New! (Old) Bike!

Yay!

I met a lovely, funny, fantastically conversational woman on a ride a few weeks ago who sympathized with the lack of a granny ring on my bike.

(Vocab: A granny ring would be a third chain ring, the little one that you would switch to so you can climb hills on the bike by spinning quickly, using your aerobic energy rather than your strength and wrecking your knees)
(Backstory: The bike I ride, is actually an Aquila racing bike - it's super light, was engineered for a guy to ride in a racing position for most of the time. I've replaced the bars, seat and tires, and the frame is a reasonably good fit, so I ride it, but it isn't designed to climb hill after hill, and the gears reflect that)

Anyway, so C. and I were chatting, and she offered me her older Miyata touring bike. It was her "baby" (much as the Beast was mine)... and while she wasn't riding it anymore, she wanted it to be loved.

So I picked it up Saturday morning... a lovely pale blue Miyata bike. Heavier than my Aquila for sure - but with features that will make it a lovely city rider. A rack, and space for another on the front. Solid with a smooth pedal stroke. I'm so freakin' excited about it! The plan is to start the restoration soon after the rally, and get it on the road hopefully by fall.

Here's it's work list: In order of priority.

- recable the brakes, gears, get new housing for the cables.
- clean the chain and assess the chain rings, cassette, and current chain stretch.
- replace chain rings, cogs, and possible the chain (entire drive-train system).
- adjust derailleurs to smooth out gear changing.
- assess tires
- get a recreational seat
- get Mr. Tuffy's for the wheels and install.
- replace toe-clips

That's not so bad really, it's a great older bike - and I'm really excited about it! It's going to be a fantastic ride once it's all sorted!

Whoh! Stuff happening!

Okay, well, I haven't posted in awhile, but I'm still around. Here's my little update on things gone by:

July 12 - I went to Brampton to meet my auntie for an event, and promptly got hit by a car 5 minutes after getting off the Go Train. I've decided Brampton is possibly the most cycling unfriendly city I've ever encountered. Long story short, I was super angry, the woman who hit me paid for my new wheel, and the bike was at Cyclepath in Brampton until last night when I picked it up.

All that said -- the guys at Cyclepath there are GREAT! And totally helped me out as I was dirty, hurt, angry, and trying to hold it together in shock of being hit by a car. They gave me a clean cloth to use in their washroom and room to leave my stuff while I went in search of a drink, and even hooked me up with a few instant ice packs. Great people - definitely recommend the shop.

Luckily it seems that my injuries were largely superficial. The Chiropractor has made some comments about how my back is out of alignment, and I've got bruise and some road rash, but I'm okay, and live to bike again.

This week I've been busy looking after final preparations. I've booked my hostel for the 2nd night in Mtl, I ordered a ton of instant ice packs today to use in the evenings, and last week my mom took me to MEC and bought me some nice new shorts, a shirt and a sweater. I just need to pack, clean and relube the chain, and possibly do one more training ride.... honestly though, cycling is the last thing on my mind right now!


So this weekend my team is riding 100k to Campbellville and back. I'm not sure if I"m going to go or not, mostly because I'm a little afraid of the bike's new components, and want to take it on a slightly shorter ride first. Or maybe I'm feeling lazy ---- I'm not really sure! Either way, I'm considering biking out to Clarkson and back on Sunday instead, because 70k will give me the feedback to make any changes, and isn't too short a ride. I'm wondering if I'm punking out though.

So fundraising is done, health forms are faxed in, rooms are booked, now its just a matter of getting there in one piece.

Will that be the hardest part?

Long Long Rides!

Well, I took a week off from Riding, in honour of Pride weekend here (actually they were canceled so the bike rally participants could participate in the Parade - me, I chose to dance on the sidewalk and cheer).

Anyways -- back at it this week. Canada Day I ended up overhauling the front end of the bike. I replaced the handlebars, retaped the bars, and did some minor adjustments to the brakes and seat position --- it took a long time, but was super rewarding. I love working out my own bike.

Last weekend I did two rides, an 80km ride to Oakville and back with a stop in the middle to have lunch with my Uncle, Aunt & cousin (yummy!), and then on Sunday I did the training ride, which went nearly to Oshawa on the bike rally Day 1 route - which ended up being about 100km by the time I got on the Subway at Union.

