware of my obsession.  Just recently one of the ladies, Maryann, came in with a small box for me.  She said it was an antique.

     While she was helping a friend move they ran across something that made her think of me.  Inside the box was a scarf from the Walk MS dated 1992!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  Did the MS color used to be pink or was someone else a rebel just like me?

                     

    I did some research and couldn't find anything to support a theory, so I figured I would come up with one of my own.  I think the color started out as pink and over the years as people became more color blind they eventually called it orange (hey, it's my theory...).

      Of course I can't tell you for certain why it's orange now, but I can honestly say at one point someone besides me had a true love for pink!!  So pink shirts it is:)

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Please sponsor me or join my team:) msohiobike.org

    

Thank you awesome friends!

          I am so grateful for all of you who signed up to join my team already!  I knew I had a lot of awesome friends, and this just proves it!  I have faith that the rest of you will come through too:)

     I had mentioned that the first day registration was only ten dollars, then I was also informed that it was free for first time riders, which was really cool!  But the even better news is that I discovered new riders have free registration even after the first day.  Just go to the discount code and type in: NEWRIDER2014.

     Lucky for us, most of my team mates are new riders!  So if you haven't signed up yet, please do so soon and help me grow my team:)

     Of course with most of my team being first time riders (myself included), I'm confident that I will have riders on my team who have been through this before to show us the ropes.  We're counting on you!

The direct link to the Bike-To-The-Bay registration is:

msohiobike.org

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

Registration is finally here!

    I've been saying for quite a while that the registration for the 25th anniversary of the Bike-To-The-Bay was coming; well it's finally here!  Open registration begins Thursday, January 16.

     Yes, I know it's still winter, and we all know I'm not actually out side in short sleeves riding my bike, but it's just wishful thinking! With any luck we'll all survive the cold weather and be outside riding again soon. Until then, it's not too early to register for the ride and start looking for kind people to sponsor you. 

    If you go to the National MS Society Ohio Buckeye Chapter,  to Events (bike to the bay), "find a participant" (Christine Kajfasz) or "find a team" (team leap frog). You can register to ride or sponsor my team. If you already ride for another team, that's great, just type in that team name.  Your help would mean the world to us.

 ***   Those who register on the first day  1/16, will have a registration fee of only 10.00.  So if you know you're riding, sign up then and save some money.  

     If you're thinking about riding but the distance is intimidating, rest assure there are many options to fit your comfort level.

     There are four routes to choose from; 35,50,75 and the century which is 100.  You can choose to ride both or only the first day.  Even the shortest of the routes, the 35 is geared to make this ride achievable.  There are rest stops placed strategically about every ten miles and this allows you to rest a while and start back up at your own pace.

     If at any point you find the need to end your ride there are "sag" drivers that can transport you along with your bike to the end of the route so there is no need to second guess your ability.  This isn't a race and you don't have to finish to be a winner:)

What ever your level, be it a novice(like me) or seasoned rider, there is certainly a route for you.  I hope you can join us.

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Back to the days of "normal"

     Back in the day, I scrambled around like a chicken with my head cut off and I heard time and time again "SLOW DOWN!"  There wasn't a person I wouldn't leave in my dust and I loved every single minute of it. The thing is, I've always been a "hurry up and wait" kind of  girl. The faster I would go, the sooner I would get there. 

    However, now with footdrop there have been many times that my brain says run but the message is sent by pony express.  The end result is my brain getting there about one second before my body and that can end in disaster.  I'm considering wearing my bike helmet 24/7:)

     My reasons for riding in the Bike-To-The-Bay are several.  One reason of course is to take that leap of faith that I can do it and encourage others to do the same.  Secondly, I want to raise awareness about this devastating disease that impacts the lives of so many.  But most importantly, the money raised from this event is used not only to aid those people right in our community who need financial assistance to control this disease, but to fund research to end it all together.

     Thanks to all of the generous donations, we now have eleven drugs available to slow down the progression, and though there is still no cure they are so close to a breakthrough for myelin repair which could potentially take people like me back to the days of "normal". I won't give up because I know it will happen!  I have total confidence that one day I will hear those words again "SLOW DOWN!"  Until then I'll just keep moving:)  Who's with me?!?!

Have a great day!

Christine:)

   

My super powers

 

  I'm sure we've all wished we had super powers at one time or another, and while it's only a fantasy, I sometimes think I actually have them.  To be able to fly would be a great super power.  The contraption on my leg would make me think I have this gift.

     I cherish my "turbo leg" or "power pack"... okay, it's really a walkaide, but "turbo leg" sounds much cooler:)  Not only does it prevent me from tripping on my toe (most of the time...), but it opens up a whole lot of dialogue.  When I ride my bike I don't wear it because it's very cumbersome, but take away the bike and this tool is a godsend.

     When I volunteered at the last Bike-To-The-Bay it was very obvious.  This device actually does give me "super powers" because I can morph into anything my creative little mind can think of.  I can go from being "on house arrest" to "a sports injury" all in the drop of a hat.

