Here's the complete log from registration right up to the review of the event.


Thank You
To all of my sponsors and my spouse: Thank you all so much for your generosity, this event is so important to the continued fight against cancer, and I hope that you will continue to support my efforts for next year. And to MJ: Thank you for being there and tying up the loose ends, and for your endless support (and endurance!) Without you, I'd have a very bumpy ride trying to do it all! Next year will be a little smoother. Big hugs, big kisses. Thank you thank you thank you! - Lynda

Monday, August 7, 2006
Day after PMC. Butt is a little sore, quads are a little tight, but I feel great!! What a weekend! We left for Sturbridge on Friday late morning, checked in to register and take in the days activities. The first time riders received a big cheer and bell ringing upon registering, so everyone knew that the group was growing! The buzz around the place was majic! Something special is going to take place tomorrow! We decided not to attend the ceremony, due to the fact that it would be ending a little too late to view that and get a good night's sleep for the big start. I did meet up with a few fellow Cyclopaths - Ethan, Adam, "mojito" Dave, Lisa, Brian, and Don. Nice to see a few familiar faces. Saturday morning came quickly, waking at 2:45 am to prepare to catch a shuttle bus from our hotel in Southbridge, the next town over, to the Sturbridge Host Hotel, for some breakfast and to get ready to start the ride. We found Ethan, Adam and Jeanine, so we all started the ride together. Somewhere in the next town, we lost Adam and Jeanine, so Ethan and I made an extra effort to not get separated (although, it did eventually happen, there are just too many riders and they all look alike in the pmc jerseys! From a distance, it was a little difficult to identify the Sue/Barry smileys that were attached to our helmets. Two friends of mine volunteered at the waterstop in Wrentham, and they were right out in front of the stop holding a pmc banner and cheering the riders in, they were so glad to see me, and likewise. They mean the world to me, and it made me very happy to see them actively involved with the pmc. We took a few pics and then I was off to get some water and a bite. Ethan came through the waterstop about 15 minutes later, and I was lucky enought to locate him out of all those other riders. I waited for him, and then we left for the road again. Along the way, we saw many cheering bystanders, some in costume (like a clown or witches), there were many kids out there too! I slowed down to let a child drown my head with a cup of water, he loved that! Lots of little hands to give high-fives to. Their eyes lit up! I just loved that! The next (and last) waterstop I went to was in Dighton, the lunch stop. There was a good spread of pb&j sandwiches and tuna or turkey sandwiches, potato salad, fresh fruits, all the good stuff to fuel your body to get you to Bourne! Yum! We took about 45 minutes to eat and let it digest a little, then off we went again. I bypassed that last waterstop, being only 10 miles from the MMA, I just wanted to get there. I arrived at MMA at 2:30 pm. Once at the MMA, I checked in the bike, signed up for a massage, then proceeded to locate where my room was. My roomie, Marie, showed up around the same time I did, looking for the same room. After a brief introduction and slight unpacking, it was off to the showers get get all that sweat and road film off! The dorms were, how should I put it, very mediocre. But then again, it is better than sleeping in a tent on the ground. But not by much. The beds are bunks, with the top bunks having a regular matress. The "bottom" bunks (they were really desks) had a matress maybe only a few inches thick, and that is what I got to sleep on, because I don't do top bunks - I'm too afraid I'll fall out. Needless to say, 3:30am came fast... After showering, I went to get some dinner. I had a burger, hot dog, salad, pizza, and