I did it!
I completed the Pan Mass Challenge, met my fundraising goal of $5141 (last year's amount) and had a great ride. It's still not too late to contribute -- we have until October 1. So if you want to give... or give again... here's the link:
My Fundraising Page
I got medically cleared just 2 weeks before the ride which was August 3. The first thing I did after he gave me permission to get off the couch? The next day I went to a yoga class with my favorite teacher Sarah Jane, then drove (first time in 7 weeks!) out West, and took an evening bike ride. It was extremely hot and humid, but I did 29 miles that first time out. I got in a few more rides and by the time the PMC was one week away, I did one last training ride of 65 miles. So I figured that since the surgeon said it was OK to do and had some decent mileage behind me, I gave it a shot. Mark told that me that at any time he would pick me up so I felt no need to finish. At every rest stop I re-evaluated. Any pain? discomfort? difficulty? None of that. It was exhilarating. Plus the day was cloudy and relatively cool.
It was so much fun! I met another rider, Jackie, who went my speed or a bit faster. We talked the whole way, all 111 miles. It took almost 10 hours, but it's not about speed for anyone. It's not a race.
So in spite of a huge setback in training, it was awesome. Can't wait to do it again next year!
The vision in my left eye is still really myopic. I'll get fit for new glasses on Friday. Now I understand that it can take months to fully recover. The vision returns to baseline very slowly. I've been spoiled -- I have been near-sighted since I childhood and have used glasses, but only for driving or going to the theatre. Until my vision returns to baseline, I'll be much more dependent on glasses. But I'm OK with that. Most everyone this age (52) has glasses, so I'll gracefully and gratefully accept this change.
I completed the Pan Mass Challenge, met my fundraising goal of $5141 (last year's amount) and had a great ride. It's still not too late to contribute -- we have until October 1. So if you want to give... or give again... here's the link:
My Fundraising Page
I got medically cleared just 2 weeks before the ride which was August 3. The first thing I did after he gave me permission to get off the couch? The next day I went to a yoga class with my favorite teacher Sarah Jane, then drove (first time in 7 weeks!) out West, and took an evening bike ride. It was extremely hot and humid, but I did 29 miles that first time out. I got in a few more rides and by the time the PMC was one week away, I did one last training ride of 65 miles. So I figured that since the surgeon said it was OK to do and had some decent mileage behind me, I gave it a shot. Mark told that me that at any time he would pick me up so I felt no need to finish. At every rest stop I re-evaluated. Any pain? discomfort? difficulty? None of that. It was exhilarating. Plus the day was cloudy and relatively cool.
It was so much fun! I met another rider, Jackie, who went my speed or a bit faster. We talked the whole way, all 111 miles. It took almost 10 hours, but it's not about speed for anyone. It's not a race.
So in spite of a huge setback in training, it was awesome. Can't wait to do it again next year!
The vision in my left eye is still really myopic. I'll get fit for new glasses on Friday. Now I understand that it can take months to fully recover. The vision returns to baseline very slowly. I've been spoiled -- I have been near-sighted since I childhood and have used glasses, but only for driving or going to the theatre. Until my vision returns to baseline, I'll be much more dependent on glasses. But I'm OK with that. Most everyone this age (52) has glasses, so I'll gracefully and gratefully accept this change.
