With Tremendous Appreciation to my Sponsors

Pan Mass Challenge 2009 was a great success -- A $30,000 million dollar goal, 5,200 riders, 3,000 volunteers, and over 30 Cyclopaths participating in this year's event. (Many even made it to the team photo this year.) Fantastic! We had a gorgeous day, both of my teams did well, (NS Cyclopaths and Team Wishing Welles), Mike delivered 3,000 pieces of luggage to the dorms, and I raised a phenomenal $6,045 for the Jimmy Fund, making me a Heavy Hitter this year. (Only my third time in 7 years. It's not easy making HH!)

Your generosity knows no bounds, and I could not have done this without you! Together we made a united stand in the fight against cancer, and I cannot thank you enough for the love and support you have given me each year. You are all amazing. Thank you!! -- Tam

PMC 2009

Where did my common sense go?

Three weeks before PMC weekend, I wasn't feeling happy with the scale. (As everyone knows, cycling shorts are not very forgiving.) I decided to cut back my calories -- which wasn't the smartest thing I could have done so close to the PMC -- and managed to catch a bug of some kind. Fever, body aches, and an endless headache. On Thursday I learned I lost 7 pounds in a week -- (plus another 2 pounds over this weekend) -- and I'm feeling weak. When I walked the dog yesterday, I got dizzy and had to sit on the sidewalk like a loser. Did I bring this on myself by cutting back on calories so close to the PMC? Last weekend I felt strong during the Cohen Classic. (Loved the rolling hills in Maine.) Today I can barely walk the dog down the street. Pathetic. Hopefully I can shake this before Friday.

Tri State Cohen Classic

Another Tri-State Cohen Classic is in the books! Thirteen riders in all, including Donna, Cape Cod Mike(!), Ed, New Dave, Drew, Lisa, The Queen, Tam, and Margie (both starting at Jenness Beach), and Ethan and his posse, Jim and Arthur! We had a gorgeous day for a ride -- especially in the morning before the beach crowds settled in! Breakfast at Cafe Espresso was again worth the trip, and our waitress was exceptional. The ride along coastal route 1A is spectacular. PMC weekend is just 2 weeks away!

Mad Martha's

We had a spectacular ride to Mad Martha's, Plum Island, on Saturday -- A gorgeous day and a surprisingly easy ride despite my lack of miles lately. (At this point I'm depending on the base miles I earned earlier in the season.) Only 8 of 17 riders made the trek to Plum Island, with the rest of the gang staying behind in Ipswich for breakfast. The PMC is 3 weeks away, and most of us were noting how far behind in our mileage we are. (I'm doing my best to get more mileage in during the week.) Next weekend we ramp it up to 75 miles for the Cohen Tri-State Classic. Fun.

Independence Day Ride

We had a glorious 40 mile ride to Boxford and Ipswich to celebrate the 4th of July. Bright skies, dry roads, and no rain in sight! What a relief! Our gang of 18 headed to Wayne's for breakfast -- and then most ventured on to loop Bradley Palmer State Park. Somehow en route we missed a turn and ended up in Ipswich! (Thanks, Drew!) Awesome ride.

Many Thanks

I have been furiously writing thank you cards to all of you. Needless to say, I'm falling behind. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sponsoring me in this year's PMC. I have met my fundraising goal! In this economy, I really didn't think I could do it, and you proved me wrong. I am so grateful for your support and encouragement, and hope you know how truly thankful I am. (And humbled.) Thank you, again.

The rain is making my training very difficult. (Stuck inside eating cookies doesn't help either.) I suspect I'm going to have an ugly ride on August 1st and 2nd. Hopefully, the sun will be shining! ;-)

Rain, rain, go away!!

This is killing my training!

Weekend Plans

I was sidelined from my training for a few weeks while my toe has been healing. That, combined with a wedding (Mark and Amanda's, May 31st), and a conference (International Encaustic Conference, June 5-8), I've missed several long rides. My plan this weekend is to get in 30 miles on Saturday and 15-20 on Sunday to spread my 50 over two days. Hopefully a few mid-range rides will get me back on track.

Very Cool!

Hoping to ride over the weekend despite my bruised and swollen foot, I cut up an old cycling shoe to accommodate my broken toe. (Donna Cohen's genius idea.) Unfortunately, I had to cut away too much of the shoe, leaving me with very little support. (Mike suggested using duct tape to keep my foot from sliding through the cut-out.) My friend Bruce suggested these cool looking cycling sandals (with SPD cleats) made by Keen. They're a little pricey for sandals, but may relieve some toe pressure while my foot heals. Something to look into. Thanks, Bruce, for the idea!

Sidelined

I broke my toe on Tuesday (!) and won't be cycling for a week or so. The doctor said the bone will take 6 weeks to heal, but should be feeling better in about 2 weeks. (I'll need to tape my toes through June to allow the bone to heal.) I don't think I put much pressure on my toes when cycling anyway, but currently the bruising and swelling won't allow me to get on a cycling shoe. (Or any shoe, for that matter.) No fun. Will try and get the x-ray from the doctor to post on the blog!

Boxford - 30 Miles RT

Between the Pedal Partner party on May 2nd, and baseball on the 9th, I missed back-to-back Saturday rides to start the month of May. (Not the best start, but not the worst either, as this time of year usually brings many rain-outs.) Despite a mostly-cloudy day on Saturday, it was great to be with the group as we headed out to Boxford for breakfast at Wayne's. (aka Boxford General Store). Thirteen made it to breakfast -- a great group -- and a quick 30-mile day. Good to be back on the bike.

PMC Pedal Partner Party

The boys and I headed into Fenway Park on Saturday morning to meet with other members of Team Wishing Welles, and the Mason Family, at the PMC's Annual Pedal Partner party! This year, over a thousand riders will be dedicating their rides to 79 children being treated at the Jimmy Fund Clinic. It was tough to keep up with Welles, who enjoyed exploring the State Street Pavilion like an energetic 4 year old! Such a cutie! We couldn't stay long -- both boys had baseball games back in Swampscott -- but Chip and Will enjoyed meeting Welles and seeing Caroline. (In my newsletter I mistakenly wrote that Caroline was a kindergartner. She is actually in Chipper's grade -- which I knew, of course, but didn't catch my error before sending out my letters.)

Thank you to all who have sent in donations. I am always so touched by your thoughtfulness and generosity. You make everything possible. --Tam

Fundraising Letters in the Mail

The much-anticipated Cronin Family Newsletter finally dropped this week! Hooray! There are one or two misprints, but I'm not going to point them out just yet. I'm basking in the glow of watching Chip stuff them all through the mail slot at the Marblehead post office -- several times attempting to beat his record in the "How many envelopes can fit through the slot at one time, before they get jammed" game. Happy, happy.

20 Miles to Manchester

Saturday's ride to Manchester was officially 19.2 miles, which is the longest group ride to date. Some riders are just now returning to the bike after a long winter, and most rides will be in the 20-30 mile range until Memorial Day. If anyone wants to join us before we kick up the mileage, now is the time! We had 16 riders on Saturday, which is a good showing for early May.