Up, forward, down, push back

I wonder how many of you decifered the title? I'll let it simmer with you for a while.
Well, I'm getting close to 3000 now. I guess with at least another month (and I'm really, actually hoping it's more like two, in fact) of cycling left I know I'll reach 4000, but perhaps not my goal of 5000. Today I went out only because my mileage goal drove me to do it. I guess that's what goals are for. That, and the fact that when I thought about what I'd do otherwise I couldn't think of anything better, and would very much rather put off all of the other stuff I could do anyway. Laundry and dishes aren't quite as exciting, I'm afraid. But after yesterday's ride in the quite ferocious wind, I was feeling pretty bagged. Even after having a good nap, going to bed at a reasonable hour for a change, and knowing I could nap again after today's ride - I was still feeling mentally and physically tired. Unfortunately this is more than a bit of a problem for me these days, riding aside. I have been plagued by this deep physical fatigue that I can honestly say, at this point, I'm feeling in every cell of my body. It's been building for months, but now I'm at a point where I can't even really accurately describe it. However, I keep on keeping on. Life doesn't stop for tired people. So I'm working on the cause and hope that it will start to resolve soon and in the meantime I nap and bike and work and nap. That's about it. There's not much room for much more. I don't know where I'd find time or energy for more. I hope that when the new academic year starts in a week's time and work picks up that I don't get my butt kicked.

Enough about that though. Yesterday we rode even though the weather forecast was so daunting, and it was a remote start we had decided to do. Ten people showed up and we rode to Hawkesbury. What a fantastic ride! Obviously we have some pretty intense keeners in our group (I guess considering my physical condition as of late, I'd have to admit to being one of them). Today's weather was better and I did another ride almost as long as yesterday's. So my mileage is still building, my gats loop last week (again while totally exhausted when I did it) was mentally not half as challenging as the beginning of the year, and I think I'm really starting to build a solid base fitness as a cyclist. And that said, I'm such a geek that I took an extra day off next week to add to my extra, extra, extra looooong weekend so I can plan my training for the off-season. Yes, I know. You don't even have to think it.

There they are - all the crazies I was able to coerce (hardly) to come out on Saturday!

2 day weekend - like most everyone else

And it was a busy one. I hosted my sister's bachelorette party at Tremblant. After she heard all about Stef's she decided she wanted to go there for hers. I have to say, I did quite well. Stayed up til 3 AM, and I'm not sure how many drinks I had, but I wasn't hung over. I rarely drink anymore, so that's fantastic! My sister, on the other hand, was hurting bad this morning. I had to give her a bit of TLC. She's ok now. There were 10 of us involved in the festivities, and everyone seemed to have a really good time. The activities of the weekend were: the luge (ok, totally fun!), walking around the pedestrian village, face painting (for her), running into another bachelorette party and participating in their activity (they brought a stationary bike and set it up on the hill, had her dressed up in 80's workout wear, and collecting money for photos of her - when I told her it was my sister's party too they got her on the bike - priceless!), a gondola ride, various bachelorette games which will go unnamed, dinner, and of course, dancing.

Today, even with much less sleep than I typically need to feel good enough to be active, I got out for a ride. It was really nice. I wore my 3/4 pants which I've made reference to before as the scorpion pants. They are Castelli and have the logo on the butt. I find I seem to get a lot more attention when I wear them. It's kind of funny. Today was no exception - other than I got waved at from an airplane! So, I was riding near the airport and past the flying club, and I looked up at a small plane coming in for a landing and saw the person wave at me. I think planes are just so cool. And getting waved at from one is extra cool. ;) After the ride I got home just in time to change and have a quick shake before yoga. Yeah, kind of hard core for someone who partied last night, but I feel great. Can I ask just one question though... what the heck happened to summer???? Brrrrrr....

Extra Looooong Weekend #2 Report

OK. I've spent waaaay too much time on the computer this morning. And here I'm spending a little more. Ah well. I will ride this afternoon instead. Today marks the last day of my 5-day weekend. So nice. I woke up almost considering that I should take the rest of the week off, but then I need to save some days. I think. I have work to do. Yes. I do.

This past weekend I spent participating in the most challenging cycling tour I've done thus far. Vermont. The hills there make Gatineau Park look wimpy. And I did 100 km of them on the first day. My legs were pretty tired on the second day, so I'm glad we did a different route with a little less km's. Here's how it went...

Friday a few of us left together in convoy. Either by a stroke of good luck, or bad luck - we're not totally sure (I'm thinking it was good luck), B & M's car broke down in D's driveway before we left. In the end it worked out probably for the best: we piled all of their stuff in D's minivan (she was originally going to drive with me), then squeezed G's stuff into both my car and the minivan and headed out in only 2 cars. Arriving later than expected, no cycling was done on Friday. But we got settled into our rooms at the University of Vermont in Burlington and prepared for a weekend of climbing. My room was occupied by someone else when I got up to it. We made lots of jokes about the mix up over the weekend, as it was a guy and when I went there his stuff was all spread out around the room but he wasn't there. I went back later, after putting my stuff in one of my friends' rooms for the time being, and luckily I knocked because he wasn't decent (and I had the key). He had taken the wrong room, so I switched keys with him and took his.

Saturday we did a 'short' route... ended up being 100K for the group I rode with since we took a wrong turn and added 10K. The detour was quite lovely and I was happy to say I did 100K of hills. Some of the other routes were 120-150 km and included such routes as the Appalachian Gap and Smugglers Notch. I'm not at that level - yet. Give me a few more years and I'll try them on for size.

