Welcome!
Most of you know the bargain: You support me and Dana Farber financially in my PMC effort (100% of proceeds go to support cancer research); I give you an honest effort and an accounting of my training along the way. You will learn about the ups and downs, meet some folks, and have some fun. I hope you will join me!
Look out for email updates on a roughly weekly basis (which i will paste below to keep a running log). Follow my fundraising here, my training on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/rqw and please reach out to me at: willirq@gmail.com.
I look forward to sharing this adventure with you.
rqw
August 8, 2018 -- Heart of Lightness
Greetings,
Welcome (back)
First of all, welcome to a host of folks new to the adventure. Thanks for your interest and support! As always, anyone can retrace the steps of our adventure going back to May by visiting my PMC web page at: http://profile.pmc.org/RW0173 By the way, this is a pretty long wrap up note. Plan accordingly...
So, the PMC was last weekend, as most of you know. Thanks for all the texts, Strava kudos, and well wishes throughout the weekend. Thanks to Nick and Leigh Anne Yoo for once again hosting PMC riders (me this year) and for the stylin' P’town pick-up by sea on Sunday. I will never walk alone.
The Ride & Fundraising Update
First off, some objective notes about the ride. Team Kickin’ Asphalt all finished together as a team, with no injuries, crashes, flats, mechanicals, or other negativity, though we were not without some near misses. Karma, it would seem, worked in our favor. Fundraising continues to be a gigantic success. As of this writing, you’ve donated more than $9,200 to my ride; and the team has raised $77,000 this year.
As long as folks keep donating, I’ll keep blogging. I’m not quite sure what incentive that creates, but anyway… let’s move on. Oh, but one other thing: check your corporate match program. If your employer has one, I'm sure the PMC is eligible. An easy way to leverage your personal donation, and get a shout out from me.
Starting at 7am Saturday from Babson College in Wellesley, MA, we rode ahead of the forecasted rain thanks to an intense – but not reckless – pace and completed 84 miles in 4:18, for a (Strava) pace of 19.5mph. Official pace was just over 20mph. From where I sat, we were flying. We got stretched out a bit during the individual legs, but always regrouped at aid stations. The rain came in hard Saturday afternoon, but we were showered, fed, and done by then.
Sunday started early: the 5am rolling start from Mass Maritime Academy meant for a ridiculous 3:30am alpine-style start, We clocked in a bit slower for the 77 miles from Bourne to Provincetown. But that includes the crawl across the Bourne Bridge, and a couple other stops between aid stations. Make no mistake; we hammered on Sunday as well, for an aggregate moving time of 8:26:46 for the 161 miles. Here's the official video if you want a bit more flavor: https://vimeo.com/283948666 However, despite the intensity of the riding, the PMC is not a “race” and they do not declare a winner. The winner after all is Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the primary direct beneficiary of all the $50mm or so raised by this single event. Of course, the trickle-down effect means all cancer patients benefit, as do volunteers, riders, families, supporters, and everyone associated with the event. We all won. Deep Thoughts Which is a good segue to some deeper analysis of the ride, and indeed, this training cycle that began back in April. Let’s start at a high level. It was awesome. In the true meaning of the word -- awe-inspiring -- rather than the over-used colloqualism. The team, the event, the intensity, the fun: tremendous. I would highly recommend it. Find a fun team, do some training, and ask friends for their support. Trust me, they will. And you will be inspired. However, you may be wondering, as I am, how I managed to hang at 20mph for 160 miles when I am generally an 18mph rider for much shorter efforts. Part of it is the physics of cycling: a group can ride faster than an individual because those tucked in behind the leader of the peloton can recover more. And if riders are working together, rotating from the front to the back, and then through again, the whole group benefits. A faster pace for everyone. Of course there is also the composition of our team: Raj, a former Div 1/Ivy League/SemiPro cyclist; four other multi-time PMC riders who are, let’s say, dedicated. Then there’s Mark, who owns a bike shop. (http://apexvelo.com/) Seriously, do I need to say more? Oh, wait, I do: there’s me. WTF?!? Who am I? That’s the existential question I posed last week…. But before we get to that, there is also the power of the ride itself. The logistical/operational and emotional intensity of the event are impossible to overstate. The stats on riders and volunteers and fundraising and everything are impressive, as you can read about at: www.pmc.org. The support during the ride is difficult to articulate. But it was amazing. And the combination of good crew, good support, good conditions, good luck, and good cause conspired. As we were riding – cruising – along, I thought occasionally that we must have been drawn by a greater force analogous to that which Captain Willard felt from Colonel Kurtz: “as if the boat were being sucked up river and the water was flowing back into the jungle.” And yet we were not headed toward the Heart of Darkness, but a Heart of Lightness. And hope. And thanks. Spectators, survivors, families, loved ones all flocked along the course, not cheering “Keep going!” but “Thanks for riding!” Intense. And for those of you who may now be wondering: yes, I would pass a drug test. But it was intoxicating. So now, what comes next? As mentioned, I’ll keep blogging if it still produces donations. After all, cancer is not going away solely as a result of me riding my bike all weekend. Multi-Sport Confusion But in term of other adventures, I’ve still got my bucket list. Unfortunately I’ve had to bail on my 30 mile Pemi Loop run this weekend on account of injury, which, ironically, has nothing to do with cycling. I did just register for the Duxbury Beach Triathlon. Team KA is signing up for a century ride in the Berkshires in September. So I may be doing some more riding. But as my George Plimpton-esque foray into actual cycling has revealed, I am really not a cyclist! This realization comes as a revelation to me, as perhaps it does to you: as an active participant in multi-sport activities I presumed the sub-cultures of cycling, triathlon, and running to be of kindred spirit. They are not. In fact the cultural crossover is spectacularly void. So where do I fit? Not sure. Let’s use process of elimination technique. While I can offer plenty of evidence as to why I am not a cyclist, I can summarize it as follows: I don’t shave my legs. I am a complete poser; an outsider looking in! I mean, I can sort of hang with these guys when we ride. Sort of. But (as I’ve been informed or learned): I can’t communicate in units of power output (wattage), can’t change speeds (ie, sprint), am a poor bike handler (I don’t ride a mountain bike), and, perhaps most, glaring (aside from not shaving), I occasionally do