two beers (mmm - Harpoon!) I found a few teammates - Dave, Little Dave, Drew, Lisa, Brian, and before I knew it, the whole team was there!! It was great to see them all. I went for my massage at 6pm. The MT asked me what aches and pains I had, and when I told him that my little toe on the right foot was achy and that's it, he had a good laugh. Most folks were going in there with sore butts and legs, and here I come with a sore TOE! Hehehe! I had the greatest foot massage of my life! It nearly put me to sleep, drool coming out of my mouth and all! After the massage The Cyclopaths took their annual PMC pic at the flagpole. The energy exuded by this group is so high and so positive, I just love them! They definitely feel like family. I was in bed by 8:30pm. The next morning I awoke at 3:30am, only a half-hour earlier than my usual workday, so not so bad. With it still dark out, I got dressed, packed my bag and made my way to the luggage truck. I saw Cyclopaths Tammy and Bruce briefly, shortly after woofing down an egg bacon and cheese muffin sandwich and some coffee. They were on their way to get their bikes, so I asked where they'd be, so I could ride with them. Bruce pointed in a direction, but I didn't quite know where they would be "over there," so by the time I made my way "over there," I didn't even know if they'd left already, so I made my way out of MMA on my own, riding and chatting with other riders. The pre-dawn time was absolutely a beautiful and quiet setting! It was a little chilly that morning, but the chill wore off by the time we were climbing the Bourne Bridge. Nice little workout there! Cyclopath Donna had drawn little smilies with helmets and wishes of Happy Birthday to Cyclopath Tammy in chalk just over the bridge, was nice to see that! Just like yesterday, the route was lined with many bystanders cheering us on, and handing us water and hose showers! Nice! The route was much flatter than yesterday's ride from Sturbridge, that is, until we hit the dunes on the Cape. There were some dooseys of some hills out there! But with every hill came some form of encouragement, be it a cheering person, a child with his/her hand out for a high five, a photo to remind us of a life in memory, another rider helping you with a helping word, or a bagpiper. I rode into Wellfleet waterstop with Mike K Jr, aka "mohawk Mike," who auctioned off his hair to the highest bidder, the winner giving him a mohawk! Once at the waterstop, I waiting for a little bit, realizing that my folks and MJ weren't even in town yet, and I was going to be way early to the finish line. With this being my first PMC, I wanted them to see me finish. So I kicked around for about a half hour, then went on. I arrived one mile from the Family Finish at 11:15am, still too early for my folks to see me finish by 15 minutes. I called them and found that their ferry was going to be late, so I spent around 45 minutes at the intersection of Provincelands and Route 6, helping the volunteers direct traffic. Then I rode to the Family Finish (later, I found out that I could have gone to the PTown Inn Finish, but not crossed the finish line, so I could see my fellow Cyclopaths, ugh! Next year...) I crossed the Family Finish line at 12:15pm, to MJ, Sara, Mom and Dad waiting for me right there at the finish line! Fabulous! We got in line for the cookout and relaxed, enjoying each other's company. Cyclopath Ethan came by a bit later, so we spent a little time with him, then gathered up the gear and started down the hill to get in line for the ferry. This was the best thing I think I've ever been a part of, and I look forward to doing it all again next year. I don't think that I will reach my initial goal of $6,000 this year, but I will try again for next year. By October, I hope to be over $4,000 collected. I will still continue to keep conditioned and ride as long as I can (read: until the cold comes) in anticipation for next August. Here's to our health. Keep on spinning! - Lynda