Sunday a group of about 12 of us decided to do a route recommended by a local who is friends with someone in our riding group. By chance one of the members of our group had bought a guide book of cycling routes in the area and it included this route so we had our map & directions and we were off. We crossed the ferry from Burlington to Port Kent and the cycled down to Essex on the NY side. It was hard having not warmed up and the minute we disembarked from the ferry it was hill after hill. Ouch. Once warmed up though, it was spectacular. The roads were great and the motorists are so courteous (in both states). What a departure from riding here at times. We then boarded a smaller ferry in Essex and road back up to Burlington - more hills.

The hills there were very steep and would come up on you all of a sudden. You'd see it and think: "OMG! I have to get into the small ring FAST!!!!". And they weren't short hills either. And sometimes I'd think I could climb something in the middle ring and I'd get halfway up and realize I'd misjudged and struggle to get the chain up into a position to move to the small ring without it falling off. That's a little stressful because you realize you have one of three options: you're in the smallest ring on the cog and the middle chain ring and you need to get to the small ring... 1) gear down the small ring and not only be in too easy a gear, but 95% chance the chain falls off (that's my experience with my bike anyway) - fall off the bike; 2) gear up 1-2 rings in the cog and then move into the small ring - smooth sailing, or fall off the bike because the lactic acid in your quads is killing you; 3) unclip and walk. Luckily I managed and my chain never fell off and even though I had to put it into a harder gear before moving to an easier one I didn't die of lactic acid pain overload. On the last couple of long climbs that ended steeply on the second day, when my legs were so tired and we had recovered too long on the ferry on the way back and my lunch was still in my stomach and the heat was up to 35 degrees Celsius I felt I was going to puke. Two thoughts went through my head: if I throw up now will I feel better or worse... i.e. will I be able to bike the last 10K back? I figured I'd feel better, but I didn't puke anyway. I managed the last of the hills and felt great. I know it sounds a little insane to put yourself through that, but believe me, it's fun. Not always at the very moment, but definitely at the end.

Monday it rained so hard you would not believe. Two groups of us would have done rides (different ones, mind you) had it not been raining cats and dogs... but it was time to go home. Got home, washed and lubricated my bike, did my laundry (smelly cycling clothes - ick!) and stretched and stretched and stretched. Today - recovery ride (once I get my face away from the computer!). Ahhh. The extra loooooong weekend doesn't disappoint.

PS... all of my photos have been moved to Flikr now and you can still access them from the two links at the side... Photos of Becks' Adventures and Cycling Photos

Extra Looong Weekend #1 Report

Wow. What a wonderful extra loooong weekend I had! Took me this long to post about it. Spent some time up at my totally, wicked, amazing friend, Mimi's cottage. We canoed and I even went 'swimming' in the lake 3 times! My version of swimming is floating around with a pool noodle tied very securely around my waist. This is huge for me. Just last summer I was up with the majority of Mim's family and her dad snapped a photo of us in the lake since it was the first time since I've known them and been going to their cottage (we're talking nearly 2 decades) that I went in the water. Saturday's ride got rained out and I cleaned the apt instead. Actually, that was really good to do. No regrets there. And then when I got home from the cottage on Monday I did my first gats loop in 4 weeks. At first I felt wobbly and I was horking a lot of stuff out of my lungs - you forget that the hills are a different beast altogether and your lungs suffer when you aren't used to them. Or maybe it was allergies. Either way, once I coughed some stuff up a few times up Fortune my legs were also warming up and the ride was a good one. One extra looong weekend down, a couple more to go! Don't you just love summer?





(that's the moon, btw - cool eh?!)

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.

Happy Long Weekend - eh!!!

Tired

80K. Speeds of 32-38 kph for at least 2/3 of the ride trying to make up for lost time on someone's bad flat early in the ride (it sent them home, in fact - tire was shot). Calf still hurting (even with pre-ride Advil). Now hands are hurting (where the hell are my new handlebars????). Sweaty and gross. Now showered at least. Meal post-ride: 2 scoops of soy protein powder in water (perhaps I should invite friends over next time I have that feast). Time for bed. Thinking about phoning the place someone recommended for ART tomorrow. Sigh. It's come to that. I'm going to put my already sore body through more pain. What am I thinking?

An evening in the life...

OK. So, tonight I went out for our almost regular weekly gats ride with Ruth. I brought my camera, as clunky as it is. I wanted to get some shots of the park - it's so nice. And I wanted to get some shots of just regular cycling stuff. I only ended up doing half the ride because my calf was seizing up on me a few climbs after Pink and I had to leave Ruth to do the rest on her own. :( After I turned around I came right up on a black bear crossing the road!!! I've heard others talk of sightings, but this was my first. WOW! Unfortunately there was no time to take a shot - even with my camera sitting in my shirt pocket. With my sore, seizing calf muscle I took it easy on the way back and took the opportunity to snap lots of photos (partly to not feel down that I wasn't finishing the ride). So here they are...


Ruth after she filled up her water bottles at the Gamelin parking lot.

Pink Lake Lookout.
The sign at the top of Pink's hill - steep decent ahead (which I'd already climbed earlier).

Cycling back - some riders ahead of me.

Hey look! It's me! ;)

The mandatory ride banana.

Poor thing got a little ugly since I didn't eat it on the ride.