triathlons and/or run! Let’s just say, there is a high degree of derision among cyclists for the discipline of running, and perhaps moreso, triathlon. (I don't lack for self-confidence, so it's been fun to figure this out, rather than damaging to my psyche.) Well, then you must think I am a triathlete who stumbled into riding. That may be a bit closer to the mark since triathlon rewards, as we know from “The Pain Cave”, a willingness and capacity to suffer. And that I have. And I enjoy it. Sometimes. But then I talk to my runner friends. Many runners can’t swim, so despite their big cardio engines, can’t do triathlon. Many of them ride a bike; but while I usually know lots of folks at running events, I typically fly solo at triathlons, except for my loyal support crew of three. So now you may conclude that therefore I am a runner. There is something just pure and raw about running. On the trail, mountains, roads, or track. No technical equipment. With friends or solo, doesn’t matter. Some of you may remember, hopefully fondly, as I do, my fundraising for the Boston Marathon 20 years ago… In truth running has been my first athletic choice for almost 30 years. I run therefore I am. But where does that leave me now? I have to compare the reality of declining running performance (not sure I have another sub 3-hour marathon in me) against performance in cycling and triathlon that has much room to improve. It’s always more fun getting faster than getting slower. But we should keep in perspective that what I really am is a weekend warrior. And a husband and father. Oh, and I have a job I'd like to keep. So, maybe I am cardiovascular Happy Gilmore: I’m a runner, but I’m here to ride my bike today. Sounds good to me. One way to keep setting PRs is to do events I haven't done before, like Ultras. Ultimately, I like being a generalist in a world that is increasingly specialist. The path less traveled (but more interesting) and so on. Anyone interested in a run, ride, swim, or other adventure, please reach out. I’d love to join. Thanks to everyone for your continued interest. ‘Till next time. rqw August 1, 2018 -- Now We Ride Folks, A short note this week before what I expect may be a longer debrief next week following the ride, WHICH IS THIS WEEKEND! So for now, a few housekeeping items before the PMC/DFCI plug below. 1) Supporter, colleague, and fellow runner David Sandell squared a circle for me that I should have done myself following last week's discussion of the stem cell supply chain. Since it's pretty easy to donate, why not check out how to register yourself? https://join.bethematch.org/ Thanks David! 1a) I have sort of been using stem cells and bone marrow somewhat interchangeably. As we know, I am no doctor, have next to no scientific knowledge, and unfortunately there are no oncologists in this house. So please excuse any mis-informed scientific claims made by yours truly. Even more reason to check out for yourself how to be a donor. 2) I have found that massage therapy is one of the indispensable aspects of training and recovery. It's become one of the few things I will substitute for exercise (yoga trending positively as well). Stephanie Roussos has been my LCMT for years now and she literally works magic. She has taken me from being at risk of a DNS (did not start) to having a great race within a week. She is a former pro cyclist herself and works with pro cycling teams around the world. Her business model is referral based. Consider this your referral: roussosS@aol.com. If you are willing to be a beta tester, she will also KT tape you. 3) Team Kickin' Asphalt had a great 65 mile (slightly more than a metric century for those of you so inclined) tune up ride last weekend. Here's to hoping we exorcized all the mechanical, illness, and nutrition/hydration related demons in THAT ride, rather than dealing with them on Saturday and Sunday. 4) If you're around the south coast of Massachusetts and Cape Cod this weekend, please come cheer us on. But regardless, please look out for the riders! And FYI, I am still accepting donations, and will be next week, for those of you bottom-liners who want to see me actually finish this thing. 5) One other shout out to Geraint Thomas, the first Welshman to win the Tour de France (some of you may know my father is Welsh). As I said, I'll do a post-ride recap, where I hope to have answers to some of the existential questions that have bubbled up for me during this adventure. If that's not a hook, I don't know what is. Ride on, rqw July 27, 2018 Friends, We are getting close to the finish line. Or starting line, depending on your view. I'm looking forward to cranking out a great ride with the Kickin' A crew tomorrow after riding around New Brunswick, Canada last week. So perhaps we should acknowledge a few milestones this week. And by the way, a stem cell transplant is not the Pulp Fiction-type needle situation you may think about if you went to college in the 1990s as I did. Shane's donor, who lives in Germany, volunteered years ago through a global donor bank, and gave blood at the requested time. That was Fedex'd to Toronto, where Shane received it in a simple transfusion. Your donations buy this sort of medical advancement. The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin' on... rqw July 19, 2018 Taking a long weekend and decided to try something different.... July 17, 2018 Hope everyone had a happy Canada Day and/or Fourth of July. And welcome to some folks who may be joining us for the first time. If you are so inclined, you can trace our journey through previous posts saved to my profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 It's been a really enjoyable couple of weeks since the triathlon. Some recovery time (me recovering from the race; you all recovering from my blogging); some good riding, and some other good stuff. To hit on a few of the highlights: But the highlight for me came during the Franconia Old Home Day 5k, pacing 9 year old Ainslie through the full range of in-race emotions to a 31:33 5k PR (4 mins faster than the previous year) and a 2nd spot on the podium in the Kids' division (1st place girl). It doesn't get any better than that. (NB, Graeme slept in.) The starting line for the big weekend is in sight. 