Well, here we are at the end of our second month of the journey. I’ve only logged another 75 miles since the last blog installment, mainly because the weather has been wet and freezing. I know I said the cold wouldn’t stop me, but riding on ice on skinny tires sort of puts a damper on things. We also had vacation for a week and even though I rode, I don’t count those miles in the grand total.
We’ve added another couple of hundred dollars to the total and we’re up to $3650 - well over a third of our goal!
The rides have been up and down, mostly due to the fact that it’s February and blustery; and riding against 15 mph wind gusts sort of stinks. I just duck my head and keep cranking. It lowers my average mph and my average time but it really doesn’t matter - I just remember why I’m doing this.
On a personal note, as I mentioned in the last blog the boys just had a birthday. They’re now in the fearsome fours (okay, I just made that up, but it fits). Sarah is just as smart and beautiful as always. We’ve been working on her Invention Convention project and we’re very excited by all the response she got to her “Biker Helper” which is basically a sort of removable umbrella to put on your bicycle for inclement weather. She said she wanted to help me with my Connor’s Army project. I may have mentioned before that she also wants to help by doing her own bike-a-thon riding ten miles between the house and the park (not all at once mind you); and setting up a lemonade stand during the hot weather. She really is an amazing little girl.
Speaking of amazing girls - my wife has been incredible in all of this. She really is much of the driving force of Connor’s Army. On top of running a local performing arts series and handling the confusing schedule of three kids, she’s taken on the management of Connor’s Army full force. She pursues donations and sponsorships, and handles all the PR. She’s secured all the great press we’ve received so far through her press releases. I’m even scheduled to do a podcast with Militarybrat.com. They’re interested in the military connection and my upbringing as a military brat and how that ties in to what we’re doing now.
Next up in the Connor household - Sweet Charity at the high school! For those of you who are actually reading this and are in the area it’s going to be a really good show. The dates and times are: Thursday, March 15 at 7:00; Friday and Saturday, March 16 and 17 at 7:30; and Sunday, March 18 at 2:00. The cast is talented and really excited, and the show will be amazing. I’ve waited a long time to do this show and it was well worth the wait.
Show week also brings the logging of more miles. I try to ride in as much as I can so we can take one car back home at night - Amy designs and creates the costumes for all my school shows, and Sarah will make a “guest” appearance in the opening scene of this one! We keep it all in the family. It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years here at SHS. I never thought we’d be where we are today.
I’ll probably have another entry in the next week, until then stay well.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Thursday, February 8, 2007
With Apologies to Monsieur Dickens
To paraphrase one of my favorite authors, “It was the best of rides, it was the worst of rides”.
Ordinarily I set my riding threshold at 28 degrees or thereabouts. I have gone down to 20 on occasion but usually I stick to around 28. Today was different. The temperature when I woke up was 15 degrees and the wind was gusting at 10 to 15 mph - giving it a “real feel” temperature of close to zero. Add the fact that I’m riding at about 16 - 20 mph it was, well, let’s just say it was cold.
However, I had a real reason to ride today. Our friend Michele was scheduled for her last two hour session of chemotherapy today. I saw her on Sunday at the birthday party for the boys (at the Northport firehouse followed by pizza at Michaelangelos - they were in total heaven!) and she was looking good. While talking to her she mentioned that today was her next session of chemotherapy and I told her that, barring rain, I would ride for her.
I have to say at about halfway through the ride, somewhere around Lennox and Pulaski my toes felt like big rocks in my shoes. I had bundled up everything, even wearing my balaclava and heavyweight ski gloves; and everything was pretty warm - except my toes. I even had the old standby of wool socks and plastic bags underneath my neoprene shoe covers - but my toes were still pretty frozen.
It was just about this time that I started thinking, “Am I crazy?! Why am I out here in this?”
Then I though, “This is nothing compared to what Michele is going through today, what my mom went through to have all of her cancer removed, or what my sisters have gone through.”
Just thinking of these brave women and all the other people I know who’ve faced their various cancer battles gave me the answer to my question. Yes, I am a little crazy; but I knew exactly why I was out there.