I have to say it - Dairy Queen Blizzards are the best post-ride snack EVER! Cold, delicious, sugar-filled. Get me home to shower and lie on the couch!

It's Tuesday and I'm still at bit sore in the legs from Sunday's climbs up the Scarborough bluffs, but I got a new blender yesterday, so am making a point to drink my protein shakes like a good little athlete.

Really -- I wish I could share more, but other than training there isn't much else happening. It's a matter of training, riding, and then letting my legs & lady parts recover before doing it again!

oh dear...

100k training ride DONE!

Yay - did my 100 km training ride last weekend. It was a tough route, but good.

The whole process of the rides has inspired me to really think about why I like doing this long-distance cycling thing.... and I really think it's the same reason I liked training for the half-marathon.

Endurance activities are a delicate balance of mental and physical, at least in my world. I'll never be the fastest, my body isn't naturally athletic, but I've learned that it takes more stubbornness and preparation than anything to do endurance sports.

I like them because something happens to you in the middle of a long run or ride - and by long I mean long, a 20km run, or a 100km ride:

You start out confident, because it's just a little bit further than the last one.

And then you hit the first hill, or headwind, or rough terrain, and it gets hard FAST, you suddenly start to wonder if you've bitten off more than you can chew. Maybe you're not enough

You do a quarter of the distance and tell yourself it'll be okay - only three more of those.

You push through your first half and take a short break, at that point you're feeling enthused because you made it to the turn point -- but in the back of your mind there's a tiny voice asking you how the hell you're going to get going again.

Somewhere between the beginning of that 2nd half, and the 3/4 mark the mental part kicks in. It starts to physically HURT, and it starts to hurt BAD. Your body is revolting against you, you're getting sharp pains where you haven't gotten them before, and all your muscles are protesting. Your brain starts beating you down; you're not fast enough, fit enough, strong enough. What is your backup plan when this inevitably fails and you have to call a taxi? Everything hurts and you want to cry because you obviously suck at being sporty, but you tell yourself to keep pushing on, a cab is way too expensive from the middle of nowhere anyways -- wait until you make it into the city limits and can catch the bus.

And then something happens....... it all changes in a second. Suddenly you realize your joints don't hurt anymore - you have beat your body into submission and now it's just doing it. You realize you've come really effin' far. You realize you only have an hour to go, and at least it's still light out. You start planning your next seven meals. You fly down hills, and make your way up them in a matter of fact way. Suddenly you're the most talented athlete in the world (it also helps that at this point the super-riders in their super-spandex have already finished, gone home, and you're surrounded by those of a similar caliber as yourself).

You finish sore, but ultimately realize it was worth it. You sit carefully on the subway to head home, vaguely proud of the heinous athletic odor surrounding you and the errant grease accenting your now define muscles.


In a matter of hours, you've gone from confidence, to rock bottom, to the top of the world. And you went really far in the process.

THAT is why I like endurance sports.

Yay! Stuff bought!

Okay -- so the updated list of things I need
- tubes - 700Cx18-25mm tubes with a minimum 48mm presta valve. Yay - bought 5!
- a new patch kit, Got it!
- handlebar bag to hold stuff on the rally. ($50) Checked them out -- not sure I need it as the Camelback is AWESOME.
- Martha also needs a tire change kit for her bike.
- Rim tape Done!
- Mr. Tuffy tire liners Bought and installed!
- new handlebars Purchased at CBN for $5, must now install them!
- new shorts! (very important!!!) - Bought one pair of awesome ones, may need another pair, but we'll see.
- new gloves Yay!

Thanks Mom!

I also picked up a new pair of sunglasses that are designed for sporty things - both for the sun protection and to have a barrier to keep flying rocks, dust & bugs out of my eyeballs (it happens!). Mountain Equipment Coop has GREAT ones for only $20!

AND I got a duffel bag to bring all my camping gear BACK from Montreal in.


I think I'm all ready to go really.... equipment wise anyways - to which my mom gets HUGE credit for.

Now just to finish up the training and to get the bike tuned.

Oh, and I crashed last weekend, HARD.

Whoh!

So I checked the figures yesterday, and including donations that haven't yet been counted (because they are through a monthly plan, or have given cash) - - I only have $80 worth of fundraising to go before I hit the minimum! WHOH! Crazy!

Lovely mid-week riding.