Walked past the car window and saw a photo-op. My stuff piled into the car.
Don't you just love my cute polka-dot water bottle?
I know faster riders do - they've told me so when cycling past me. :)

The banana's ride home.

Rideau Lakes Tour

I did it! My first Rideau Lakes Tour. It was pretty amazing. I'm sore - I started the tour with a stiff right calf. I know, I know - I should have either done yoga or gotten a massage when I felt it all week last week, but I had no time. I had to travel for work, as usual. So, whatever, I got through it. Took some Robaxacet last night and stretched as much as I could. Luckily, being surrounded by >2000 other cyclists, nobody found it odd that I stretched my calves every single place I found myself idling for a more than a couple of minutes. Saturday was hot, but not as humid as I heard it was at home (thank the forces of the universe for that!!). With people starting at different times and from different locations and 4 different routes, we ended up having a lot of road to ourselves. Picked up a couple of people for parts of our ride. Our core group was 10 and we were thankful for that on the last 40K or so into Kingston when we had a pretty blustery headwind. Luckily with so many to rotate through, I didn't have to pull for long.

This wannabe morning chick got up at an ungodly 5:40 AM this morning and 3 of us snuck in the back door of the university dining hall for breakfast (the lines were completely insane and I brought my own oatmeal, pb and ryvita anyway - I just needed 2 bananas and some muffins). Today started out cooler, having had some rain up in cottage country overnight, but the humidity was up. Still tired from my early morning rise and the previous day's ride, my right calf muscle seizing up on me in certain positions, with a little asthma kicking in to make it all the more interesting, I had a bit of a rough start and wondered if I could do another leg today. After the first hill just outside of Kingston I didn't think I'd make it (it's all rolling hills with a few steep ones in there for good measure from Kingston to Perth). Brian gave me a pep talk and told me the first one is always the hardest. After about an hour of riding I was feeling better and we dropped a guy who had joined our group and had us up to 32kph (too fast for us to keep up for the whole tour and particularly in the hills). We got a more normal pace for our group and the hills started feeling good for me because I could get my breath a little easier - also the humidity started to subside a little. I felt so good that I stood up on a climb and passed everyone in my group except for our strongest (Diane - who was way up ahead of everyone and said she was pleasantly surprised to see me coming over the hill first). They all cheered me on as I passed them. :) That was so nice. They are an awesome group to ride with. Which was proven when we arrived at our destination and every single one of the various people who popped in and out of our pack during the ride on Saturday sought the group out to thank everyone for allowing them to tag along for a bit and for being so nice. On a long ride I don't tend to talk the whole way... I mean, come on, even I don't have that much to talk about. Something I like about long group rides is having the ability to just zone out - it's a form of meditation I think. Today I thought about things I've never been grateful for - things I take for granted. They may sound silly, but things like having blue eyes, and being good at math. It's good to remember the gifts you are given as just that - they are gifts. So, that was my cycling meditation of the weekend. Combined with the accomplishment of completing my first large-scale, long-distance, organized tour. I should also mention that I'm grateful for such great friends to cycle with. I wouldn't continue to grow in the sport without them.

PS > I've completely given up on trying to control my tan lines. I'm no fashionista anyway. If I don't look cute in things that show off the lines I'll get over it.

MTL & RLT

Just back from a quick trip to MTL. It was a really good meeting and we had some fun too. We went to the Time Supper Club. Apparently one of the places to be seen in MTL. There were dancers/contortionists and a magician who entertained us. Pretty cool. I left before the 'public' was allowed in for the dance bar to get started - had to get some proper nights' sleeps in before the weekend. I'm off to do RLT tomorrow. And I'm really excited!!! I got a shorter stem this week, and I expect it will help a lot with my comfort doing the long distances, particularly back-to-back. So, not much time to post now - gotta run and get packed. This wannabe morning person has to get up at the crack of dawn. ;)

The Weekend...

Jello shooters (they were insanely strong!! And I think Stef had - ummm... I lost count!)

End of the night - the kid who served us said it was nice how we stopped yelling once we got food. This is my favourite shot of the night. I think she's saying: "I want pizza NOW!" Ha, ha!

No explanation for this one.

For those of you who read here, you get the nice shots. I have some others that might be used as blackmail material in the future. ;) That's what bachelorettes are all about, isn't it?

The Gats

I had to post about my ride tonight. I went out with Ruth to the gats. The two of us seem to be doing this one a lot together so far this season. It's great. Ruth is a lot stronger than me, but I go down the hills faster because I'm a lot bigger than her - yeah, she's tiny. So after I go down, she catches up on the uphill and passes me and then I catch up on the flat, or sometimes at the top if I'm feeling strong (or if she slows down - lol). She only has to wait for me at the hardest points - mainly at Fortune Lake, and typically at the top of Pink. Tonight proved how much stronger I'm getting though, because I was pretty close behind her on Pink - and I've been having a lot of asthma issues the past week. I got my fastest speed up Pink tonight - about 2 kph faster than I typically do it!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!! And I passed other people when I was going up! Wow! Ok, well, I have passed other people on like mountain bikes and stuff before, but these two people were on road bikes and by the looks of their calves they are in good shape. He, he! God - the things that go through your head on the bike eh? Anyway, lots of success tonight. And I'm pushing through... I had 2 asthma attacks last Friday trying to tackle the park in the smog. Not good. I couldn't do the loop. Tonight the weather was way better for me - nice and cool. But, as was pointed out to me, there was a lot of pollen - actual green dust collected on our bikes. As a result I got home and coughed a lot of crap out of my lungs. No asthma attacks during the ride though. Breathing was challenging at times, but I prevailed. Progress. :) It helps to have someone so encouraging to ride with. Ruth always tells me how great I'm doing and if I tell her I'm tired or my legs are done she reminds me to just keep pedalling. I told her tonight that I LOVE the last hill coming back to the parking lot. You have a really nice decent and then you can stand up and climb this quick one. I love it because I look down every time to see I'm going 30 kph UPhill. And then every time on the last flat after that hill I think how amazing it is that I did the loop yet again. Especially after a night like tonight, when I quit on myself like 5 times during the ride. I still did it. I'm not that self-defeating every time. Mostly when I can't breathe. Sometimes when I'm tired. But then you remind yourself that you've done this many times before; you think about what's left ahead on the route (especially after Fortune - then you know all of the hard stuff is done); and you get to the end, and you did it... that's when you remember why it's so great.