I have to tell you it’s not easy to ride in that cold when you have tears freezing to your face.
Right now I have 125 miles and we’ve raised $3400. We’re getting great coverage in the local press; but Connor’s Army still has a long way to go in both mileage and funds. Sometimes it seems daunting but every time I wonder about why I’m doing this I just think about Winnie, Angela, Tamara, my mother and Michele; and I have my reason to keep cranking down on the pedals.
Peace to you all and stay well.
Ordinarily I set my riding threshold at 28 degrees or thereabouts. I have gone down to 20 on occasion but usually I stick to around 28. Today was different. The temperature when I woke up was 15 degrees and the wind was gusting at 10 to 15 mph - giving it a “real feel” temperature of close to zero. Add the fact that I’m riding at about 16 - 20 mph it was, well, let’s just say it was cold.
However, I had a real reason to ride today. Our friend Michele was scheduled for her last two hour session of chemotherapy today. I saw her on Sunday at the birthday party for the boys (at the Northport firehouse followed by pizza at Michaelangelos - they were in total heaven!) and she was looking good. While talking to her she mentioned that today was her next session of chemotherapy and I told her that, barring rain, I would ride for her.
I have to say at about halfway through the ride, somewhere around Lennox and Pulaski my toes felt like big rocks in my shoes. I had bundled up everything, even wearing my balaclava and heavyweight ski gloves; and everything was pretty warm - except my toes. I even had the old standby of wool socks and plastic bags underneath my neoprene shoe covers - but my toes were still pretty frozen.
It was just about this time that I started thinking, “Am I crazy?! Why am I out here in this?”
Then I though, “This is nothing compared to what Michele is going through today, what my mom went through to have all of her cancer removed, or what my sisters have gone through.”
Just thinking of these brave women and all the other people I know who’ve faced their various cancer battles gave me the answer to my question. Yes, I am a little crazy; but I knew exactly why I was out there.
I have to tell you it’s not easy to ride in that cold when you have tears freezing to your face.
Right now I have 125 miles and we’ve raised $3400. We’re getting great coverage in the local press; but Connor’s Army still has a long way to go in both mileage and funds. Sometimes it seems daunting but every time I wonder about why I’m doing this I just think about Winnie, Angela, Tamara, my mother and Michele; and I have my reason to keep cranking down on the pedals.
Peace to you all and stay well.
Friday, February 2, 2007
Happy Groundhog Day!
Well, I’m now into my second month of the battle, and I have to admit I’m a bit off the pace/goal of 200 miles per month. I had bronchitis, which kept me off the bike for a couple of weeks and then we were hit with a string of bad weather. Last Sunday was the first time I was able to get on the bike in about two weeks.
I went on a ride with the “A” group of the Huntington Bicycle Club, and got my tail handed to me on a platter!
I did pretty well for the first 48 miles, especially given my extended break from riding. Unfortunately, when we got to what I thought was going to be the very last leg of our ride (at which point I was already lagging behind) the group turned off in a different direction and I think mentally that did me in. I just didn’t have any leg left.
I think had I been in better health (I had to take a few hits on my asthma inhaler during the ride) I might have been a little better suited - at least I could have hung on a bit longer. One of the other riders, Paul, was very nice and came back for me; and stayed with me the last six miles of the ride. I was just spent. I felt pretty bad about holding him and the others back, but they were in good spirits about it. I’m just too stubborn to quit.
My goal now is to go on an “A” ride and not get dropped! It’s something to shoot for.
As far as the ACS ride is going, I’ve become more and more convinced that my erstwhile base line of 28 degrees should not be an absolute. Yesterday I rode with a beginning temperature of 25 degrees and it was great. If I can find the right clothing combination I’ll keep going lower and lower in the temperature category. I guess the main thing that has me starting in this vein is that I’m 100 miles below my target mileage at this point and, more importantly, because one of our dear friends is going through chemo right now.
