I've started posting entries from my honeymoon journal, with links to photos. Check it out.
Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
October 17, 2006
PMC 2006: Final fundraising push -- thank you
The fundraising for the PMC is finally done. I raised $500 in the last nine days, for a total of $2805! I didn't quite meet my minimum of $3300, but came close. I am responsible for making up the difference myself ($495), but it's not as much as I was worried it would be a couple of weeks ago. Thanks again to everyone who donated...
Posted by Geoff at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2006
PMC 2006 training started!
I'm officially registered for the Pan-Mass Challenge 2006. I've got a great indoor trainer for my bicycle, by Kurt Kinetic, which is great for weather like yesterday's 17F and -6F windchill. I will also have a real road bike this year, which I got used from friend of mine last summer.
Please feel free to donate early by visiting my profile or my donation page.
Thanks in advance!
Posted by Geoff at 6:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 7, 2005
PMC weekend: I made it!
It's PMC weekend and I finished the ride today around 10:45am. I'm exhausted! But I want to thank everyone again who sponsored my ride by donating to the Jimmy Fund.
I've now raised $2875 for cancer research and treatment and ridden 2142 miles including training rides this year. It was a fun weekend, too. I rode with friends (thanks Jothy, Carole, and Pam!), met some new friends (thanks Bruce and Moe), ate a ton of food and drank plenty of beer. The weather was great -- cool in the mornings, not too hot in the afternoon. 
Relaxing in Bourne was wonderful -- sunny, not too hot -- we sat at the edge of the Cape Cod Canal after a big buffet dinner.
The vitals: I rode 156 miles, 84 miles on Saturday, 72 miles on Sunday. My average speed on Saturday was 15.5 mph, on 
Sunday it was a blazing 17.0 mph. As you can see, I took lots of camera-phone photos. Carole and Jothy took some great photos as well, which they promised to send me.
Okay, now I really must sleep! I'm going to beach tomorrow on my birthday with Nneka. Thanks again to those who supported me. Thanks also to the wonderful volunteers whose hard work helped make it such a fun weekend.
Good night!
Posted by Geoff at 9:37 PM | Comments (1)
July 31, 2005
$2255 and 2000 miles later, I'm ready!
My big ride is nearly here, and I'm definitely ready. Yes, I'm certain now. I was a little worried a few weeks ago that I hadn't been riding enough on vacation, but now I'm sure. I rode two 60 mile rides this weekend and a total of 325 miles in the last two weeks. And I feel pretty good. No sore calf (which plagued me for much of the summer). No stiff joints. I'm actually less tired today after the second long ride than I was last night after the first.
I've also surpassed my minimum fundraising amount at $2255. I'm still short of my goal of $2500, but there's still plenty of time to donate. So, please do if you haven't yet! Thanks a bunch to everyone who has! I also realized that I may come close to riding as many miles this year as dollars raised for the PMC -- I've ridden 1985 miles since January, and I've got 151 miles in the big ride next weekend, for a total of 2136 miles!
Wish me luck! I'm so ready to relax after this is done. 
Posted by Geoff at 10:17 PM | Comments (2)
June 20, 2005
Miles and miles
I wore myself out last week, riding 6 days straight, totalling nearly 140 miles. I was so tired I took three days off in a row. But I still managed to get in 101 miles: 16 on Thursday, 18 on Friday, and my longest ever 67 miles on Sunday. The shorter second day of my PMC route is only 68 miles, so I'm getting there.
My fundraising total is now up to $1580. Thanks to everyone who has contributed! There's still time to make a donation to sponsor my ride.
Posted by Geoff at 11:01 AM | Comments (0)
June 14, 2005
Back on schedule
For a good part of May, it was difficult to keep up with my training schedule. We had the coldest May on record and it rained a lot, plus I've been pretty busy. But this week I finally caught up again, riding nearly 140 miles this week, including a 63 mile ride this past Sunday. I was tired and sore after the long ride, but I'm feeling pretty good about my progress. I'm healthy and have a little less than 2 months to go. I'm really looking forward to it.
Thanks to everyone who has sponsored my ride with donations. I've raised $1480 of my $2500 goal. Please give generously if you haven't already. Donations can be made online, or by mail.
Posted by Geoff at 11:01 AM | Comments (1)
April 21, 2005
PMC Update: $1200 raised -- nearly halfway to my goal
Thanks to everyone who has given so generously to cancer research by sponsoring my ride in the PMC. I'm more than halfway to the fundraising minimum of $2200 and nearly halfway to my goal of $2500.
