The Queen Of Improvision

     Over the years I've learned that sometimes vanity has to take a back seat if you want to survive.  I've been told I don't always do things conventionally and I agree, I'm not exactly the picture of a professional biker; the word "crazy" may have even been thrown out there a few times; I mean, look at the goofy shorts:)

     I really don't mind being called crazy or unconventional and I do what ever it takes to make my life "happen".

     A "professional biker" would have those fancy, curvy handle bars that make them more arrow dynamic.  I have up right handlebars so my arms don't go completely numb, but hey it worked for Dorothy...and Toto too!

     Most "bikers" travel light so they can get to the finish line fast.  I have to have a saddlebag with My "nerve zapper" (my turbo leg!) for my toe, so when I get off my bike I don't trip, and a battery in case it goes dead and a cover for it in case it rains... I could go on and on...

     Then a real "biker" would have those cool shoes that clip into the pedals so they can become one with the bike.  I, however, need my strong leg free so I can put it down in a second's notice when I'm forced to stop.  Then of course I need the funky "practical  shoes".

     But if I don't look goofy enough I have one more improvise that makes my life easier...

     My strong leg has always done most of the work on a bike ride and my shin has to take up the slack by balancing on my pedal at a stop,  so it's in perfect position for take off,  therefore, smooth pedals are a must if I don't want mutilation of my leg.  But my poor weak leg, as much as it wants to be helpful, is constantly slipping off the smooth pedal.

      I really wished I could have spikes on my pedals so my right leg felt secure, but it wasn't possible.  Being the queen of improvision I came up with a solution not many "cool riders" would stoop to.  I simply have two different pedals; one smooth for my poor calve on my strong leg, and spikes for my week leg to hold on to.  I may be crazy, but I'm smarter than the average bear;)

Just so you don't start making some calls to have me committed I had to show you what they look like and you'll see they don't make me look like a "total" freakazoid, and even if they did, I guess I'll except my new title, because it isn't easy being "The Queen Of Improvision":)

smooth pedal

spiked pedal

Right?!? :)

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

Training wheels, training or trains

     With all of my training for the Bike To The Bay over the past year I've over come many obstacles and made many interesting discoveries.

     One year ago I was very proud of myself when I made it 8 miles on my bike, and now if I don't go at  least 15 miles it isn't really a "bike ride" at all.  And I thought those "training wheels" would never come off.

     I've gone from huffing and puffing at 8 -10 miles an hour to averaging about 13 miles an hour;  All this with only one "good leg".  It's amazing what you can accomplish if you just have faith.

     The many bike trails I've discovered around the city have opened up a whole new world for me, and It's a freedom I never knew existed.

     One of my favorite bike trails is the University Parks Trail.  After riding it many times I learned a bit about the origin of this fine trail.  To my understanding this trail was built along the route of an old rail road, which you can see as you travel the path, though never a glimpse of a train in sight.

     Yesterday, however, I made another discovery and that is that this railroad is only "old" in the sense of the word, but by no means retired.

     I always pick up this trail by way of Wildwood park and for the first time I was actually stopped in my tracks (no pun intended) by a passing train.  I had to take a picture because it was so unbelievable.

     Then I had to have a kind stranger and fellow biker snap a picture of the expression on my face which meant  "WTF" (When's this finished??... come on, what were you thinking?!?!).

     So now I guess I have to rename this the University Parks Trail/railroad, and not only do I have to watch out for crossing animals, but possibly a random train or two.

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

The countdown continues... day five with Fred LeFevbre

     The Bike To The Bay seemed so far away when I started training last summer, and now we're talking less than two weeks.  I'm going to take every opportunity to get people on board to help me on my mission to Make the 25th year huge.  Fred has been keeping me on track for the past month  and Knowing he'll ask me every Friday on his radio show gives me the incentive to get out and ride when I could really think of a million excuses why not.

     Though I have a million excuses in my head why not to  ride, I have simply one reason to ride, and that is to wipe out MS; I don't think I need another one.

     This week he also had a rider, Dr. Tom Cable on the show,  who is riding in his 25th Bike To The Bay.  It was quite impressive to say the least, and what started out as a ride for his enjoyment turned into one of passion for the cause.

     Seeing his drive gives me even more incentive to jump on board and help make it monumental.  Without people like Tom, I probably wouldn't have the ability to ride today because when he first started 25 years ago there was little hope for anything but rapid decline.  Today we have eleven treatments to slow down progression and Today I can Ride!