From everything I’ve read about chemo, one of the things you get - aside from the nausea - is the feeling of coldness that seems to come from inside and makes your bones ache. I feel that for 12 miles I can deal with numb toes and fingers because its nothing compared to what my friends and so many others are going. No, it may not make me a more competitive rider with the “A” group, but right now the main thrust of my riding is trying to log miles to battle this disease. My wife and I can’t afford to give the money we’d like to in order to help the people I love and the ones I’ve never met; but I can give this. So if it’s a little cold - oh well.
For those of you who’ve been getting the word out - keep it up. We’ve already raised $3300, and the more we get the word out, the more we can bring in to fight this disease!
And for those of you who want to “gear up” for next year, start getting ready for the Victory Ride on January 1, 2008!
That’s it for now, peace and health to you.
I went on a ride with the “A” group of the Huntington Bicycle Club, and got my tail handed to me on a platter!
I did pretty well for the first 48 miles, especially given my extended break from riding. Unfortunately, when we got to what I thought was going to be the very last leg of our ride (at which point I was already lagging behind) the group turned off in a different direction and I think mentally that did me in. I just didn’t have any leg left.
I think had I been in better health (I had to take a few hits on my asthma inhaler during the ride) I might have been a little better suited - at least I could have hung on a bit longer. One of the other riders, Paul, was very nice and came back for me; and stayed with me the last six miles of the ride. I was just spent. I felt pretty bad about holding him and the others back, but they were in good spirits about it. I’m just too stubborn to quit.
My goal now is to go on an “A” ride and not get dropped! It’s something to shoot for.
As far as the ACS ride is going, I’ve become more and more convinced that my erstwhile base line of 28 degrees should not be an absolute. Yesterday I rode with a beginning temperature of 25 degrees and it was great. If I can find the right clothing combination I’ll keep going lower and lower in the temperature category. I guess the main thing that has me starting in this vein is that I’m 100 miles below my target mileage at this point and, more importantly, because one of our dear friends is going through chemo right now.
From everything I’ve read about chemo, one of the things you get - aside from the nausea - is the feeling of coldness that seems to come from inside and makes your bones ache. I feel that for 12 miles I can deal with numb toes and fingers because its nothing compared to what my friends and so many others are going. No, it may not make me a more competitive rider with the “A” group, but right now the main thrust of my riding is trying to log miles to battle this disease. My wife and I can’t afford to give the money we’d like to in order to help the people I love and the ones I’ve never met; but I can give this. So if it’s a little cold - oh well.
For those of you who’ve been getting the word out - keep it up. We’ve already raised $3300, and the more we get the word out, the more we can bring in to fight this disease!
And for those of you who want to “gear up” for next year, start getting ready for the Victory Ride on January 1, 2008!
That’s it for now, peace and health to you.
Monday, January 15, 2007
New Year, New Blog
Hello again everyone! Now that the whirlwind activity of the holidays is over I figured it was high time to update you all. In the future, I’m hoping to write at least once a week.
The 2007 Connor’s Army ride has now officially begun! We’ve raised a little over $3200 and more support keeps coming in from everywhere!
I got off to a great start the first week of January and rode twice (once when the temperature was 25 degrees), so I’ve logged 50 miles already. The weather so far this month has been incredible for riding (credit El Nino, I guess); but the second week of January saw me not riding at all for two big reasons.
First of all, I contracted a major chest cold and I pretty much lost my voice completely - never an easy thing for an acting teacher to lose. With my asthma, I have to be careful about riding when I have any sort of chest congestion.
Secondly, Amy was in Hell Week for her production of Sweet Charity and really needed my help in the morning to get the kids out. She was rehearsing till all sorts of ungodly hours, and was pretty much exhausted most of the week. If you haven’t yet gotten the chance to see her you have three more chances to see her perform in a role she was born to play. She’s amazing and I’m so proud to be married to her. When you see her up there you completely forget it’s Amy and all you see is Charity - she really is that incredibly good! If you miss her doing this show, you’ll really be missing an incredible experience. (You can get tickets at www.TownshipTheatreGroup.com if you want them.)
