Closer By The Mile

Reminder

2010-02-20T21:38:00.000-05:00

Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

PMC 2010: Uppin' the ante

2010-01-21T22:21:00.000-05:00

Well, this year we decided to up the ante. Not only do we have our beloved two pups, Casco and Lambert, as well as our lil 7-month old Bean, but we're also in the process of some big upheavals in the Hwang household (all good).

So to throw some gasoline on the 'ol fire, we are going to ride the 2010 PMC from Sturbridge to Provincetown. This'll add about 20 or so miles of hills on the first day.

With any luck, we'll be following up the PMC with the Leadville 100. Lance, can you save me a seat?

T-minus 23 hours and counting

2010-01-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well, it's that time again. In 24 hours, we'll have signed up again for our Third Pan Mass Challenge. Stay tuned and follow our adventures once again. And as always, we are so thankful with your support.

Pan-Massachusetts Challenge gives $30.4MM to the Jimmy Fund for 30-year total of $270MM

2009-12-07T08:41:00.000-05:00

A heart-felt thank you to everyone who has donated. Happy Holidays! - Frank, Megan and Callen

BOSTON (Saturday, December 5, 2009, 9 p.m.) - The 2009 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) has contributed $30,384,200 to adult and pediatric cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its August cycling event.
This PMC fundraising gift is the single largest contribution made to the Jimmy Fund in 2009, representing 50 percent of the charity's annual revenue. The funds raised by the 4,937 cyclists of the 2009 PMC brings the organization's 30-year total Jimmy Fund gift to exactly $270 million.
The organization had set the fundraising goal at $30 million."Exceeding our fundraising goal in this troubled economy is a tribute to PMC riders' commitment to raising money for cancer research and care," said Billy Starr, PMC founder and executive director. "It also shows that people understand the necessity of funding research for this deadly disease."
The ceremonial check was presented to Dana-Farber President Edward J. Benz, Jr., MD, at the House of Blues Saturday night at a party attended by some 800 PMC cyclists and volunteers. The contribution represents 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar, a charity pass-through rate that is nearly unparalleled within the $3 billion athletic fundraising event industry.
This is possible due to presenting sponsors the Boston Red Sox Foundation and Overstock.com who, along with 200 other corporate sponsors, underwrite the cost of producing the event and provide in-kind contributions of goods and services. In addition, 3,000 volunteers work throughout the year and during PMC weekend, fulfilling many roles that are typically paid positions.
"The money the PMC raises is critical to our work. It enables us to invest in major new patient care and research initiatives that could otherwise go unfunded," Dr. Benz said. "In this economy, when non-profit organizations are seeing a decrease in private, corporate and federal funding, we are extremely appreciative of the PMC's extraordinary support." Dana-Farber is one of the top cancer research and treatment institutes in the country. The PMC is among Dana-Farber's largest funders.
In 2009, the PMC attracted 4,937 cycling fundraisers from 36 states and eight countries. Each cyclist was required to raise a minimum of between $1,000 and $4,200 to participate, depending on the route chosen. Routes ranged from 47 to 190 miles over one or two days. More than 90 percent of PMCers raised more than their respective fundraising minimum, according to Starr.
Founded in 1980 when 36 cyclists rode across Massachusetts and raised $10,200 for the Jimmy Fund, the PMC is known today as the "gold standard" of athletic fundraising events, due to the unprecedented sums it raises and its consistently efficient charity pass-through rate. In 30 years, 61,606 cyclists have ridden in the PMC and 36,269 people have volunteered to make the PMC such a successful and well-supported event.

The PMC was among the very first athletic fundraising events in the nation and it was a pioneer in the way it focused on raising money for charity.
The 31st annual PMC is set for August 7 and 8, 2010. Registration opens online on January 12 for alumni and January 19 for newcomers. For more information about the Pan-Mass Challenge visit http://www.pmc.org/.