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

     

It's a small world after all

     Way back, almost a year ago, when I got this crazy notion to ride, my dream was to build a team a mile long.  At that time, in my mind 25 was huge, and if you laid them down head to toe maybe they would add up to a mile!! I wasn't sure it was possible to find that many riders but I would surely try my hardest.

   I've long since passed that number and I've learned there are a lot more people that care about this cause than I gave credit.

     

     When I first started recruiting, my friends Kelly and Jim, from an MS meeting that we go to monthly, were among a couple of the first to join my team.

     As I started asking more people, I knew it wasn't going to be hard to see my team grow.  I was pleasantly surprised when my friends Bill and Lori said they would ride.  In fact Lori said her boss, the owner of Mike's Southwest Grill would probably sponsor our team shirts because he has a daughter with MS who is also riding.  I said "Hey, maybe she'll join our team!!" 

     When I saw Lori again I asked her if she had approached her bosses daughter; Lori told me his daughter was already riding on a team, but her boss still wanted to sponsor our team shirts.

     I was bound and determined to get her on my team, but every time I asked Lori she said his daughter wasn't changing because she was committed to the other team, and I could respect that because I would hope my friends were that committed to me:)

     A few months later when the shirts came in I took a couple in to my MS meeting to give to my team mates, Kelly and Jim.  Kelly's mom happened to come along with Kelly that day.  Her mom told me that she wanted to buy a shirt, which we happened to be selling to raise more money for our team.  I was thrilled that she wanted to purchase one and gave her the shirt. 

     A few minutes later she approached me and asked how I got a particular logo on the back of my shirt.  I told her they were my sponsors.  She said she knew her husband was sponsoring a team but had no idea it was this one. 

     So as it turns out, I was spending all of this time trying to recruit someone from another team and it was my team she was committed to all along.  

     This may not be Disney World, but it sure is a small world after all:)

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

I DID IT!! 10,000 PAGE VIEWS!! THANK YOU!!

     

     I did it!!! Who would have thought when I started this blog last fall that I would hit 10,000 page views!!  And I'm actually over that mile marker now.  So I either have quite a few people who believe in me or one person who is totally obsessed... either way, thank you for following and encouraging me through this journey; you are awesome. 

     When I first decided to ride (or was pushed into riding) in this year's "Bike To The Bay", I have to admit I was very scared by the thought of riding my bike 35 miles, but I knew if I didn't at least try I couldn't send the message that I desperately wanted to send, and that was that sometimes we need to step out side of our comfort zone and take that leap of faith.

     Well by now I've conquered almost every obstacle imaginable, from riding with the wrong tires and in the wrong gear, and eventually realizing gloves helped keep my hands from going numb (somewhat).  Then there was  the riding in extreme humidity or in tsunami like winds, going through downtown Toledo while dodging rocks, glass, traffic and those crazy geese in international park, next there was  the challenge of riding on impossibly hilly roads (all while in the highest gear possible,oops!)... oh yea... and wearing a goofy "so called" bike outfit and being subject to total ridicule.  

But I made it and I really believe I'm gonna cross that finish line in one piece!

     Now that I have total confidence in the ride it's self, I need desperately to work on my main goal, and that is to raise as much money for MS as we possibly can, and I haven't given up on the 50 riders yet; I'm in the forties now! With all of the people who have been there for me, whether it's in body or spirit, I truly believe that we will make a difference. 

      Looking back, I am so glad I was pushed into doing a ride that I thought wasn't possible.  I guess some times we all have to take that leap of faith.

(BTW... we have  about a million Leapfrog shirts for sale! give or take; talk about a leap of faith!)

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

     

The fourth time on Fred's talk show and he hasn't kicked me off yet!

     With the bike to the bay gaining on us I really need to do everything to raise money, and for the last four weeks  one way to raise awareness is to join Fred LeFevbre on his talk show.

     This week he also had a fellow BTTB rider, Eric Duling who has ridden all 24 years and this will be his 25th.

     I'll tell you one thing; I'm really learning a lot in this whole process, one being that according to Eric I've been riding in the worst gear possible all this time.  I just figured 21, which was the highest gear would make it so I had to pedal less, which seemed like a no brainer.  Who wouldn't want less work.

     What Eric explained was, yes, you pedal less but the high gear makes it extremely hard, which is why I was struggling so much to make it up steep hills; who knew?!

