190 Miles. Done.

I had a fantastic weekend riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge! This being my fifth year of riding, I knew what to expect in some ways, but I am always overwhelmed by the incredible support bestowed upon us by the thousands of volunteers and cheering supporters along the route. The 190 miles from Sturbridge to Provincetown would be grueling without them!

The weekend started on Friday in Sturbridge, where we registered, ate at the carbo-load dinner, and watched the opening ceremonies. If you didn't catch the show on NECN, visit their website for some of the highlights. It is always a motivational and inspirational program, and this year was no different. Following the show, my riding partner and weekend roommate Michelle and I retired to our hotel room at 9:30 to try to catch some ZZZ before the big day ahead. Five hours of sleep was all I got, but the anticipation of the ride got me going in the morning. We lined up at the start at 5:30 and were off at 6 AM.

The first 40 miles are very challenging - we ascend several steep hills before descending into the Blackstone Valley. From there on out it's mostly rolling hills with a few doozies just before the lunch stop in Dighton at mile 69. After a lunch of a turkey sandwich, cookies, SmartFood, cookies, pretzels, cookies, pickles, cookies, and cookies, Rich and I set off to conquer the remaining 40 miles to Bourne, our overnight stop. Luckily for us, the weather stayed mild throughout the mid-afternoon - we must have stayed just ahead of the storm.

Mile 85 is around where your body realizes how much you're planning on punishing it that day. The feeling in your "saddle region" becomes more pain than sore and your neck and shoulders begin to tense up from riding in the same position for hours. Again, the volunteers and supporters (and the Gatorade) kept me pedaling to the day's finish line, 109 miles from where the day began.

After parking my bike for the night, I headed straight for the massage registration tent to sign up for a much-desired 15-minute massage. They tend to run out of appointments before I arrive each year, so I was determined to ride fast enough to get one. Nope. All gone. They told me about waiting in the standby line, so I planned to do that later. First - shower!

They skies turned ominous around dinner time and a big thunderstorm rolled through. Thankfully I was done riding for the day, but a few weren't so lucky. Don't worry though - everyone got in safely (albeit drenched).

My half hour of waiting in the massage standby line was well worth it. Elena, a volunteer massage therapist, melted the tension from my neck and shoulders and soothed my aching quads. I left the 15-minute massage feeling ready to take on another 77 miles in the morning.

After loading our luggage on the truck and grabbing a quick breakfast, Michelle, Rich, and I were on the road at 5:40 AM, headed for the Bourne Bridge and Provincetown. The first 20 miles are scenic and fun - we ride over and along the Cape Cod Canal at dawn, a beautiful way to start the day. Then we ride on Service Road, the closest you come to a roller coaster ride on a bike (so long as you have enough momentum to get up the next hill!).

Even though the ride starts and ends earlier on the second day, there are even more people out along the route cheering. Some famous spectators include the "Over the Hill Cheerleaders" with their pom poms and encouraging words at the top of a hill in Truro. Also, shortly before the second rest stop of the day, the Cape Cod Sea Camp gathers hundreds of teenagers, that together form " Da Hedge," a virtual wall of cheers. It's so great to have such great people to look forward to seeing at specific points along the route.

After a long two days of cycling, I completed the 2008 Pan-Mass Challenge at 11:12 AM in Provincetown. Hundreds more cheering supporters were at the finish line. The sense of accomplishment was overwhelming. All that was left to do was shower (of course), eat, and ride the ferry back to Boston. My fifth Pan-Mass Challenge was one of the best yet!

I reached my goal of safely and swiftly biking 190 miles across Massachusetts, but I still need your help to reach my goal of raising $4,000 for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Click on the "Make a Donation" link at right to support this excellent cause. 100% of your donation will go directly to the Jimmy Fund in support of Dana-Farber, so please give generously! Thanks to all that have made donations - you are amazing!

My bags are packed..

The day has come. My bag is packed, my bike is tuned, and my body is toned (well, as toned as it needs to be). It's quiet at my house right now, but I know in 3 short hours I'll be entering PMCland. Thousands of people will be buzzing around the Sturbridge Host Hotel - registering, catching up with PMC friends (some of which we see only once a year), eating (more like gorging), and anticipating 190 miles of power - the power to cure cancer.

While I'm riding, I'll be thinking of each of you that generously supported my ride this year. I'll also be thinking of those that you made your donations in honor or in memory of. I'll especially be thinking of my grandmother, who died ten years ago while battling cancer.

I hope you think of me and the 5,400 other riders. Please hope that we're able to dodge the "scattered thunderstorms" they've predicted, and if we are caught in them, please hope that everyone is safe. I know I'll be hoping the same thing.

It's not too late to donate! Click on the "make a donation" link to the right.

Liftoff in 10... 9... 8...

The Pan-Mass Challenge, the two-day, 190-mile bicycle ride that I have been training for all summer, begins on Saturday*. The ride is always the highlight of my summer, and I'm eager to join 5,500 other riders in this amazing event.