On other fronts, a lot has happened since the last blog!
I had written last time about a friend of ours who had been diagnosed with Stage 2+ breast cancer that was behaving very aggressively. She’s started chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery, and the doctors at Sloan Kettering are optimistic about her case. We’re all praying for her recovery, and we’re standing in the wings to help the family out in any way we can.
Even closer to home - it was right after I last wrote that the results of the tests for my mother’s skin cancer came back. The doctors have determined she has Merkel Cell melanoma, which is a very rare and highly aggressive form of skin cancer. The biggest issues are that it can metastasize rather quickly (usually in more than 50% of cases), and it tends to recur in other spots even when all the cancerous growth is removed.
Right after Christmas the plastic surgeon removed the cancerous tissue and some of the healthy tissue as well. They performed a biopsy and determined they’d gotten it all, but they also did a die test to highlight “hot spots” in her arm. They found four - two of which were lymph nodes.
They removed these on the spot, as well as a small connecting duct that connected the lymph node closest to her affected elbow with the rest of the lymphatic system. They installed a stint to drain fluid out of her arm and they placed her arm in a full cast.
Given the aggressive nature of this particular form of cancer and the fact that it had been misdiagnosed (most likely because of its rarity) six months earlier, we were all pretty terrified about what the results of the tests on those four spots would be. So you can imagine our tremendous relief when they all came back negative!
On Friday, they removed the cast and did a full body scan to make certain there wasn’t anything else in her body. Right now the doctors (GP, plastic surgeon, and oncologist) are all pretty certain she’s clean, but we’re anxiously awaiting the results of that test.
She visits the radiologist next week, who may recommend she have some radiation treatment just to be on the safe side; but it doesn’t look like any chemo will be required. So we’re very excited and very happy.
And I can’t even begin to thank everyone who’s been praying for her and sending her positive energy. A member of Amy’s cast of Sweet Charity even gave us a medal for her that had been blessed by the Pope!
The family is growing like weeds and we’re so blessed. Sarah is such a joy and is smart as a whip. The boys’ personalities are emerging more and more every day, and we’re more and more amused by their wit. Amy is amazing - how she manages to do all she does in a single day (and did I mention manage to be so amazing in the show) and still have such a positive, nurturing influence on our kids still mystifies me.
School is going well. I just returned from a trip last weekend to Kerhonkson, NY. For those of you who know my personal story, you may remember that Kerhonkson is where the National Shakespeare Conservatory where I studied for two years used to hold its summer program. I spent a really great summer there, and it was fun going back to that neck of the woods. I was there with 20 terrific kids attending the New York Theater Educator’s Association student conference. Our kids had a wonderful time and learned so much. I even got drafted to fill in for a teacher who was too sick to make the conference, and I had a great time teaching the workshops; but I completely lost my voice by Saturday night. When I called Amy she didn’t even recognize me! I’m planning on teaching again next year - only this time I’ll have more than 12 hours to prepare!
Except for the fact that the bus arrived an hour and a half late (we’re still not sure why) - the weekend was a great experience and I was so proud to be associated with such great theater students.
The weekend was not a total joy, however. Saturday night my beloved Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs in what was definitely one of the most dramatic and bizarre football games I have ever watched. I happened to be watching with my colleague Pete and at least twice he said “That’s it, the Cowboys have this one.” (Thanks for being a Cowboys fan for an evening with me, Pete!) But I kept telling him to wait because I’ve had my heart broken one too many times to feel it was in the bag. I won’t describe the entire horror of the last minute/second loss (it’s just too painful to relive) but my Northport “friends” seemed to have taken great delight in my pain. On my return I learned that mini Butterfinger candy bars with the name “Romo” written all over them had been scattered all over my lawn. And there was a big sign on my front door with a football and the words “Caution: Slippery” on it. Thank you so much Mike and Greg. MY only answer is, it’s now January 15 and we have one thing in common - none of our teams are in the playoffs! Ah well … there’s always next year.