PMC 2009 Statistics

2009-08-10T15:51:00.001-04:00

Registered: 5,216
Off the line: 4,949
Male / Female: 65%/35%
Alumni / 1st Year: 75%/25%
Avg. Years in PMC: 4.6
Average Age of Riders: 43
2-day: 3,557
1-day: 943
1-day Sunday: 449
Teens: 13-19 176
Over 70: 39
Volunteer/Ride 36
Sturbridge Sat: 2,521
Wellesley Sat: 1,978
States: 36
Countries: 10
Volunteers: 3,000
Kids Rides: 36
# of Kids: 7,000

My wife: My hero

2009-08-03T18:35:00.001-04:00

We're about a little more than halfway through 2009, and it feels like that we've already accomplished so much! Not to brag, but it's been a great year so far. At the top of the list is of course the birth of our daughter, Callen. Like every other child, a true miracle (in a non-cheesy, but really cheesy way).

Quickly following that accomplishment, and directly related, is Megan's riding of the Pan Mass Challenge only 6 weeks, 5 days, 2 hours and 23 minutes after giving birth to Callen. When we agreed to re-up for the PMC in January as a couple, we were both a bit cautious, and there were plenty of incredulous looks as we discussed our plans. It is an awfully big commitment to the organization, Dana Farber, our family and our friends to not give it your all. Often women have
enough going on post-birth just sorting out their newborn and themselves and couldn't even consider adding 84 miles to the mix.

Megan was spinning into about 8 months of the pregnancy to the point where she was unable to grab the drops on the handlebar. We worried with Callen's late birth (thanks Bean) that we'd be ill-prepared for the PMC.

With the help of our families, Megan was able to slowly get back on the bike with some slow, 10-15 mile rides around Martha's Vineyard in July at about 11 mph (about 5-7 mph off our 08 PMC pace). Within the next few weeks, the training miles grew slowly as did the donations.

PMC Saturday came like a blur with lots of logistics and calculating rest stops and meetups with her mom and Callen for feedings. Suddenly it was 4am, then we're in Wellesley, and we're off!

Riding with my wife those 84 miles, I have to say she looked like she never left the bike. Comfortable, poised and even a few bits of no-hands riding. And lots of passing others. So PRO.

We motored to Wrentham with the help of Josh, our other teammate then Megan went to Dighton solo to get there for Callen's feeding while I backtracked to Wrentham with mechanical issues.

As you might imagine, riding in itself is quite a feat for 84 miles. Add coordinating and calculating feeding a newborn in sweaty, spandex under a tree, surrounded by bikes to the mix, and it's almost inconceiveable. I don't quite think that the MMA baseball team's dugout ever was designed with feedings in mind.

When we crossed the line at Bourne, it was such a joy to do it with my best friend, lover and wife. Now I also add hero to that list of descriptors when talking about my wife.

In Bourne!

2009-08-01T20:17:00.000-04:00

Quick hydration and carbo load pre Wellesley start

2009-08-01T06:35:00.000-04:00

My new helmet

2009-07-05T11:23:00.000-04:00

After the glorious birth of Callen, I haven't much time to ride. Now
that we've moved to the Vineyard for July (well at least Meg and
Callen and me for the weekends), I snuck out for a sleep-deprived
Sunday AM ride.

We had to overload the car and brought tons of stuff, but forgot one
essential thing: bike helmets.

I did some rummaging in the garage and found this jen for the AM ride
up island. 30 miles later I gotta say I have officially made a fashion
statement as I turned many a head on the ride.

Time to go change some diapers.

Welcome to Callen Katherine Hwang

2009-06-16T21:20:00.005-04:00

Let's raise a glass and give a HUGE round of applause to the latest edition to the family.

We just wanted to say a heart-felt thank you for everyone's support and well wishes. After over 36 hours in the hospital and about 13-14 hours of labor (including an epidural), we are proud to welcome Callen Katherine Hwang to the family.

The little grommet was born on June 15, 2009 at 10:37pm. She weighs in at a solid 8lbs 5.2oz and is 21.5 inches long.

Mom and little ripper are doing well, resting up before we head home to introduce her to the pups: Casco and Lambert.

Baby Hwang Monday Afternoon Update

2009-06-15T16:08:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to provide everyone with a quick update. We went to the hospital at 7:30 last night after a yummy dinner of Thai with Megan's mother. Things went pretty smoothly at the hospital until about 11pm when things got busy/rough contractions wise. Megan decided to put in an epidural around 7:30am so she could finally sleep. The induction has been a slow and gradual process based on her great contractions and mellow pregnancy to date. Our midwives and the nurses have been great. To relax, we were watching Superbad this afternoon so if the baby comes out spewing "McLovin", we'll know why. I'll try to write another update in a few, but until then I'll leave you with this amazing photo from the bathroom. Be careful ladies: pregancy, electricity and water do not mix.

