I'm putting this up for Roma .. This is what she gave me...
Teresa, can you put a link or something to this on the website? I am going to ride in the MS 150 Bike Ride this year and am looking for sponsors/donations. It all goes to the MS Society. We ride from here to Joplin, MO on day one, stay all night and ride back the next day. Overall about 180 miles. I am riding 10-15 miles every day, but need to step it up. Thanks, Roma
Dear Friends and Family,
The National MS Society is kicking off Bike MS: Ozarks Ride 2008. I am planning to be a part of that event and I am asking you to join me in the fight against MS by making a contribution to support my effort.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is dedicated to ending the devastating effects of MS. They simultaneously fund research for a cure while also helping people who currently live with MS lead more fulfilling lives. I believe in the work they do, and I invite you to see for yourself all the good they've done for the MS community. More than 400,000 Americans live with MS, and your support can and will make changes in their lives.
Please help by making a donation - large or small - to fight MS. Or, why not join me on the day of the event? Become a participant and side by side, as teammates, we can work together to raise the funds to make a difference.
Whatever you can give will help! I greatly appreciate your support and will keep you posted on my progress.
Sincerely,
Roma Turner
Click here to get to my personal page and make a secure, online donation.
To send a donation: Make all checks payable to:
National MS Society
Mail to: Roma Turner
2810 West Latoka Street
Springfield, MO 65807-2150
Here is the link to donate:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=5213121&pg=personal&fr_id=7893
Roma, good for you! I'll mail you a check tomorrow.
Thanks Diane. The check came today.
You are very welcome. I know several people with MS and two friends who died from it. You will be doing a wonderful thing.
Today I did a 26 mile ride in 2 hrs 45 minutes. This is one of a few training rides leading up to the big MS Ride in September. Next ride I will do 40.
Yay...Good for you! Your legs must be in great shape. :D
Lord have mercy.. 26 miles? :o
I wouldn't even have any legs left to stand on.. LOL
Excellent Roma.. I am impressed. :)
The big ride (MS Ride) will be from here to Joplin (80 miles) one day and back again the next. I am really working on leg strngthening. but am pleased at how my cardio is doing. This is definetly a weight loss program. I hope someday I can come over and do some riding in Elk Co.
OMG: I hope you don't have to ride on the Interstate!? That stretch of interstate is the most dangerous road I've ever been on; I've been almost ran off the road by trucks many times on that stretch! Be careful!
We will do back routes through small towns. There will be rest stops and medics. etc every 10 miles. There are vans that patrol the routes so if you need help they will just load up you and your bike and take you to the next stop. It really is very well planned.
It would have to be if I did it.. :-\
(Like a funeral director on location) ;D ;D
Tonight we did the Candlelight ride to benefit The Discovery Center. 7 miles downtown area of Springfield The police and volunteers manned the intersections. Village Inn had breakfast for us when we got back. There was every kind of bike under the sun and tons of kids. I was amazed at how little some of these kids were just peddaling there little hearts out.
Monday nite is MS Bike Nite at the local Cardinals Game. We get to ride our bikes around the field. They will draw one of our names to throw out the first pitch.I,ll keep you posted.
Awesome, Roma! I am impressed. Have a great time.
Hey Iola330. I graduated from Chanute in 1962. I'll be there the last weekend in September for the Artist Alley weekend. I love to go back and see old friends.
Last night was our first MS Bike Night at the Cardinals Game, (our Springfield Cardinals). Since over 1,000 people always ride in the big event coming up in September, I expected to get to the stadium and have at the least two or three hundred bicyclists there. However, since it was a Monday night game and the first day of school, only 28 of us showed up. We lined up single file so it would like there was more of us as we rode around the field. Then the event planner showed up and said, "Oh, you guys go on after the horse club." We are all going, WHAT HORSE CLUB? Has anyone noticed that we are on bicycles?????????????
Anyway, the horses went out followed by a woman with a big bucket and two girls with shovels, followed by 28 avid bicyclists. The crowd cheered and no one fell down, we got our T Shirts and the Cardinals won 6/5 so it was a good night.
Roma: I have enjoyed reading your updates. You are very inspiring with your dedication to your cause. It sounds like you have had some laughs while working to raise awareness and money for MS.
You are a blessing to others and I pray that God richly reward you as well.
A big Amen! You have moral support from here! Pedal on Garth!
So you followed the horses? That does put a funny picture in my head. It does sound like a lot of fun. Go Roma!
Thank you for the kind words. A childhood friend of mine died in her early 20s of this disease leaving two small children. In todays world she could have probably taken a shot a day and lived a pretty normal life like others I know now. That is the difference research over time can make.
More training rides this weekend.....just the bikes..no horses.
Well the saga continues. Yesterday I set out to do a 50 mile MS Training ride with the bike club I belong to. I called the team captain sunday night and explained that I had never been on one of these and I was 64 years old and didn't want to go and slow anyone down. He assured that there would be other slower, older riders and that the ride would an easy pace and everyone would look out for each other, (as this ride did not have support vans running the route).