18 days according to the app. We've hit our fund raising target thanks to all of you. But if you haven't donated and yet still intend to, there's no reason not to do so in the next couple of weeks. Have a delightful summer, rqw June 29, 2018 Greetings, A few shout outs to supporters I've had the pleasure to see recently. First to Judd Rogers, fellow runner and cyclist, wilderness educator, and Development Director at NOLS. If you have any money lying around after supporting my PMC ride and want to introduce your kids to the best place around for experiential education, check out: https://www.nols.edu/en/ Happy to chat more about NOLS with anyone interested. Stu Laven, Esq. Great to catch up briefly in the 6th City big man. Last weekend I participated in the White Mountains Half Distance Triathlon. For the uninitiated, a “Half Distance” event, better known as “Half Ironman” or Ironman 70.3, consists of 1.2 miles of swimming, followed by 56 miles of biking, followed by 13.1 miles of running, for total mileage of 70.3. On the best of days, such a race is an exercise in managing anxiety, patience, discomfort, boredom, and ultimately, relief. There is little fun, especially given the solitary nature of triathlon. As training partner, entrepreneur, and mountain guide Rusty Talbot (go check out: http://northcountryclimbing.com/ if you’re in the Franconia area and looking for a great climbing gym) suggests: “It’s an opportunity to get in touch with your inner suffering.” Suffice to say, I did not have the best of days, and as a result spent the better part of six hours by myself in the pain cave. The swim was long and my siting poor; an unforced error in my bike set up meant I worked harder, to go slower, for the whole ride; and the run – more of a shuffle really – was all about finishing. I thought seriously about quitting. Why didn’t I? As Graeme, aged 6, succinctly inquired: did I want the finisher's medal? Well, did Col. Jessup order the Code Red on Santiago? But also, let’s just say my triathlon pain cave is a luxurious tropical cabana compared to what those fighting cancer endure. So me quitting a race I voluntarily paid $200 to enter probably would (and should) be received dimly by all of you. So I embraced my inner suffering. Now, you may also wonder why would I train for a 2-day bike ride by doing triathlons, especially given how fun they sound? Well, the race certainly served one purpose, that of a training motivator. But as some of you can attest, most notably my parents, my life-long inability to focus on any one thing at a time makes triathlon a good fit, even if I am woefully ignorant in proper training techniques. But it’s also because of all the other adventures you all have in mind to do together. To wit, I am currently considering in the near future the following, in all cases with one or more recipients on this list: the Hartford marathon, Duxbury beach triathlon, fall 2018 trail ultra of some type, backcountry ski touring (in Iceland, or BC, because, what’s the difference?) Gannet Peak speed ascent, ultra Reach the Beach, the 30 mile Pemi Loop, skiing the salt water marshes of Cape Cod, and a Phishing expedition in Virginia this fall. So many adventures, too little... time. Guess I gotta run, rqw June 18, 2018 Happy Summer (and summer solstice) everyone, An apropos time for a progress check since according to my PMC app we have 46 Days until PMC weekend. Please come ‘round and sit yourself down. Thus far we have accomplished the following since starting on this adventure in April: About 300 miles running (25/week, fairly representative) About 400 miles cycling (33/week average, not really representative given weekend spikes) About 16 miles swimming (1/week average, sadly optimistic) Some other stuff for ~3 hours/week (Yoga, stretching, light lifting, etc.) $5,400 raised for DFCI! So, you may ask, is that good? Well, I don’t know. But on the last data point at least, it brings me beyond my goal of $4,900. So that’s progress, thanks to all of you! Congrats. But that’s no reason to stop there. We’ve still got a long way to go. Is the training enough? I don’t know that either, but I should get some sense next weekend. While the ultimate goal of this exercise is the PMC ride in August, one intermediate goal is upon on us (in this case, exclusively me) on Saturday. It has been the point of a lot of these “bricks” that combine, or at least alternate, riding and running. We will debrief on that next week. But the training doesn’t feel like enough. My running benchmark for training is 50 miles/week. I’m at half that. I don’t have a riding benchmark, since I am pretty new to this; but the guys I ride with are doing more than 100. Not there either. So I think we’ve still got a long way to go there too. 46 days. Thanks for all the feedback on “Time.” Kudos all 'round. I received an excellent G.O.A.T. album contender in Exile on Main Street from Tevie; a nicely placed reference to “Bike”, one of the Floyd’s deep tracks from Piper at the Gates of Dawn, from Dan Lissner; and a “like” for my Dark Side jersey from the local black market gun dealers operating out of North Haverhill, NH, whom Dr. K and I encountered at the mini-mart during Saturday’s 56 mile Tour de Moosilauke last Saturday. You can’t make this stuff up. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. So thankful everyone’s along for the ride. rqw June 12, 2018 All, First off, a bunch of shout outs: to the Washington Capitals, Stanley Cup Champions for the first time in franchise history; to the Croo at AMC Greenleaf Hut for making our stay a great experience; Stephanie Roussos, soigneur extraordinaire; Bunker Phil for going all in on Bunker Hill day last Sunday. As always, additions to the distribution can catch up on things by following this blog of sorts at: http://profile.pmc.org/RW0173 Now, on the subject of Time, good times, and race times: it's not a big stretch to declare Pink Floyd's 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T) in the rock pantheon. To my Deadheads, Spreadheads, Phishheads, and other 'heads, I am sympathetic to your suggestions. Yachtrock: less so. Even the original British invasion music and classic rock on which I cut my teeth seems mostly one dimensional in comparison to the Floyd's masterpiece. While the best way to consume Dark Side is to listen from start to finish, if you only have 7 minutes and 5 seconds, I would recommend track 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL3AgkwbYgo Or just say Alexa, play 'Time', by Pink Floyd. She'll hook you up. Go ahead and listen; then come back. While the whole song speaks to me, a few of the lyrics haunt me. In particular: And then one day you find ten years have got behind you And if that doesn't get you thinking, the song hammers it home in the next stanza: And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking Less good times, for us runners, both literal and figurative: the panic of wasting precious seconds in a race is palpable, whether because you were late, had to tie a shoelace, or mis-timed the last visit to the bathroom. But I'm not here to preach; after all, I waste plenty of time on stupid stuff, including watching Pink Floyd on YouTube. But I think I'm at least more cognizant of it now at 45 than I was at 25; and amazingly, it was about 20 years ago I last raised money for charity through my participation in an event like the Pan-Mass. So the idea of training for the PMC now, hard as it may be, is less a challenge than an opportunity. To work hard, ride with friends, for a good cause, to be humbled and inspired, and enjoy the experience. I'm sure you have similar opportunities for experience. Take advantage of the time. To close, last week was Time well spent. Going to the girls' Prize Day at school; a family camping trip to the mountains; 100 miles on the bike, including a 60 mile solo with 4,600 feet of climbing, 21 miles running, topped by all four of us running the Battle of Bunker Hill 5K last Sunday (everyone ran well, but as I am accountable to you, my time was 19:55, on a tough course in tough conditions; 4th Master's; i.e.. first one to miss the podium). Very good times. And amazing what you can accomplish if you take a few days off work! To conclude, having wasted enough of