Baby Hwang Sunday Update

2009-06-14T16:23:00.001-04:00

A quick update from Megan. I'll be sending an update from the hospital:

First of all, Thanks to all of you who have been keeping us in your thoughts. At this momentous time in our lives, it is wonderful to have the support of such amazing family and friends.

As many of you know, my due date has now come and gone. I am 8 days post-due at this point and while I still feel pretty good physically, this waiting period has been mentally tough and I am VERY ready to have the baby. We are both super excited to meet our lil one whom we have been caring for for the last 9 (and a half!) months

As much as I wanted to avoid an induction, the general recommendation of my OB-GYN practice is to schedule an induction after 41 weeks. Sooooo..... Frank and I are actually heading to the hospital this evening to start the induction process, the meat of which will take likely place tomorrow morning. If all goes well, we'll have news of the arrival of our 1st child by tomorrow evening. We look forward to sharing the big news with all of you.

Thanks again for keeping us in your thoughts.

Love,
Megan and Frank

The latest edition to the family!

2009-06-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

Still no baby yet, but just picked up this new (to me) Spooky Darkside
frame in Cambridge. Thanks to da boyz for a great frame! Can't wait to
ride it.

Last Stop #3: Nantasket Longboard Classic

2009-06-07T11:12:00.000-04:00

Kooks on parade! My cycle computer crapped out on the ride, but felt
strong most of the way.

Stop#2: Coffee Corner in Sciuate

2009-06-07T10:02:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite South Shore spots. Right in town. Re-fueling Hoon-
style.

Stop #1: Humarock

2009-06-07T09:24:00.000-04:00

About 45 minutes in, quick stop to check the waves at Humarock. A few
little peelers. Lots of riders out. Going to check to see if I can
find the car that crashed into the ocean on Ferry St.

Baby Pool to raise money for the PMC

2009-04-07T22:06:00.000-04:00

Ok people. Time to place your bets. Boy? Girl? 5lbs? 10 lbs? June 8th? May 31st? Let's see who's right and who's wrong in the name of some good clean fun and a good cause, the PMC. Click here to join the fun. Winner will be announced when the baby's born.

2009 - Here we come!

2009-03-08T21:59:00.002-04:00

Hello friends and family,

Apologies for the impersonal nature of this e-mail.

In these somewhat turbulent and uncertain times, there are still many bright spots and causes for hope and optimism.

The Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) has been raising and supporting the efforts of the Dana Farber cancer institute since 1980, making this year's the 30th ride. Since that time, they've raised over $240 MM, $35 MM of which were raised last year alone. 100% of your donation goes to fighting this horrible disease.

With your help (and the efforts of so many others), we will be able to help the fight against cancer through research and medical care. We know so many who valiantly fight or fought against this horrible disease.

As you know, Megan and I will be bringing a child into this world on or around June 6. Our sincerest hope is that by the time our child grows to be an adult, we won't still be riding our bikes to raise money to fight cancer (just riding bikes for fun).

This year, our goal is again to raise $10,000 for the PMC.

Frank'll be riding the 2-day from Wellesley to Provincetown (163 miles) while Megan will be jumping back on the bike, channeling a bit of Lance Armstrong to be ready for August doing the 1-day ride from Wellesley to Bourne (84 miles).

To donate to Frank, click here.

To donate to Megan, click here.

Thanks to you as always. And if you want to see some highlights from 2008 - http://flickr.com/gp/snwbdrhoon/J25avz

- Frank and Megan

Some Statistics for the 2008 PMC

2008-08-06T13:30:00.001-04:00

Sturbridge Start: 2,837
Wellesley Start: 2,096
Sunday Wellesley: 304
Total Riding: 5,237

Average age: 43
Male: 63%
Female: 37%

Fundraising as of August 6th: $21,650,000
Projected total for 2008: $34,000,000

THANK YOU

2008-08-05T12:50:00.003-04:00

We'll send a more detailed report shortly, but just wanted to send a heart felt "THANK YOU" to everyone who supported, donated, volunteered, organized, assisted and cheered during our PMC adventure. We were so touched by the supporters that came out along the route to thank us for riding in the PMC. Truly amazing and simply unbelieveable. I wanted to leave this one shot of this young cancer survivor who was at the Brewster water stop. He walked around handing out Mardi Gras beads with this sign. Seeing him, sums up the entire emotional experience.

