Bike To Breathe Day 4 - Boston Bound
Wow, I awoke to another beautiful day. Even though my legs felt a bit weighed down, I was up at 5:30am and I started my morning ritual, that today also included a check of my oxygen and heart rate with my Onyx Vontage, which slipped right onto my index finger. My numbers were great and I was ready to get back in the saddle and on the road.
Em and I started with a "fuel run", picking up some delicious muffins. Actually, mouthwatering. This may seem like small detail, but we're in the middle of a 500 mile bike ride and these small treats are big deals to keep us going mentally and physically.
So, off we went on the ECG – the East Coast Greenway. If you haven't heard or seen the ECG, I highly encourage you to make your way to it, in particular this scenic stretch between New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The trail actually extends all the way from Canada to Key West and is perfect for cyclists like me and Em that want to enjoy a safe ride along the coast.
We hit Hampton Beach, New Hampshire about 25 miles into the trip and I couldn't help but hop off the bike for a stop – into the ocean. I spent about 30 minutes in there up to my knees for some relief and all I can say is, "ahhhhhhhhh that felt good!"
We continued our journey and crossed over Massachusetts through Salisbury and then we hit Boston, where we stopped on Stanhope Street to made another pit stop at Walgreens. They've been such a great support of ours during this ride and once again we were able to meet with some incredible employees and fill up on food and beverages.
Today we rode at total of 55 miles and there was no rest for me as I had to head over to Vertex – a leading pharmaceutical company in the CF world; and a company that helped makes this ride possible. They hosted an employee ice cream social at 4pm and following that, I had the opportunity to speak with and thank about 300 employees. Part of what I do when I'm not doing things like this 500 mile bike ride, is I spend time with people of all types and ages – from kids at schools to executives at large companies – to tell them my story and share the message of "You Cannot Fail." This isn't just about overcoming challenges with CF – it's a motto anyone can live by.
It was an incredible event and I'm humbled to have had the opportunity to spend time there, even after a long day of riding. When it was over, I could still feel the adrenaline rush, but it subsided by the time I got back to the hotel and I crashed. But, the good news was, I knew that there were two "rest" days ahead of us – and, I use the word "rest" lightly. While we won't be riding, I'll be going to a friend's bike shop to get our bikes tuned; I'll be working on some grants; and of course prepping for the big finish in NYC!