Leftovers

I couldn't fall to sleep last night. I'm not sure why. Well, there was the fact that every muscle in my body was feeling tight and eventually I caved in, got up, and did a whole bunch of stretches. Only then did I fall asleep. So, I'm sitting here getting the last of my work done for the day thinking how the Green Door isn't open on Monday and it seems Monday is the day I most frequently don't want to make dinner. And then I remembered: MizB phoned me up last night and we headed out for Thai food and I have the leftovers in my fridge! Thank you to the leftover gods!! Yes!
I can't believe my good fortune... this week I have no evenings to work! I won't even say the 'c' word. I think you already know what I'll be doing! ;)

I'm a bonehead

I always put sunscreen on before cycling. Yesterday I forgot and was a bit rushed... it was overcast and during the ride I convinced myself it would be fine. I already had a base anyway. Duh - overcast is the worst kind of burn weather. Of course, it was my first time going sleeveless (thought I'd work on getting rid of the lines across my biceps - they look silly). Well, now I look even more silly because I'm burnt (and I had to protect my burnt shoulders today and wear sleeves and re-instate the bicep lines - doh!!!). I'm obsessing a little about tan lines since in three weeks I will be wearing a nice dress at my friends' wedding and you'll be able to see all of my upper back. Hmmm. Dilemma. I may have to go to a tanning bed and cover my arms and get my back tanned so I don't look weird. <I should have flexed my back for the picture to make Jess proud of the work she's done with me this year> ;) I can worry about the lines which are bound to be well-established in October when I have to look good for my sister's wedding at that time. Luckily I don't have to worry about the ones on my legs. He, he! I also bought some new-fangled sunscreen spray. They should have a warning label: do not spray in confined spaces. I think I inhaled more of it than got on my body this afternoon. Cough, cough. Geez! That can't be good. And I'd forgotten why, last year, I'd bought 'non-greasy'. Yuck! I think I may be making another trip to the store to find the one I'm accustomed to - if it still exists. Who knows with these products. They're always changing.

I'm still behind where I want to be in terms of kms on the bike. I've had to work evenings a lot in the last 4 weeks and it's been cramping my style. We had a really great ride yesterday, sunburn aside. Today though, I needed more rest and didn't feel up to heading out with the group. It was nice to go out on my own this afternoon. I decided to explore some other routes I've been wanting to figure out. There were quite a few really courteous drivers on the road today - and I'm not being sarcastic. It's true. I know it's often hard to believe, but some drivers are quite diligent about being careful around cyclists, and they deserve some credit for that. I've started waving at people a lot. I think it makes them feel happy and makes them watch out for me. Maybe I'm doing it a bit more since the accident - even though it wasn't a car that hit me, you know, it makes you a little more cautious.

There is a really cool tool on the web now: MapMyRide. You can get the elevation and everything. I mapped out a 90K route from my front door into Gatineau Park, the whole loop of it and back. I'll try to do that as often as I can as I get further into the season.

Ouch #3 (I think)

For some reason (likely not enough stretching on my part) this week my legs were really sore. So I finally broke down and went to yoga on Monday night. I've been telling myself that I need to go for, oh I don't know, 10 months or so. I used to go much more regularly. So I bought a package and I'm committed now. I've got to keep my muscles flexible. Unfortunately I had let it go too long though, and ended up at the massage therapist on Wednesday night. I got a new massage therapist since my regular one changed offices and, well who knows, I just didn't wind up going there. So, this guy used to work on the Russian Olympic team or something, recommended by boyko, who is an insane runner now. My hamstrings were all glued together I guess. Ouch. It hurt. I hope to get in two good rides this weekend. My asthma has been bad this week tho, so I need to listen to my lungs. I also bit the bullet and am really, seriously looking at getting my bike fit sorted out. My wrist is in a lot of pain and I've had this instinct I need smaller handlebars. As well I learned today that I need them a little closer to me - shorter stem. So that's in the works.

Next week my job changes a bit and I won't be traveling the whole of Eastern ON anymore. I'm grateful for that. But of course, with new reps joining the team, there is a lot to do in terms of transitioning work. So I'll be traveling a bit in the next 2 months for work, as well as for cycling. The first cycling trip is only 2 weeks away. So cross your fingers for me that my asthma starts to settle down and the exhaustion I've been feeling this week subsides.

(JFF - Check out one of my new Shebeest tops)

TGIF

This week did not feel like a shortened one. It was long. And grueling. I'm tired. I'm glad it's the weekend. Short weeks are hard. They always are. You have to cram 5 days of work into 4. Not fair. Such is life.