There's already talk about next year so be prepared as we're looking to expand our team of 2 to at least 5 or 6.

wellesley to bourne: day 1

2008-08-02T19:35:00.003-04:00

So we are now in Bourne. We arrived at 2:30 after leaving Wellesley at 7. It was a slow start about 3,000 people heading out of Babson College headed towards a ride to support cancer research. Here are some snippets.

Highlights:
- the amazing support and coordination
- high fives from little kids and hose sprays on the road
- the support of my (Frank's) parents
- great police and volunteer traffic assistance
- arriving in Bourne with beer and burgers
- great riders, so nice
- cancer survivors
- no flat tires

Low lights:
- people who think they are in Le Tour
- pothole roads
- beer tent running out at 6:30
- 4am wake ups

Off to Provincetown tomorrow!

Eek! Less than 24 hours to go.

2008-08-01T08:48:00.003-04:00

Less than 24 hours to go, and I'm freaking out a bit. Megan seems much calmer, but she has today off so is going to run around like a chicken with its head cut off as she gets all the things done we need squared away before 7am tomorrow (technically 5am as that's when we need to leave the house, ouch!). I've having serious shoe issues (broken BOA ratchet on my right shoe, spare parts in California or some warehouse): damn you Specialized and BOA, but we'll persevere with some duct tape, luck and a bit of good 'ol Yankee cursing.

My folks are coming up tonight to help with logistics and the dogs. We've made some plans and here's our rough itinerary.

Saturday July 2:
Leave house: 5am-ish
Leave Wellesley on bikes: 7am
Anticipate stopping to meet parents at the Dighton Regional High School at second water stop: 11:30am-ish
Arrive in Bourne: 1:30pm-ish

Sunday July 3:
Leave Bourne: 5am (OUCH)
Arrive in Provincetown at the Family Finish: 1pm-ish (may be earlier or later depending on our stops)
Eat and drink repeatedly: 1pm-ish to ...........

Thanks again everyone for your support, love, kind words and donations. We really really appreciate. Check the Twitter feed to the left or at: http://www.twitter.com/hwangpmc to see how we're doing along the way.

Sorry for the absence of posts

2008-07-30T10:06:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the absence of posts. It's been fast and furious here. We were on vacation on Martha's Vineyard last week and have now returned back to work, plus final arrangements pre-PMC. To add to the chaos, my iPhone broke (the touch screen died, but the entire iPhone was replaced), and Megan has been trying to pick up a new 3G iPhone pre-PMC.

Here's a snapshot from the Vineyard of Megan and her aunt, Heidi. Heidi recently completed a charity ride through Lake Tahoe (100 miles of mountains) in June so she was happy to join us for a little spin through Martha's Vineyard (a 60 miler that day).

3 more days to go until the PMC.... gulp. More to come!

What fuels a Tour De France team?

2008-07-07T22:06:00.002-04:00

I wanted to add this post from the Garmin Chipotle team Soigneur (basically a mix of a personal assistant, coordinator and massage therapist). Keep in mind this is for one rider for one day. So you'll need to multiply this by 9-11 riders for 3 weeks to get an idea of the actual total. For the PMC we'll probably have considerably less to eat/bring.

6 bars between Clif, Mojo, Nectar, Z Bar
2 protein bars
5 Clif gels
4 Clif blocks
2 cans Clif electrolyte
0.5 can Clif recovery
2 sachets apple cider recovery (hot tea)
1 sachet hot chocolate recovery for chocolate fix!!!
7 home-made basmati rice cakes
4 fruit jellies
1 mussette
10 water bottles minimum
.10 ml sun lotion/start oil depending on the weather
8 safety pins
.10 ml chamois cream
200 g oats
300 g rice for home-made rice cakes
5 rice cakes
50 g cereal
150 ml soy milk
8 l water
10 g nuts
5 eggs
200 g meat/fish
3 yogurts
3 expresso coffee
10 ml olive oil
4 pieces of fruit
1 tablespoon of honey
Quarter baguette
4 pages newspaper each long descent or/and wet day to pack in shoes.
0.5 caps laundry detergent
1 large bath towel for shower in bus
20 ml shower gel
0.5 cups massage cream
0.25 rolls of plastic tape to attach earplugs from race radio to their ears so it doesn’t fall out.

