YES, it was as awesome as last year! Perhaps even more so for me since most people aren’t lucky enough to have a 2nd shot at their 15 minutes of fame. The weekend was another opportunity for me to reflect and to see even more clearly, if that’s possible, just how lucky and blessed I am. The Mentschen spirit is always very high and our team had a bunch of new members this year including a very close friend from Union High School track and field, Mark Cheben, as well as Naomi Rabinowitz who is a cousin of Amy’s. That Mark, Naomi, and her boyfriend Paul, supported me and our Mentschen fundraising effort made the weekend even more special. With your generous donations I raised $5,225 and the Mentschen collectively raised over $23,400 in support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Simply amazing.
Another surprise from the weekend is that our “All Jacked Up!!” team cycling jersey won first place for the Philly LiveSTRONG event as voted by the event participants themselves. We’re not quite sure what that all means yet but I’ll keep you posted as we get more information.
OK, OK… I bet you’re anxious to know how I did on the ride? Last year I was only able to ride the 10-mile course. I had a posse of Mentschen with me and although it was terrific the ride itself was way too short. This year I had established a goal early on to ride the 45-mile course and I stuck firmly to that goal. I knew that I’d go into the actual event under prepared but I knew too that my Mentschen team members and the emotions of the day would pull me through. The heat/humidity and the hills of eastern PA made the challenge of 45 miles that much more difficult but in the end I covered the distance and had to fight back some tears as I came down the finishing chute with Mark Cheben, Gary Vencius, David Swingle, and Robert Spivack as my support team. It was certainly a memorable experience for all and as you can imagine the day was meaningful to me for multiple reasons. See some pictures from the LiveSTRONG event below.
That the ride came immediately upon our return from 10 days in Colorado that were both vacation and a mission to get Sasha setup at Colorado State made it even more challenging. Amy and I didn’t arrive home until well after midnight on Friday and our emotions were still running high based on our new status as empty nesters. We’re still coming to grips with that one.
I had an appointment with Dr. Richards on Monday. This was a basic checkup where I had my medi-port flushed and blood counts checked. All is A-OK and the process was started to get an insurance pre-certification for a PET/CT scan. The scan should take place sometime mid-September.
Amy and I pre-ride
Mark Cheben and I well into the ride
In the staging area pre-ride... my survivor and "Honor of Dad" cards on my back
Dan Nies and Erin pre-ride
Mintz's Mentschen 2009
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