On the weekend I joined the bike rally 80k ride to Oakville, and then I went home and lay down on the couch, my legs unwilling me to move even slightly. It was a little bit horrible, especially because I ended up missing our team's social - - because I wasn't feeling like walking to the bus, and didn't get my shite together to make something for the potluck so I didn't want to show up empty handed. Too bad though - my teammates make some GREAT food.

And YESTERDAY I left work early to get my hair cut (lost at least 2 inches hurrah!), then met Martha for a wicked awesome ride to Aurora on the same route I did a week and a half ago. It was WAY better the 2nd time around, probably because I knew what was coming, but I am also attributing that win to the donuts I ate beforehand (I love donuts!). But Mar was such a superstar, and battled through despite many sore areas, and it was a GREAT day to be riding.

The evening was topped up in the form of electrolytes in the form of purple powerade and grilled cheese.

:)

Flats Flats Flats!

I have changed 5 (FIVE!) flats in the past two weeks. Okay, one of them was on Martha's bike, and was an excellent opportunity to teach her how to patch a tire, but the other 4 were on mine, RIDICULOUS!

Thanks to the huge amount of flats I now have an ever growing list of things I need to buy to prepare for the rally. I found some new black & purple grip tape at Racer Sportif the other day ($16) - so I can have the bars retaped before I go, but that also brings up the idea of changing the bars to something that fits better.

So here's my list so far:

- tubes - 700Cx18-25mm tubes with a minimum 48mm presta valve. At least 6 needed! ($4 each)
- a new patch kit, have used up nearly all my patches so far! ($3)
- handlebar bag to hold stuff on the rally. ($50)
- Martha also needs a tire change kit for her bike.
- Rim tape ($2)
- Mr. Tuffy tire liners - Orange ($20 a set at Urbane)
- new handlebars (??? plus installation and cables - at Urbane or CBN)
- new shorts! (very important!!!) - need 2 pairs. ($50 each)
- new gloves (am getting blisters on my palms now through the others) - 2 pairs ($20-30 each)

That list isn't too bad I guess... it's about $250 worth of stuff, not including the new bars... Am glad I found the purple tape.

Update: Okay -- I've decided. I'm going to spend the money on having the bars swapped out for Women's specific bars. It's going to make a difference to the fit of my bike as well as riding ability. Urbane estimates the cost to be $150. Fun.

Update again: Also REALLY need sunglasses. Good ones. There's another $100

Sore! and somewhat crispy.

Well -- my weekend was full of check marks in the "win" column.

Friday my Bike Rally Fundraising got a major boost --- THANK YOU to all who've donated already! It's such a relief to be nearly 90% done my fundraising requirements to participate in the rally, and it's such an encouragement in the middle of those really long training rides (seriously - my brain goes: "Must not quit, lots of people have already committed their support, must keep going!")

Anyways - first soccer game in YEARS was on Saturday morning. Am not a good soccer player, but had fun. And managed to touch the ball more than once, so that was good. Unfortunately, my team - the "Maroon Team" lost, 4-0. But oh well.

And yesterday went out for the 74km Finch-Aurora Training Ride. WHOH! What a ride. It really digs down into your guts. I tried to think of clever synopses for each chunk of the ride.... here's what I can remember.

Start (0km) - Finch Subway Station, 9:40. Group stretching, Announcements. No one else from my team was at the ride that day, but everyone's pretty friendly....

10km - onto Leslie Street, heading North out of the city. Have been climbing hills since beginning and realizing that they're just getting bigger. Am entering that "Zen phase" where I realize I don't have a $2000 bike, am not the fastest, and am committed to just keepin' going.

15km - hate hills. Hate climbing hills in a headwind.

20km - hate hills, possibly hate myself as well. Bike rally was a dumb idea. Am cycling by myself now, occasionally catching up to Les who's in front of me. Try singing show tunes to take my mind off hills.

25km - The map says the turn off Leslie comes at the bottom of a big downhill.... have only been going uphill, in a headwind, so far, looking forward to the promise of a downhill. Hope the map people weren't wrong.

27km - short downhill then a sharp curving uphill, I get off and walk the bike up the last half of the hill. My knees thank me. Only another 50km to go! ARRGH! Still sort of hate myself.

28km - Whoo hoo. Found the downhill - turned onto the side road, must be close to break time now! That means close to the half way point. Turn on the side road to find another hill ARGH! Really love my camel back - water in a tube is great.

