PMC Training and Gardening with Drunk Otis.

It’s raining cats and dogs. Like, pouring out. Sheets of rain. Drunk Otis, who spent the entire weekend either swimming in streams, belly flopping in puddles or lounging in his kiddie pool “helping” me weed, apparently is afraid to go outside to pee in the rain. So instead, he just lifted his leg on the porch. About an inch from his sister, Evil Beagle. Girl was not amused. She responded by biting him on the face. I can’t say I blame her. 

Hey, Lady. You gonna clean my pool or what?

In addition to Gardening with Drunk Otis, which ended with me sprinting around the yard swearing at him while a gallon container of delphiniums dangled from his mouth, I got in a nice long bike ride.  Which I really need to do more of, considering I will be riding in my 12th Pan Massachusetts Challenge in a few months. Funny how it sneaks up on me every year. I usually ride with my Other Half, which is on par with riding the Giro D’Italia or any other European Classic. Saturday, I rode alone.

Prior to my Other Half, in what I like to refer to as Colby’s Life Part One, I did all of my training alone. Much like my running. In Colby’s Life Part Deux in 3-D, we ride together. And I love it. There are some days though, I adore a solo ride. I just kicked off fundraising for the PMC, a two day almost 200 mile ride across Massachusetts, aimed at funding life-saving cancer research at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Kicking off fundraising means I wrote my annual appeal which means I get very contemplative. I always do when I think about why I ride. Especially when I put words to my feelings. It chokes me up. Cancer always does. 

Both Tina and I have written several posts on the Pan Mass Challenge. In fact, they are some of our most read. Take a minute and give them a read. 

• Top 10 Best Moments Riding in the Pan-Mass Challenge
• A Decade of Riding in the PMC. A Lifetime of Lessons Learned.
• The Secret of the Pan-Mass Challenge. 

And you’ll understand when I say that being a part of the PMC Family means the absolute world to me.  We are all riding together, unified by our common goal- our desire to put an end to cancer. There is such amazing, selfless energy that weekend. Such passion. Such emotion. For that one weekend, we are a part of something great.  It’s so very palpable. We are making a difference in the cancer research landscape one pedal stroke at a time. I feel that. I believe that. And I am honored to be a part of it. 

Riding #StirlingStrong!

Do you have a cause near and dear to your heart? Ride 100 miles or run a marathon? GO! 

 Hate cancer? Me too. To donate to my ride: Click HERE! 

Don’t forget to enter our Skratch Labs Hydration Pack Giveaway! Click HERE for link to ENTER! 

Review: Run Janji. And Run for Another.

I first read about Janji, a running apparel company with a conscious, after returning from Kenya in September of 2013. Serendipitous, really. I left Nairobi 3 days before the horrific terrorist attack at the Westgate Shopping Mall. I was actually in that very mall, sitting in a coffee shop, reflecting on The Trip of a Lifetime days before it was under siege. I was stunned watching the coverage. Bodies slumped at the very table we sat. Terror. Panic. Death. I blogged about that very day here. I was devastated to see this happening to a country I had fallen in love with. A People who were so very welcoming and kind. And in such need.

I had never experienced abject poverty quite like that exists in Kenya. Ever. That day in the Coffee Shop, which would become the scene of a terrorist massacre, I reflected on my stay in Kenya. What struck me most? Water. The lack of potable water. There is a water crisis in Kenya. It’s huge. And not just drinking water, but also for crops, agriculture and livestock. You would see women walking miles with jugs of water. Miles. And not in sneakers either. In the old dress shoes you gave to Goodwill 4 years ago. It was heartbreaking to me. Such need. I looked to see how I could help. And I found Janji.

Janji is a running apparel company founded by Mike Burnstein and Dave Spandorfor who’s mission is to create a community of runners dedicated to run for another. Perfect! I thought. The company’s mission is to provide clean water and food to those in crisis by giving a portion of the proceeds from their sales to organizations who fund solutions and projects related to the global food and water crisis. And they don’t just do it in Kenya. Haiti, Rwanda, Peru, Tanzania, the United States….and several other countries too. Sure, many runners give thru running. The giving usually ends on race day. Mike and Dave, competitive runners themselves, thought that rather than giving to a cause for just one day, runners can give back through everyday training. And here’s where my love affair with Janji begins.

I purchased the Women’s Kenya Acacia Tee and Kenya shorts because I loved the cause. Simply loved it. I figured at the very least, I was giving back to Kenya and providing a family with a growing season’s worth of water via a low-cost water pump. Total. Win-Win. I felt like I was doing something meaningful AND a Kenyan Family would benefit. But here’s what happened. I really loved their product! The fit. The function. The quality. Excellent! And, not for nothing, it’s cute. (I’m simply being honest.) My quads and I sometimes have a tough time finding shorts that don’t bunch up and ride way up resulting in a long run spent tugging at them and muttering under my belabored breath. These are perfect. The shirt is cut beautifully- not tightly fitted and has this neat stitching. It’s really well made. I’m not sure it will work for me on a 90 degree day with 100% humidity, but tonight it was perfect.

I love this company. And their product. (And no one told me to say so either!) I’ve already got my eye on a singlet. And the Kenya Anna short. And a no-slip headband…

Let the water flow. 🙂

EXCITING UPDATE! Get 25% off ALL KENYA GEAR with coupon code: marasprint. The coupon expires on Monday, June 16th! THANKS JANJI!!!!