MS 101

MS is really confusing, so we thought we'd give you some basic information about the disease.

Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease.

MS is Thought to be an Autoimmune Disease

The body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. The nerve fibers themselves can also be damaged. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord are distorted or interrupted, producing the variety of symptoms that can occur.

50 mile week wrap-up

Smithville Lake Round 2 was good today - 14 miles. Saw two deer, some orioles, bluejays, and one tick. Didn't see the last rascal until it was too late (he hitched a ride on Matt's leg).

I feel good, but Matt's not doing so well. Here are his symptoms:

Lack of energy
Headache and stiff neck
Fever and chills
Muscle and joint pain
Swollen lymph nodes
Distinctive rash

I think it's probably just fatigue since we put in 48.66 miles on the bikes this week. Ticks don't carry disease, do they???

Birds of Paradise

Yesterday we did 10 miles at Smithville Lake trail. Grantmaster flash, I hope you appreciate the creative naming going on here. The air was fresh and the birds even fresher. For part of the trail you're pretty close to the lake, so even though it was 80 and humid, we were able to catch a nice breeze. The wildlife was pretty impressive too - lots of cardinals and other birds, and Matt even saw a groundhog. He told me he prefers to call them whistle pigs, though.

Today is either a day off or another ride at Smithville.

the crazy duck song

Dollars for ducks

So our fundraising pages are up. Check out the links!

Gotta get out on the bikes while it's not raining over here. The Trolley Track Trail is now open all the way to 85th, so we are loving that. Probably going to go get Matt a new bike this weekend as well as some other gear. Holiday weekend!

These boots are made for bikin'

That's just what they'll do

Day off and beer to boot!

Yesterday we took the day off. It was great. Today, we learned that Duck Dales won a Boulevard Brewing prize pack just for officially signing up last week for the ride. So, it's been a good couple days... Tonight we're just doing a leisurely ride through Brookside on the Trolley Track Trail, so no biggie.

Longview Lake

12 miles at Longview Lake today - we enjoyed it. It was a nice trail with less hills than yesterday. Nice scenery, too.

Brother Nicolai recently provided the following advice:

AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after a workout, eat some food that has both carbohydrate and protein, in a ratio of roughly 4:1 carb:protein. This speeds recovery. PLEASE NOTE! This is most effective *immediately after* a workout... I'm talking the second you finish. It's slightly less effective after 30 minutes. After one hour, it's way less effective. And after two full hours, the body isn't even receptive to nutrients. So eat something as soon as possible.

So we had some chicken tacos, a banana, pretzels, and Gatorade immediately after, as per referenced brotha. Results - terrific. Anyone that doesn't eat immediately after a ride must not know the difference between straight up and stick 'em.

Mill Creek Streamway Park

After some french toast and sausage this morning, we were off to Mill Creek Streamway Park for a 10 mile ride. The trail was nice, the stench was not. Seriously, what was going on? I'm not sure, but it sure made us appreciate the clean air on the other side of the state line. Go Missouri!

Off to another trail tomorrow...

Spandex anxiety

So it turns out I have spandex anxiety. While other members of my team (you know who you are, Brother Nicolai) confidently assure me I'll get used to those thigh constricters, I'm wary. Guess I'll have to get a pretty sweet 'kit' in order to brave the spandex...

I guess the courage it'll take to put on bike shorts is really nothing compared to what it's like to brave life with MS. Or the salt it takes to be a caregiver. If there's one thing I've learned about this disease, it's that the people who fight it aren't giving up. That's why we're doing the MS 150 - because we're not giving up either.

Webbed Feet

Duck Dales. We're a bunch of crazy kids trying to beat the booty out of MS. What's with our name? Well, Matt's dad, Dale, has multiple sclerosis. He also has the largest collection of rubber duckies I've ever seen. We're talking world record size probably. So, instead of duck tails, we're Duck Dales, in his honor.

Last year we won Team Spirit award in the Kansas City MS Walk. This year, we're looking for a bigger challenge and have committed to the MS Bike Ride. We're shooting for 150 miles in 2 days. It's going to be tough, so we'll need your support. Are you with us?