Now that I am healthier (although not completely back) and the weather is still unseasonably warm, I can’t wait get back on my bike. My goal is to do at least 200 a month so I have a little to make up for January, but I’ll get there.
We should have all the jerseys printed and ready to wear by the beginning of February, so to all you wonderful sponsors I once again say thank you and want you to know you will be fully advertised soon.
Oh, by the way, check out the links to more news articles. I’ve done a lot of interviews - once again, due to the efforts of my incredible PR wife - so click on the In the News link to read the ones that have already come; and keep checking back for the ones currently still in the works.
And please let all your friends know about Connor’s Army. The more we spread the word the more support we gain for the ride, and the more money we can raise to fight this horrible disease.
I’ll sign off for now. Check back with me to see what’s going on and for updates with press releases, miles ridden and my adventures with the off-season rides with the Huntington Bicycle Club. For now, stay well and be grateful for the loved ones in your life.
Peace and health to you all.
The 2007 Connor’s Army ride has now officially begun! We’ve raised a little over $3200 and more support keeps coming in from everywhere!
I got off to a great start the first week of January and rode twice (once when the temperature was 25 degrees), so I’ve logged 50 miles already. The weather so far this month has been incredible for riding (credit El Nino, I guess); but the second week of January saw me not riding at all for two big reasons.
First of all, I contracted a major chest cold and I pretty much lost my voice completely - never an easy thing for an acting teacher to lose. With my asthma, I have to be careful about riding when I have any sort of chest congestion.
Secondly, Amy was in Hell Week for her production of Sweet Charity and really needed my help in the morning to get the kids out. She was rehearsing till all sorts of ungodly hours, and was pretty much exhausted most of the week. If you haven’t yet gotten the chance to see her you have three more chances to see her perform in a role she was born to play. She’s amazing and I’m so proud to be married to her. When you see her up there you completely forget it’s Amy and all you see is Charity - she really is that incredibly good! If you miss her doing this show, you’ll really be missing an incredible experience. (You can get tickets at www.TownshipTheatreGroup.com if you want them.)
On other fronts, a lot has happened since the last blog!
I had written last time about a friend of ours who had been diagnosed with Stage 2+ breast cancer that was behaving very aggressively. She’s started chemotherapy to shrink the tumor before surgery, and the doctors at Sloan Kettering are optimistic about her case. We’re all praying for her recovery, and we’re standing in the wings to help the family out in any way we can.
Even closer to home - it was right after I last wrote that the results of the tests for my mother’s skin cancer came back. The doctors have determined she has Merkel Cell melanoma, which is a very rare and highly aggressive form of skin cancer. The biggest issues are that it can metastasize rather quickly (usually in more than 50% of cases), and it tends to recur in other spots even when all the cancerous growth is removed.
Right after Christmas the plastic surgeon removed the cancerous tissue and some of the healthy tissue as well. They performed a biopsy and determined they’d gotten it all, but they also did a die test to highlight “hot spots” in her arm. They found four - two of which were lymph nodes.
They removed these on the spot, as well as a small connecting duct that connected the lymph node closest to her affected elbow with the rest of the lymphatic system. They installed a stint to drain fluid out of her arm and they placed her arm in a full cast.
Given the aggressive nature of this particular form of cancer and the fact that it had been misdiagnosed (most likely because of its rarity) six months earlier, we were all pretty terrified about what the results of the tests on those four spots would be. So you can imagine our tremendous relief when they all came back negative!
On Friday, they removed the cast and did a full body scan to make certain there wasn’t anything else in her body. Right now the doctors (GP, plastic surgeon, and oncologist) are all pretty certain she’s clean, but we’re anxiously awaiting the results of that test.
She visits the radiologist next week, who may recommend she have some radiation treatment just to be on the safe side; but it doesn’t look like any chemo will be required. So we’re very excited and very happy.
And I can’t even begin to thank everyone who’s been praying for her and sending her positive energy. A member of Amy’s cast of Sweet Charity even gave us a medal for her that had been blessed by the Pope!
