Last month, I mentioned that I was interested in returning and riding again for the National MS Society (NJ Metro Chapter) 19th Annual Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Ride. I’m not quite ready to ride 50 miles, so I was a bit reluctant to commit. However, a few points drove my decision to register for the ride, albeit a little late.
- A childhood friend from elementary school was recently diagnosed with MS.
- My wife knows someone who recently died after suffering long-term with MS.
- I told this acquaintance on the Centrastate team that I would be interested.
- I realized that committing to this ride would encourage me to train harder.
I joined a team (“Team CentraState riding4tracy“) associated with the CentraState hospital / healthcare system. Given the short time to raise money, I set a modest goal of $500, and immediately started emailing friends and family asking for donations. As of today, I’ve raised $270 through contributions. I have another week to go, so I’ll continue to keep asking people. I hope I can do it. The MS Society’s sets up a personal page for every participant and team, and I have a personal page too.
The team has already achieved its team goal, raising $14,600+ so far, which is phenomenal. There’s a team ride / get-together this Sunday that I would like to attend. They (we?) are riding Sunday morning, with an after-ride get-together for drinks at Moore’s Tavern & Restaurant. I don’t think I’m ready to do a 50 mile ride right now, but I think I better try this weekend. The real ride is 1.5 weeks from now. It might be a good time to put up or shut up.
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