So - cool thing: one of the chicks that I cycled with in France last year decided to do a tour of Canada. She's from Dublin, Ireland. And she's in town this weekend. In fact, I picked her up in Kingston and brought her to O-town with me yesterday. The planner she is, she'd asked me my schedule and I gave it to her and suggested that if she wanted to see Kingston she could meet me there since I'd be there this week. So she took the train from T-dot and toured Kingston for a day while I was working. So I'll be hosting her this weekend. In between riding, of course. Tomorrow a good sized group of us will be riding out to Pakenham. Should be a nice ride. We often head east because some of our riders know good roads out there. And we always have a good time no matter where we ride. It's always nice to learn new routes though. Sunday I'll be cheering on a bunch of my friends who are running the half-marathon. And they think riding 100K is nuts!??? ;) Kidding. I think it's great. Which is why I'll be cheering for them.

I want another 4-day, ride my butt off weekend. That rocked! I'll have to plan some this summer.

Photo of the baby racoon we found up at the cottage I visited last weekend.

Rejuvenated

Wow. I can't remember ever having a weekend that left me feeling the way this last one has. I took Friday off work - although, I have to admit, since I didn't have my computer the whole week and just got it back Thursday late-day, I did catch up on a few emails Friday morning... BUT after that, I headed out to Gatineau Park and did a loop with Ruth. Then I came home, packed up and cleaned up a little, and then headed down to Kingston. I had a fun evening with Shannon and her hubby. Next morning Shannon and I got up and rode to their family cottage with her brother. Her husband drove the car out later with our stuff. It was a really great ride from the edge of Kingston out to Otter Lake. The weather was great. We stopped a couple of times and took some photos. It was all rolling hills, so my legs felt it after doing the hills the previous day, but in the end it still felt really good. We did a few less km's than I'd anticipated, and none of us minded. Next day after a little work around the cottage (we found a baby racoon) and a trip into Newboro, I headed home and had dinner with friends and went out to one of the local clubs - although it was pretty quiet on Sunday night. Monday I did another really great ride with 4 other friends from the regular crew. The wind was crazy and I was happy to have our two strongest pulling into the headwind - although I think the crosswind was the worst. Despite some asthma (allergy season is upon us) on the hills early in the ride, the last 20K felt really good. Even the headwind at the end was a challenge, but felt good. When I got home I spent the rest of my day cleaning like a mad-woman. One of the people I cycled with last year in France is doing a tour of Canada (she's from Dublin!) and is meeting me in Kingston this week and driving back to O-town with me. So I had to clean my place! It was the motivation I needed to do it.

So, with all of the riding and fresh air, and cleaning my place I finished the weekend feeling really great. I didn't touch my computer. As a result, this morning I woke up at 6 AM and got up without any problem! Wow! And I didn't go to bed early either. So, what's the trick? I don't know, but I need to figure it out. I want to become more of a morning person and this morning gave me hope that I might be able to do it. Maybe I just need to have 4 day weekends all the time. Wishful thinking?

Ahhhhh!

So far such an amazing long weekend...

Friday I took the day off and did a loop of Gatineau Park with one of my friends. Then I packed up and headed down to Kingston. Went out for a great dinner with my friend and her hubby. Next morning my friend, her brother, and I biked to their cottage near Smiths Falls and the rest of the day we just relaxed in the amazing weather. It was a really amazing ride. The weather was as close as you might ever get to perfect. Her family welcomed me in to the cottage and we had such a fun time. We even had blueberry pancakes this morning for bf. Today we drove into the little town we went through on our way there, Newboro, and had a fun time at the little shop they had there. We spent a half an hour in their massage chairs. lol! Now I'm back in O-town and plan to ride tomorrow, although the route has yet TBD. I happened to have chosen the best days to ride, as right now it's cold and raining, but tomorrow is looking sunny and warm! Woo-hoo! Still one more day left! :)

Happy Long Weekend!!

MTL, Cycling - you know, the usual

This weekend I went on a quick road trip with my sister! We've never done that before. Our destination: MTL. Our purpose: Cirque du Soleil and shopping. And we did a good job of it! We hit H&M on our way in (my first H&M experience was in Milan with Cookies a few years ago). This was my sister's first visit, and I do not think she was disappointed. Needless to say, we left with a heavy bag each. Then we headed downtown for a bit more serious shopping - Simon's, shoe shopping, Zara, Mango, and BCBG. I got a dress for Stef's wedding at the last one. I haven't bought a 'real' dress, maybe ever (high school grad perhaps?). That place was insane! I came away with the dress and while the saleswoman was really nice and extremely attentive, I wasn't buying the $250 shoes. Then Cirque du Soleil... I counted, this was my fourth show. It's a brand new one called Kooza and I have to say - the BEST one I've seen yet!! WOW! We were on the edges of our seats for many of the acts. My sister said her hands were sweating. The stuff they did left your jaw on the ground. If you haven't seen a show, do it - it's always worth the money.

Then Monday night, a last minute offer to ride with a couple of the strongest riders in our group. I haven't ridden with them yet. We did about 50k and it was really great. I pulled for quite a while in the wind and was strong. And Frank noted that I kept up with them on the hills - I'm stronger than last year. :) Today I stuck to my promise to Jessica that I would cross train and I went to the gym (easier to do when it's raining). And with an offer to get to the park on Friday afternoon, I decided to take the day off! Extra long weekend - woo-hoo!!!