32 km - wow, this is actually a nice ride in the country. Hmmm, wonder where I am. Rolling hills are more entertaining than straight hills... I think. Don't want to climb more hills.

34km - Hurray, break at Tim Hortons in Aurora! Eat a Fibre 1 bar, chat, eat some fruit snacks, drink some gatorade. Change the tire that blows ride before I'm ready to leave. Luckily a nice guy helps me by pumping me up with his awesome pump. Make dirty jokes about small chambers being easier to pump. Back on the road!

36km - ARGH. More hills. Glad I didn't bring a cellphone. May have called a cab by now. Sing songs about bike riding to myself.

41km - Keele Street, Huge Rolling Hills, rolling hills are good for breaks and momentum. Am flying. Achieve new top speed of 60.4k/hr - that's FAST on a bike! Am also bringing up my average ride speed to closer to 20k an hour - good stuff.

50km - Realize King City looks quite nice, come into Vaughan and give an audible "Holy F*ck!" when I realize I'm coming at Canada's Wonderland from the north...... realize how far we biked up all those damn hills! Realize I might not actually hate myself and that I'll have the best exercise high when this is done. At 50km done I realize there's only about 23km left and am briefly excited, untilI realize how wierd it is to be excited at ONLY 20+k left.

60km - Home stretch. Am feeling it, but muscles have succumbed to their punishment and are just pressing ahead.

67km - Catch up to the two men I've been leapfrogging with since the break, decide to ride in slowly behind them to try and cool down.

72km - Done! Stretching, congratulating others, stretching. Leave to buy timbits. Eat all of bought timbits on the way home.

The rest of my day went something like this: TTC home, horrible sore ride from the subway station. Get home, stretch, greet kitties, shower (best shower ever!), curl up on the sofa and sleep! Wake up, eat pasta, back to bed!


Woke up this morning to the worst sunburn ever! Lesson learned. Also making a mental note of things I need to buy - new shorts and gloves are at the top of the list.

mmm, what have I been doing?

It's been BUSY lately! Or maybe it just feels that way because I just sent in the budget for work and the invoice on the same day, and I've been in and out and around lately!

I was sick a couple of weeks ago, horribly ill with a cough that hurt my lungs. I tried really hard to wrestle through a short training ride the Saturday I was sick... and I think Martha and I went about 40km or so (maybe a bit more), before I threw in the towel. It was probably pretty pathetic to see, imagine me in full bike gear, with some awesome legwarmers on, hunched over my handlebars hacking a lung up - pretty.

Then last week we went White Water Rafting - which was COLD! But fun, and way more work than I thought it'd be! Combine that with a bunch of nature walks and I spent the whole Holiday Monday sleeping!

Mar and I have decided that it's imperative that we start biking mid-week, so we've arranged a standing date to meet after work to do the exercise thing. Last week we did a really solid, and fast, 45km - it was awesome, and celebrated by a fantastic Griffin-burger!

So this weekend I am playing soccer (eep!) on Saturday, and biking 74km on Sunday. Sounds fun doesn't it? I already have the ice packs in the freezer!

i <3 my bike.

I was so lazy this weekend, it was a bit silly in fact - but my muscles feel way better today.

On Saturday I joined the bike rally crowd for a quick 46km training ride - where I met the super nice Christine, who helped me battle headwinds and was my company for a super quick last half of the ride. It was a good ride, the first half took FOREVER (maybe an hour and twenty?) while the last half was a super speedy 40 minutes or so. All in all a respectable ride at about 21km/hour speeds averaged.

In the afternoon I went hiking with my Aunt in Milton - which was great, even though we got rained on, but I think I've found a new favourite activity (aside from cycling, and soccer). It was great though.

Speaking of Soccer. Our two "newbie practices" last week were great, and alot of fun! I totally appreciated Hege, and the other women who came out to help us out. It was alot of fun to play with a bunch of people who didn't have much more skill than I. My plan this week is to spend at least two afternoons in the park practicing my dribbling skills... I need it!

Okay.. so maybe I wasn't THAT lazy. I can feel the muscles starting to engage again, which is nice.

Cycling my ass off.... literally speaking.

Two back to back (ie. two days in a row) 44km rides accomplished this weekend. One alone, and one as a training ride with the bike rally with Mar (who is such a trooper!).

