How, HOW is it already the end of July? I know saying the summer is going by quickly is cliché, but....it is! While I'd love to blame "time passing too quickly" for the slow start to my training season, it's been mostly due to being too busy. Luckily, in the last few weeks, I've been able to carve out more time for training, and it's paying off! Here's a recap of my training in July.
On July 15, Ian and I set off on a 50-mile ride from home to the Medfield area. It was HOT. Good training for the PMC though, because as last year reminded us, it can be VERY hot on PMC weekend! Despite the heat, we completed the ride with no cramps - score! Next, I found myself in Provincetown for a day (thanks to some friends for letting me crash - figuratively!) and did a 68-mile Upper Cape out-and-back ride. Much of the ride was on the PMC route, which after 19 prior PMCs, I know like the back of my hand. It felt great to climb the familiar hills of the Upper Cape. The weather was nearly perfect - partly cloudy, little wind, and moderate temperatures. Another long ride with no cramping - double score!
Last Saturday, several of my teammates and I did our annual
Pedal Partner Ride, where we ride to visit our former Pedal Partner in Arlington, MA and our current Partner in Nashua, NH. More great weather - I could get used to this! We had about 12 riders join, which is great. Training in a group is the best kind of training for the PMC, since there are thousands of other riders to consider (and draft off of!). We visited Maya, our former Pedal Partner, who is now 11 and still cancer-free! She and her brother proudly wore their Team Kinetic Karma jerseys along with us. Later in the day. we visited Zinnia, our current Pedal Partner for the second year in a row. She is responding well to her treatments and is always full of smiles (and jokes) when we see her. It was my longest ride to date, and overall it felt great (even of I struggled to keep up with my faster teammates!). It was a good litmus test for preparing for the PMC.
Finally, earlier this week, I did a
pre-work ride on the Neponset Greenway and in the Blue Hills. I always forget how satisfying it is to ride so early - so peaceful, less traffic, not as hot. Besides the fact that the PMC starts at 5:30 am! I am lucky to have the Neponset Greenway literally in my backyard, and the Blue Hills in my figurative backyard. The Greenway is a great warm-up, and the Blue Hills are great training grounds for the PMC, especially the first 40 miles of Day 1 of the PMC. After this ride, I now feel ready for the PMC (though the training continues)!
While the training continues, so does the fundraising. I am over 80% of my way toward achieving my $20,000 fundraising goal for this year. As you may know, the PMC is the biggest fundraiser for the Jimmy Fund, which directly supports the innovative cancer research and compassionate cancer care delivered by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of the world's preeminent cancer institutions. 100% of your donation will go directly to the cause of making cancer HISTORY. Please make your donation today. Thank you!