everyone's time, while riding last weekend, I was about 30 miles in, and had just turned on to the scenic Franconia Notch Bike Path, when I passed a burly mountain man who called out to me: I saw you on the road; lookin' good! I said thanks, but also that I had a ways to go. But then as I rode on, I wondered if he was talking about my riding or my riding kit. Yes, I know, my daughters tell me all the time: I'm weird. Here's to good times. rqw June 5, 2018 Hey, First of all, a big welcome to folks I am belatedly adding to the distribution. Thanks for your interest! A couple of you Choaties rode across the country, so my adventure to ride across Massachusetts may seem quaint. Still, happy to have you along for the ride. As always, everyone can keep up with the adventure at: http://profile.pmc.org/RW0173. So, I missed a week of updates. And training. Hopefully I'm now getting back in the saddle. Fundraising on the other hand, continues to go well. As you can see from the thermometer thingy on my profile page, we are pretty close to our goal with two months to go. Time to raise the bar. Most of you probably know many of the PMC-related stats: 6,500 riders, $51mm raised last year, $598mm raised since 1980, 100% of proceeds to Dana-Farber, etc. But what does all that money buy? Research, drug development, clinical trials, medicine: yes. But it also buys time. Time for people like Josh Fine. Josh is an old friend, meaning we have been friends for a long time, not that he is old. On the contrary, he was very young when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, cancer of the white blood cells. Most are diagnosed in their 60s; five years ago when Josh was diagnosed he was about 40, with none of the other typical risk factors other than that he is male. Josh is doing well. Very well. He is in remission. Three years ago he founded the PMC team for which I ride: Kickin' Asphalt. So we ride a lot together. And the other day we were riding and chatting about his chemotherapy regimen, which he is on 21 out of every 28 days. For how long, I naively inquired? 'Till it stops working he replied in his matter-of-fact way. But here's a kicker: there's a whole bunch more treatment options available to Josh now as a result of all the development that has occurred since his initial diagnosis. Development, that is, funded by you and many others. Speaking of Kickin' Asphalt, a shout out to PMC teammate Sean Wilder for towing me through most of 50 miles at pace through a veritable pollen bomb on the bike last Saturday. And to AZ for an aggressive game plan to push sub-6:30 miles running the Cambridge 5K Sunday morning, which netted me a 7th place finish in the (gulp) Master's division with a time of 20:02. We will revisit the subject of time(s) again next week. Until then, rqw May 22, 2018 Hi All, Yes, indeed. Amazingly Memorial Day weekend is upon us. More on that later. First, let's again welcome some new friends to the weekly update. You may have found your way on to this distribution in any number of ways. Suffice to say, you may unsubscribe at any time by replying to me. Otherwise, I look forward to having you along for my PMC adventure. (I am cataloging my weekly emails on my PMC profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 so you can catch up on what the heck I'm talking about if, for example, I haven't talked to you since ski season...) A few shout outs this week. First, depending on where you work, you may have access to corporate matching funds for your donation to Dana Farber. Thanks to Wags and UBS for the initiative on that front. If others want to lever their contribution, check with your employer. Second, please spread the word on social media. I'm not on the Facebook, but Steve Harrison Tweeted out his support for our effort. Hopefully he has a Kardashian-level following. Regardless, thanks Tevie! Finally to Aaron Z. for pacing me through some 800meter repeats on the track. Yes it was running, not riding, but one of only two decent exercise days from last week, which hopefully will contribute to all-around fitness. Fundraising on the other hand, continues to go well. We are more than 50% to my target of $4,900, but I think we can go bigger than that. Check the profile page for updates. Which brings us back to the official start of summer. And hopefully to a big weekend of riding in the North Country. Days are longer and warmer, so no excuses. Time flies when you're having fun. Enjoy the week and long weekend, rqw May 15, 2018 Hi All, First off, great first week. Thanks to everyone who stepped up & donated right off the bat, offered feedback and encouragement, and sent me other contacts to include. We are off to a good start. Second, welcome to those of you who are receiving this email for the first time. Don't worry, we are just getting going, so you haven't missed much, and I am cataloging my weekly emails on my PMC profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 (at least until i run out of space). So you can catch up as interested. Or, if you would like to opt out for whatever reason, pls respond to me, no questions asked Last week's training was ok. 29 miles on the bike, 24 miles running, and some other activities (swimming, light weights, etc.) for just over 5 hours of training. That compares to 43 miles riding, 28 running, plus some other stuff adding up to 8 hours the week before. Alas, life happens. So does work. This week will be worse. My Monday day trip to Chicago turned into an overnight bivouac near O'Hare in Addison, IL on account of thunderstorms. Grim. Still, those of you who are aware of my fondness for electric utilities will know I was able to take comfort from the hissing and buzzing from the overhead power transmission lines that ran between the Hampton Inn where I was staying and the IHOP next door. Keep the faith, rqw May 7, 2018 Dear Friends, If you find yourself on the receiving end of this email, consider yourself lucky. I'm here to ask for your financial support as I train to ride the 2-day, 180 mile Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) bike ride in support of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). In truth, you are already supporting me in many ways: you train with me, provide logistical help, motivate me, and offer moral support. A financial donation is the easy part! As some of you know from my previous fundraising endeavours, I have a light touch with respect to sales. Instead, I offer a deal: in exchange for your support (of all kinds), I keep you abreast of my progress, in a hopefully interesting, insightful, and occasionally amusing manner. The ride is on August 4-5, so we have plenty of time to learn about DFCI, meet some people, and have some fun as I update you on my progress toward my training and fundraising goals. In the meantime, please visit my PMC profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 or click one of the donation links below. You can also follow my training on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/rqw or reply to me directly; I will look to grow my distribution list with your help. Thanks in advance for your interest! Stay tuned. rqw
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
Racing around to come up behind you again
Welcome!