The family is growing like weeds and we’re so blessed. Sarah is such a joy and is smart as a whip. The boys’ personalities are emerging more and more every day, and we’re more and more amused by their wit. Amy is amazing - how she manages to do all she does in a single day (and did I mention manage to be so amazing in the show) and still have such a positive, nurturing influence on our kids still mystifies me.
School is going well. I just returned from a trip last weekend to Kerhonkson, NY. For those of you who know my personal story, you may remember that Kerhonkson is where the National Shakespeare Conservatory where I studied for two years used to hold its summer program. I spent a really great summer there, and it was fun going back to that neck of the woods. I was there with 20 terrific kids attending the New York Theater Educator’s Association student conference. Our kids had a wonderful time and learned so much. I even got drafted to fill in for a teacher who was too sick to make the conference, and I had a great time teaching the workshops; but I completely lost my voice by Saturday night. When I called Amy she didn’t even recognize me! I’m planning on teaching again next year - only this time I’ll have more than 12 hours to prepare!
Except for the fact that the bus arrived an hour and a half late (we’re still not sure why) - the weekend was a great experience and I was so proud to be associated with such great theater students.
The weekend was not a total joy, however. Saturday night my beloved Cowboys were eliminated from the playoffs in what was definitely one of the most dramatic and bizarre football games I have ever watched. I happened to be watching with my colleague Pete and at least twice he said “That’s it, the Cowboys have this one.” (Thanks for being a Cowboys fan for an evening with me, Pete!) But I kept telling him to wait because I’ve had my heart broken one too many times to feel it was in the bag. I won’t describe the entire horror of the last minute/second loss (it’s just too painful to relive) but my Northport “friends” seemed to have taken great delight in my pain. On my return I learned that mini Butterfinger candy bars with the name “Romo” written all over them had been scattered all over my lawn. And there was a big sign on my front door with a football and the words “Caution: Slippery” on it. Thank you so much Mike and Greg. MY only answer is, it’s now January 15 and we have one thing in common - none of our teams are in the playoffs! Ah well … there’s always next year.
Now that I am healthier (although not completely back) and the weather is still unseasonably warm, I can’t wait get back on my bike. My goal is to do at least 200 a month so I have a little to make up for January, but I’ll get there.
We should have all the jerseys printed and ready to wear by the beginning of February, so to all you wonderful sponsors I once again say thank you and want you to know you will be fully advertised soon.
Oh, by the way, check out the links to more news articles. I’ve done a lot of interviews - once again, due to the efforts of my incredible PR wife - so click on the In the News link to read the ones that have already come; and keep checking back for the ones currently still in the works.
And please let all your friends know about Connor’s Army. The more we spread the word the more support we gain for the ride, and the more money we can raise to fight this horrible disease.
I’ll sign off for now. Check back with me to see what’s going on and for updates with press releases, miles ridden and my adventures with the off-season rides with the Huntington Bicycle Club. For now, stay well and be grateful for the loved ones in your life.
Peace and health to you all.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Third Time's The Charm
Well I’m only a few weeks away from really kicking off the ride and I’m excited to get started. I’ve gotten so much support from everyone and I can’t wait to get the war started against this killer.
I have to say I’ve been overwhelmed by the donations and the support of the people who’ve stepped up to sponsor me. These people and their companies are very special to us because their financial support will allow me to cover expenses and make sure that every penny of pledges goes to the American Cancer Society. So in the next few weeks I’ll be getting jerseys for the cold weather, printing up brochures, and tuning up “my trusty steed” so it’s ready to handle 12 months of commuting on Long Island.
Of course, I’m being as frugal as possible so as much of that sponsorship money as possible can go to ACS for fighting this disease and to hopefully add some icing the $10,000 cake we’re baking. So far we have more than $2,000 and the pledges keep coming in!
On a more somber note, one of our dearest friends has just been diagnosed with stage 2+ breast cancer and we’re all anxiously awaiting test results to tell us exactly what the situation is. So I’m unhappily adding another person I am riding for to the list: my sisters, Hope Machedon, and now our good friend.