      On the second day of the Bike-To-The-Bay  they were calling for  light rain, so I wanted to avoid a power outage on my "turbo leg".  Since last year, they've come out with a protective cover,  but before that I had to improvise.  This actually worked out to my advantage.  I wrapped it in this pink scarf and all of a sudden I was a Ninja!  When asked why the limp, I responded "This is nothing, you should see the other guy!"

     The local chapter of the National MS Society holds a monthly support group meeting and it just so happens they were having some people come to talk about Tai Chi classes.  This was perfect!  I can look like a Ninja:)  Of course they had to set me straight; Tai Chi is Chinese, a Ninja is Japanese... hey, tomato-tamoto:)  What ever... this was my chance!!

pretty scary huh?!  Lol

     It's all just a matter of perspective, but when it comes down to it, I really think we all have "super powers" in one way or another:)

Have a great weekend!

Christine:)

My "best" just got "better"

  

   One thing I have never been known to be is a quitter.  It doesn't matter what curve balls life throws me I always manage to find a way to adjust and find a new "normal".  MS threw a curve ball and it wasn't long before I figured out how to juggle my life so the challenges became just a way of life.

     Sure, back in the day I ran and roller bladed and walked for miles on end.  Now my footdrop only makes me work harder to keep active with what I have.  I won't lie, I sometimes feel like crawling after only a mile of walking but that's why I force myself to do almost two miles everyday on the treadmill  and then I throw in a dose of strength training just for good measure.  This became my new "normal", day by day I had a strategy.  I wasn't about to give up on my body or my life.

     However, sometimes we need to step outside our comfort zone before we're forced to see that our "best" could be "better".  I had a valid excuse for not running a marathon but what was my excuse for not riding my bike?  No toes needed for that...

     It took a nudge to get me convinced but it wasn't long before I discovered I was capable of riding in the Bike-To-The-Bay.  To think I could have gone through the rest of my life convincing myself and others that my "best" was good enough.  Everything happens for a reason and thanks to that vote of confidence my "best" just got better!

Have a great day!

Christine:) 
   

Angels are watching over me

   

      I truly believe there are angels all around us because no sooner did I commit to this Bike-to-the-Bay  journey, and kind people were coming out of the woodwork to get involved.  one of the first soldiers in my army was my friend Michael, who I met before the Bike-to-the-Bay last year.

     Michael has health challenges of his own, but when he heard I was going on a leap of faith that I could complete the ride he immediately wanted to be a part of it.  After hearing me mention my tires were all wrong for the ride, causing total exhaustion,  he gave me a very generous gift of new tires to make sure I made it over the finish line safely.  Talk about a heart of gold.  Then my friend Robert put them on. Soldier number two!

     If there was one tiny  moment that I  thought about backing out, now there is no way I can quit. I have my guardian angel looking out for me.

Have a great weekend!

Christine:)

Everyone knows someone

Kurt and Kari Schell

     The Bike-to-the-Bay is one event that seems to draw a lot of attention, but it's also great to see all of the support from the community in many other ways.  Peggy and Denny Spencer co-chaired a golf outing at Highland Meadows Golf Club as one more way to fund raise as well as raise awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. They even got me to wear orange for the day!



     The turnout was amazing, with over 90 golfers all in support of this great cause; it seemed like everyone knew someone who's life has been touched by MS.

      Carla Brady from the local chapter of the national MS Society was a guest speaker at the event educating the crowd on what exactly MS is and how it effects over 3,500 people in this community alone.  Peggy Spencer has also been living with MS for over ten years as well.

Peggy and Denny Spencer

     This event raised almost 3200 dollars which was donated to the "Denim and Diamonds" Fundraiser put on by the local National MS Society.  Little by little we'll win this battle!!


Have a great weekend!

Christine:)

Testing the waters

     Now that I made the announcement that I would ride in the Bike-to-the-Bay I figured I better see if I actually stood a chance. My bike was in the shop but I was anxious to test the waters. For all I knew 35 miles could be a breeze, on the other hand 35 miles might feel like a million. Maybe seeing what just five feels like first would be a good place to start.  I walk on a tread mill and strength train but riding a bike is totally different.


   The company I work for, DMC Technology Group, has a workout room which comes equipped with a stationary bike. If I was able to train on that first then I could at least test my strength before heading out on the road.

   I set the timer, and low and behold, I actually made it to 8 miles! And my heart was still ticking. My poor leg (the crazy one) was another story. When I walked It felt like rubber. Maybe I need to start using a bike as my form of transportation and leave the walking to the rest of the world.

  

 With several months to go, I know I’ll figure out how to make it over the finish line. I have faith that it can be done! 

Have a great day!

Christine ☺

From comfort bike to endurance bike

   

The first thing I had to do if I was going to ride in the Bike-to-the-Bay was brush the cob webs off my bike.  It had been sitting on the back burner the past couple of years and it was time to bring it back to a boil with a professional tune-up.

