Today We Ride…Wellesley to Wrentham

 

Today we ride…this is our mantra early in the morning on PMC Saturday. Up at 4:30am, we leave Attleboro and head to Babson College in Wellesley, MA. My bike is already there, having brought it up to Wellesley the night before. Overnight, “The Contessa”  and about 3,000 other bikes are watched over by a group of our awesome volunteers (there are over 4,000 volunteers that support us during PMC weekend.). 

Breakfast is waiting for us, yogurt, coffee, muffins, bagels, fruits and our staples, bananas and peanut butter …potassium and protein. Fun fact…On PMC weekend riders consume over 1300 lbs of peanut butter and and over 20,000 bananas! 

We fill our bottles with water and Gatorade, stuff our pockets with bars and yes, an extra banana and head to the bikes. During our opening ceremony we remember why we ride and those that are not here to ride with us this year. We acknowledge our living proof riders, amazing and inspiring people, those who are fighting cancer and make this ride!!  The National anthem, the cow bells ring and we are off to the sounds of U2’s It’s a Beautiful Day.  It’s 7:00am and our 164 mile ride has begun. We make our way out of Babson to the sound of more cowbells and so many supporters wishing us a “safe ride” and “see you in Bourne”. Our route takes us through Wellesley,  Needham, Dover, (our first long climb, Farm Street in Dover!),  Sherbourne, Medfield, Norfolk and into Wrentham, our first waterstop.

21 miles later….we arrive at the ground of the Wrentham State Hospital. Here we are greeted by crowds of people on the road, our awesome volunteers , including two of my favorites, my sister Cindy and brother-in-law, Dennis who drive up from southern RI in the wee hours of the morning, to be at this stop so early in the morning.

We riders could not make this ride without our PMC Volunteers. They take such good care of us! In addition to these volunteers, their are volunteer nurses, massage therapists, bike mechanics and our policeman who keep us safe on the roads and through the intersections, all of these people volunteer their time to support the research at Dana-Farber.

So today I “rode” 21 miles, my first leg of the PMC2020 Reimagined. Though we can’t ride together, we are all committed to funding research and finding cures. Please follow my journey and enjoy the photos of PMCs past. You can support my ride by following the link below. Cancer doesn’t quit so neither can we!

Dawn’s Ride

#RideOn #NeverGiveUp #BikesFightCancer #TogetherWeAreStronger

#PMC2020 Reimagined

It is July 19, 2020, PMC weekend is just two weeks away. Normally I would be relaxing today, recovering from my last long ride weekend. This year is different. COVID19 has thrown a wrench into just about everything we know to be normal.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that cancer and other diseases like it have not gone away. This year 6,500 riders, 4,000 volunteers, our support teams, our water-stop venues, our law enforcement support, will not come together on that first weekend of August. The logistics are just too dangerous. But ride we shall, in a “Reimagined” way! We will pursue our rides in many different ways, different days, but not together. Some of us will ride part of the route, in different places, different days, it is up to us to “reimagine” our ride! Our mission of supporting cancer research at the world renowned Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will go on.

I plan to ride my 164 miles over the next 2 weeks leading up to PMC weekend. I will chronicle my journey here on my blog.  PMC weekend also will also be celebrated on WBZ-TV see below for schedule.

Thank you for your support! #RideOn #PMC2020

It’s about time…

Time to get back to writing and sharing! In this time of COVID19 and working from home I have had more time than usual to think and put things into perspective. Hoping to share more often on life’s musings!

PS Jack says Hello.

#Believe

A short something that I wanted to share…About a month, ago just after I started my fundraising for this year’s PanMass Challenge, I received a donation from one of my sister Robin’s childhood friends. This friend has been a supporter of my ride and of Dana-Farber pretty much since I started riding. She sent a note and photo along this year in her envelope.

You see this picture was taken at her Dad’s 80th birthday party this past January. Seated at the table in the photo were 11 people; brother, Mom and Dad, husband, children aunts, uncles… in this note, my sister’s friend explained that around this table sat 4 people that had been diagnosed with cancer, all with different kinds. Not pictured were another aunt and cousin that also had been diagnosed with cancer. I was in disbelief, so much for just one family.

Her next line blew me away! She stated that at the writing of this letter, they ALL were cancer free! She stated that she believed this is because of the money that is raised by the PMC for cancer research.

I Believe this to be true also. Our riding brings awareness and our fundraising provides the equipment and research needed to run trials. It supplies the top notch researchers what they need to fight and conquer cancer!

As always, I want to thank all of the donors who faithfully support me each year and I want to open an invitation to any of you who also Believe that cancer should be gone.