Boyz

So, last night I was dressed in my cycling gear, had just finished pumping up my tires, and was almost out the door when the phone rang. It was MizB.

She said, "Do you want to go to Poncho Villa for a drink?" - uh, oh.

I asked, "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing. Jen and I are going there, do you want to come?"

So, I said I was just about to head out on my bike, but I could meet up with her and Jen later, depending on how long they intended on being out.

She said,"OK. I think he's going to move", referring to the most recent bf. Uh-oh.

So, I changed back into my 'street clothes' (the ones I wear when I'm not hitting the pavement at 30kph - ha, ha!) and got picked up and we had margaritas and daiquiris on the patio. I'm such a cheap drunk, I had one and my legs felt funny (it's the tequila - we all know someone who isn't allowed to have it anymore - right Weakley??). The girlz were laughing at me - it was 'mucho grande' though. Then we got this idea and the three of us headed down to the market to have our palms read! I've never done that or anything like that before. It was fun! The lady wrote all of the stuff on our hands. She wasn't too far off on quite a few things too. Actually she was bang on for a few things for each of us. I think it cheered MizB up, but the news is: the boy is moving. Sigh. Too bad.

Altruism

I'm into finding different words instead of always using the same ones, so there you have the title of this post. When I worked as a student at Nortel in the summers we used to do the newspaper crossword at lunch and on Monday we'd pick one of the words and use it all week. Yeah, we were geeks, but it was fun anyway. In fact, it often meant a lot of laughter over the course of the week. But I digress, as that's not the purpose of my post...

Funny. The other day I was talking to a physician I call on about traveling (he travels a lot and is always interested in hearing about my plans). I told him about the idea of a trip where I can give back. Something about the poverty in Panama put that idea in my head I guess. He cautioned me about crime and disease with a couple of stories of other physicians who have traveled to really crazy places to help. I said that I guess in some ways I'm still pretty idealistic. I'm often conflicted with being pretty jaded, having had some tough experiences in life, and still being a little on the idealistic side deep down. I wanted to share something with whomever reads here, because it touched my soft side. It reminds us that when you do nice things, it does make the world a better place because people are reminded of the fact that we are all human. These days people frequently forget that. Like aggressive drivers, and bad cyclists (I had to add that - don't worry, I'm not holding on to it - I'm laughing as I write that part).

So check this out, and be sure to read the post on the Breakfast Fairy and the follow up post.

Content

I'm surprised how quickly I was able to think of another adjective starting with the letter 'c'. That's me right now. I'm going to have an epsom salts bath and do some serious stretching. This morning I did strength training with Jessica and even though she knew I was going to go climb hills this afternoon, we still did squats with a kick (no weight at least) and hamstrings. Yikes! When I got to Fortune Lake hill my quads were burning before I even started. But I made it!! Luckily that hill has a few flat spots where you can recover a bit and I actually recovered really well on those parts. I have this funny thing about riding, where I seem to be strongest in the last leg of a ride. So after Fortune Lake I seemed to be able to stand up and climb fast on the short hills. Weird. There is this nice, quick, moderately steep climb right before you get back to the Gamelin parking lot and Ruth and I climbed it standing doing 30kph!!! I was shocked when I looked down. The descent right before didn't hurt to get our speed up. And one more thing about today's ride was that Pink Lake, while still very challenging for me (granny gear territory), didn't seem as bad as my imagination leads me to believe. I think after a summer of Gat Loops I'm going to crush that f-ing hill! The wind was something fierce today too. We did not go as fast as usual on the big descents for fear of being blown over. Seriously. And there were trilliums everywhere in the forest. I don't think I've seen them like that before - the whole forest floor covered in them. Very pretty.
So, as you can tell, my bike is back in working order. A very nice bike fairy fixed a broken spoke for me. :) Tomorrow - Tour Nortel.

Crusty

No longer a description for my leg, arm, and right hand. The last of the wounds seem to be healed. It's my mood that I'm describing this evening. After spending two long and very busy days in Kingston I was happy to have received a phone call during my drive home to get out to the Gats and climb some hills. I got home and changed and prepared my bike as quickly as I could and then got out the door equally as fast. On my way out I noticed my back wheel was rubbing against the brake pad. In fact, I couldn't move the bike forward. I fiddled with it a bit and figured I could quickly fix it when I got there (while in the back of my head I was also thinking something might be wrong because I couldn't easily fix it at home by loosening the skewer and realigning the tire). So, I battled the traffic and got to the park. Upon meeting up with my friends I asked them to look at the wheel and tell me what they thought - at this point I'd been frigging around with it and was considering loosening the brake pads (even though I had that little voice in my head saying: "don't be a dumbass"). As I described to another person later: 'after much deliberation and expert discussion from 3 only-semi-mechanically-literate cycling chicks', we decided I should not be descending hills at high speeds with a warped tire. And hopefully it's just the tire. So I came home and sulked. And then I got to responding to some work emails that really pissed me off. So I had to save them and look at them again later when I was in less of a crusty mood to be sure I wasn't being unreasonably bitchy. Yeah. At least I have the sense not to whip off the types of responses I'd like to sometimes. That and earlier today I even thought of a very witty and equally nasty response to a voicemail I received. Where do days like these come from? I'm just glad I don't have them often. You know, getting knocked off my bike the other week, I was calm (in shock, mind you), and unreasonably nice to the person who did it to me. Then some days, you just want to tell people like that to piss right off. Yep. Crusty day. Crusty Bex. What else can I say? At least I have friends who then pick me up for dinner and encourage my unusual decision to have a margarita. Tomorrow is a new day. I'll find a new adjective then.