Two Days before PMC!
I had my last spin today - rode up and down the Minuteman Bikeway, nice and easy. I got out there at 5am - dawn was just breaking around then. Other than a few joggers and one or two cyclists, it was just me and the surrounding beauty of the countryside. Nice and quiet! It was a nice way to end my training, and it gave me time to reflect on how far I'd come from this time last year - when I was preparing not for a bike a thon, but for knee surgery. I also got to thinking about the folks that have touched my life that have succumbed to cancer, and I swear that they were there with me, spinning right along and enjoying the same senses that I was. The sun rise today was a great one, so around a stretch between Lexington and Bedford, over an open field, I took a pic of the sunrise. How pretty! So this is it, the time is here to enjoy a ride with all of the others that have worked so hard to raise funds for research. And I will do it all again next year. I feel so blessed that I am able to help this cause. I feel equally as blessed that my immediate family has been spared from cancer. And I hope that my participation in the PMC will continue to keep them spared from the disease.

Monday, July 31, 2006
I am getting butterflies for next weekend already! I don't know how I'm going to contain the excitement on the start line! I have been waiting so long for this to come, and it is right around the corner now. And, it looks like we'll have great weather for the ride too. Hoooray! The Cyclopaths rode their annual tri-state ride up the coast to York, ME this past Saturday. It was hot, it was muggy, but we did just great! We are all ready for the PMC. In store for this week: a few spinning sessions, packing for the weekend, and some r and r - I am taking off Thursday and Friday from work to get ready to go down to Sturbridge for around noonish on Friday, in anticipation of registering and settling in to enjoy the night's festivities. This is it, people! The moment we've been waiting for ALL year! Hopefully I will see many familiar faces on the road, both riders and in the crowds that line the streets! Stay happy, healthy, and I will see you at the finish line! - Lynda

Saturday, July 22, 2006
Rode the Salem MA to Annisquam, MA loop with the Cyclopaths today. The weather was questionable throughout the ride, but luckily the rain held off, just some drizzle in spots and LOTS of fog on the coast! The loop was 51.5 miles total, a good ride for sure! A fellow Cyclopath had a terrible fall while on the way to Manchester By The Sea. He rode into a dug-up part of a road that wasn't advertised as having been dug up, and when he tried to get onto the good part of the road, the wheel got tripped up and he went flying off the bike. Aside of some cuts and bruises, he's ok; he was back home the emergency room the same day. I'm so glad he's ok. I got to try out the new bike in a group setting, and I'm now comfortable with the shifting and braking, as they are quite different than having index shift on a flat bar, like the other bike. There were a few hills that seemed to get at me, even with the new rig. I can't tell if that's still fatigue from last week's Climb To The Clouds or a nutritional issue. I gingerly loaded last night, for I didn't know if it was going to rain or not (if there was rain first thing that morning, we weren't going to ride). So I don't know. Hopefully next weekend (and, of course the weekend after - PMC weekend) will be nice. Next weekend is the Cohen Tri-State Classic with the Cyclopaths. That ride will start in Newburyport, MA and travel up to York, ME and back. Then the weekend after that is the PMC!! Finally! I am sooooo excited to be a part of this. This week brings the final hill training according to Polar Corp's training schedule. Then the plan is to take it easy, and spin nice and leisurely to keep loose. Fundraising: I am now $30 short of the minimum! I can't thank my sponsors enough for their generosity towards beating cancer. You all are great, and know that you all will be riding with me in my thoughts. Thank you for making a difference.

Monday, July 17, 2006
I completed the annual Charles River Wheelmen's "Climb To The Clouds" century ride yesterday, in the 90 degree heat and haze. It was the most grueling century ride I've been on to date, with many, many hills leading out of Concord, MA all the way to Westminster to Mt. Wachusett. We climbed the Mountain, a 9% grade for 1 mile, then came back following the Wachusett Reservoir, which was less hilly, but that just meant that you could actually rest for a bit, coasting down a hill and then you are back to climbing something again. It took 7.5 hours of riding time for me to complete the route. Today I am test-riding a Scott CR-1 Team road bike. It is as light as a feather! It is worlds apart from my heavy hybrid, and will make all the difference when climbing hills and generally cruising along. So if all goes well with the test ride, I should be the proud owner of a real road bike! $145 to go to make minimum fundraising! For all who are reading this log that haven't contributed, please mail or make your donation online asap. Remember that this money is helping to find more cures for cancer, and that we are winning the war against this disease! Added later: I have the Scott bike - it fit like a glove! So it is now a member of my family. It definitely flattens most hills, and that's exactly what I needed. :)

Monday, July 10, 2006
Yesterday, at a friend's baby shower, the daughter of a friend that lost his battle with pancreatic cancer said that she'd like to do next year's PMC with me! I consider it an honor to ride with her in such an important event. She is a strong young lady and I admire her strength and courage. I went to bed last night excited for next year's PMC, and this years hasn't even kicked off yet!! More on this later as ideas progress into reality. Due to a concert tonight, training for the week will be delayed one day. Tomorrow is 1.5hrs of hilly ride.

