I’m a big fan of a cycling blog called Fat Cyclist, and if you are a cyclist, you should be too.  For the third year in a row, Fatty has put on a cycling event called the 100 Miles to Nowhere, where you ride your bike on a trainer or around a ridiculously short course for 100 miles. 

Admittedly, when I had first heard about the “100 Miles to Nowhere” I thought it was a horrible idea.  I admired the “bullheaded” nature of the effort, but who in their right mind rides 100 miles on a trainer or around their cul-de-sac?  Fast forward 2 years and here I am, 111 days into a deployment at sea on an amphibious carrier.  That’s 111 days without a single stop in port.  The only option to keep bike fitness from withering away is to ride the spinners in the ship’s gym.  Thankfully, I have a friend and co-worker out here with me who shares my love of cycling and keeps me motivated to get on the trainers.  We are both fans of Fatty, and when the ride was announced this year, we thought what better place to do it, than stuck on a hunk of steel floating in the Gulf of Aden?

With a flight schedule to contend with and the unreliability of mail out here, we figured the chances of receiving our ride kit on time and having the day of the ride as a free day were pretty slim.  However, the moons aligned and our kits arrived with a few days to spare and the ship even scheduled a rare “day off” to celebrate our half-way point on the deployment.  You have to understand that our ship, the USS NASSAU is over 30 years old, and I doubt the spinners in the gym are much younger than that.  We are Marines, so we are used to making due with less than perfect equipment.  Adapt and overcome, right?  It took a little maintenance and TLC to get the spinners up to speed for the ride, including gerry-rigging a cyclocomputer on the bike and sewing some homemade straps for the toe clips.  Shannon even mailed me my saddle and some of my cycling gear from home to make the ride a little more enjoyable.

John (the other rider) came through with the “support” equipment too.  In order to keep our heads in the game and break up the monotony, we plugged his laptop into the TV in the gym so we could watch some old cycling races.  It made the ride a lot more fun and enjoyable.  We had a great deal of support from our friends and co-workers during the ride, including manning the feed zone and taking pictures.  We even had our own domestique who brought us ice-filled water bottles and even rode the last 40 miles with us.

We completed the ride in 4:50, with only a few “comfort breaks”.  Including our breaks, our total time was under 5:10.  All things considered, the ride went by much faster than we had expected and I dare say it was even fun.  Our only regret from the day was having to do it all inside.  We had grand plans to ride the last hour on the flight deck or one of the catwalks on the ship.  Due to some logistical issues, we couldn’t make that happen.  All in all it was a huge success though.

Seeing as there is zero opportunity to ride a bike out here, it was the closest either of us had to a real day of cycling (we even busted out legit cycling kit, despite the opinion of lycra among most Marines).  So we would like to thank Fatty (and his hairbrained ideas) for giving us the opportunity to “escape” for a day.  There was a Navy photographer there to document the event, so we wound up with a ton of cool pictures.  If you care to see more, check out the gallery here.

USS Nassau with the 24th MEU

It appears Jason’s ship and the entire 24th MEU left Haiti on February 7th and are headed back toward the Mediterranean where they were originally scheduled to go.  There is an article here that talks about the impact Jason’s MEU has had on the relief effort in Haiti, and their current travel plans.

Some of the contributions made by the 24th MEU include treating more than 100 victims of the devastating earth quake, constructing a 250-bed interim aftercare medical facility in Port-au-Prince, conducting 82 lifesaving medical evacuations, and delivering hundreds of boxes including food and water.

I will keep updating the blog when I find media updates on Jason’s unit.

While Jason can’t access Facebook, he has set up notifications to let him know when someone writes on his wall or sends him a message.  You can also find updates about the 24th MEU by becoming “a fan” of them on Facebook.  You have to love the technology!

Jason and I are still able to email regularly, which is a wonderful treat, but I do miss his voice.  This is definitely different than his last vacation deployment to Japan.  Back then, we could eat meals together with the help of Skype and he could watch and talk with Faye while she played in front of the computer screen.  This is definitely not a hardship compared to the lives of many other marines and those who came before email.  Time seems to be passing quickly enough and we are still making lots of plans to keep the calendar exciting.  All in all, the Rubin family are all happy and well.