     It really wasn’t that long ago that I bought my bike and at the time the salesman assured me this bike would serve all of my needs.  He called it a “comfort bike”, and it was meant to make my ride very comfortable while tooling around the neighborhood.  However, this event was a whole different ball of wax. The ride would test the endurance of my legs more than anything else.

      As is, my bike has a comfortable seat, big and cushy, and thick heavily treaded tires that make riding over bumps and pot holes seem almost like riding on cotton candy. Now riding a long distance is something entirely different.  It’s not about a cushy behind, but focusing on the core part of the ride, and that can be extremely taxing on my already crazy legs.

      The first thing I learned when I took my bike to The Bike Route for a tune up was though my tires were great at absorbing the shock, they took up more space on the road and would force me to work harder to go the same distance as if I had more narrow tires.  But it was also suggested that I wait and train on the wider tires and then trade them out closer to the ride, allowing me to build as much strength as possible.

     The Second thing I discovered was that the seat, however cushy, would make my legs work harder as well because the width would take away from the straight up and down motion and put more strain on the muscles, so I would also need to replace it with a slimmer style.

     I went in for a simple tune-up but came out armed with an abundance of information needed to turn my “comfort bike” into an “endurance bike”.

Stay tuned to see what else I needed to get started on my journey…

Have a great weekend!

Christine ☺

I'll just keep talking

     While I was at  my appointment with my neurologist, Dr. Mohamed, I Started talking with Barb Meyer from his office, who happens to be on Reeves Northrup's team,"Team Sitting Bull" In the Bike-to-the-Bay.  I told her I planned to ride this year as well and I was also forming a committee to get sponsorships.  Once again,  she too,  was excited  to help.  I'm sure she sees a lot of the devastation caused by MS on a daily basis and it has to hit very close to home.


     Incidentally, I also told Dr. Mohamad about my plans for my bike riding adventure and expected to hear him say "good luck with that..." He actually said "Good for you! I think you should do it!"

     Then I was at Hanger Clinic and I  went on and on to my Orthotist Mike Bursztynski about my crazy idea and immediately he said "I'll ride!"  REALLY?!?! He also plans to ask his wife to join him!  At this rate, if I just keep talking I'll have the entire community in my corner!  Anything to keep me quiet.

Have a great day!

Christine:)

Starting Team Leap Frog

      Though I started volunteering for the Bike-to-the-Bay several years ago, it wasn't until last year that I decided to jump in feet first. My mission would soon be to try to use my MS as a tool to make a difference in this world. 

      It wasn’t long before I became friends with many of the teams and tried to encourage as well as inspire them to give it their all on my behalf, as well as the many, many others in this world with MS.  I absolutely love to write stories about my journey; my letters of gratitude along with a few speaking engagements had appeared to make an impact on the riders; soon they were able to put a face to someone who is truly benefiting from their generosity.

     Last year I was more of a cheerleader than anything else, and I really felt like part of one big wonderful family that happens to be spread out among many teams, all working towards one great cause. This year however, I had this crazy notion to try my hardest to do the ride myself, hopefully encouraging others to believe they could ride as well, especially those without MS. 

     Of course now the dilemma I would be faced with was which team to join: I had friends on several of them.  Then I decided what I really needed to do was start my own team while still continuing to inspire the others.

     After some thought I decided I would name my team “Team Leap Frog”  mainly because not actually knowing what my body is capable of I’m taking a big leap of faith that I can do this, and I truly believe many others with or without MS will realize they  can do this too.  That… and I love frogs. ☺

     Now my next mission is going to be to encourage as many people to join me and help me raise awareness. There is power in numbers.  My journey continues…

Have a great day!

Christine ☺

My reason for riding

    

It all started when I wrote a letter to the riders after the last Bike MS: Reeves Northrup Memorial Bike-to-the-Bay; thanking them for riding in this event on my behalf, because I could never ride it myself.  

     When a friend asked “Why don’t you think you can ride?”  I chuckled and thought "What a silly question!"  But then I thought about the question again… Without trying I couldn’t accurately make that statement.  I didn’t know for certain that I could, but I also didn’t know for certain that I couldn’t.  “Can't” is a word not often found in my vocabulary.  I have to try first before I can accurately make that statement.  Some things, however, are no-brainers, like, I know I can’t fly… unless of course I trip, which I’ve tried already and wouldn’t recommend, the landing isn’t pretty!

     The only way to find out if I could do this was to try.  There happens to be a 35 mile route and that seemed like a good place to start.  Yes, I have one leg that doesn’t always like to cooperate, but I also have another leg with enough attitude for both of them.  Besides, I’ve driven 35 miles a million times before; it didn’t seem that far looking out a car window…

     When I started telling everyone about my “brilliant” idea, I got a lot of mixed reactions; some said, “Good for you, I think you should try it”.  Others said, “Are you crazy?!?”  So it was confirmed; yes I should try it and yes I was crazy.  If I could pull in a few more crazy people with me than it will all be worthwhile.  My journey would soon begin…

Have a great day!

Christine☺