Cyclists fighting Multiple Sclerosis

Tour de Kentucky 2008 got underway yesterday for the second year, with its mission to raise funds for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Kentucky Southeast Indiana Chapter.

Organized by Bill Turner, whose wife LeeAnne has been diagnosed with MS, the group of 10 cyclists stopped for a scheduled 15-minute break at the restaurant to record it as the fourth state visited during the eight-day odyssey."I'm the inspiration for him, but he does the work," said LeeAnne Turner of her husband's dedication to the event.

Members of the team traveled from their homes in Louisville Friday night to begin their trip Saturday morning at the Breaks Interstate Park at the Kentucky and Virginia state line. According to the Web site www.whyiride.com, through May 18, the team will pedal 740 miles across the state of Kentucky and the seven bordering states to raise awareness and funds to stop MS in its tracks. As of Sunday evening, the team had completed 166 miles and Monday's trip added 89.4 miles to the three-day total.

This year's team includes one woman, Jan John; the oldest member is Bob Redmon at age 67, while the youngest is 45-year-old Bill Piepmeyer. A part-time member of the team is Bill Piepmeyer's 10-year-old son, Steven. Steven rode with the group Saturday and Sunday, but had to go back to school on Monday; his dad said he'll join the team again on Thursday.


Lee Anne Turner said pit stops are scheduled 15 to 20 miles apart and that's when support personnel traveling in vans or the team box truck provide riders with plenty of water, fruit and power bars. And in the case of Monday's stop, a few enjoyed an ice cream cone during the break.

"The concept is there's thousands of virtual cyclists that follow the ride," said Bill Turner of the event, which raised $83,000 in 2007. Bill Turner said this year's goal is $100,000.

To learn more about Tour de Kentucky and how to sponsor the event, visit http://www.whyiride.com.

Running 101

Ok…the run, last year 1 ran the marathon in 4:27:43 which was the 27th fastest run out of 187 in my age group. I passed over 500 people on the way to the finish line. Gotta be happy with that result. Especially since at the end of the bike, I really thought I’d be walking the entire way. I was so tired and worn out after all those hills. I was so hot, dehydrated and low on energy that I didn’t even bother taking my Garmin watch out of my T2 bag and putting it on. I thought, there’s no way I want a detailed record of this mess!

So what happened? I don’t really know, a few things got me turned around. The crowd support at the transition area was amazing, hundreds and hundreds of people cheering each and everyone on whether they were walking or running. Like a shot of adrenaline straight into the bloodstream. That got me moving.

The run went out and back for a 2km loop and there was an aid station at the end. They run aid stations were awesome. They had everything, water, Gatorade, coke, ice, sponges, tons of food and snacks and great volunteers, at least 20 or 30 at each one. I stuck with the Gatorade for the first few miles and gradually started to feel better. Steph and the Girls were just under the bridge before the turn up to 4th street and seeing them and hearing their encouragement was another badly needed shot of adrenaline.

I wasn’t really conscious of the number of people I was passing, but I do remember being really surprised at how many people were walking. Lots of them. Sometimes in groups of up to 5 or 6. They would be walking along and talking about the race.  If you can walk and talk, why aren’t you at least jogging? That was contrasted by other people that were really in trouble. They were both cramped up and limping along, stopping to try to stretch out their muscles every few meters, or they were having digestive problems, not a pretty sight, I’ll leave it at that. They is not much you can do for people in that state, the damage has been done and it takes a lot to turn things around at that point. You do your best to try to encourage them along to the next aid station. That’s why they say Ironman is swim, bike, run and nutrition, a four part event.

The run is really where the rubber meets the road at the Ironman. Consider the entire starting field and the likelihood of every athlete running to their full potential on race day, never happens…why, what happens to everyone? Some will be eliminated due to improper training, usually a mistake made by training for a marathon, instead of training for a marathon after a 180k bike ride. Some others will be eliminated by pacing and nutritional errors that begin to show themselves on the run, like my walking and talking friends.

The idea here is to complete the bike ride and have set yourself up the opportunity for a successful run through the correct application of your training, nutrition guidelines and pacing strategies. After that it’s the One Thing that decides who runs to their potential and who doesn’t. But, beware, you know it’s coming…your body will have a conversation with your head at some point during the run that will go something like this…

Body to Mind: "Ok, this is really starting to hurt. I can keep going, but I need a really good reason to keep it up."
Mind to Body: "We’ll keep going because of the One Thing. Just keep moving, do the best you can do and we'll get there."