Jason took the above picture while riding in an Osprey.  I am sure he will have a ton of great photos to share when this is all said and done.

Read more here.

You can read the New Bern Sun Journal article here.

Yes, it’s that time again.  In a matter of days, I leave for deployment.  My last one was a bit more vacation-like compared to this time around. No long stay in Japan, visiting old friends, and SCUBA diving. I’ll spend a lot more time at sea and a little closer to the tip of the spear as I do my nation’s bidding. As usual, I can’t mention any details, but it’s safe to say we will be sailing east until we hit desert, and then sailing a little more east. I should be able to post periodic updates along the way, mostly after we have come and gone at a particular location. For those that want to keep an eye out in the news, I’ll be floating aboard the USS NASSAU in support of the 24th MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit).

I’m looking forward to what should be an interesting adventure over the next 7 months or so, but do not look forward to leaving the family for so long. This will be deployment #2 for Faye (and Shannon for that matter), and I really don’t think it gets any easier for any of us. Last time we had ready access to Skype and phone calls, this time I will be far more isolated. Luckily, I married a super-wife and I know she will keep the kids and I involved in each other’s lives with photos, videos, letters, and treats via good old fashioned mail. I will be coming home to a completely different son who will, God-willing, be walking and talking, but hopefully he won’t forget who I am with a steady stream of pictures and videos.

Some of you out there have asked what kind of things I would like to receive in the way of care packages while underway. If you really want to make my day, I have updated my Amazon wishlist specifically for deployment (to include my deployed mailing address). Books and movies are a great way to pass the time when we aren’t busy. Space is extremely limited on the boat, so please hold off on buying me that new bike or bar-b-q grill until I get back. Homemade snacks and treats are always good too. Just realize it may take 2-3 weeks to reach me, so no deviled eggs please.  Shannon has my mailing address, so you can drop her a line if you want to send something directly.  Even letters and cards offer a great morale boost, so don’t hold back.

Thanks for all the support and good wishes!  Please keep my family and I in your prayers.

First off, for those that don’t know, I’m not “deployed”, deployed, just doing some training in preparation for the big day. We’ve done a couple of these already, some on land and some out on the boat at sea. This is one of the longer ones, so it’s a taste of life away from the family. For you nasty civilians out there that complain about missing shmoopie while he/she is away for the week on business have no idea what real separation is like. There’s no skype out here, no picking up a phone whenever you miss them. I am incredibly fortunate to have easy access to email though. It’s not enough to send videos, as the bandwidth here makes 1994 dial-up look like cutting edge high-speed internet, but pictures and letters work just fine and are giant morale boosters. In fact, email is how I’m posting this and any other updates.

Enough of the whining for now (more to come in later posts for sure). For those that don’t know, I’m embarked on an LHA – basically a warship that is a mix of an aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship. It is the epitome of the Marine Corps ethos of Air, Land, and Sea. It’s pretty neat to see grunts shooting out of the back of the ship on landing craft as Harriers and Ospreys launch off the deck for an assault. We may not be quite as big as a “big deck” aircraft carrier, but the flexibility and variety of firepower we bring is unmatched. It’s not all for killing bad guys either. While I may not play much of a role with my Harrier, the MEU (Marine Expeditionary Unit) winds up doing a lot of humanitarian relief missions. We have this giant ship with a full hospital, plenty of space for supplies, and ships and helicopters to deliver them. It’s not as “sexy”, but we can aide the crap out people when we want to.

I get a lot of questions about the ship itself. In Japan I was on an LHD, which serves the same purpose as an LHA, but is laid out a little differently. The ship we are on is an old one and is due to be made into a coral reef after our float. However, they have been saying that for years now, so they may wind up getting some more miles out of her after all. All we Harrier pilots ask is that we get to take part in the sinking. After 7 months on this steamer, we will take great pleasure in sending her to the depths of the sea. The most common question I get is, “How many people are on the ship?” I keep losing count around 600 or so, but according to Wikipedia, the ship can carry over 3000 people. That includes the ship’s company as well as all the embarked Marine troops. There is no catapult or wires, like on a “traditional” aircraft carrier. The only aircraft that can take off land on an LHA are Harriers and helicopters (to include the Ospreys). As an officer, I live in a 4-man room with bunk-style beds and a couple small wall-lockers. It’s tight living for sure, but nothing compared to how the enlisted guys live. They are in large birthing area with racks stacked 4 high and not much more than a couple drawers for storage. The Navy is one of those places where rank really has privileges. As Marines we also get the leftovers. The Navy personnel have slightly better living conditions, although they spend a lot more time on this steel box.