Saturday, July 1, 2006
Wow! It is finally July!! Where does all the time go??? In one short month, the PMC will be here!! Do I feel ready? I'd have to say yes, but still need to prove it to myself through more long distance rides that a going to challenge me on the hills. Those rides are coming up in a few weeks. Today was Sue's Sea Glass Ride from Swampscott to Gloucester. Sue was a member of Team Wow3 and The North Shore Cyclopaths. She passed away in April of this year from battling breast cancer. 37 riders turned out for the event, and many friends, family and teammates came to the bbq afterwards. A photo collage of her and her teammates was out for everyone to see. She is certainly missed by many people. Tomorrow is going to be a 1 hour interval morning; I was going to ride with the Quad Cycles group out of Arlington, but realized that my training schedule was calling for specific training, and not group training, so no Quad ride again. Someday I will get over there to do a group ride! The rest of the week is dedicated once again to hills - climbing intervals and a hilly ride. Then the weekend - another Cyclopaths ride and hopefully Quad Cycles on Sunday. We will see. Fundraising-wise: I am around $400 short of making event minimum, which I hope to do this month. That way I have enough time up to October to try to meet my own goal of twice the minimum.

Tuesday, June 27,2006
Climbing intervals today. Did a total of 10 miles, 5 minutes power climbing, 5 minutes spinning. Repeat 4 times. The hill I chose was a doosey of a hill - a 2 mile grade with small plateaus for a little rest, then climb some more! I think that I wont see too many of those on the PMC route! So, to train on this one is a good thing. The next session will be a hilly one hour ride. Now I just need to find a primarily hilly route! I'm sure I will find something.
Sunday, June 25, 2006

Saturday's Cyclopath ride was a washout, but got some miles in today. I am now following a training program through Polar Corp that utilizes a personal training schedule through their website, and can store data sent from the cyclo computer. I'm finding that the most difficult programs are the ones that set you in a lower heart rate zone. I guess I'm just used to a higher intensity all the time, so turning it down is hard to do, for training's sake. With every session the 'out of zone' time gets smaller and smaller, so I must be getting used to zone training, hooray! This week will concentrate on hill intervals and hilly rides. This weekend I will be attending a memorial ride in honor of Sue deVries, a Cyclopath and Team WOW3 member that recently lost her battle with breast cancer, and hopefully my first ride with Team Quad in Arlington; the team holds endurance training rides on the weekends.

Saturday, June 17th, 2006
The Cyclopaths rode from Salem, MA to Plum Island today, for a total of 60 miles. Ate at Mad Martha's Restaurant (VERY tasty eats), then returned to Salem. The air was soupy, and was difficult to ride in the late morning, but we got through it. This is good training for the August heat and humidity, so I welcome it! This weather will only make for a better riding experience when the time comes.

Friday, June 16, 2006
The P to P Ride took place on Wednesday, and what a great ride it was! Of course, I naturally showed up way too early, but I was unsure if we were to leave at 7am, or get registration underway at that time, so I got there for 6:15, just in case... The ride rolled off around 7:15am. Most of the hills were rolling, but there were some pretty good ones going through Wellfleet to Truro! Around mile 70 is when I started looking at those hills, and groaning! But I did it all, and felt good afterwards! There were no aches or pains, even the day after. That is a good sign that the training is working! My next big ride (and a test for day 1 of the PMC) is mid-July, and is also put on by the Charles River Wheelmen, called The Climb To The Clouds, starting in Concord, MA and going out to Mt. Wachusett in Sterling, climb up the mountain, and return to Concord, for 105 hilly miles. If I can do that ride, then I will deem myself ready for day 1 PMC. On the weekend following that ride, I plan to do a century, followed the next day with a 60 miler. THEN I will be satisfied with the level of preparedness for the event. The North Shore Cyclopaths are having a few special rides of distance that will be coming up too, so all is good on the training front!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006
I am gearing up for the annual Plymouth to Provincetown Ride, which is being run tomorrow. I am considering it a test run for day 2 of the PMC. This will prove to me that I will be ready for day 2, mileage-wise (87 miles). I wont really consider myself ready until I can put centuries back to back, something that will be reserved for a weekend in July. I am excited for this ride, which promises to be beautiful. Details of the PtoP Ride will follow.