The One Thing is whatever motivated you to do this in the first place. Before the race you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror and figure out what your One Thing is. Make it good, this is no time for screwing around because if it’s not a good reason, your body will call your bluff when the chips are down.
My One Thing is thinking of Barb, her valiant struggle with MS and of how much I know she wishes she could be here experiencing this with me. No matter how much I hurt, it is nothing compared to what she goes through on a daily basis. That’s all I need to keep me going.

A successful Ironman marathon is one of not slowing down. Not slowing down is mostly a function of maintaining your focus, not fitness. If you are not cramping up and can still consume calories on the run, you can have a successful marathon. The difference between a good marathon and bad marathon is just continuing to move forward, as best you can, for the entire 26.2 miles. This year I’ve been doing a lot more running and will be looking to improve on last year’s 4:27, at least a 4:20 which would break me into the top 20 on the run, that would be awesome!

Biking 101

Last year for the 2007 IM, I spent approximately 185 hours biking a total of 3,250 kms. This year my goal will be do be closer to 200 hours and 4000/4500 kms. Last year I dropped from 77th after the swim to 148 after the bike, so I lost 71 positions. My official time was 6:58:33, but according to my bike computer, my actual riding time was about 17 minutes less than that. As soon as the bike comes to a rest, the computer shuts off, so it measures only the actual time the bike is moving. So what was I doing for 17 minutes??...well I stopped and got off the bike 4 times to pee and that cost was at least 2 minutes each time and I had to fix a flat tire at the 100mi mark, that took the other 8 minutes and change.

This year I’ll be looking for a bike time much closer to 6:00/6:15. I won’t be stopping this year to pee, yes…I’ll teach myself to do it on the fly. It’s common, lots of people do it. You need to make sure to move over and get out of the way of the other riders though. I’ll practice this summer on my long rides a couple times. It sounds gross, I know, but during the race, you are constantly dousing yourself with water to keep cool and your sweating, so you’re wet pretty much the entire time and it will just get washed away.

For me to maintain my 77th place after the swim last year, I would have to complete the bike 6:13, I think that’s a possibility. A 6:15 bike split would require me to bike at 28.8 km/per hour. So based on that, I will gradually build my long rides this summer with a goal of riding at an average of 29/30 kph.

MS Research Going on Around the World

Here are 3 great examples of MS research going on around the world. First, research in Italy on a new drug FTY720 which showed a 50% reduction in relapses and attacks those taking the drug over those taking a placebo with 67% of the participants remaining free of relapses after three years. Second, a Dutch study has found that the drug Prozac may slow the progression of MS and third, in England a new compound BGC20-0134 which encourage the immune system to rebalance itself. More details below…

Oral drug, FTY720, reduces disease activity in Multiple Sclerosis

A drug that can be taken orally reduces the number of attacks people with multiple sclerosis (MS) have, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 60th Anniversary Annual Meeting in Chicago, April 12–19, 2008.“All of the current treatments for MS must be injected, so having a pill you can swallow with a glass of water would be a welcome improvement for many people,” said study author Giancarlo Comi, MD, of San Raffaele University in Milan, Italy.The results reported are from an extension of a six-month study with 281 people with relapsing MS, two-thirds of whom took the drug FTY720 (fingolimod) and one-third of whom took a placebo.

After six months, those taking FTY720 had more than 50 percent fewer relapses, or attacks, than those who took the placebo. At that point, all of the participants could enter an ongoing extension of the study where all would receive the drug. A total of 173 people have finished three-years of the study. Continuous use of the drug led to sustained low relapses, with more than 67 percent of the participants remaining free of relapses after three years. In addition, the inflammatory activity associated with MS, as assessed by MRI scans, remained low, with 89 percent of patients free of disease activity and 75 percent of patients free of new or newly enlarged lesions.FTY720 is an immune-modulating drug that binds to a receptor site on immune cells, sequestering them in the lymph nodes. As a result, FTY720 reduces their ability to cause damage associated with the symptoms experienced by people with MS.

Prozac May Slow Progression of Multiple Sclerosis

A new Dutch study has found that people who took the popular antidepressant Prozac had fewer brain lesions characteristic of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that the drug may slow the incurable disease.
Although the study was small, scientists said the results justify further research in those suffering with MS."This proof-of-concept study shows that (the drug) tends to reduce the formation of new enhancing lesions in patients with MS," Jop Mostert, a neurologist at the University Medical Center Groeningen, and colleagues wrote in a report about the study. In the Dutch study, the researchers randomly designated 40 participants with MS to 24 weeks of treatment with either 20 mg daily of Prozac or a placebo.