Philanthropy

Week-long meetings tend to burn me out. Not to mention ones when lots of new things are coming down... like some new additions to software to learn, facilitating training, giving a presentation to my colleagues, meetings about how my job is going to change (we're expanding), etc, etc. The cool thing we did last week was VTI Day. This day used to be reserved for head office employees only until about 2 years ago when they started having our national meeting in April and we got to join in the festivities with the rest of the company. Each year is different and this time they set up the biggest tent I've ever seen in the parking lot of the office - apparently it took about 5 days to set it up. They gathered us together at the lunch hour and sent us all off in groups on different buses to places we'd chosen ahead of time to do community service. I went to the YMCA daycamp with 40-50 of my closest friends to set up the camp for the new season. We painted picnic tables, the pavilion, cleaned out the offices, the shed, set up the canoes, and cleaned up the walking paths, etc. of debris and garbage. After returning to the big huge tent at HO we all sat down to a very nice dinner and they presented employees with awards of recognition (for which they were nominated by their peers). The MC was a Canadian comedian (I don't know who - I don't pay attention to those things). Then Tom Cochrane came out and gave us our own private concert! Crazy night. Crazy day. It was a lot of fun.

After the trip to Panama, I started feeling a little burnt out from traveling. When I've thought about it I still get that feeling of longing to see the world. But with all of the work travel in the last year, and everything else I do, I haven't been able to imagine physically going anywhere. I started thinking about just sticking around town for a while - at least this summer. Ride my bike, do some tours that are within driving distance, etc. For the first time in several years I don't have any idea of where I might travel to next. I'd like to do an overseas bike trip with some of the people I cycle with, but I'm not sure if that will come to fruition. I guess part of me is waiting to see what might happen there. And then this week after participating in the volunteer day at work I started to think about visiting places that I want to see and experience and while I'm there, give back to that community. So I started looking into that kind of thing. My next trip might be quite the departure from what I've been doing up until now. And with that, I have started to think about where I might go next! But that would be next year, and first I have to see how work goes since next year will be a pivotal one for the area in which I work. I'm not sure what time of year I might travel. For now, I'll keep you posted on the small bike trips. Those should be fun as well. You don't have to go far to have an adventure!

Pill Hill

So this is me procrastinating (or maybe just multi-tasking as per my usual behaviour) on finishing up some work for a presentation I'm doing Friday here in the Meadowvale area of the Big Smoke (ref in title). Maybe I should explain for those of you not 'in the know': this area is called Pill Hill because there are a ton of medical and pharma companies' HQs located in and around this neighbourhood. And as much as I like go-carting (and I'm not joking - I've only done it once and it was a blast), my leg is still much too sore to be bumping around in one of those, so I ducked out early from the Playdium with a few other colleagues so I could come back to the hotel, get some work done, and get to bed early. They actually have a fantastic gym here and I got up a little after 6 AM today and got a workout in and plan to do the same tomorrow. I'm missing far too many rides this week as a result of being away. Everybody better not get too much of a head start on me... I want to be able to keep up to you! Even though the weekend is looking pretty jammed, I'm going to try to get out to both rides with the gang. Wish me luck!

Let the interesting tan lines begin!

This is called procrastinating on getting ready for the meeting I'm leaving for tomorrow. I was out for a really nice ride today and one of my friends mentioned I should write about my crash last week. I'll be brief, as I don't feel like re-hashing it a million times over and I want to try to forget about it now... in short: a real a-hole of a cyclist came up behind me as I made a left hand turn (thankfully at the end of my totally amazing ride), and clipped me. I think it was my back tire. And I went flying across the oncoming lane. I got road rash on my leg, arm, and hand, and some scrapes on my knee, but otherwise I'm ok.

What I'd really rather write about is the amazing weather we've been having and as a result, some great riding. So, my first time out was last Saturday in some colder weather. Then this week I got out Thursday, then only an hour yesterday to make sure my bike was in working order and I got some of my jitters out before heading out with 4 others today. We only went to Manotick and back, but it was really good. And it was challenging in the end because the wind was fierce today! On the way back it ended up being Ruth and I on our own with a tailwind doing 38kph down the airport parkway. :) So I hope to get more km's on this year than last, and I also hope not to zero out my second odometer by accident again. But just in case, I'm going to log my km's so I can keep track. I've seen how other people log their yearly km's and see their progress over the years. I want to do that. Last year I got in just a little under 4000 km. This year I have a lot more tours planned, so I should easily surpass that.

Random Photos #2

Coming home from a long day on the job. Portobelo.

I love this photo.

The view from our cabin at the B&B near Isla Grande.

I was literally standing on our porch when I took this.

The largest size of ship allowed through the canal. At the Gatun Locks. This is the one that paid $195K to cross the canal. I guess it's cheaper than going around a whole continent.

The market in El Valle d'Anton.

El Valle d'Anton

Random Photos

Panama City skyline from Casco Viejo (from the Presidential Palace, in fact - the guards let us wander around on the grounds). The water there is toxic because they dump all of the sewage into the ocean. That's the Pacific Ocean there, btw.

In Casco Viejo: one of those building with all of the guts torn out like I told you about in an earlier post.