Tuesday, June 6, 2006
The memorial jersey arrived today - and it looks great! It is everything I thought it would be and then some. Voler did a great job, highly reccommended company to custom print jerseys. I will begin to show it to company sponsors tomorrow. Now, if we can just get some darn sun on the weekends, then perhaps we can concentrate on the cycling part of the program...

Monday, May 29, 2006
This weekend was very productive training-wise. Saturday was the weekly Cyclopaths ride - this time to Boxford for breakfast, then onto Georgetown, then back to Salem. 32 miles for the day. Today I embarked alone on a new trek - I call it the Break For The Border Ride - Cambridge to Nashua, NH. 70 miles total. 50 miles of the ride were very hilly. In fact, the only stretch that didn't have hills was on the Minuteman Bikeway from Cambridge to Bedford, otherwise, from Bedford up to Nashua was HILLS. Granny-gear hills. So I guess that was good training for Sturbridge! I can tell you that those 50 miles were very taxing on my legs, but well worth the experience. I saw very pretty countryside today! I also broke a spoke on the rear wheel of my bike around the Westford area up on returning. I hit a "depression" in the road, camouflaged by a maze of crack sealer. I didn't realize it until I got to Bedford, back on the bikeway and noticed the brakes were pulsing and I was also hearing a rubbing sound every once in a while. Stuff happens I guess. Time to go to see my friend at Paramount Bicycle in Somerville for a re-lacing and truing. I have some concerns regarding the headset too, so he might as well overhaul the headset as well. I'm probably looking at one week without my trusted steed... So it will be off to the gym for the week. One way or the other, working out will commence!

Tuesday, May 23,2006
The CD project is in its' distribution stage now, and being welcomed by my donors with open arms. They aren't expecting a disc as a thank you, and have been surprised when I hand them it! With the music being inspirational and motivational, I think that it is the perfect thank you gift. The other project - a memorial cycling jersey to honor family and friends - has been submitted to the printer, and I have viewed and have approved the proof, so it is now in the queue to be printed. The estimated time to completion is set now at early July, with July 28th being the absolute deadline. The final design can be seen in the gallery section of this profile. The weather has been cooperating, so I've been out maintaining base miles, and hopefully the weekend brings rain-free weather, so I can get longer miles with my Cyclopath teammates! If not, then I may hook up with the Charles River Wheelmen to get some miles - they ride rain or shine. With getting a comfortable 50 miles in one sitting, I do believe that doing one or two centuries from now until the ride will suffice in getting ready for the big weekend, so I feel the training is definitely on schedule.

Thursday, May 18, 2006
Rode outside for the first time this week! I'm very thankful that with all that rain we received for what seems like 40 days and 40 nights that we didn't get any flooding in our house. Living just outside the flood plain for the Alewife Brook in Cambridge, it seemed iffy if the water was going to exceed the plain. Not only did we get no water whatsoever, our neighbors didn't have to get out the sump pump either. So good news for the neighborhood. So, back to riding - did a 40-miler early this morning to avoid traffic (both cars and bike path). I basically did the Minuteman Trail twice. I was going to do another half distance to make it 50 miles, but by the time I completed the second go-round, there was too much trail traffic, so I cut it short. No biggie - I know that I can complete 50 miles w/o stops and still have some steam. I've figured that the Camel Back which holds 2 liters of water will hold me for 50 miles, so training non-stop 50 mile treks is a good thing to get acclimated to, why stop at a waterstop if ya don't need to, right? Tomorrow's plan is the same as today's. This weekend is filled with non-cycling events, so no cycling over this weekend.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Started playing with the layout of the shirt template, to fit new pics on it. I think that the pics will be large enough. I'm still waiting on two more pics, but I think I'm going to run into a fitment problem if I add more. I might have to put the two remaining pics on the back, next to the memorial names. This definitely is feeling like it is almost finished - good news, considering that my target date for getting this completed is Monday, May 22nd. I hit the gym today, for leg resistance exercises and a nice hill program on the Life Cycles... the weather has been so poor around here for the past few days that I've been reduced to either biking in the basement or at the gym. I miss the wind in my face, and at my back! Nice days are coming up starting mid-week so it's back to the roads I'll go! Yipee!