Follow this link to my page if you would like to support my ride and Dana-Farber this year. I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN WIN!!

Dawn’s PMC Ride 2018

Happy Place

One of the best birthday gifts I ever received from my husband was my “Happy Place”.  A carved out section of our basement, totally finished into a craft room. With 4 children it was such a blessing to have a space to hide….ha ha! They always found me, but it did take a few minutes!  Anyway, more about the craft room another time.  It is a source of great relaxation and a place I can make my cards and paint (and all of those other crafts that I have to try!).

Just wanted to share a few spring cards that I made. Some of you will find them in your mailboxes…another reason to create, getting a card is way more fun that bills and junk mail!

In crafting there are no mistakes, just unique creations!

Spring Things

Spring has finally arrived though everything seems to be a month behind! I finally have gotten my bike out on the road, keeping a watchful eye on those potholes and winter sand on the sides of the street. Good bye winter, looking forward to seeing the street sweeper!

On April 14th my PMC team, The Patriot Platelet Pedalers gathered for our first team ride, 26.2 miles, our memorial ride for the 2013 Boston Marathon. About 70 PPPer’s met at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. We are part of the Kraft Charitable Foundation and we are riding to fight cancer!

We also had the pleasure of being joined by out PMC Pedal Partners, PJ and Jovi who with our team in tow took a ceremonial ride around the lot to warm us up before we hit the road. 53 degrees, still a little chilly, but the sun was shining as we set out moving across beautiful back roads winding through Foxborough, Sharon, Mansfield and North Attleboro. 

Back to the stadium at noon as the clouds rolled in and lunch with my teammates. Sore legs, but high spirits, we are blessed and excited to be part of this upcoming “challenge”. Training has begun!!!

Each year we raise money, ride and support the research and treatment going on at The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. We believe we are making a difference by riding. Together with our supporters we can beat this disease!

Please follow the link below if you would like to support me and be part of my 2017 Ride!

Thank you…dawn!

Why I ride…

The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones that do.  Steve Jobs

Coming to a Mailbox Near You!

It’s that time of year, the time when I begin my “challenge” to raise money for Dana-Farber through my ride in the PMC. This has been my quest for the past 9 years and each year I am more and more determined to support the research for new drugs and treatments.  Just this week I have had two family friends diagnosed with cancer, one advanced.  We can make a difference.  I am asking for your support again this year.  I will ride 170 miles in August from Wellesley to Provincetown. Support me please by following the link to my webpage. Why I Ride  

Just too nice to ride inside today. Guinness and I hit the road for our first run. Temp in the 40s and bright sunshine! No time like the present to get out there and start some outside training, so the “Crafter and her “dog” did a quick mile. So happy to see the Robins out scratching for worms, so happy the snow is melting!

See the cute Robins!

Such a good puppy!

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The sky is a beautiful blue as I write this entry.  Yes, spring is coming next week, but white stuff on the ground says winter! We have had 3 Nor’easters in the past two weeks and the weatherman says there is one more to come. I think March has come in like a lion and has decided to stay as a lion! Ugghhhh!

It’s been a while….but I am back. Blogging has been something I have wanted to undertake for quite some time. There just not enough hours in the day to work, excercise and do all of those wonderful crafts, read, cook and blog! I am going to try and not raise the bar so high this time.  Setting the goal at once a week. So enjoy this short but sweet entry and we will see you soon! 😉

Practice like you have never won, play like you have never lost.  Michael Jordan

I think this is where the garden gnomes are hiding!

Joy

Spring is here…for sure! Posting some pics from a beautiful and relaxing weekend. A busy time of the year working in a school, end of the year activities, graduation, so busy but with the beautiful spring days how can you not have a smile!

Some beautiful hangers, yellow petunia’s and some other flower that I can’t remember the name, but just know that the gentleman at Anderson’s farm told me it will only bloom when it is hot and Saturday at 83 degrees this guy was in full bloom!

Mark and I also enjoyed a ride on the Blackstone Bike Path.  Let’s just say this was beneficial in the way of excercise, probably not the best idea to go at 11:00 in the morning! I will just remeber this as the “Pollen Ride”. Our tires were picking up yellow dust with each revolution! Thanks to modern medicine and inhalers, I made it through!

So many good things to be thankful for, a Friday afternoon brew with Mark at Skyroc Brewery, An awesome Saturday night dinner with family, a great serman at RBC, and a qiet dinner to finish off the weekend!

Ready to head into the month of May!

 

The earth laughs in flowers…Ralph Waldo Emerson