The 2018 PMC:
We Did It At Last!

December 24, 2018

Merry Christmas! Who would have thought it would be December before my remote PMC? We finally got in a PMC "ride" yesterday, on December 23rd. To recap, an unfortunate accident at the fire station in early August left me with a broken right elbow and a very long recovery, still in progress. The bone has healed, but regaining range of motion in my elbow, shoulder, wrist, and hand has been a real challenge. I have a great team helping me out. Between physical therapy, massage therapy, hydro therapy, exercises... we're chipping away at it, but I've still got a long ways to go. My advice? Don't break your elbow.

Prior to the accident, I was on track for a pretty good mileage year. I was getting in some long rides, and felt pretty strong. I lost about 8 weeks to let the fracture heal, but by the end of September, I was spending 3 days a week on a stationary bike to keep fit.I was really hoping to be able to get the PMC ride on the road, but it was not to be. Instead, it's on a stationary bike, as you will see.

Let's start with an introductory video. Click on the image to see the video. You may need to click a second time to start it once it loads.
 


 
My riding buddy, Steve, has participated in every remote PMC since 2006, and he was intent on keeping up the streak! His ride started a bit before mine. He decided to try the John Nicholas trail, which connects Black Road to Skyline Blvd not far from our house. The ride is mostly uphill to Skyline. From there, he rode to the fire station and checked in while I was about half way through my first segment. He headed back out to complete the ride and returned about an hour later. Here are some photos from his ride: a nice lake and a great view of the Santa Clara valley.

Lake View
 
My ride was not as exciting.

The Star-trac only allows a maximum of 60 minute rides, so I planned to ride 4 segments, with short breaks in between. With a fan in front to stay cool, my trusty 2007 PMC water bottle, and some tunes on the phone, off we go! The first program is a hat profile. It starts out with an easier gear, then steps up twice to a harder workout, then steps back down on the other end. I picked the same level I've been using for most of my workouts. After an hour on the hat, it was time for a banana break.

Steve had still not returned, so I started up my second segment. For this hour, I chose a custom program, where I'm basically modifying the level about every 3 minutes. Something like a hat, but with more of an increasing climbing profile, as the photo shows. Around this time, Steve drove in. The Star-trac let's you pause for about 20 seconds, so I ran to the door, let him in, then finished out the segment. I got him hooked up with some toast and a nice mug of french roast, while I set up the third program.

hat
First program, the hat
 
custom
Second hour: a custom program
 
For the third segment, I figured I was warmed up, so it was time for Alpine Pass. I'm not sure why Star-trac thinks this profile is an Alpine Pass, but it certainly has climbs, and they are really tough. As you can see to the right, the road gets steep quickly...and these are really steep. It really gets your heart rate going! This was a shorter segment, about 20 minutes, as that's about all I could stand... seeing as I can't really stand up, as I can't really lean on my right arm - yet. It felt good to climb, a good burn in the quads....  
Steve's toasted
Steve's toasted
 
Alpine pass
Alpine Pass

Final Segment

For final segment, I returned to the hat profile, as the Alpine Pass took a bit out of my knees and I needed something a little easier - not accustomed to riding on the Star-trac for this long, and it's not exactly a perfect fit! As always, Steve was great company. He set up this video which I hope you enjoy. It's a little hard to hear, what with the fan and "Too Much Information" by the Police in the background. Steve is dancing to the music while I narrate. I can always count on Steve to keep me smiling. So you've got to check it out. The text below the video frame should make it easier to follow!

 
"I am bobbing a lot... NOW we've got the music going... So where are we? We're in the 3rd hour here, getting near the end. I'm beat!
Steve is here; Steve did his contribution to the virtual PMC; did the John Nicholas trail on his mountain bike; a couple of thousand feet of climbing. He's demonstrating my Digi-flex, one of my exercise tools. You can tell I'm getting tired, because I'm bobbing a lot
[and repeating myself, apparently ] . So... we have about... 15 minutes to go here... "

Post Ride Wrapup

This was not the ride I expected to do, but it felt good to get in some hours on a bike for a great cause. After the ride, Steve stopped by the house for a pasta lunch. And, as he has become an awesome licensed massage therapist in recent years, and has been instrumental in my rehab... he offered up some work on my shoulder which was a little stressed by the ride. We agreed to find a solid ride for next year.

2018 has been a great fundraising year - as I mentioned in the intro video, new records for the PMC ($56M) and for me ($13000). But it has also been a rocky year. My dad passed away in January. He was 89. He was one of my original motivations for riding in my first PMC in 1991. Two years prior to that, he had beaten colon cancer. He lived the next 29 years cancer free. My mom (also an original motivator) is managing to keep her second go-round with cancer at bay. We have friends and family locked in battles with cancer (including our cat, Cole). So we cannot let our guard down; the job is not done. Your contributions to the PMC make a real difference.

For myself and Steve, and for the 10000+ riders and volunteers for the PMC, thanks for your support!