Saturday, May 13, 2006
Today the cd inserts were printed up, and they look pretty good. Just need to get some disc mailer boxes and we'll get those discs out to the pledges. Now comes the task of getting the jersey design set and sent to the printer in a week. Tomorrow I should have some more pics to finish off the shirt. Hopefully the template wont need too much re-sizing to fit them all in!

Sunday May 8, 2006
Didn't this morning feel like someone hit me with a ton o bricks!! I was soooo spent from all that riding this past weekend that I hardly had energy to get out of bed. Par for the course, considering that this was the first weekend doing back to back distance rides. The more I do, the easier it will get, so the key is to keep building on it. The tiredness was well worth it, alot was accomplished on the weekend.

Sunday, May 7, 2006
Tried another 50 today. Nice head wind! Found some rather large hills to get some practice on, and got a little lost coming back home! It felt good to get back to back mileage days in. Later on this week I am planning on finding some good hills and just practicing climbing them. Climbing is where I'm needing some work, so time must be set aside to deal with the issue. Weekends will now be the long rides, weekdays will get into more specialized aspects of riding mechanics.

Saturday, May 6, 2006
Another Cyclopaths ride today - went from Salem, MA to Gloucester, for a 35 mile ride. The interval training schedule during the week is helping, making the group rides less of a physical challenge and more of a normal riding situation. The goal here is to feel as much like that when the mileage gets to be a lot longer. Went home and got 15 more miles for the day. The time has come to start hitting some much larger hills to practice climbing. I have a few in mind, and are close enough that I can bike to get to them, and then practice climbing the same hill, then descending it, to climb it once again. If the rain holds off mid-week, then I will start hill training. This weekend the cd inserts should be printed, and I can start sending out the discs to my pledges of $25 or more. Sunday while at my parents house for Mother's Day I will sort through photos of my grand parents and other relatives that have battled cancer to determine which images will go on the memorial jersey. The pics are the final piece that needs to be finalized in order to get the designs out to the printer. 4-6 weeks later we should have a jersey and some t-shirts of the same design. Well, that is it for now! Lots going on, so little time in the day...

Saturday, April 29,2006
Had the second training ride with the No. Shore Cyclopaths today. We went from Salem to Boxford, a 12 mile route. It was pretty cold out first thing in the morning (around 35ish), but got a little milder as the hours passed by. Had breakfast in Boxford, then took a detour through Bradley Palmer State Park on the way back. It was a very pretty ride, and I look forward to more riding with the Cyclopaths (what a great name!).

Saturday April 22, 2006
OK, I have the working template for the memorial jersey up and running! I have decided that the cutoff date for company sponsors that would like to have their logo on the jersey will be May 19th, so as to send the final template out to the printer and have them print it up and ship it to me in time for the ride. Of course, there will be a few more pics on there as well, I have to sort out which pics to put on and re-work the template to make them fit! All of this is so exciting - talking to people about the cause, training, and making this memorial - it has really given my life a new purpose and has re-energized me!