     Before the interview, at 6:00 in the morning, I had taken a ride on my bike and then I ended at the studio. Of course Fred had to accuse me of looking more like someone from a European circus than a "biker".  I don't know what he was talking about: This is what I was wearing and I have to admit, I don't think a circus clown would be caught dead in this "Mary Poppins" get up:)

     I didn't know this was a fashion show, but if that's the case, then maybe we need to rename it "project runway to the bay":)  Just a thought...

Listen to our interview :)

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

When a grey cat crosses your path does that mean mediocre luck??

     

     The University parks trail is a trail I used to love to roller blade every day, back before this MS business decided to make things complicated.

     I would travel from one end to the other and back in about one hour; approximately 13 miles.  Every night like clock work I put on my blades and hit the trail as though there wasn't a care in the world.

    The fact that MS and foot drop has made it impossible for me to roller blade any more isn't going to stop me from hitting that trail again; only now it's on my bike.  In the past couple of weeks I went on that trail with friends, and it brought back fond memories from the past.  However, I wouldn't dream of hitting the trail by myself anymore.  What if I got a flat?? or wiped out??  Who would help me??

     The other day I had plans with friends, to ride the Wabash Cannonball trail, which starts by Fallen Timbers Mall and goes out by Oak openings park.  I was really looking forward to the ride and it was a long trail, but I planned to divide it into three parts with breaks in between to see if I could actually make it 35 miles in one day.

     However, the plans fell apart and we had to cancel the ride.  I was a little bummed; I actually had bike shorts on with padding so the long ride didn't make make my poor little booty ache for days.

     But I wasn't crazy!  I totally had to wear gym shorts over the padded shorts.  I mean, what girl wants extra padding?  We're always asking "does this make my butt look big!?!?"  Well, hello!!  padded shorts!!  Heck yes, they make your butt look big!!

     But that was neither here nor there because we weren't going anyway... But wait... this was my chance to take that leap of faith again and do my favorite trail on my own.

     At the University Parks Trail there were a lot of people who had the same idea as me, and I felt comfortable knowing that if I did break down I could surely get some help.

     But as I got further along the crowd started to thin and I knew it was time to head back;  Okay, I might be crazy, but I'm not stupid.

     At the end of my ride I came across a young couple sitting on a park bench lacing up their roller blades and I decided to ask them to take a picture for my blog before they began their ride.  

     They were more than happy to, and as the girl was taking a couple pictures the guy continued to lace his blades.  I mentioned to them that I was riding in the MS bike to the bay.  They said "good for you!" They just so happened to have a friend who was newly diagnosed with MS.

     I told them I have MS, and for many years I had roller bladed this trail, only now with the MS I've traded in my blades for a bike.

      I thanked them for taking the time to help me and the young man said " It's no problem, this is my first time on roller blades and I was glad to stall!"

     Thinking back, I knew the feeling, and I assured him one day he would love it!!

     Oh... the grey cat thing... so as I was riding, this grey cat came darting out from nowhere, and the first thing that went through my mind was "dang lucky that cat wasn't black!!"  But when a grey cat crosses your path does that mean mediocre luck?  That day I would call it GOOD!

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

My buddies at DMC are Amazing!!

     All the way back to the very beginning of my journey to ride in the Bike To The Bay, my BFFs at DMC Technology Group have always had my back.  

     

     From snapping goofy pictures for my blog every time I got a crazy idea, to riding on my team, even Pat and Elaine Sheehan, the owners, have saddled up their bikes and put air in their tires; they've all gone completely out of their way to help me on my quest to try to make a difference.

     

     Maryanne must have taken a Kazillion pictures until we found the one that captured the attitude I was trying to convey, but she humored me and just kept taking them:)

  Then Jean had this brilliant idea to highlight my blog on DMC's website and this would be one more audience to reach in the attempt to help me raise money and awareness for MS.  

    If you think there aren't many amazing people in this world, just come to DMC Technology Group, and that's where you'll find them:)

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

My third time to promote the bike to the bay on Fred's show

     My third time on Fred LeFevbre's Radio show and He still hasn't given me the axe yet!!

     Let me tell you, if you don't want to have Fred giving you crap you had better hold true to your promise.  After basicly calling me a wimp for riding a mere ten miles the week before (keeping in mind it was windy and hilly), I knew I better give him something impressive this week!

     It was a good thing I did because when I started out giving him the impression I had wimped out again, you would have thought he was going to tar and feather me!!

     Oh, and I even sold one of my cute pink leapfrog shirts to Patrick from 104 Kiss FM radio, cash and carry!  He said it was for him, so either he's a man who's confident enough to wear pink, or he has a lucky girlfriend who's getting a gift;)

listen to the interview from last Friday to see how I did:)

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Don't forget the fundraiser at Black Kite Coffee And Pies!!

