Spring has arrived in New England, and with it the promise of occasional days warm enough to venture out on a bicycle. For me, that means starting the outdoor training for the Pan-Mass Challenge (please sponsor me by clicking here), a two-day ride across Massachusetts that raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Those of you who have followed my posts know I have already been doing some indoor training, adopting spin classes as my bicycling substitute. I credit Liz Page in particular with offering me a place in her classes and whipping me into shape (and I should note that her husband, Jesse, has also offered a place in his classes. I hope this isn’t some kind of spousal challenge as to who can kill me first. If I make it to Jesse’s class- and especially if I make it back- I will report).
After a short test-ride, much of which was spent figuring out how to operate this new-fangled bike I got, I got out this past weekend with some friends who are also riding the PMC, and got our first “real” ride in- 25 miles, and all seemed to go well.
Here is my first training video to give you a quick (3 minutes) idea of how things go on the roads. I’m still working on securing my Flip camera better, and I’m not working at all on my editing technique, but please have a watch and tell me what you think.
Pan-Mass Challenge – First Training 2009 from Doug Haslam on Vimeo.
(Click here for the YouTube link in case you are on a device that can get YouTube but not Vimeo video).
Fundraising Update
Remarkably, I have been blessed by wonderful friends from all parts of my life who have already become sponsors (click here to become a sponsor yourself). With the rough economy and the fact that I have committed to raise $800 more than last year, I am very happy to say that my fundraising total is way ahead of last year’s pace.
So far, you have helped me raise $1,180 towards my $4,200 goal! For perspective, last year at this time we had raised $725 (and figured I would need $895 to keep that pace for 2009). Not only are we ahead of the pace I set for this year, we are already ahead of the pace for April as well.
That does not mean we are done, of course. There is still more than $3,000 (and many miles) to go, so we continue.
OK, enough with the numbers.
Please consider sponsoring me in the Pan-Mass Challenge to help fight cancer. Click on this link to go to my sponsor page: http://bit.ly/DH0159.
If you have already given (thank you!) or cannot for any reason, please forward this post and the fundraising link to your friends.
As riders we all feel the effect of your support in the outpouring of thank you’s from cancer survivors, their family and friends all along the route. Those thank you’s are for you. I’m just some guy riding a bike and having a blast doing it.
However you choose to show your support– thank you!