Looooong Weekend #1

This is the first of my extra looooong weekends this summer. Since I've already been to Panama, going to take time off for the big wedding day in the fall, I decided to take days here and there. As a result of always taking big trips on my holidays, I've never actually just taken long weekends here and there. Was I ever looking forward to today for the last week!

This morning I actually got up at around 6:45 AM (yes, on my day off - sigh). 7:30 was the only appt I could get before the chiro who's been working on my calf takes off for her holidays. But it meant getting a good first meal in before heading out later in the AM for the first of my extra looooong weekend rides with my friends who also had the day off. :) Did we ever have fun! It's a scorcher out there though. Once Marcia sends the pictures from our lunch stop I'll post one - I don't think we could have fit any more glasses of water and pop and iced tea on our table. Hydration, hydration, hydration.

My calf is 99% better. I still had to back off a lot in the last couple of weeks and stop being so stubborn. It taught me a lot. About not being so stubborn. And about backing off and checking the ego at the door about doing slower rides. Well, I guess it wasn't totally an ego thing - I was also really wanting to push to get better. The group is so strong this year, so I don't want to fall behind. Luckily I have a few wise friends who give me amazing advice which I soak up like a sponge. I'm also behind in my km's goal, but that's ok. I may still hit my target by end of season. I'll surpass 2000 km tomorrow.

Well, back to more R&R.... sorry if you are reading this at work. ;) (sort of)

Back in the Saddle

I was asked today why I like cycling so much. That was a hard question to answer. Truthfully, there isn't just one thing that I like about it. But I was pressed for only one reason. So my reason was how I feel after a ride. I don't recall feeling bad after any ride. Even after a ride where I exerted myself enough to feel on the verge of puking (I think once on a humid day with some asthma kicking in, at the top of Pink's hill one of my friends asked how I was feeling and I said, "barfy", and we continued riding - lol!)... after all is said and done I am happy I endured and feel great at the end. What does that really come down to? Endorphins I guess. Am I an endorphin-junky? I don't think so, but if I am, oh well... who wouldn't be? Endorphins are pretty awesome. After riding with the group tonight though, I decided to put down some of the other reasons I had also mentioned.

Firstly, there is the way it makes me feel all 'round. I mean, I've taken a bit of a break the last 2 weeks and what happens? I broke out - 2 zits. (btw, that's a weird word to write) For those of you who actually see me in person - how often do I ever get pimples? Yeah, you can probably count on one hand. Extended time off the bike, break-out - coincidence? I don't think so. My all around health and well being is top notch due to cycling and eating well. And I sleep better when I'm cycling all the time (and I need more sleep anyway to keep it up... I should be in bed now, actually).

Then there's camaraderie. The people I ride with are some of the best people I've known. We have a lot of fun riding together. And we share a passion. I guess we also share an addiction. I read somewhere that when you are passionate about something it tends to become an addiction. That's ok. I can think of way worse things to be addicted to. I don't need recovery from that one. And we are each other's cheerleaders. Like I said before, I would not continue to grow in cycling the way I am without the group. I'm sure there are a few things I could say about growing as a person too.

Accomplishment. There are always new milestones in sport. Cycling is no stranger to that. Whether it's the first time you climb to the lookout in the Gats (my upstairs neighbour got an earful of my excitement when I came back from accomplishing that milestone... add one in here for sharing in the thrill of others' accomplishments along the way), a faster avg speed, fastest decent, fastest climb, longest ride... the list goes on.

There is also discovering new territory. In this I mean geographically. There are so many beautiful things to be seen on a ride - tonight we saw a deer (not an uncommon occurrence, but it never loses it's charm). Finding cute little towns to stop in. Meeting the merchants of the village corner store (who almost always think we are completely insane - well... in some ways we are). Taking trips to cycle in other cities, provinces, or countries is pretty cool too. You get to see things you would miss on the train or in a car.

And the last one I can think of for now... being passionate about something. Having at least one passion in your life gives it meaning. No, I'm not saving someone's life by going out for a 100K ride, but I am a happier person as a result. Not everyone gets to have passion via their profession. Frankly, I think it might often be better to be passionate about something outside of work anyway. I think we spend way more than our fair share at the office these days. If you are passionate about something healthy outside of work, all the better. And sharing it with others is always great. It can also lead to inspiration - either being inspired, or inspiring others. Pretty cool.

So.... What's your passion?

Recovering

So I was told... no balking at half hour recovery rides.

And I promised to do some.

And I kept that promise and did a few with increasing time each ride.

Small chainwheel, spinning it out easy. The legs felt good moving.

Went out yesterday alone because I wasn't sure how I'd do with the group pushing me to go harder.

In the middle ring (ok, so I was cheating a little on the recovery... you know, you get moving and you want to keep up the momentum), I had to gear up to keep it easy going up a little hill and WHAM! rear derailleur into the spokes. WTF?????

Broke a spoke and rode home on it (luckily wasn't so bad).

My new handlebars came in end of week and I was taking the bike in to get them installed that afternoon anyway.

Second new spoke on the rear wheel now, and derailleur adjusted, all is well with the world again.

And my new handlebars are so awesome!!!!! New handlebars, new stem, new cleats. Wow... I'm all set!

Since it's raining today, I'm taking the time for core work, and this Yin Yoga I've discovered. More ART tomorrow. After yesterday I feel like I'm good to get out for some more challenging rides with the group. With more climbing needed to be ready for the next trip, I may try to do my first double loop of the park soon. I need a good calf muscle to do that, so wish me well.

Best Laid Plans...

I had big plans for riding over the long weekend. None of which came to fruition. Well, not that I couldn't have joined in on some really great riding, but for the fact that my calf muscle was not in riding shape. Yes, it's sad, but I didn't mope around about it at least. Perhaps a forced rest period is exactly the right thing at this point. I did a whole lot of pilates this weekend, which is good. So my core is in good shape for riding - once I'm allowed to ride for more than half an hour... which is supposed to be this weekend. I did go and get ART. Wow. It really hurts. And I still have to get more. I was told no climbing hills - only short, easy, flat rides of half an hour this week. Well, as you might imagine - I have not gone out on the bike. I know, I know. I think I might tomorrow. It's just that, as I said to one of my runner-friends: it's like getting dressed up for a run and only going out for 10 minutes. Yeah, if you can imagine that, then you know where I'm coming from. One super-cool thing that I did on the long weekend was to have my bike fit assessed. There were a few small adjustments made that may help with certain repetitive strain scenarios not happening again in the future. We also measured my shoulder width and 38 cm bars are going to be way better for me - when I get them, that is. Still waiting on that. Looking forward to some solid hours on the weekend.

As for travel plans... I'm working on something for the winter. Yes, I took a bit of hiatus from thoughts of globetrotting, but of course, that could never have lasted too long. :) This trip will likely not be the philanthropic adventure I had started thinking about, but that is still top of mind. I usually have a few thoughts on where the next couple of trips might take me. Time will tell.