These are the ruins of the Spanish fortification on the Caribbean Sea, San Lorenzo (near Portobelo). Pretty nice eh? They built them to defend against the pirates.

Examples of the typical public buses that transport you everywhere. They were old school buses brought in from the US. Each bus driver commissions a 'bus artist' to paint their bus with symbols, pictures, quotes, sayings, etc (quite a lot of it religious), so they are each very unique. In the city, most of the buses blare loud music. I had the privilege of riding on one in Panama City. It costs 25 cents.

I'll post more pictures on the weekend. Between this and crackbook I'm spending way too much time on this computer. I've got to go to bed.

San Blas

8 AM flight meant waking up at 5:30 AM... most mornings during this past trip were quite early, in fact. We had a bit of a problem at the airport: the woman at the desk didn't want to serve us because we are white. So, after she told us that the flight had already left (6:45 AM, and as I said, it was an 8 AM flight, plus she hadn't even asked which of the 4 flights we were intending on taking), and Lisa yelled at her for a bit in Spanish, we finally got checked in.

We flew there on Aeroperlas (you have the choice of Aeroperlas or Air Panama - AP was sold out) on a small , 15-seater prop. I was scared sh#$less on the way there, since we decided to sit at the back, beside the doors - where I could actually see through the holes, and feel the air from outside through the less-than-well-maintained seals. And I've flown on "Scareskin" (Bearskin, for those who aren't so acquainted) on a much smaller plane before, so that says something. This is what was going through my head:

Is this plane pressurized?
Oh, no, I guess we don't fly high enough for that.
S#*t, am I going to get sucked out of the door?
I'm not ready to die.
Ok, I'm not going to die. Have faith. The pilot is good. He's good. Nothing's going to happen.
Is this plane pressurized? No. I think I've already established that, considering the fact that I can feel the air coming in that we're not. It's ok.
People skydive out of planes and the door is open then. Yes, that means that we do not need to be pressurized. Yes, that's the kind of height we're at. Yes, I can see skydiving at this altitude. Ok. We're good. We're not going to die.
OMG! The lady beside us is sleeping away through all of the crazy dips and huge bumps we're taking. She seems to be used to this. Ok. that means this is normal and all is well in the world.
If I die, I hope it's quick.

We had some bumpy weather, so the back was not the ideal spot. Found out later, from Marilyne's bf (who works for Costa airlines) that Aeroperlas has the worst rep for crashes - nice. Glad we made it in one piece. Here is our plane:



If you look through the windshield, you'll see the airstrip upon which we landed:
And here is the 'airport'- an airstrip on the edge of the mainland and a dock for the very small boats that the Kuna use to ferry travelers and goods:

But when we arrived, the bumpy plane ride, followed by the moderately bumpy boat ride in questionable boats was all worth it:

I've uploaded all of my trip photos - you can also use the link on the right as usual (Photos). I may post some of my faves here and explain some l8tr...

I had a really, really wonderful time. I had to sleep a lot the past few days to recover though, and I'm super glad, as usual, to be home. :)

Teaser

I'd been laying in the sand on our little island in San Blas, letting the waves wash over me again and again, cooling me off, watching this scene, and I started thinking: "I've got to capture that, if there is any possible way to." So I got up, went to our little grass house and fished out my camera, laid back down in the sand, careful not to let the water get my camera wet, and snapped this picture. Returned my camera back to our lodgings, and went back to my position of relaxation and serenity in the water and sand...

Final Leg

As per usual, I will be returning home from vacation tomorrow tired. I rarely take the type of vacation that allows true R&R. Luckily, I have the remainder of the week off! But enough of that, you are probably all wondering what I've been up to... and the answer is: a lot!

Our travel plans had to be rearranged at the last minute, as we were awaiting confirmation of a few different reservations to get to San Blas. The flights were all sold out, and we had to scramble to get our flight booked and our lodging arrangements rescheduled. So, instead of spending time in the Caribbean islands at the end of the week, we went on the weekend and just returned this morning. So, maybe I'll start there and go backward. San Blas... what can I say? If you ever dare to venture down this way, do not miss it! All of the beautiful tropical island postcards out there - this place is it. It's an archipelago of islands on the Caribbean coast, primarily inhabited by the Kuna indigenous people of Panama. The island we stayed on was very small - we walked around it in no time. There are only 4 families living on our little island and one of them is in charge of this little 'hotel' consisting of 2 huts (sorry to Lisa - they are houses, but nobody back home will get the picture if I do not call them that), and a little kitchen house where they prepare food for us. There is no electricity, no running water. We lived on the beach for a day and slept by the ocean. You will see the pictures when I get back... oh my god!!! Amazing. I'll also write more on the experience when I'm back, as I don't have enough time today.

At the end of last week we took a trip to the mountains and a village called El Valle d'Anton. I was happy to be there and get some relief from the heat and pollution of Panama City. We spent two days there, had a great dinner at the hotel and restaurant that Lisa's soon-to-be former landlord owns and operates (the place is renouned and for good reason). We lazed around in the hammocks at the hotel we stayed at, went to the zoo and saw some pretty cool animals, and shopped at their famed market for local artisans' wares. The town is full of retired Americans, and is good at welcoming the tourists. It's really beautiful too. We ate a traditional Panamanian meal for lunch the day we left: corvina (sea bass), fried plantains, and rice. Awesome food! My first time eating fried plantian. Upon our return on Saturday, Lisa's roommate had taken posession of her new car, so we got to take it out and had dinner together.

I'll be back soon...