Shannon and Faye actually got to come aboard the ship when I walked on in Norfolk. It was a unique opportunity for them to see how I live while I’m at sea. I think Faye particularly enjoyed it, as she had no concept of what living on a boat was like. She probably had imagined me spending weeks and months out on a fishing boat. Now she knows exactly where I sleep, work, and eat. What they didn’t get to experience is how this thing moves out at sea. It’s big, but it ain’t no cruise ship, nor does our course vary based on sea conditions. As I write this, you can hear cabinets banging back and forth and things sliding across the deck – and this isn’t really that bad, you should see it in a storm! When the sea gets angry you can definitely feel it on the ship.

We haven’t done as much flying as we would have liked, but I still manage to stay busy on the ship. Routine is key for me, so I have a little schedule I follow with work, meals, gym time, shower, etc. My roommate makes fun of me that I’m like an old man with my exact routine each day. It’s a good crew out here. I like the Harrier pilots and get along well with my roommates. We always make fun of the helicopter guys and vice versa, but the overall atmosphere is pretty good. That’s not always the case, so I can definitely appreciate it.

It’s important to note that these charity rides are not races.  Think of it like people who run a marathon not to win, but to show that they can do it, and see how good of a time they can get.  There were 30, 50, 75, and 100 mile courses for riders, and they all finish at the same spot, so it’s very difficult to declare a “winner”.  With that said, when you get 2600 cyclists together, they are going to try and “win”.  Day one was mostly about demonstrating our abilities on the bike.  More about that later.  The 75 & 100 mile courses started bright and early.  Shannon dragged the kids out of bed and gave me a ride downtown.  The plan was for them to head back home and meet me later on, but they were kind enough to watch the start from a friend’s house and cheer me on as I set out.  It was a big motivator.

I’ve been on a lot of group rides, but nothing near this kind of scale.  There is something amazing about riding in a group of thousands of cyclists.  It’s slow going at the beginning as the pack weaves its way through the downtown streets, but once we hit the bridge out of New Bern we were off to the races.

Like I said, riding in a large group (or peleton) is magical.  Not only to you feel like you are riding in the Tour de France, but you can maintain higher speeds with considerably less effort.  For the first 1/2 of the ride we were easily averaging 25+MPH.  It wasn’t a breeze, but the effort level was more like I’m used to at 22MPH or so.  The regular “crew” I ride with are some pretty strong riders, so we mostly hung together and stayed with the lead (100-mile) group.

No, I am not the shortest rider in the group (but that other guy is the strongest rider of all of us).

I was able to maintain that pace until I ran out of water at around 77 miles.  77 miles at that pace without a break was plenty fine with me.  I got off at a rest stop, filled up, and kept on going by myself.  I managed to find another (albeit slightly slower) group to hang with for the last 18 miles.  I wound up finishing that first day with a total ride time of 4:32, averaging 22MPH.  Well beyond what I was shooting for.  For those of you who are curious what a 100-mile ride looks like (or are a total stat geek like me), you can see my speed, cadence, heart-rate, and location minute by minute by following these links: Saturday’s Century, Sunday’s Century.  Click on “player” to see the ride in action.  Made possible by my Garmin Edge 305 (the coolest training tool evAR!)

Shannon and the kids tried to meet up with me at a few spots along the route, but some miscommunication and technical issues limited them to a one-time finish line view.  They (and several hundred other people) cheered me on as I came across the finish line.  The event included food, drinks, and all kinds of activities for riders and their families.  Faye even got to do a little riding herself.  I’m starting the cycling indoctrination early in this one.

I took advantage of the sports massage tent in hopes of keeping my legs fresh for the following day.  A long hot shower and a nap helped out too.

Day two came quick, and this time I drove myself to the event.  Shannon and the kids had Sunday school (conveniently located downtown) and just met me at the finish.  While the first day was all about max performance, day two was more about enjoying the ride, taking it easy, and finishing strong.  All great intentions, but remember what I said about getting a bunch of cyclists together?

