PMC Post-Ride Analysis

[ornoth]

A week ago I participated in my third Pan-Mass Challenge, a 2-day,
192-mile fundraising bike ride to benefit the Jimmy Fund and Boston’s
prestigious Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

I would have posted an update earlier, but I wanted to get the ride travelogue done, and it hasn’t been the usual pleasure to write. Although the first day was good, this year’s ride ended in a painful crash early on the morning of the second day of the two-day event. My ride ended when I went to the hospital to receive treatment for my injuries: abrasions all over my right side, a huge “road rash” on my right hip, and a puncture wound to my right elbow that required two stitches to close. I’m disappointed, frustrated, and feel pretty beat up, and I’ve still got $550 left to raise. Get the complete, unabridged story in my travelogue, and see the photos of the crash site and my injuries.

Comments

[angelovernh.livejournal.com]

Oh dear!! I'm sorry you were injured and went down. Knowing you, I'd bet you're more upset about not finishing the challenge than the personal injury, though that also sucks big time. {{{{{{{{gentle hugs}}}}}}}}}}

[nuns.livejournal.com]

Wow -- I'm really sorry it didn't go as well as you hoped. Are you off riding for a while?

[ornoth.livejournal.com]

Thanks… You’re right–I’m definitely more annoyed by not finishing. That might have been different if I’d had a more serious injury.

Actually, if the injuries heal quickly enough and I get the chance, I may yet go back down there and do Sunday’s ride solo sometime in the next couple months. Unfinished business bugs me…

[ornoth.livejournal.com]

Thanks… Well, my riding always drops off after the PMC, both because I get sick of riding, as well as there being no real reason to push myself to put in the miles. I’ll certainly get back to riding soon, but I won’t be pulling big miles until everything heals up quite a bit…

[angelovernh.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you did not get a more serious injury. Yeah, going back and redoing Sunday's ride sounds good. Would you still get the money from the pledges or is that out of the question?

BTW, if you'd like a reasonably long but do-able bike trip sometime, you're invited to come visit Patrick and I sometime here in South Nashua. We'll feed you ice cream ::tease:: (and maybe even lunch or dinner) :) There are surely back roads from there to here, which would be useful. Let me know if you're interested so we can plan it and be umm.. awake and "with it" at the right time. :)

[lothie.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. I'm also sorry I can't contribute.

[ornoth.livejournal.com]

Oya, the donations are not dependent on the distance ridden, so no worries there.

As for riding to Nashua, that’s quite a haul: about 90 miles round trip. I’ve made it up to Salem NH once, but even that’d only be doable when I’m in training (i.e., before the PMC). But next spring might be an option…

[ornoth.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It’s no bigi. Contribute when you can, don’t when you can’t. No prollo.

Got my sutures out today, too, so hopefully the healing thing is making progress…