Saturday April 15, 2006
I attended my first North Shore Cyclopaths ride today - the Passover Ride. We rode from Salem, MA to Manchester-By-The-Sea, then a few decided that they weren't ready just yet to turn around and go back to Salem, so we went to Gloucester. Boy was it foggy up there, as well as on the cool side of 50. It was a great introduction to the group, now if I can just remember everyone's name! I am terrible with names, it takes me so long to get them right! The Cyclopaths ride every Saturday, and the rides will get longer and longer as we get closer to the start of the PMC. It was nice to ride with a group instead of by myself. I believe this will be a keeper for the weekends.

Friday, April 14, 2006
Riding to work hasn't worked out, due to three mountain lion sightings in the area. I don't really feel like becoming "leg of Lynda" to a big kitty! So I have been trying to get riding in after coming home in the afternoons. I will be riding this Saturday with The North Shore Cyclopaths, a team of veteran PMC riders that get together to ride, train and eat! I just love their name, and I'm sure I'll fit right in.

Friday, April 7, 2006
Well, I did a test-run to my workplace this past Sunday, and learned that there is still alot of debris on the sides of the road in many towns still. I flatted coming back from Wilmington, just past Woburn Center on Route 38. Spring cleaning hasn't occurred just yet, so no regular riding to work yet. I re-mapped another way to get to work, utilizing side-streets instead of the major routes through several towns. It added three more miles onto the commute, and seemed to work out for my first ride to work today. Only problem is that these roads are not smooth at all, so the quality of the ride was comprimised by having to coast over bumpy patches and avoiding potholes, etc. So commuting for training purposes is not going to work. I will have to train when I get home from work during the week, then naturally the long ride on the weekends. My avg mph has been 15mph since getting out of the basement, and should climb some in the next few months. The plan for the upcoming months is to ride locally during the week, then hook up with a riding club, probably the North Shore Cyclopaths in Salem, MA, for the longer ride on the weekends. Health Club will happen twice per week instead of three times currently as more cycling time will be the order of the day.

Friday, March 24 2006
Well, the 2-day wait for the bike tune-up has now turned into a full week, apparently due to others having the same idea. After all, it is Spring, and folks start getting into the outdoors mode, like turning a light switch to on. So I will go to the gym and cycle there, concentrating on hill climbing.

Sunday, March 19 2006
OK, I just couldn't wait any longer, so I pulled out all the cold weather cycling gear and clothing and hit the road!! I figured that I'd start out on a route that I know I can complete - the Minuteman Bikeway. The Minuteman Bikeway spans from the Alewife T station in Cambridge to South Rd in Bedford - 12 miles. The ride out from Cambridge is a gradual incline up to Arlington Heights, then plateaus out to Beford from there. It was a great first outdoor ride for the season, very pretty - cold - but pretty! My toes were frozen by the time I hit Bedford, 12 more miles to go to get back... I am getting the bike in for it's annual tune-up on Thursday, so I'll be without it for a day or two. It's better to do it now than to wait for the gorgeous weather; I'd be waiting for a week to get it back then!! So today was a very good day, I wouldn't say that I'd ride in the cold like that again (under freezing); my weather has always been fair weather - heck, who am I kidding? I'm a summer girl! Gimme 80 degrees!!! Hehe!

Friday, March 17, 2006
Wow - it's been almost a month since the last entry - typical me with these types of things... More progress in the gym - my personal goal for leg presses is 360lbs, and in the past month we are at 340lbs! So 20 more to go there. Hamstring curls are at 125lbs, and I think that I'm at a plateau with that. Abductor presses are plateau'd as well, at 100lbs. I don't know what it's going to take to break through to the next level with those. I have started doing resistance calf presses, and those are at 135lbs - all exercises are 4 sets of 12-14 reps, about 1.5 to 2 minutes rest in between. Now, with the bicycle: we are up to a steady one hour on the trainer, medium difficult resistance. I think this is the stage where interval training starts, so to mimic hills. It is almost time to take the training outside, which I am really looking forward to! The plan there is to ride the 12 miles each way to work and back as much as I can, rest either on Saturdays or Sundays, the other day of the two being the longer ride. So there's the plan! Now I just need to finish the graphics for the cd that my pledges will recieve and get cracking on the memorial jersey, which my corporate sponsors will have their logos printed on, as well as the names and pics of my family and friends lost to cancer over the years. Lots to do still! - L