Most of you know the bargain: You support me and Dana Farber financially in my PMC effort (100% of proceeds go to support cancer research); I give you an honest effort and an accounting of my training along the way. You will learn about the ups and downs, meet some folks, and have some fun. I hope you will join me!
Look out for email updates on a roughly weekly basis (which i will paste below to keep a running log). Follow my fundraising here, my training on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/rqw and please reach out to me at: willirq@gmail.com.
I look forward to sharing this adventure with you.
rqw
August 8, 2018 -- Heart of Lightness
Greetings,
Welcome (back)
First of all, welcome to a host of folks new to the adventure. Thanks for your interest and support! As always, anyone can retrace the steps of our adventure going back to May by visiting my PMC web page at: http://profile.pmc.org/RW0173 By the way, this is a pretty long wrap up note. Plan accordingly...
So, the PMC was last weekend, as most of you know. Thanks for all the texts, Strava kudos, and well wishes throughout the weekend. Thanks to Nick and Leigh Anne Yoo for once again hosting PMC riders (me this year) and for the stylin' P’town pick-up by sea on Sunday. I will never walk alone.
The Ride & Fundraising Update
First off, some objective notes about the ride. Team Kickin’ Asphalt all finished together as a team, with no injuries, crashes, flats, mechanicals, or other negativity, though we were not without some near misses. Karma, it would seem, worked in our favor. Fundraising continues to be a gigantic success. As of this writing, you’ve donated more than $9,200 to my ride; and the team has raised $77,000 this year.
As long as folks keep donating, I’ll keep blogging. I’m not quite sure what incentive that creates, but anyway… let’s move on. Oh, but one other thing: check your corporate match program. If your employer has one, I'm sure the PMC is eligible. An easy way to leverage your personal donation, and get a shout out from me.
Starting at 7am Saturday from Babson College in Wellesley, MA, we rode ahead of the forecasted rain thanks to an intense – but not reckless – pace and completed 84 miles in 4:18, for a (Strava) pace of 19.5mph. Official pace was just over 20mph. From where I sat, we were flying. We got stretched out a bit during the individual legs, but always regrouped at aid stations. The rain came in hard Saturday afternoon, but we were showered, fed, and done by then.
Sunday started early: the 5am rolling start from Mass Maritime Academy meant for a ridiculous 3:30am alpine-style start, We clocked in a bit slower for the 77 miles from Bourne to Provincetown. But that includes the crawl across the Bourne Bridge, and a couple other stops between aid stations. Make no mistake; we hammered on Sunday as well, for an aggregate moving time of 8:26:46 for the 161 miles. Here's the official video if you want a bit more flavor: https://vimeo.com/283948666 However, despite the intensity of the riding, the PMC is not a “race” and they do not declare a winner. The winner after all is Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the primary direct beneficiary of all the $50mm or so raised by this single event. Of course, the trickle-down effect means all cancer patients benefit, as do volunteers, riders, families, supporters, and everyone associated with the event. We all won. Deep Thoughts Which is a good segue to some deeper analysis of the ride, and indeed, this training cycle that began back in April. Let’s start at a high level. It was awesome. In the true meaning of the word -- awe-inspiring -- rather than the over-used colloqualism. The team, the event, the intensity, the fun: tremendous. I would highly recommend it. Find a fun team, do some training, and ask friends for their support. Trust me, they will. And you will be inspired. However, you may be wondering, as I am, how I managed to hang at 20mph for 160 miles when I am generally an 18mph rider for much shorter efforts. Part of it is the physics of cycling: a group can ride faster than an individual because those tucked in behind the leader of the peloton can recover more. And if riders are working together, rotating from the front to the back, and then through again, the whole group benefits. A faster pace for everyone. Of course there is also the composition of our team: Raj, a former Div 1/Ivy League/SemiPro cyclist; four other multi-time PMC riders who are, let’s say, dedicated. Then there’s Mark, who owns a bike shop. (http://apexvelo.com/) Seriously, do I need to say more? Oh, wait, I do: there’s me. WTF?!? Who am I? That’s the existential question I posed last week…. But before we get to that, there is also the power of the ride itself. The logistical/operational and emotional intensity of the event are impossible to overstate. The stats on riders and volunteers and fundraising and everything are impressive, as you can read about at: www.pmc.org. The support during the ride is difficult to articulate. But it was amazing. And the combination of good crew, good support, good conditions, good luck, and good cause conspired. As we were riding – cruising – along, I thought occasionally that we must have been drawn by a greater force analogous to that which Captain Willard felt from Colonel Kurtz: “as if the boat were being sucked up river and the water was flowing back into the jungle.” And yet we were not headed toward the Heart of Darkness, but a Heart of Lightness. And hope. And thanks. Spectators, survivors, families, loved ones all flocked along the course, not cheering “Keep going!” but “Thanks for riding!” Intense. And for those of you who may now be wondering: yes, I would pass a drug test. But it was intoxicating. So now, what comes next? As mentioned, I’ll keep blogging if it still produces donations. After all, cancer is not going away solely as a result of me riding my bike all weekend. Multi-Sport Confusion But in term of other adventures, I’ve still got my bucket list. Unfortunately I’ve had to bail on my 30 mile Pemi Loop run this weekend on account of injury, which, ironically, has nothing to do with cycling. I did just register for the Duxbury Beach Triathlon. Team KA is signing up for a century ride in the Berkshires in September. So I may be doing some more riding. But as my George Plimpton-esque foray into actual cycling has revealed, I am really not a cyclist! This realization comes as a revelation to me, as perhaps it does to you: as an active participant in multi-sport activities I presumed the sub-cultures of cycling, triathlon, and running to be of kindred spirit. They are not. In fact the cultural crossover is spectacularly void. So where do I fit? Not sure. Let’s use process of elimination technique. While I can offer plenty of evidence as to why I am not a cyclist, I can summarize it as follows: I don’t shave my legs. I am a complete poser; an outsider looking in! I mean, I can sort of hang with these guys when we ride. Sort of. But (as I’ve been informed or learned): I can’t communicate in units of power output (wattage), can’t change speeds (ie, sprint), am a poor bike handler (I don’t ride a mountain bike), and, perhaps most, glaring (aside from not shaving), I occasionally do