In order to best prepare my body for the hours it will be forced onto a slender bicycle seat and trudging up hill after hill, this past week I've kept off the bike. What?!? you may ask? Like preparation for any other athletic event, you need to reduce the intensity of your training in the week or two before the event to allow your body to heal itself. My bike is in the shop right now getting a much-deserved tune up, and when I pick it up on Wednesday, it and I will be ready for the challenge ahead of us.

*If you haven't yet made a donation to the PMC, which supports life-saving cancer research and world-class patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, please click on the "make a donation" link to the right to support this excellent cause. 100% of your donation will go to the Jimmy Fund, Dana-Farber's fundraising arm.

'Til I Can't Pedal No More

This training season, I've worked harder than I ever have to prepare for the Pan-Mass Challenge. As of yesterday, I've logged 1,223 miles on my bike since April. I've spent over 77 hours (that's more than three full days, folks) in the saddle and climbed over 62,000 vertical feet. I cycled at an average speed of 15.5 mph and topped out at 44 miles an hour (I'm pretty sure that was well over the speed limit). The above map shows where I've biked so far this year.

My ride yesterday was the beginning of the end of my training. Rich and I set out early in the morning to ride in CRW's annual Climb to the Clouds Century, a 100+ mile ride from Concord to Mount Wachusett and back. Unfortunately, we followed some riders at a wrong turn, and before we realized we were heading back to Concord prematurely, we were already 23 miles off course. Thanks to Rubel BikeMaps (highly recommended for any cyclist in Massachusetts), we were able to get back on course, but because of the added miles, we had to miss the big climb up Mount Wachusett (darn!). Even without that, it's still the hardest route I've ever ridden. As much as I wanted that ride to be over, I knew that it was going to make me stronger for the PMC, just two short weeks away.

Another Way to Fight Cancer

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provides outstanding cancer-patient care in addition to conducting research that, I believe, will one day make cancer history. I've recently begun donating platelets at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at Dana-Farber. In a way, I feel like I've deepened my connection to the fight against cancer, and all it takes is 90 minutes every two weeks.

Platelets are a component of your blood that aids in clotting. A cancer patient's platelet supply is diminished, so they need regular platelet transfusions. Platelets are collected through a process called apheresis, during which your blood is collected and the platelets are separated and removed from your whole blood supply. The remainder of your blood is returned to you through the same needle that took the blood from your arm. The whole process takes about 90 minutes, and since you receive back your whole blood minus some platelets, you are able to donate every two weeks (as opposed to every 8 weeks for a unit of whole blood). The best part - they seat you in ergonomic (and heated) lounge chairs, plus you get to watch a movie - your choice! Oh, and the free cookies!

In addition to donating platelets, I've been registered in the National Marrow Donor Program. I'll be ready and willing to donate bone marrow to a compatible cancer patient if there is ever a need. I highly suggest you consider both donating platelets and registering as a potential marrow donor.

In riding the PMC, I am using my body to help raise funds for cutting-edge cancer research. In donating platelets, I am similarly using my body to aid in the life-saving cancer treatment that Dana-Farber provides. Both activities are some of the most fulfilling in my life.

Training Update

In the past two weeks, I've put over 350 miles in on my bike in preparation for the Pan-Mass Challenge, just three weeks from today. I had two noteworthy rides in that time period - a century and my fastest ride ever!

Rich and I decided to ride a century route (over 100 miles) that had been mapped by the Charles River Wheelmen that took us from Wakefield up over the New Hampshire border and back. It was a very long day, but we finished with a respectable time and average speed for such a distance. The first day of the PMC is 111 miles, so riding a century beforehand is good for the legs.

The second notable ride was today - the Saturday Morning Fitness Ride organized again by CRW - only this time I was joined by fellow cyclist Rob and about 50 other riders. They sent riders out in groups based on the distance they wanted to cover and their average speed. We set out with the 42-mile, 19 mph group. I knew that would be a stretch in terms of speed, but I was up for a challenge.

And what a challenge it was! I stayed with the group for the first 10 miles or so, averaging around 21 mph (WAY faster than I usually go), but I couldn't keep up. I lost the group at a curve and never caught up (I actually missed a turn for the 42-mile route, so I inadvertently rode the 28-mile route). I wanted to keep the challenge level high still, so I tried to keep my speed up. I finished with an average speed of 19.0 mph (my previous record was 16.9!). I'm pretty satisfied with my effort.

Only three weeks left until the ride! I'll spend the next two weeks around the same mileage level I've been at. Rich and I are going to ride CRW's Climb to the Clouds century on the 20th. We rode it last year and it was the single hardest ride I have ever been on. I'm looking forward to doing better this year.

Party!

Join Michelle, Rich, and I at the Rattlesnake Bar & Grill in Boston at a happy hour to benefit our riding the Pan-Mass Challenge! 

WHO: you!

WHAT: a great time with your favorite cyclists

WHY: donations benefit the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

WHEN: Thursday, July 17 beginning at 5 PM

WHERE: Rattlesnake Bar & Grill's Venom Lounge (2nd floor) - 384 Boylston Street, Boston (near the Arlington T stop)