I arrived at the parking lot of the highschool in Republic, MO and immediately realized that I was the only one on a commuter bike, everyone else was on those light weight racers. I had also fogotten my cell phone, however, another lady told me to take hers so I would have some way of communicating. As we took off I was up close to the front. Some guy actually rode up to me and complimented me on how well I was keeping up on my "big, heavy bike." Two hills later I saw them for the last time and realized that I was alone on Farm roads I had never been on with a map that I am notorious for not being able to read. I have to admit it was intimidating and I didn't feel really safe. I thought if I do this again without support, I will need to have my conceal and carry permit and be packin' heat.
Finally I realized there was a lone rider coming up behind me. He past me but then stopped to see if I was okay. As it turned out he wasn't in real good shape, just wanted try to ride, so we rode together. We made it to the first stop about 14 miles and decided to keep going to the next town. A couple of miles later he had a flat tire. So by the time we got that fixed we were really behind. We made it 26 miles and he started getting bad leg cramps and felt he couldn't go on and called a friend to come get us. Now the good news is, we didn't have to stop because of me. But the truth was I was glad to go back because by then the sun was beating down on our backs and it was 91 degrees. He gave his friend directions to find us and said "We won't be hard to find, just look for two bicyclst's laying in the ditch by the side of the road." :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:This Saturday, I don't think I'll do the 70 mile run and maybe not the 50, I may just do the 20 and rest up for the MS run the 13th and 14th. Stay tuned.
So the adventure continues. It sounds like you are doing just fine. Keep up the good work!
Today was the Celebrate Life Ride. I did the 25 mile ride. We lest at 7:30 this morning, probably about 300 riders. It was just a beautiful ride. Fog over the valley and a nice cool day. Even though the route was very hilly and I walked a few hills it was less tiring because it was much cooler than last weekends ride. The first drops of rain started as I was getting back to base. Of course there was food waiting. I came home, soaked in a hot tub of salts and went back to bed and slept for four hours.
Wish me good luck on the Big Dance next weekend. I sure hope the route to Joplin is flatter than the last two rides have been.
Congratulations on your 25 mile ride. It sounds like you are ready for the big one. I look forward to hearing about it.
Good work Roma! We're proud of you! ;D ;D
Remind me to NOT get in an Indian Leg Flipping Match with you. ;D
Good job girl.
Thanks. My legs are really my weakness right now on all these Ozark hills. I will be really working on leg strengthening all winter. I hope the routes this weekend are not just constant hills like the last two Saturdays, or I will have to get shuttled at least part of the way to Joplin and back because I can't imagine doing 80 miles a day of those. There will be rest stops every ten miles and I hope at least part of the way will be realitively flat. I'll keep you all posted.
Update on the MS Ride this weekend. We left at 7:00am from the little town of Clever, MO not far from Springfield. (I think Tobina and I like the same hours, because these morning things really get to me). Anyway, 2-3 miles after Rest stop 2 I got really tired and took a lift to Rest stop 3. I still didn't feel very strong, had them take me on to Reststop 4 which was lunch in the little town of Freistaat. I guess by then all of my supplements kicked in and I woke up and was able to do the rest of the ride. The trip up was 77 miles and I rode 61 miles. The most I had ridden at a time before that was 26miles, so I consider this ride to be a real win. We rode a lot of the way in the rain, but it was a very mild rain and felt really, really go. I rode acros the finish line just a few minutes before the big rain started.
The ride home today was canceled because of the wind and water damage on the back roads. I have to admit it was a relief, it would have been a long, chilly ride home, because any loose stuff on the road can really cause flat tires not to mention falls. They only had two old school buses and one minivan which they had hired to shuttle us in Joplin, to go back and forth to get us home. They got FedEx trucks to load up our bicycles and luggage. Thank God for my good friend Marcia who jumped in the car and drove to Joplin to get me so I didn't have to take several hours to get home. Thanks for everyone's support. Next year I will be faster, stronger and ride further.
Wow! Congratulations! What a feat. I can't even imagine doing that.
Congratulations!!! I saw all that rain on the weather, so I wondered how you were doing. I am so proud of you. :-*
(http://i481.photobucket.com/albums/rr179/moonglowing/smileys/highfive.gif)
High Fives to you Roma. Job well done. I have a brother-in-law fighting MS and has for almost 30 years. He is down to barely being able to walk at this time. My son-in-law has a sister with MS and her's is a "fast moving" type. Thanks so much, not only were you riding for MS as a whole, but I feel you were riding for John and Jeanette.
Thank you all and I am so glad you felt that way Flo. Next year when I ride I will let everyone know ahead of time. Every year we get a T Shirt and a Bandana for the event and lots of people write the names of the people they are riding for on their bandanas. So before the ride everyone can tell me who lthey love that has this illness and I will write those names on the bandana I tie to my bike for the ride. That will make it even more special.