How much equipment does it take for a Pro Team to compete in the Tour?

2008-07-02T12:35:00.005-04:00

As it is Tour time, I thought I'd show you what it takes to get a bike team through a 3 week grand tour. I hijacked this list from the Garmin / Chipotle team website. As you can imagine, it is a lot of stuff. Megan and I will have considerably less for our PMC adventure, but we did just make a big purchase on Backcountry.com for some odds and ends. I'll try to make a similar list when we get closer to the PMC.

From the Garmin / Chipotle website: Here’s a run down of what it takes to get 9 blokes on the road for 3 weeks:

42 Felt bikes

Zipp Wheels
27 rear Powertap 202’s

22 front 202’s

6 rear Powertap 303’s

10 front 303’s

40 rear Powertap 404’s

26 front 404’s

12 rear Powertap 808’s

17 front 808’s

2 rear Powertap 1080’s

10 front 1080’s

21 Powertap Disc wheels

193 Zipp wheels in total!

Shimano spare parts

10 complete 2008 Shimano Dura Ace group sets

2 extra pair of huge cranks…177.5 & 180 mm

12 pairs of Shimano Dura Ace Pedals

50 Shimano Cleats…Red & Yellow

2 pair of Shimano Bar-End shifters

35 Shimano Dura Ace Chains

Enough cables for 3 laps of France!

Oval Concept

20 handlebars, aluminium & carbon, all sorts of shapes and sizes

30 stems, as above

14 seatposts, same again

12 TT aero extensions, all shapes

3 TT carbon base bars

Enough spare nuts and bolts to rebuild the team truck!

Fizik

28 saddles

40 rolls of white bar tape

20 rolls of black bar tape

Several Fizik bits and pieces like bar gel kits and non slip saddle sticker thingys.

Vittoria

80 Corsa CX tubular tires

15 crono tubular tires

16 cans of the good ol’ sticky glue

Thanks to everyone who has donated so far!

2008-06-29T18:14:00.003-04:00

A big thanks from both of us! We'll send some more formal thank-you's post-PMC, but thank you to everyone who has donated so far. We are so touched by your generosity. You push us to train and perform!

Thank you. - Megan and Frank

For those of you who missed it, Our Top 10

2008-06-26T13:01:00.002-04:00

The Top 10 Reasons to Support Frank and Megan in the Pan Mass Challenge

10. If we don’t raise enough money, Megan will have to stop wearing J.Crew and start wearing Jaclyn Smith.
9. We need padded shorts and special creams for our butts. What have you done to support our asses?
8. It’s like Facebook: All the cool kids are doing it.
7. If we don’t raise enough money for the PMC, Frank will have to switch jobs… again.
6. As soon as you donate, we’ll stop badgering you to donate.
5. Because you promised you would 4 months ago…and 3 months ago…and yesterday.
4. Do you remember the movie “Better Off Dead”? I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!!
3. Donate is really close sounding to donut…. Mmm…. Donut.
2. Frank and Spandex are 2 words that shouldn’t go together in a sentence. The sooner we raise the money and finish the PMC, the sooner he can go back to board shorts.
1. It will settle your conscience. Helping kids with cancer almost always does.

Bonus LOLCat: Ai wantz mah dunashunz pleez

70 miles

2008-06-22T20:27:00.003-04:00

Well we've been gradually working up in the mileage in preparation for the PMC and though we're a bit behind schedule we're feeling pretty good physcially. Frank is now consistently kicking my ass on hills.....which hurts the old ego a bit but I'll be ok; I convince myself that his gigantic quads and calves are impossible to keep up with.
We had planned a weekend trip to Martha's Vineyard for this weekend quite a while ago but recently realized that we would have to do a bit of a long ride while we were there- 70 miles! Those of you who are familiar with the Vineyard know that it's not a big island....only about 17 miles across (at its widest). Well, we figured out a way to eke out the 70 miles and it ended up being an amazing ride overall.