triathlons and/or run! Let’s just say, there is a high degree of derision among cyclists for the discipline of running, and perhaps moreso, triathlon. (I don't lack for self-confidence, so it's been fun to figure this out, rather than damaging to my psyche.) Well, then you must think I am a triathlete who stumbled into riding. That may be a bit closer to the mark since triathlon rewards, as we know from “The Pain Cave”, a willingness and capacity to suffer. And that I have. And I enjoy it. Sometimes. But then I talk to my runner friends. Many runners can’t swim, so despite their big cardio engines, can’t do triathlon. Many of them ride a bike; but while I usually know lots of folks at running events, I typically fly solo at triathlons, except for my loyal support crew of three. So now you may conclude that therefore I am a runner. There is something just pure and raw about running. On the trail, mountains, roads, or track. No technical equipment. With friends or solo, doesn’t matter. Some of you may remember, hopefully fondly, as I do, my fundraising for the Boston Marathon 20 years ago… In truth running has been my first athletic choice for almost 30 years. I run therefore I am. But where does that leave me now? I have to compare the reality of declining running performance (not sure I have another sub 3-hour marathon in me) against performance in cycling and triathlon that has much room to improve. It’s always more fun getting faster than getting slower. But we should keep in perspective that what I really am is a weekend warrior. And a husband and father. Oh, and I have a job I'd like to keep. So, maybe I am cardiovascular Happy Gilmore: I’m a runner, but I’m here to ride my bike today. Sounds good to me. One way to keep setting PRs is to do events I haven't done before, like Ultras. Ultimately, I like being a generalist in a world that is increasingly specialist. The path less traveled (but more interesting) and so on. Anyone interested in a run, ride, swim, or other adventure, please reach out. I’d love to join. Thanks to everyone for your continued interest. ‘Till next time. rqw August 1, 2018 -- Now We Ride Folks, A short note this week before what I expect may be a longer debrief next week following the ride, WHICH IS THIS WEEKEND! So for now, a few housekeeping items before the PMC/DFCI plug below. 1) Supporter, colleague, and fellow runner David Sandell squared a circle for me that I should have done myself following last week's discussion of the stem cell supply chain. Since it's pretty easy to donate, why not check out how to register yourself? https://join.bethematch.org/ Thanks David! 1a) I have sort of been using stem cells and bone marrow somewhat interchangeably. As we know, I am no doctor, have next to no scientific knowledge, and unfortunately there are no oncologists in this house. So please excuse any mis-informed scientific claims made by yours truly. Even more reason to check out for yourself how to be a donor. 2) I have found that massage therapy is one of the indispensable aspects of training and recovery. It's become one of the few things I will substitute for exercise (yoga trending positively as well). Stephanie Roussos has been my LCMT for years now and she literally works magic. She has taken me from being at risk of a DNS (did not start) to having a great race within a week. She is a former pro cyclist herself and works with pro cycling teams around the world. Her business model is referral based. Consider this your referral: roussosS@aol.com. If you are willing to be a beta tester, she will also KT tape you. 3) Team Kickin' Asphalt had a great 65 mile (slightly more than a metric century for those of you so inclined) tune up ride last weekend. Here's to hoping we exorcized all the mechanical, illness, and nutrition/hydration related demons in THAT ride, rather than dealing with them on Saturday and Sunday. 4) If you're around the south coast of Massachusetts and Cape Cod this weekend, please come cheer us on. But regardless, please look out for the riders! And FYI, I am still accepting donations, and will be next week, for those of you bottom-liners who want to see me actually finish this thing. 5) One other shout out to Geraint Thomas, the first Welshman to win the Tour de France (some of you may know my father is Welsh). As I said, I'll do a post-ride recap, where I hope to have answers to some of the existential questions that have bubbled up for me during this adventure. If that's not a hook, I don't know what is. Ride on, rqw July 27, 2018 Friends, We are getting close to the finish line. Or starting line, depending on your view. I'm looking forward to cranking out a great ride with the Kickin' A crew tomorrow after riding around New Brunswick, Canada last week. So perhaps we should acknowledge a few milestones this week. And by the way, a stem cell transplant is not the Pulp Fiction-type needle situation you may think about if you went to college in the 1990s as I did. Shane's donor, who lives in Germany, volunteered years ago through a global donor bank, and gave blood at the requested time. That was Fedex'd to Toronto, where Shane received it in a simple transfusion. Your donations buy this sort of medical advancement. The only thing I knew how to do was to keep on keepin' on... rqw July 19, 2018 Taking a long weekend and decided to try something different.... July 17, 2018 Hope everyone had a happy Canada Day and/or Fourth of July. And welcome to some folks who may be joining us for the first time. If you are so inclined, you can trace our journey through previous posts saved to my profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 It's been a really enjoyable couple of weeks since the triathlon. Some recovery time (me recovering from the race; you all recovering from my blogging); some good riding, and some other good stuff. To hit on a few of the highlights: But the highlight for me came during the Franconia Old Home Day 5k, pacing 9 year old Ainslie through the full range of in-race emotions to a 31:33 5k PR (4 mins faster than the previous year) and a 2nd spot on the podium in the Kids' division (1st place girl). It doesn't get any better than that. (NB, Graeme slept in.) The starting line for the big weekend is in sight. 