My right knee was a bit sore yesterday afternoon, so Dr. O (the chiropractor) checked it out for me this morning and gave me some tips to help with the hill climbing so I'm not constantly irritating the tendons. Good stuff. Feels better today.

This week I have to prioritize doing a bit of general maintenance on the bike - lubing, cleaning, tightening etc... I'm seriously considering having my drops swapped out for bullhorns, but that is totally dependent on money - and whether or not I can locate some purple grip tape to replace the stuff currently on my bars (I will ONLY have purple!). Either way I'll go talk to the nice folks at Urbane sometime soon about those possibilities.

I wish I had more interesting stuff to share - but I'm honestly a little bit tired today and my legs are still reminding me of the effort expended this weekend. I did find out this morning that I burned about 1600 calories on each ride - AWESOME.

A short update...

- Martha and I did a wicked awesome 45km ride out to Port Credit and back last weekend, it was so great. We took pictures when we got there.

- I was in Buffalo last weekend as well and bought a tent! And a sleeping back, and an air mattress... I'm all ready to camp this summer!

- I got on a soccer team! Yay! I also bought pretty soccer shoes. They're silver, and blue.

That's all for my sporty-related endeavours. Fund raising is coming along pretty well... I need to raise another 600 or so - but that's not so bad at all!

An Introductory Post --- I guess.....

I've really been trying to work on the fundraising support lately, which means I'm also directing people to check out my blog... and it occurred to me that here is the place to put that long-winded description (that was cut out of the emails) of the Rally & WHY I'm doing it.


At every Rally meeting I've attended so far the first two questions are "How did you hear about it?" and "Why are you doing it?".

First: The How.
A couple of years ago I had a friend who signed up for it. He never ended up making it to the rally, and dropped out halfway through the training --- but at the time I thought it sounded great. I didn't even own a bike then.

The Why:
On New Years I realized that 2008 felt like a total bust for me in terms of accomplishing goals. I spent the year working at the same job I've worked in since shortly after Graduation, a bad sprain in late 2007 meant that I couldn't run in the 2008 season, and I wasn't any better off financially, socially, or feeling like I did any real personal growth. The one thing I DID do in 2008 was buy a bike - a second-hand Aquila Road bike, I took a basic repair course and I spent one weekend cycling in Niagara with the Toronto Bicycle Network. In January I was reminded again of the rally and decided to sign up - if I accomplished nothing else in 2009 at least I knew I rode my bike all the way from Toronto to Montreal, and that sounded pretty awesome.

The Rally & PWA
I didn't really get behind the whole charity-aspect of the Rally until I started attending the preparation meetings. There I met the great people who run the Toronto People with AIDS foundation, learned about the services they offer, and most importantly - - I met people who live with HIV/AIDS, and heard about their experiences with the disease. I realized then that HIV/AIDS was something I'd always been aware of, but that it had been pushed to the back of my, and many of my friends', subconscious as we weren't aware that we knew anyone personally affected. Since I've become involved with the Rally I've learned of at least one person I know with HIV/AIDS, and I've also learned that it is reaching epidemic proportions within the Aboriginal Community. I also believe strongly in PWA's goal to provide direct, practical support to those who live with HIV/AIDS - and really feel like this is an organization that I am glad to be raising awareness and funds for.

The Preparation
The Bike Rally is at the end of July, all fundraising monies must be in and accounted for by June. In addition to this there is training that must be done.
Training Rides (beginning at 34km and ramping up to 120+km) take place every weekend between now and the rally. I have also joined a recreational soccer league to provide some cross-training. After nearly a year of mostly-inactivity I'm a little sad to admit that I am physically larger than I've ever been, and have a long road ahead to get back into shape. It'll happen though, and I'm excited to be participating this year.


That's about it for now I guess --- let me know if you have any questions!

Team 1?

Well - mere hours after getting my "Welcome to Team 12!" email I got another email saying I've been transferred to Team 1. Huh. Well -- I have a bike rally team at least, not knowing anyone else who's participating it didn't matter to me WHAT team I got put on, but now I guess I can say "I'm on Team #1!".

Awwww well. I haven't been riding much this week, it's been cold, and I've been lazy. Tomorrow it's supposed to warm up quite a bit though so I think the excuses are going to expire pretty quickly. Mar and I are doing another ride a deux on Friday -- I bought her a new seat, I'm excited!