We did take it a little easier, stopping at more rest stops for food and water, but the pace was still pretty decent.  It took a good 5-10 miles to get my legs (and butt) warmed up again, but once that was out of the way, I felt pretty good.  Apparently so did everyone else in the group, as we passed paceline after paceline heading towards the front.  The highlight of the day was a stop at the halfway point for a fantastic lunch of chicken & rice with beans and tortillas.  This was accompanied by copious amounts of gatorade and some fantastic live bluegrass music from a local band.  If I wasn’t riding with a group I would have been very tempted to grab 3 more plates of food and nap between music sets.  Again, there are multiple route lengths, so even though we were at the front of the 100-milers, the lunch spot was packed with the shorter groups.

With our bottles topped off, we headed out for the final 50 miles.  I almost forgot to mention that we had absolutely perfect weather for both rides.  The temperature was not too hot, the sun was out, and aside from a decent headwind on day 2 we couldn’t have asked for anything better.

We picked up a few more riders in our group heading home and had a very efficient and reasonably fast paceline for the last 40 miles or so.  We even picked up our own police escort on the final stretch into downtown.  Despite our “laid back” riding, we managed to finish the second day at 4:57 with a 20.6MPH pace.  I’ll admit, I did get a little tingly watching the odometer tick over 100 miles that second day.  It was hard work and finishing as strong as I did felt like a great accomplishment.  As we sprinted in to the line, Shannon and the kids were there screaming and jumping.  I couldn’t have asked for a better way to finish.

This was my first (and second) century and the first time I’ve ever participated in a charity event like this.  I have to say, it is one of the most rewarding and fun things I’ve ever done.  I’m kicking myself for taking so long to get involved in this kind of stuff.  Thanks again to everyone who supported me with donations and/or words of encouragement.  You should know that you did a great thing for me, and more importantly for the MS cause.  Seeing those affected by MS out there cheering you on is a unique experience.  I can only imagine how hopeful they must feel to see so many people come out and put their heart and soul into such an incredible event.

* I found out that people can still donate to the event until October 1st.  If my words have inspired you to do so, you can donate online here.

For those not keeping up with my obnoxious Facebook posts, I’m an avid road cyclist these days.  It’s something I did as a young man, and after a decade or so of riding mountain bikes, I’m back to the road and loving it.  Since February I’ve ridden over 1400 miles, burned over 77,000 calories, lost almost 10 pounds, and have a killer farmer’s tan.  Why am I sharing all of this?  Because I want your money.

More accurately, I want you to give your money to help fund Multiple Sclerosis research.  See, my main training goal throughout all of this has been to ride in the Bike MS Century in September.  That’s a 100-mile ride for the uninitiated.  Not only do I want to ride 100 miles, but I want to do it with an average pace of 20mph (or better).  So where do you come in?  The real purpose of the ride is to raise money and awareness for MS.  You can sponsor Team Rubin by clicking here.

I’m aware the economy isn’t so great right now, so I’m going to offer my own stimulus plan to help encourage some cash flow.

• Double Down – I will match every dollar donated for the first $200 donated, so early givers can know their money will count double.
• Torture me for $$ – If I meet (or exceed) the $1000 fund raising goal, I will ride the 100-mile course twice!  Once on Saturday, and again on Sunday.  I’ve wronged a lot of people out there, and payback opportunities are rare, so take advantage!
• Kill two birds with one stone – My birthday is September 11th and the rides are on the 12th & 13th.  Why not forgo a birthday gift and donate that money?  I’ll give you credit for both, and think of all that time you will save not fretting over the perfect gift for me!
• Immortalize your legacy – Anyone who donates over $100 can, at their request, have their name or favorite slogan* written on my tanned (and possibly shaven) legs for all to see as they eat my dust.  *Sorry no p0rn or gambling website advertisements – those require a $500 donation.

Seriously though, multiple sclerosis is a really crappy disease and every hour someone in the US is diagnosed with MS.  The disease affects more than 400,000 people in the US and 2.5 million worldwide.  Whatever you can give (even $5) will go to a great cause.  So donate here, it’s a quick and easy way to do your good deed for the day.

If all goes well, I’ll have pictures and a recap posted after the ride(s), including said leg advertisements.