18 days according to the app. We've hit our fund raising target thanks to all of you. But if you haven't donated and yet still intend to, there's no reason not to do so in the next couple of weeks. Have a delightful summer, rqw June 29, 2018 Greetings, A few shout outs to supporters I've had the pleasure to see recently. First to Judd Rogers, fellow runner and cyclist, wilderness educator, and Development Director at NOLS. If you have any money lying around after supporting my PMC ride and want to introduce your kids to the best place around for experiential education, check out: https://www.nols.edu/en/ Happy to chat more about NOLS with anyone interested. Stu Laven, Esq. Great to catch up briefly in the 6th City big man. Last weekend I participated in the White Mountains Half Distance Triathlon. For the uninitiated, a “Half Distance” event, better known as “Half Ironman” or Ironman 70.3, consists of 1.2 miles of swimming, followed by 56 miles of biking, followed by 13.1 miles of running, for total mileage of 70.3. On the best of days, such a race is an exercise in managing anxiety, patience, discomfort, boredom, and ultimately, relief. There is little fun, especially given the solitary nature of triathlon. As training partner, entrepreneur, and mountain guide Rusty Talbot (go check out: http://northcountryclimbing.com/ if you’re in the Franconia area and looking for a great climbing gym) suggests: “It’s an opportunity to get in touch with your inner suffering.” Suffice to say, I did not have the best of days, and as a result spent the better part of six hours by myself in the pain cave. The swim was long and my siting poor; an unforced error in my bike set up meant I worked harder, to go slower, for the whole ride; and the run – more of a shuffle really – was all about finishing. I thought seriously about quitting. Why didn’t I? As Graeme, aged 6, succinctly inquired: did I want the finisher's medal? Well, did Col. Jessup order the Code Red on Santiago? But also, let’s just say my triathlon pain cave is a luxurious tropical cabana compared to what those fighting cancer endure. So me quitting a race I voluntarily paid $200 to enter probably would (and should) be received dimly by all of you. So I embraced my inner suffering. Now, you may also wonder why would I train for a 2-day bike ride by doing triathlons, especially given how fun they sound? Well, the race certainly served one purpose, that of a training motivator. But as some of you can attest, most notably my parents, my life-long inability to focus on any one thing at a time makes triathlon a good fit, even if I am woefully ignorant in proper training techniques. But it’s also because of all the other adventures you all have in mind to do together. To wit, I am currently considering in the near future the following, in all cases with one or more recipients on this list: the Hartford marathon, Duxbury beach triathlon, fall 2018 trail ultra of some type, backcountry ski touring (in Iceland, or BC, because, what’s the difference?) Gannet Peak speed ascent, ultra Reach the Beach, the 30 mile Pemi Loop, skiing the salt water marshes of Cape Cod, and a Phishing expedition in Virginia this fall. So many adventures, too little... time. Guess I gotta run, rqw June 18, 2018 Happy Summer (and summer solstice) everyone, An apropos time for a progress check since according to my PMC app we have 46 Days until PMC weekend. Please come ‘round and sit yourself down. Thus far we have accomplished the following since starting on this adventure in April: About 300 miles running (25/week, fairly representative) About 400 miles cycling (33/week average, not really representative given weekend spikes) About 16 miles swimming (1/week average, sadly optimistic) Some other stuff for ~3 hours/week (Yoga, stretching, light lifting, etc.) $5,400 raised for DFCI! So, you may ask, is that good? Well, I don’t know. But on the last data point at least, it brings me beyond my goal of $4,900. So that’s progress, thanks to all of you! Congrats. But that’s no reason to stop there. We’ve still got a long way to go. Is the training enough? I don’t know that either, but I should get some sense next weekend. While the ultimate goal of this exercise is the PMC ride in August, one intermediate goal is upon on us (in this case, exclusively me) on Saturday. It has been the point of a lot of these “bricks” that combine, or at least alternate, riding and running. We will debrief on that next week. But the training doesn’t feel like enough. My running benchmark for training is 50 miles/week. I’m at half that. I don’t have a riding benchmark, since I am pretty new to this; but the guys I ride with are doing more than 100. Not there either. So I think we’ve still got a long way to go there too. 46 days. Thanks for all the feedback on “Time.” Kudos all 'round. I received an excellent G.O.A.T. album contender in Exile on Main Street from Tevie; a nicely placed reference to “Bike”, one of the Floyd’s deep tracks from Piper at the Gates of Dawn, from Dan Lissner; and a “like” for my Dark Side jersey from the local black market gun dealers operating out of North Haverhill, NH, whom Dr. K and I encountered at the mini-mart during Saturday’s 56 mile Tour de Moosilauke last Saturday. You can’t make this stuff up. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. So thankful everyone’s along for the ride. rqw June 12, 2018 All, First off, a bunch of shout outs: to the Washington Capitals, Stanley Cup Champions for the first time in franchise history; to the Croo at AMC Greenleaf Hut for making our stay a great experience; Stephanie Roussos, soigneur extraordinaire; Bunker Phil for going all in on Bunker Hill day last Sunday. As always, additions to the distribution can catch up on things by following this blog of sorts at: http://profile.pmc.org/RW0173 Now, on the subject of Time, good times, and race times: it's not a big stretch to declare Pink Floyd's 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon the greatest of all time (G.O.A.T) in the rock pantheon. To my Deadheads, Spreadheads, Phishheads, and other 'heads, I am sympathetic to your suggestions. Yachtrock: less so. Even the original British invasion music and classic rock on which I cut my teeth seems mostly one dimensional in comparison to the Floyd's masterpiece. While the best way to consume Dark Side is to listen from start to finish, if you only have 7 minutes and 5 seconds, I would recommend track 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL3AgkwbYgo Or just say Alexa, play 'Time', by Pink Floyd. She'll hook you up. Go ahead and listen; then come back. While the whole song speaks to me, a few of the lyrics haunt me. In particular: And then one day you find ten years have got behind you And if that doesn't get you thinking, the song hammers it home in the next stanza: And you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking Less good times, for us runners, both literal and figurative: the panic of wasting precious seconds in a race is palpable, whether because you were late, had to tie a shoelace, or mis-timed the last visit to the bathroom. But I'm not here to preach; after all, I waste plenty of time on stupid stuff, including watching Pink Floyd on YouTube. But I think I'm at least more cognizant of it now at 45 than I was at 25; and amazingly, it was about 20 years ago I last raised money for charity through my participation in an event like the Pan-Mass. So the idea of training for the PMC now, hard as it may be, is less a challenge than an opportunity. To work hard, ride with friends, for a good cause, to be humbled and inspired, and enjoy the experience. I'm sure you have similar opportunities for experience. Take advantage of the time. To close, last week was Time well spent. Going to the girls' Prize Day at school; a family camping trip to the mountains; 100 miles on the bike, including a 60 mile solo with 4,600 feet of climbing, 21 miles running, topped by all four of us running the Battle of Bunker Hill 5K last Sunday (everyone ran well, but as I am accountable to you, my time was 19:55, on a tough course in tough conditions; 4th Master's; i.e.. first one to miss the podium). Very good times. And amazing what you can accomplish if you take a few