An update on my training: The weather's gotten really nice lately, and it feels great to ride in shorts again. I'm gradually increasing my mileage each week. Last week I was up to 105 miles. I hope to beat that this week (if the weather cooperates this weekend). I rode my longest ride last Sunday -- 56 miles -- and I felt pretty good afterward. I think I need practice riding with other people and some hill work, but other than that I think I'm well on my way.
Posted by Geoff at 6:46 PM | Comments (0)
April 15, 2005
In good shape for the PMC -- 521 miles in 2005
With all the good weather the last month, I've gotten in a lot of riding. Last week, Mon-Sun, was my best week, with 87 miles, plus an hour of spinning. In the four weeks from March 20 through today, I've ridden 284 miles, and 521 miles since I started keeping track in January 2005!
I'm feeling very healthy and have even lost a little weight. (Last weekend I had to buy some new jeans because mine were too big!) My longest ride was 42 miles last Sunday. I plan to ride even longer this weekend. It's forcast to be 72 on Sunday. Yay! I'm feeling very comfortable with my ability to ride the 151 miles on PMC weekend.
Posted by Geoff at 5:17 PM | Comments (1)
April 2, 2005
PMC Update: $850 raised so far! Thanks!
Thanks to all who have contributed to my PMC ride so far. At $850, I'm well on my way to my goal of $2500. If you haven't contributed please visit my profile page on PMC's web site. You can pledge online or by mail. All donations are tax-deductible.
Thanks in advance!
Posted by Geoff at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)
February 5, 2005
Rode 31 miles today
To kickstart my training for the PMC, I rode my longest ride since last fall -- 31 miles, from Boston to Lexington. I turned around at the office park where my company will be moving to at the end of this month. It happens to be a block away from the Minute Man Bikeway! I plan to begin commuting by bike a few times a week after we move.
I also got my first pledge yesterday from my friends Grant and Mel -- thanks guys!
Posted by Geoff at 6:27 PM | Comments (1)
February 2, 2005
Registered to ride in the Pan-Mass. Challenge
I am now officially registered at the Pan-Mass. Challenge web site. You can view my profile, along with my fundraising goals. You can make donations and pledges there. I encourage anyone to give generously to this worthy cause. As August draws nearer you'll be able to see how much I've raised, etc. I plan to begin sending requests for donations in the coming weeks.
Thanks for your support.
Geoff
Posted by Geoff at 6:26 PM | Comments (2)
February 1, 2005
Slow start training for the Pan-Mass Challenge
I intended to do a little cycling in January to prepare for my entry in the Pan-Mass. Challenge. Unfortunately, the cold and snow conspired against me. I've managed to get in only about four rides this month.
I did ride this Sunday and was planning to try for today and tomorrow since the weather was going to be sunny and warmer, but alas, the door to the bike room at my apartment building is blocked by ice that formed when some of the snow on the roof melted this weekend. I'm told it will be cleared by tomorrow. Another obstacle is the fact that many of the bike paths are not yet plowed.
I'm hopeful that February will be a better month for training, but we'll see...
Posted by Geoff at 4:11 PM | Comments (0)
January 14, 2005
Pan-Mass Challenge: ride for cancer research
My life, like so many others, has been touched by cancer. My uncle, Rudy, died this year of cancer, after a two-year fight. My aunt, Eunice, was diagnosed this year with cancer, but is responding well to chemotherapy. My cousin's wife, Jennifer, died a number of years ago of cancer. My boss, Jothy, lost a leg and a lung to cancer, but survived twice thanks to research like that done at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Everywhere you turn people have been affected by this terrible disease.
Some of you may already know that I'm considering riding this August in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a fund-raiser for cancer research. All the proceeds go to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy Fund.
Registration is not until February, but I wanted to take this opportunity to make a preliminary announcement of my intention to ride this year and begin requesting sponsorship.
Each rider must raise a minimum of $2000-$3000 depending on the route (there are several routes, varying in length and difficulty). I am considering the two-day ride from Wellesley to Bourne (near Cape Cod) and back to Wellesley again (151 miles). The fundraising minimum is $2200, and my goal is to exceed that and try to raise $2500.
The PMC has raised over $120 million since its first ride in 1980. If you would like to contribute to this worthy cause by sponsoring my ride, please let me know. Send email to ride@geoffhardy.com. May I suggest a donation of $25, $50, or whatever you might feel comfortable giving?
To read more about PMC visit http://www.pmc.org. To read more about Dana-Farber Cancer Institute visit http://www.dana-farber.org/ or http://www.jimmyfund.org/.
Thanks in advance for your support.
Geoff Hardy
Posted by Geoff at 3:30 PM | Comments (0)