Absence of Evidence...

Recently, a pithy little phrase has been front of mind for me:

"Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."

In other words, just because you don't see or hear something happening, that doesn't mean it's not happening. I personally take comfort from this, given how little I've been promoting the Pan Mass Challenge this year compared to my blog and email frequency from previous years.   (Facebook's "on this day" reminders are a constant poke in my guilt center, when I see all the posts from previous years coming back to me...)

So although it's readily provable that I've gotten much less active with my PMC promotion, you can rest assured that I am every bit as committed to this cause as I was when I started. Compared to previous years, my training mileage is somewhat down, while my weight has traveled in the opposite direction... Nonetheless, my resolve is intact and I'm doubling down on my weekend and lunch-ride mileage. I will be ready for the Big Ride on  August 5th. I'm sure I won't set any PRs, but I'm equally sure that I'll be there at the Sturbridge Host Hotel and ready to ride -- along with more than 5,000 others.  ;-)

The Punchline is this, though:  I ride the PMC to raise money for cancer research and treatment. I do this by trying to convince you, my readers, that this is a cause worthy of your support and donation/sponsorship.  This year, we have a $48M fund-raising goal to meet. This is how you can help:

1. Donating online, using your credit card:Click here, or go to https://profile.pmc.org/dm0192
   Follow the instructions online.
2. Donating by check:
   Make your check payable to "PMC - Jimmy Fund".
   Send it to me at the below address and I will submit it:
       Doug McPherson
       13 Marble Farm Road
       Maynard, MA 01754
   

When it's all said and done, this "whole PMC-thing" I've been doing for the last 14 years is really a very simple thing -- but that's simple as in "straightforward", not as in "easy". For me, this "PMC thing" is actually a bit stressful from time to time, and it requires a lot of time and effort. But that's all OK -- because it turns out that there are some things that are worthy of our effort.  And for me, joining the fight against cancer has become just that. I hope that if you've read this far, you might also believe it's worthy of your donation and support.  Please help us today.

Wheels Are Turning...

"Work is Hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short. "
    -- Adam Hochschild

Over the last 14 years I've noticed a trend. Each year around March when I get back on the bike:
I find that I am noticeably slower.
I find that all my biking clothes have mysteriously shrunk.
I start to wonder how on earth I'm going to beat myself back into enough of a shape to bike 100 miles -- let alone do it 2 days in a row.
Speaking only for me, this year's start has been more annoying than any previous, full of all manner of delays, distractions and my usual procrastinations. But now I am started -- and I can't stop -- because I have committed to the PMC mission. And after all, none of this is about me anyway.

The PMC mission is simple: ensure that the doctors, nurses and researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have the necessary resources to continue their vital work and discover cures for all cancers. That's it. This year, however, they're up against an additional challenge: In 2017 the federal government budgeted an almost 20% reduction in funding to the National Institute of Health (NIH). The NIH is the agency that distributes most federal support for biomedical research in this country, so this will have a serious impact on Dana-Farber -- as well as just about any other biomedical research in the US. Cancer research and treatment have been advancing rapidly, but federal budget cuts like these against biomedical research threaten to send us backwards.

As you can see, this year more than ever I and all my fellow PMC riders have our work cut out for us -- and it is not about training for a bike ride. We now need to work harder than ever to offset these funding headwinds and ensure that Dana-Farber's doctors and researchers get the resources they need in the fight against cancer.  But how?

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
-- Arthur Ashe

All that said, our PMC 2017 is fully underway and you can clearly see that we need your help like never before. There are so many ways you can help us:

You can sponsor a PMC rider. The PMC's prime focus is raising money.  100% of every dollar you donate through a rider goes directly to Dana-Farber. You can donate online by clicking here.

You can become part of the PMC yourself.  It's too late to register as a rider for 2017, but there is still time to register as a volunteer. The spirit of the PMC lives as much in our volunteers as it does in our riders, teams, partners and sponsors. By volunteering for the PMC, you can transform your energy, compassion, and encouragement into furthering cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Volunteer registration closes in July, so register soon,

You can share your story with me. If you have a story to tell, I want to hear it. Over the years I've ridden in memory of and in honor of a lot of people; family, friends, neighbors and people I'd never met in person. Every name, every story and every picture is a constant reminder and a passenger that I take on the ride with me.

You can share our our story with others. Tell your friends about the PMC. Help spread the word and ask them to support a rider, too!

Finally, before I end I have just one more quote -- ostensibly from John Wesley -- that I think sums up my call to action here:

"Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can."
    -- John Wesley, et al

So thanks for reading. I should be posting more ride pics and stories over the next few weeks,  And I hope to hear from you all soon.