09/14/08

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For those who reached this site by some circuitous route and it's not clear what it's all about, attached is the letter that I've sent to my potential contributors.

Also attached is my thank-you letter for those who supported my MS PA Dutch ride as well as for my Battle Against Hunger tour.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Training Blog

At my wife's encouragement, I'm planning to periodically update you here on my on-going training and fund-raising campaign.

April '08

As you can see from the above graph, my road work has started slowly--wow, less than 500 miles so far!  Actually I was a bit disappointed last year when I only finished with 3500 miles for 2007 compared to 4000 miles in previous years.  I could blame the end of year drag on the weather or professional commitments, but one has to get beyond the excuses and just put the time in on the bike or he'll really be hurting when those big events roll around.  This is not to say that over the winter on less than optimal road days I haven't been doing a fair amount of trail-riding and I've also been working out in the gym with a schema designed by a trainer to get me ready for the season.  But now it's time to really put the pedal to the metal as they say. I definitely need some good 400 mile months and more work on hills to get ready for the MS PA Dutch ride and eventually for the Battle Against Hunger trek across the Delaware and Susquehana river valleys and on to Gettysburg.

May '08

I've begun to put in some serious time on the bike in the last month.  I'm now up to more than 1,000 miles for the year.  I've been doing some "hill work" even if it's mainly going up and down the Brigantine Bridge multiple times.  For June 19 to 22 I'll be in Vermont for a little "pleasure" riding with some local friends challenging the real hills.  I've now sent out my campaign letters for the MS rides and the Battle Against Hunger tour.  I am gratified that so many of you have already responded with great generosity!  Incidentally I was asked by the AtlantiCare Oncology coordinator to help her put together a team for the American Cancer Society bike-a-thon on July 13.  Suddenly I'm team captain of the AtlantiCare Starfish!  I'm excited that we have about 2 dozen folk who have joined the team.  The event which goes 64 miles from the Ben Franklin Bridge to Atlantic County should be a good rehearsal for the MS PA Dutch ride the next weekend.

June '08

June was a glorious month for training.  I did make it to Vermont and along some beautiful New England country roads, I learned the meaning of "hills".  I have taken advantage of some weekly rides out of Port Republic with some really strong riders.  I compliment myself if I can hang with them for even the first 1/4 of their 40 mile loop.  After that if I'm lucky I may find a few others "stragglers" who can't keep up with the 25 mph pace.  Things are moving ahead well for the beginning of the longer rides in July.

July '08

July did not start out well when I crashed on the 2nd riding by myself up on Long Beach Island.  Thankfully I just suffered some nasty "road rash" (abrasions) around my right elbow and hip.  I was shaken up more than anything.  More importantly, I just scraped up the handlebar tape but otherwise did not hurt the "machine".  On July 13 I did lead the AtlantiCare Starfish team on the ACS Bike-a-thon.  We ended up with 30 team members and on a beautiful Sunday completed the 64 mile course.  With my daughter, Hannah, as part of the team, I rode the ride at a somewhat more relaxed pace than I otherwise might have and subsequently was feeling just fine afterwards--just a bit tired from the 3:30 am wake-up call. 

I successfully completed the MS PA Dutch tour on July 19-20!  With your help I did raise more than $1000 for the event and received the VIP treatment including a commemorative jersey and free massage after the ride!  The "play-by-play" on the ride is detailed in my thank you letter mentioned above.  Also I've posted photos from the event on the Photo Gallery page.

August '08

This was the lead-up month for September's Battle Against Hunger tour and the MS City-to-Shore ride.  I did make it out to Lancaster together with my middle daughter Hannah to do some hill work in the Covered Bridge Metric Century on August 17th.  It was a pretty event and Hannah did just fine completing the 100 km. (63 miles).  My oldest daughter Katie has decided to do the MS ride with a team from work.  I did get her out to do a 30 mile ride with me--her longest up to that point.

September '08

The month kicked off with the Battle Against Hunger ride on September 5 and 6.  I detail that adventure in my linked thank you letter to the contributors for that event--I survived!  On the 15th I took my wife Sarah up to the City of Brotherly Love and we participated in the Bike Philly event doing 20 miles through Center City and Fairmount Park.          

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, contributions are now being accepted for either 2008 tour for MS or the Rescue Mission.  Checks can be made out to "National MS Society" or "Battle Against Hunger" respectively and mailed to me at:

 Harry Chaikin

352 11th Street South

Brigantine, NJ  08203

Thanks for all you do to help those less fortunate persons!