The low points:
~ Getting ourselves up at the crack of dawn.
~ The too-cool-for-for-school Iron Man Triathlon dude and his too-cool-for-school (read really nice) Cervelo bike at the Chilmark Store. Not even a nod? Really?
~ The hills of Chilmark and Aquinnah
~ Realizing that the old lady on the hybrid bike was gaining on us in Aquinnah.
~ Having to ride on the bike path through Katama and Edgartown after getting scolded by some soccer mom.
~ Sore necks and backs at mile 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, and 70

The Highlights:
~ The beautiful farms on Indian Hill Road at dawn
~ A pit stop at the Chilmark Store for gatorade, water, and a sticky bun (Frank craves pastries when he's cycling for some reason- don't ask. He's like a pregnant woman sometimes)
~ Reaching the tip of Gay Head (mile 31)
~ Leaving the old lady on the hybrid in our dust
~ Having Moshup Trail all to ourselves on a Saturday morning
~ 2nd pit stop at Alleys. More gatorade, more water.
~ Reaching Katama. Mile 55.
~ Back to East Chop....5 hours later

We finished the day with a few hours on the beach (trying to rid ourselves of our farmer's tans, swimming in cold water), a sunset cocktail on the roof at Nancy's, and then an amazing anniversary dinner at the Sweet Life Cafe.

Only 5 weeks to go before the Big Weekend!

So what does one think about when riding for countless hours

2008-06-08T16:58:00.002-04:00

Today I was riding without my partner in crime. Megan was at a
conference in San Antonio. The weather here was HOT. She must have
passed some of that Texas heat our way.
As I was riding by myself a lot random things pop into your mind. For
example a lot of the standard "I have to run errands" stuff pops in
and out of your head. Also standard bike related stuff pops in and out
of your head like "do these shorts make my ass look fat?" or "these cranks really do make a difference!" or did that last group really not wave to me as they went by?".
This ride I had a bunch of interesting thoughts pop in and out of view
so I thought i'd showcase them in a pictorial format.

And of course when you are grunting up a hard hill in 95 degree heat
you think "man I have it easy compared to some sick kid with cancer"
so you keep huffing and puffing with a smile on your face.

- Frank

Weekend in Maine: Another 40 miles

2008-06-04T21:04:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we went to our 'ol stomping grounds, Brunswick Maine. Well more accurately we stayed on Bailey's Island in a nice house with a bunch of old friends. Of course we bought the dogs and now our other main stay, the road bikes. Friday's drive up was pretty mellow, and Saturday explained why. We woke up Saturday to thunderstorms and no power. We also had no water as the house was set up on a well/pump system. There seemed to be a few moments where it would let up, but then we would hear a rumble. Megan got dressed while I decided to get another cup of coffee.

During the day, we roamed around the Bowdoin campus and spent a bunch of money at the Bowdoin bookstore. We also stopped at our favorite sandwich shop, Wild Oats. Saturday night was spent reliving the "good 'ol days" with a trip to Cooks Lobster House then some drinking games.

Thankfully Sunday we didn't wake up with the "good 'ol" hangover or any more thunder clouds. We lounged outside the house, let the dogs run for a bit and then headed to Freeport to ride with some friends. Once again we saw some ominous clouds. Once again we thanked our lucky stars, as they disappeared, and we were able to get our ride in. Thanks to Kelsey and Pete for showing us around. Here's a pic from Winslow State Park with about 5 miles to go.

Want to ride a similar route? Check here for nice route by Explore Maine (Maine.gov).

40 miles = Memorial Day weekend

2008-05-28T21:03:00.006-04:00

Memorial Day weekend was filled with lots of housework (inside and outside) as well as a fun ride. Here are a few shots from our weekend.

1. The Super Beer Bag from a quick trip to Marshes Liquor store to start the weekend.

2. Megan gearing up for our 40 miler around the South Shore. We stopped in Scituate at the Coffee Corner 1/2 way through our ride for some more fuel. Jelly donuts, yum!