In total, thirty-eight people completed the study. Detailed brain scans were conducted every four weeks to check for new areas of neurological inflammation, an indicative sign of MS. At eight weeks, the scans revealed that those taking the placebo had a greater number of new areas of inflammation. However, during the final 16 weeks of treatment almost two-thirds the antidepressant group had no new areas of inflammation compared to about a quarter of those in the other group, according to the researchers.

Potential Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis Begins Clinical Trials

A potential treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS), developed by University of Greenwich (England) in association with Kings College, London, has begun clinical trials. The life sciences company BTG plc, which has licensed the research, is running the trials on a new compound, known as BGC20-0134.
Dr Laurence Harbige and Dr Mike Leach, from the Drug Discovery Research Group in the University of Greenwich School of Science, developed the new treatment following many years of research. Dr Laurence Harbige explains: "Although the cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown, there is strong evidence that it involves the regulation of the immune system through molecules in our bodies called cytokines.

In MS, the balance of these cytokines is altered, leading to inflammation in the brain which can result in serious disability."Dr Mike Leach adds: "This new treatment should encourage the immune system to rebalance itself, by inhibiting the production of inflammatory cytokines while promoting the production of helpful anti-inflammatory ones."Louise Makin, BTG's Chief Executive Officer, comments: "The effective treatment of multiple sclerosis remains a significant unmet need. We are pleased to have started clinical development of BGC20-0134, which has the potential to address different forms of the disease and has the advantage of being an oral product."

New support for MS researchers – and the people they serve

Dr. Samuel K. Ludwin is one of Canada’s leading researchers and world-renowned for his work on remyelination and demyelination related to multiple sclerosis. When he speaks, people listen.

“We have reached a unique time of exciting opportunities in MS research. Now is the time for Canada to chart a new course towards a cure for multiple sclerosis,” said Dr. Ludwin, a researcher at Queen’s University and Kingston General Hospital.
Dr. Ludwin has agreed to lead a new project for the MS Society of Canada, one that will attract high quality researchers to work in Canada on a cure for MS. The project will also help to keep some of our brightest young scientific minds engaged in multiple sclerosis research here, building on the world-class success of researchers like Dr. Donald Paty, Dr. Jack Antel and Dr. Jock Murray.

Dr. Ludwin also believes that success in the lab must ultimately reach the person with MS. “It is vitally important that research always be directed towards the individual, whether the research is about lab science trying to find the cause, cure and treatment of MS or whether it is clinical or health research aimed at improving the prognosis and quality of life for people with MS and their families.”

Swimming 101

Since November 2006 I’ve spent roughly 150 hours swimming about 250,000 meters. I now know two things for sure,

1. I still don’t know how to swim properly.
2. It’s going to take me a long time to figure it out and swim properly.

Most of the swimming I did back in 2006 and 2007 was at the Markham YMCA, where I would get in the pool and swim back and forth for anywhere from 60 to 160 lengths (1.5 km to 4 km) I didn’t pay much attention to my stroke, I didn’t think it was too bad and it seemed to the job. I managed to get my 4k time down from 1:32 to 1:20 and I swam the 4k distance 10 times in the pool.

So along comes the Ironman and in the water we go. The water was warm, 84/85 degrees and a bit of current both ways. My time was 1:17:46 which placed me 77th out of 187 in my age group. Not bad. The average for the group was 1:20:51. To give you an idea of the spread, the fastest guy was 59:26 and the slowest swimmer came in at 1:58. All in all, I was pleased with my swim. Open water swimming is very different than following the big black stripe on the bottom of the pool at the Y. It’s very easy to swim off course and add a few hundred meters to your swim and of course there is always the pushing and shoving of a mass swim start or just swimming in a group of people.

This year my swim training has been all different. Tim and I joined a Masters program in Stouffville. I wish I’d done it years ago. Since October we’ve been coached by Yorrick Tong. Yorrick has coached at the university level and he is a great coach. I can safely say that there is absolutely nothing remotely similar to my current stoke compared to the way I swam in 2006. Basically, everything I was doing was wrong. Arms, legs, hips, shoulders, head, breathing, catch, pull, push, everything. Wrong, wrong, wrong. All moving in the wrong way at the wrong time!

Most of the swimming we do with Yorrick is swim drills. Drills isolate one part of the stroke at a time to allow you to concentrate on that only until it is corrected, then on to the next problem. Yorrick’s goal for us is to correct our stroke so and allow us to swim efficiently and with much less effort. Less energy expended during the swim means more energy to use on the bike and run. We’ve come a long way in the swimming department. I’ll swim 4k this Sunday am and see where I’m at. Whatever the time is, I know it will be much less of an effort that it used to be.