days off work! To conclude, having wasted enough of everyone's time, while riding last weekend, I was about 30 miles in, and had just turned on to the scenic Franconia Notch Bike Path, when I passed a burly mountain man who called out to me: I saw you on the road; lookin' good! I said thanks, but also that I had a ways to go. But then as I rode on, I wondered if he was talking about my riding or my riding kit. Yes, I know, my daughters tell me all the time: I'm weird. Here's to good times. rqw June 5, 2018 Hey, First of all, a big welcome to folks I am belatedly adding to the distribution. Thanks for your interest! A couple of you Choaties rode across the country, so my adventure to ride across Massachusetts may seem quaint. Still, happy to have you along for the ride. As always, everyone can keep up with the adventure at: http://profile.pmc.org/RW0173. So, I missed a week of updates. And training. Hopefully I'm now getting back in the saddle. Fundraising on the other hand, continues to go well. As you can see from the thermometer thingy on my profile page, we are pretty close to our goal with two months to go. Time to raise the bar. Most of you probably know many of the PMC-related stats: 6,500 riders, $51mm raised last year, $598mm raised since 1980, 100% of proceeds to Dana-Farber, etc. But what does all that money buy? Research, drug development, clinical trials, medicine: yes. But it also buys time. Time for people like Josh Fine. Josh is an old friend, meaning we have been friends for a long time, not that he is old. On the contrary, he was very young when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, cancer of the white blood cells. Most are diagnosed in their 60s; five years ago when Josh was diagnosed he was about 40, with none of the other typical risk factors other than that he is male. Josh is doing well. Very well. He is in remission. Three years ago he founded the PMC team for which I ride: Kickin' Asphalt. So we ride a lot together. And the other day we were riding and chatting about his chemotherapy regimen, which he is on 21 out of every 28 days. For how long, I naively inquired? 'Till it stops working he replied in his matter-of-fact way. But here's a kicker: there's a whole bunch more treatment options available to Josh now as a result of all the development that has occurred since his initial diagnosis. Development, that is, funded by you and many others. Speaking of Kickin' Asphalt, a shout out to PMC teammate Sean Wilder for towing me through most of 50 miles at pace through a veritable pollen bomb on the bike last Saturday. And to AZ for an aggressive game plan to push sub-6:30 miles running the Cambridge 5K Sunday morning, which netted me a 7th place finish in the (gulp) Master's division with a time of 20:02. We will revisit the subject of time(s) again next week. Until then, rqw May 22, 2018 Hi All, Yes, indeed. Amazingly Memorial Day weekend is upon us. More on that later. First, let's again welcome some new friends to the weekly update. You may have found your way on to this distribution in any number of ways. Suffice to say, you may unsubscribe at any time by replying to me. Otherwise, I look forward to having you along for my PMC adventure. (I am cataloging my weekly emails on my PMC profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 so you can catch up on what the heck I'm talking about if, for example, I haven't talked to you since ski season...) A few shout outs this week. First, depending on where you work, you may have access to corporate matching funds for your donation to Dana Farber. Thanks to Wags and UBS for the initiative on that front. If others want to lever their contribution, check with your employer. Second, please spread the word on social media. I'm not on the Facebook, but Steve Harrison Tweeted out his support for our effort. Hopefully he has a Kardashian-level following. Regardless, thanks Tevie! Finally to Aaron Z. for pacing me through some 800meter repeats on the track. Yes it was running, not riding, but one of only two decent exercise days from last week, which hopefully will contribute to all-around fitness. Fundraising on the other hand, continues to go well. We are more than 50% to my target of $4,900, but I think we can go bigger than that. Check the profile page for updates. Which brings us back to the official start of summer. And hopefully to a big weekend of riding in the North Country. Days are longer and warmer, so no excuses. Time flies when you're having fun. Enjoy the week and long weekend, rqw May 15, 2018 Hi All, First off, great first week. Thanks to everyone who stepped up & donated right off the bat, offered feedback and encouragement, and sent me other contacts to include. We are off to a good start. Second, welcome to those of you who are receiving this email for the first time. Don't worry, we are just getting going, so you haven't missed much, and I am cataloging my weekly emails on my PMC profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 (at least until i run out of space). So you can catch up as interested. Or, if you would like to opt out for whatever reason, pls respond to me, no questions asked Last week's training was ok. 29 miles on the bike, 24 miles running, and some other activities (swimming, light weights, etc.) for just over 5 hours of training. That compares to 43 miles riding, 28 running, plus some other stuff adding up to 8 hours the week before. Alas, life happens. So does work. This week will be worse. My Monday day trip to Chicago turned into an overnight bivouac near O'Hare in Addison, IL on account of thunderstorms. Grim. Still, those of you who are aware of my fondness for electric utilities will know I was able to take comfort from the hissing and buzzing from the overhead power transmission lines that ran between the Hampton Inn where I was staying and the IHOP next door. Keep the faith, rqw May 7, 2018 Dear Friends, If you find yourself on the receiving end of this email, consider yourself lucky. I'm here to ask for your financial support as I train to ride the 2-day, 180 mile Pan Mass Challenge (PMC) bike ride in support of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). In truth, you are already supporting me in many ways: you train with me, provide logistical help, motivate me, and offer moral support. A financial donation is the easy part! As some of you know from my previous fundraising endeavours, I have a light touch with respect to sales. Instead, I offer a deal: in exchange for your support (of all kinds), I keep you abreast of my progress, in a hopefully interesting, insightful, and occasionally amusing manner. The ride is on August 4-5, so we have plenty of time to learn about DFCI, meet some people, and have some fun as I update you on my progress toward my training and fundraising goals. In the meantime, please visit my PMC profile page: http://pmc.org/RW0173 or click one of the donation links below. You can also follow my training on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/rqw or reply to me directly; I will look to grow my distribution list with your help. Thanks in advance for your interest! Stay tuned. rqw
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
Racing around to come up behind you again