3. A little Memorial Day weekend celebration at TK O'Malleys prior to seeing Indiana Jones 4.

Orientation

2008-05-18T09:14:00.002-04:00

Last week, we spent an evening at PMC headquarters in Needham MA. It was for a required orientation meeting that focused on logistics, training information and inspirational stories. To be quite honest, I was thinking that this would be a waste of time, but I went in with an open mind. As everyone filtered into the back part of the PMC's office, basically a large warehouse, Megan and I looked around to see what other PMCers looked like. Most were what you would expect: white, heterosexual, mix of male/female, 40s - 50s, primarily white collar. There were also some that were much older and much younger in the group as well with a few different races sprinkled in there for good measure. Megan and I did feel quite young: bonus! But of course, it's not about who is participating, it is simply that there are 5,460 people riding this August with another 1,865 volunteers.

At the end of the night, I found that the most valuable portion of the night was indeed the inspirational stories. We heard a variety of stories from the beginning of the PMC to a cancer survivor to someone who works day-in and day-out with kids at Dana Farber. I stand corrected and was glad to have been in the presence of such inspirational, hard-working, compassionate people.

June is almost upon us and this will signal a ramp up in both training and fundraising as the number of sunny days increases (fingers crossed).

Cross Training 3.0

2008-05-05T21:59:00.004-04:00

So Megan and I had very ambitious plans this past weekend! We were on tap to babysit our two nieces (ages 8 and 2) and our nephew (age 5) as a favor for Megan's sister and brother-in-law. They were escaping for a much needed getaway to Maine. We brought up "the boys" and with their dog, Jake and cat, Max, we were responsible for a whopping total of 3 children, 3 dogs and 1 cat. Somehow we thought that we'd also bring up our road bikes to squeeze in a ride, and I brought my surfboard since we were so close to Hampton Beach.

Little did we know that, Mother Nature and scheduled activities prevented us from doing anything related to outdoors excursions. The minute that we arrived, we were immediately immersed in teeball practices, softball practices, teeball ceremonies and softball ceremonies. The weather didn't exactly cooperate with us since it was either raining or had just rained or was about to rain pretty much the entire weekend.

Of course we had a blast with the kids! They were awesome, and we all had so much fun. I definitely feel that we had a physical and mental work out keeping up with the kids. My arms and lower back are pretty sore from lots of carrying kids, picking up toys and running after dogs. Mentally we're both shot from trying to keep track of them.

We'll have to send a note to the PMC that they should add babysitting to the list of activities in prepping for the ride.

If it wasn't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all

2008-04-23T21:34:00.002-04:00

So today, Megan and I scrambled to meet up for a quick road ride tonight. We both were running a few minutes late from work but made it to the house with about a 45 minutes to ride. Within the first few minutes of the ride, my rear tire flatted. We opted to not continue the ride and ended up doing some pretend tight pack riding in the backyard. Oh well. It was a good idea in theory.

Solo Training

2008-04-20T19:46:00.007-04:00

Unfortunately, I've been down a cycling partner since the big kidney "incident". Fortunately, however, I'm still really enjoying the training. For the past 2-3 weeks (essentially since the temps in Boston have been breaking 40 degrees on a daily basis), I've been out in the saddle 3-4 times a week. I'm gradually building up in mileage and went for a 30 mile ride today....alone. Frank did get out on the bike today but did so in the sheltered environment of Wompatuck State Park, doing laps for about 14 miles, where I met up with him at the end of my ride. He was itching to go further but, well, doctors orders.

The tentative plan is to add on about 10 miles a week for each "long ride". Turns out the South Shore is an AMAZING place for cycling. My recent rides, including my ride today, have taken me down beautiful colonial main roads, past 1700's farmhouses and orchards, along a rocky coastline dotted with Victorian mansions, and through a 3,500 acre state park. I hope these roads never get boring. So far so good.

We've also been "gearing up" for the ride in other ways. A trip to Wheelworks Bike Shop in Belmont this morning scored us some necessary goods...and also racked up a $500 bill. Yikes. I finally realized that my mountain bike shoes and pedals weren't quite cutting it so we finally invested in some real road shoes for me (on sale). Other items included a pair of knicker length tights, a sleeveless jersey, extra water bottle cages (we need 2 for the longer rides), and some socks. Pedals are in the mail.
A bike and cleat fitting are next to get me in good form for the tougher training.
We'll keep you posted...
Megan