     

     Don't forget to mark your calenders for this Saturday's fundraiser (may 24th) at the Black Kite Coffee and Pie shop in the old west end.

     From 5:00 to 7:00 they will have live music and we hope to raise money for team leapfrog to get closer to our goal of 25,000.00.

     Kristina from the Black Kite is now officially registered on our team and they plan to donate a portion of the sales to help us out!!

Thank you friends at Black Kite:)

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

Be sure to pick up a Sylvania Advantage paper today and see our interview with Cindy Lang:)

     As you probably remember Sharon Lang from Sylvania Advantage paper met us at Chandler's Cafe' a couple of weeks ago for an interview; well Sharon is the most wonderful person you'll ever meet! You have to see the add she so generously put in her paper promoting our shirts to help team leapfrog:)

She also added that my shirts can be found at Lady C for purchase to help us raise money for the Bike To The Bay!

 Be sure to pick up a copy today and read all about it:)

     So put this down and go get a copy!!  I mean that in a nice way:)


Oh, and don't forget Bob Evans today; please mention teams Leapfrog and Sitting Bull and 15% will go to our teams!


Have a great day!!

Christine:)

Day number 2 with Fred on the radio

     So Believe it or Not Fred LeFevbre had me back on his show for a second week! Of course I had to share the spot light with Karen Moore from the National MS Society.  I guess it was good to have her tell all of the ride details; My idle chit chat can take a back Seat just this once:)

 I know the main reason Fred had me back was just to keep me honest on my training.  I am so glad I didn't wimp out last week.  It was bad enough that I confessed my age on live radio, but then to say I gave up on the training... I would never live it down.  As it was the ten miles I went, in the wind and hills no less, wasn't enough to keep him from accusing me of not going my limit.  

     Now he made me commit to twelve miles this coming week, and don't think he won't call me on it next Friday.  Oh the pressure... ugh!!

     But here's something super fun... When I was in talking with Fred on his show I could see in the studio right across the hall, 92.5, Kiss FM, Tom Arnold was on the air!  Sure he was no George Klooney, but being on the air at the same time in the same building as a "so called" celebrity... pretty cool huh!!

     If you get a chance tune in to our interview from last Friday:)

The shirts are finally in and people are buying them up!!

     So the Team leapfrog shirts are in and these ones are even cuter than the sample ones I've been showing you:) We changed the green to neon or lime green from the previous kelly green, and now the cute little frogs just hop right off the shirt (pun intended!)

     To see them in person makes all the difference, and we've been selling them like crazy!  This is so cool!  We can raise money for our team and you get to keep a cute shirt too!!

     Please let me know if you want to help us by taking one or two off our hands so we can buy more and sell them as well:)

kajfaszchristine@gmail.com

Have a great weekend!!

Christine:)

Our meeting with Sharon Lang at Chandler Cafe'

        Last week Reeves and I had our interview at Chandler Cafe' with Sharon Lang from The Sylvania advantage paper (BTW... the article is in the May 21st edition rather than the 14th which I posted last week).  Be sure to watch for it.

      Lori, the owner of Chandler's not only helped sponsor our team shirts but she also supported our team by purchasing Leapfrog shirts for her employees; we're hoping they may be able to sell them as well:)

     Sharon fell in love with the shirts and of course had to have one herself.  As she was leaving Chandlers she stopped in Lady C, the ladies clothing store next door with shirt in hand, and Candy told her the shirt was adorable!  She asked her where she got it and Sharon told her the story.  Guess what...?!?! Now Candy is displaying them in her store to try to help us out!  People are just too kind:) Thanks Candy, Sharon and Lori!!

Have a great day!!

Christine:)

On Air with Fred Lefevbre at WSPD 1370 AM radio

     So here it is! My radio debut:)  Check this out at Fred Lefevbre's Blog on WSPD 1370 am radio!

     I can't believe how long Fred let me go on and on; and to think I could have talked another hour if he let me!  But don't you worry, he's gonna let me on his show every Friday from now until the ride!  You haven't heard the last of me:)

     It was only the first time and I've already admitted my age, so by the time we're done who knows what he'll drag out of me, but I can promise you he won't be looking at dead air while I'm on.

     In fact... I may get so comfortable that I'll soon be having Fred on MY show!  Okay maybe not, but at least a parking space with my name on it:)

Tune in this Friday!!

Have a great day!!

Christine:)