Getting Stronger!

The Pan-Mass Challenge is in 11 days! I've been ramping up my training over the last few weeks to prepare for my 3-day, 275-mile journey across the Commonwealth - all with the goal of raising funds to fight cancer.

Last weekend, Ian and I did the annual Climb to the Clouds ride, a 60-mile ride up to the top of Mount Wachusett (2,000 feet above sea level!). It was a hot day, so we got an early-ish start. The foothills that lead to the mountain are tough, but are a breeze compared to the two-tiered climb to the summit. The first section is on aptly named Mile Hill Road - it's over a mile at a relatively steady but steep angle, starting at the mountain's base and climbing to the Visitor Center. From there, you get a brief reprieve before tackling the summit road (which is steep enough to be a ski trail in the winter!). That road has more flat and downhill parts, which means the rest is even steeper than Mile Hill Road. I can't explain to you the sense of accomplishment when you get to the top! It takes a few minutes for my heart rate to come down to actually appreciate the view. But it's a nice one, as you can see in the photo above!

Yesterday, Ian set out on another hot day (sensing a theme) to the South Shore to do one of our favorite routes: the South Shore Coastal Loop. If you look at the map on that link, you'll see that what we did isn't actually a loop. Instead of driving to Rockland to start the ride, we left from home and rode through Dorchester, Quincy, and Weymouth to get to the starting line. That let us enjoy the coastal scenery and end in Hull, which is a long spit of land that sticks out into Boston harbor. Instead of riding back down through Hull and on boring, busy roads back to Rockland, we took the ferry from Hull to Boston - a mere 23-minute ride. And THE BOAT HAD A BAR! It was the perfect end to a great training ride.

As fun as this all sounds (and it is VERY fun!), I'm doing all of this for an extremely worthy cause. I have committed to raising $8,000 this year for the Jimmy Fund, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's fundraising arm. If you choose to support my efforts, 100 percent of your donation will go straight to the Jimmy Fund, which supports Dana-Farber's innovative cancer research and its life-saving and compassionate cancer care. Please join me and donate today. Thank you!