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Well, it’s that time. PMC time! In a couple hours I’ll be headed off to Sturbridge, where tomorrow I begin a two-day, 200-mile trek to Provincetown.

It is, of course, a charity ride, benefiting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Jimmy Fund. At the time of the ride I’ve raised $1,870, which is a little bit behind my usual pace, but it represents a lifetime fundraising total of $10,615, which I’m quite proud of.

As usual, the weather looks mixed. Unseasonably cool, with a very real chance of passing showers, and a strong wind late Saturday and into Sunday. Could be worse, though.

This will be the first year I’ve tried to go into the ride relaxed, without worrying about how I’ll do. My main goal will be not to crash, and simply to enjoy myself, which I’ve sometimes missed in the headlong flight to make good time. I’ll try and use the meditation techniques I’ve learned this year to resist the very strong temptation to jump after the fast guys and put everyone else behind me. Because of that, this year I’m approaching the ride more relaxed than ever before.

Though I will say that I’ll be very glad when the pre-ride carb- and fluid-loading is done. After the ride, I’m looking forward to some really bad foods, like beer, potato chips, nuts, eggs, ice cream, bacon, butter, pizza, cheese, cola, whisky, sausage, hamburgers, chocolate, and a hundred other yummy treats!

But enough of the (somewhat literal) bellyaching; it’s time to get ready to ride!

Watch here for the post-ride debrief, which should appear in a week or two!