Training Delay

2008-04-13T13:24:00.003-04:00

I took last Friday, 4/4, off to go skiing with Megan. Even though she is cool with me snowboarding, I like to take out the skis every once in a while. I guess old habits die hard. Anyway, we were up at Waterville Valley enjoying a mellow day at the mountain. It was actually snowing up there as well. I saw a nice barrel hit in the distance, and my plan was to ollie up on to it, bonk it and jump off. All of a sudden, BAM... I lost a ski and somehow found myself on the ground, groaning holding my left side. At first I thought i had knocked the wind out of myself, but really it was just some pain on my left side. No biggie right? I've slammed hard a bunch of times. My pride was stinging but that was probably due to the skier that came up to me and said "are you ok?". I had to go to the ER after we drove home then was transferred to Brigham & Womens in Boston and admitted for the weekend. It turns out that I shattered my kidney, in addition to bruising my left lung. My exercise program is significantly restricted. I was told "You can ride your bike... just don't fall off. Or if you fall, fall to your right side." Right... that's easy enough. The full report can be read here.

My plan right now is to start slowly on the basement trainer and then in a few weeks get back on the bike. The tough part is yesterday was 65 degrees and sunny here. The sacrifices I make to be a jumping idiot monkey. I guess I can just be happy I'm not Jan Ulrich, Lance Armstrong's former archnemsis. Ulrich was just fined $1MM Euros (that's $1.6MM) in a doping fraud case. Megan on the other hand has been racking up the miles.

2008-03-22T21:22:00.006-04:00

Today we took advantage of the "warm" weather and decided to go for a longer ride today. We had to dig out some cold weather layers and left the house in Norwell towards Scituate. We basically did a long loop around Scituate, making a pit stop and surf check (it was flat) along the way. The wind was pretty fierce in a few spots (my excuse for going slow) but it was a great way to spend Saturday. We rewarded ourselves at the end with some Finagle a Bagel sandwiches. Here are a few shots from the ride.

Winter Training

2008-02-17T17:14:00.002-05:00

It's still pretty bitter cold in Southeastern Massachusetts but on this rare snowless day, we decided to wipe the dust of the bikes and go for a mini training spin. It had been months since either of us had been in the saddle (unless you count my spin classes at the gym or Frank's trainer workouts in the basement). We went out for a little over an hour through the pot-holed streets of Norwell and Hingham. Overall it was great to get out there; the sun shown on us for a good part of the ride. I sort of kicked Frank's ass on the hills and flats which felt pretty good. I learned that my spin classes are getting me into decent shape. Frank learned that he needs to stop drinking beers and watching surf videos during his "workouts". We're both getting excited for the onset of spring and to get our butts in better shape.

Shit we did it!

2008-01-15T21:05:00.000-05:00

It all started on a rainy day with no surf in the middle of September. Megan declared that she wanted to start road biking. She was sick of having to load up the car with "tons of gear" plus the kitchen sink, and evidentally we live in road bike heaven aka South Shore Massachusetts. Of course this made logical sense to me, using my patented "buy more outdoor gear" filter.

After a few sunny, 65 degree rides with our new Trek bikes (no not the Lance Armstrong carbon fiber "I climbed Alpe d'huez" bikes), Megan then declared, "we should do the Pan Mass Challenge." Looking at the website, Megan was a bit discouraged when we realized that we had to wait 4 months before we could register. I was a bit discouraged when I realized that we had to raise the equivalent of 16 snowboards to participate in this event. We both decided it would be a) great motivation to get in shape and b) a great chance to raise (loads of) money for a good cause. The Pan Mass Challenge annually raises money for the Jimmy Fund and therefore for cancer research.

Fast forward to mid-January (actually today). Registration was OPEN, and now was the moment of truth! Megan and I emailed back and forth during the day, settling on registering in the evening.

To celebrate the occasion, we toasted with a shot of Jose Cuervo.

Here are the vital stats:

Dates - August 2nd to August 3rd, 2008

Miles from Wellesley to Provincetown - 163

Dollars donated in 2007 - Over $33 million

Cyclists participated in 2007 - 5,100

Dollars required to be donated by Megan and Frank - $8,000 ($4,000 each)

Over the next few months, Megan and I will catalog our adventures as we train and raise money for this event on and off the bike. Please follow along with us as we collectively log thousands of miles, fix a few flats, drink a few pints and travel closer by the mile to Provincetown.