Sunday, February 19, 2006
Last Friday I made breakthrough progress concerning my acl-reconstructed left leg. I have been concentrating in leg presses, hamstring curls and adductor/abductor presses at the gym, and the leg press weight finally hit 300lbs! I believe that currently the knee is taking hold of the exercise regimen to the point where I'm not neccessarily rehabbing it anymore, rather I'm training the whole leg for sport-specific strength now. Six months ago, I couldn't even lift that leg on my own. Today was the first day of spending 55minutes on the cyclotrainer. It feels really good, not too fatigued, but a nice wave of relaxation afterwards, and, of course, sweat! It is hard in the winter months to keep a fan on your body the whole time - then you cool down too much! No fan, and you sweat a river. Can't wait till the Spring for the warmer weather, so the wind can natually cool me off without chilling me out! Can ya tell that I'm a warm-weather kind of gal?? Even with snowshoeing to keep me busy, it seems that I just can't wholeheartedly love winter. I thrive in the heat!

Sunday, February 5, 2006
Today starts 50minute training. Five extra minutes doesn't seem like much, until the time comes to do those 5 more minutes! By the end of the week, the extra time is hardly noticeable, except for the fact that a new song on the disc is now playing. I can feel my legs getting stronger from the weight training, and I can't wait to get out and climb some hills to see what these legs can really do! I'm looking forward to when Spring comes around for that reason. It'll be nice to start getting together with other PMC'ers and do some riding. Next week I am visiting the silk screener and getting an estimate for the memorial jersey to wear for day 2. I am playing around with adding corporate sponsors on the jersey as well. I drive for a paper company, so my customers might be interested in some advertising in exchange for pledging. Lots of ideas to mull over! In the next month, I expect to see some of those ideas really starting to take shape.

Sunday, January 29,2006
Today I increased total time up to 45 minutes. The three days per week at the gym I feel are really helping with the ride times and how I'm feeling throughout the training. I'm doing an average of 18mph, and doing 13.5miles non-stop. I know that seems far away from the 111 that needs to be covered on day one of the Ride, and that is because I am that far away! No doubt about it! But then again, it is only late January, and the Ride is in August, so we have time, and the idea is to develop a nice endurance "base" so when the Spring is here, the mileage rides will really be productive! Yes, things are going very nice, still on target for hitting one hour starting in March.

Sunday January 15, 2006
I have been fighting a cold that just won't go away for about a week and a half; today I got back on the cycle trainer and upped the ride time to 35 minutes. My motivation is so high right now and that made the down-time from training hurt that much more. Not physically, but mentally. I am so focused on getting prepared for this ride, and to be sidelined drove me nuts! So we're rolling once again. I found myself thinking about my grandparents and a friend of mine lost to cancer while pedalling on the bike today - about their fight and courage - and pain - and as I made each pedal stroke, I thought about that. My pain is nothing compared to theirs; I will gladly carry the burden of making tomorrow a better day for others fighting the fight. What a great feeling! Even when the legs feel like rubber, I feel great.

Sunday, January 1, 2006
Happy New Year! I just couldn't wait till registration to create this profile! I am so excited to have this opportunity to ride and raise funds this year. I have wanted to do this ride for a few years now. For the past month now, I've started training indoors on a cycle-trainer down in my basement, as well as weight-training at a gym. I am up to 30 minutes of brisk resistance cycling, adding 5 more minutes every week to the sessions. My goal is to achieve one hour sessions on the cyclo trainer, then when the Spring is here, take the training outdoors on distance rides. I am looking into the creation of a memorial jersey, listing names and pictures of loved ones that have battled cancer. More on that as more information becomes available. Here's to living life to the fullest, people! Regards, Lynda