I’m also nervously waiting for news on the biopsy of a growth that was removed from my mother’s left arm. The doctor in describing it used the term cancer but wasn’t at all specific so we still don’t know exactly where we stand, and we’re on pins and needles waiting to find out the results of the test.
I’m so sick and tired of people around me being stricken by this disease and I can’t wait to start working to kick its tail!
So far my “dress rehearsal” this year has yielded 1575 miles (yes, I broke the post surgery goal of 1500) and I’m hoping to get in at least another 75 miles before December 22 when school break begins and my season officially ends.
I did my first A level ride with the Huntington Bicycle Club and got my butt kicked, but I learned a lot of lessons from that ride.
1) Make sure to eat breakfast before embarking on a 50 mile 20+ mph ride.
2) Make sure to really hydrate on the ride
3) No matter how good you feel, don’t try pulling at the front for even five minutes
4) Get a good night’s sleep the night before, and
5) Never do a long, fast ride the day after a party!
Needless to say, I hung on for the first 40 miles and then got dropped. It was humbling. The ride leader stayed with me, even when both of my quads cramped up so badly I had to stop riding for about five minutes. I’m determined not to let that happen again.
Lastly, although they’re in first place in the NFC East, my beloved Cowboys got their hats handed to them every which way this past Sunday. They were beaten and badly; but we are endlessly optimistic here and we know that they will prevail in the end. We are true believers. Okay, it’s just Sarah, James, and me - my wife and William are Giants fans (ugh!).
That’s it for now - I’ll write again in a few weeks - just in time to kick off the season.
I have to say I’ve been overwhelmed by the donations and the support of the people who’ve stepped up to sponsor me. These people and their companies are very special to us because their financial support will allow me to cover expenses and make sure that every penny of pledges goes to the American Cancer Society. So in the next few weeks I’ll be getting jerseys for the cold weather, printing up brochures, and tuning up “my trusty steed” so it’s ready to handle 12 months of commuting on Long Island.
Of course, I’m being as frugal as possible so as much of that sponsorship money as possible can go to ACS for fighting this disease and to hopefully add some icing the $10,000 cake we’re baking. So far we have more than $2,000 and the pledges keep coming in!
On a more somber note, one of our dearest friends has just been diagnosed with stage 2+ breast cancer and we’re all anxiously awaiting test results to tell us exactly what the situation is. So I’m unhappily adding another person I am riding for to the list: my sisters, Hope Machedon, and now our good friend.
I’m also nervously waiting for news on the biopsy of a growth that was removed from my mother’s left arm. The doctor in describing it used the term cancer but wasn’t at all specific so we still don’t know exactly where we stand, and we’re on pins and needles waiting to find out the results of the test.
I’m so sick and tired of people around me being stricken by this disease and I can’t wait to start working to kick its tail!
So far my “dress rehearsal” this year has yielded 1575 miles (yes, I broke the post surgery goal of 1500) and I’m hoping to get in at least another 75 miles before December 22 when school break begins and my season officially ends.
I did my first A level ride with the Huntington Bicycle Club and got my butt kicked, but I learned a lot of lessons from that ride.
1) Make sure to eat breakfast before embarking on a 50 mile 20+ mph ride.
2) Make sure to really hydrate on the ride
3) No matter how good you feel, don’t try pulling at the front for even five minutes
4) Get a good night’s sleep the night before, and
5) Never do a long, fast ride the day after a party!
Needless to say, I hung on for the first 40 miles and then got dropped. It was humbling. The ride leader stayed with me, even when both of my quads cramped up so badly I had to stop riding for about five minutes. I’m determined not to let that happen again.
Lastly, although they’re in first place in the NFC East, my beloved Cowboys got their hats handed to them every which way this past Sunday. They were beaten and badly; but we are endlessly optimistic here and we know that they will prevail in the end. We are true believers. Okay, it’s just Sarah, James, and me - my wife and William are Giants fans (ugh!).
That’s it for now - I’ll write again in a few weeks - just in time to kick off the season.
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