Fundraising has also taken off some. According to my pledge page I'm exactly 57% complete in terms of my fundraising -- that feels WAY better than the 24% I was stalled at for awhile.

That's about it. Just been making mental lists of things I'll need for the ride, and trying to gear up to get some exercise again. I put on quite the amount of winter weight.... must start battling it off soon.

Tuesday.

Bah -- I'm sick.


But I DID suck it up on Saturday to get through a 35km ride with Mar & the TBN Saturday Morning Riders. I had to, I knew if I backed out I'd have a rough time getting Martha to commit again.

But it was great. She was scared - reasonably so, given that she'd never gone that far, and was giving up control of her Saturday morning to try out her first athletic endeavour in a decade or so. I tried to be sympathetic - but really I was just too pumped to finally have a biking buddy!

So we did it. Exactly 35.146km of cycling. An overall average speed of about 17.5km/hr. Two hours. And aside from a sore bum she did GREAT! We celebrated with Burgers and Fountain Pop at Licks.

I'm glad, and she had such an exercise high she wants to do it again this weekend. I'm so happy I'm not the only crazy willing to get up at 8am on a Saturday to get some cycling in.


This weekend is the first OFFICIAL training ride for the rally. 34 km.

Yesterday I succumbed to Sunday and didn't do my planned ride. But I DID make it out for a short little ride with a friend in the evening, and took the time to introduce her to the bike she bought from me (My "Beast").

I also managed to coerce her into agreeing to join my Saturday morning ride, which I'm really looking forward to!

Tomorrow I have a 40k ride planned with a friend who I'm sure will push me harder than the cruises I've been doing lately. I'm really looking forward to it, even though the weather says its going to be cold, cold, cold.

SMR - First ride out of the season.

Aside from some commuting this was my first Saturday morning ride with TBN. There weren't too many people there - but it was nice because I got to chat with a few, and this man Charles, who's been biking forever, gave me lots of good tips.

Otherwise - today wasn't a huge day. 34km from the Boardwalk Pub to Mimico and then home from there. Average speed was about 16.5km/hour (pretty leisurely) - and it took probably about 2 1/2 hours.

I was just thinking that I'm wondering what the average speed of the Bike Rally will be - - I'm thinking probably around 20-24km/hour - but who knows really. That means that most days, if we started by 8:30 every morning we'd be at the lunchbreak by 11:00am, and then probably be at camp by about 3pm (this is including some food break stops). That doesn't seem so unmanagable --- today anyways. Though I guess we'll see, I've never cycled more than 70k at a time before....

So the week's training plan:
This afternoon - stretch.
Sunday - 40km on the Humber River Trail - with a goal of an average speed of 23km/hour.
During the week - Commuting to work & Back.
Saturday: TBN Saturday Morning Ride
Sunday: (Maybe) Kettleby-Maple ride with TBN (76km...)

Have I even mentioned how freakin' Excited I am!?

With the first bits of warm weather I got The Beast out of the garage and have been biking to work this week. I love it! It's faster, it's better, it's some exercise.

The first unofficial Saturday ride with TBN is this weekend --- I have to make a point to get The Beauty out of the garage and tuned up first, but I'm looking forward to a leisurely 35k with some new friends! Hurrah! Hopefully the weather will be nice.

It's time to get going really, warm weather makes me want to get outside and be there. Friends and I are already talking about the summer biking & dacquiris (a tradition loved by all) - and I'm looking forward to the rally training rides to the east of the city.

Good stuff.

Things that must be begged, borrowed or bought....

A preliminary list of things I need for the ride:

Bike Stuff -
- Tires (low-priority, but look into new tires with a less-tight bead to get them on/off easier).
- Handlebars (again, low-priority - - but if time/money allows then have the bar/stem swapped out for something that fits better to my short girl-arms)
- Handlebar Bag (for holding things like sunscreen, sunglasses, money, etc...)

Clothing -
- 2nd pair of cycling gloves
- 3rd pair of cycling shorts
- 1 jersey
- water-resistant, breathable jacket - that packs down small.
- some headbands for under the helmet
- possibly a new pair of cycling shoes.

Equipment -
- Tent
- Sleeping Bag
- Bowl, Plate, Cup, utensils
- Air mattress
- Mesh bag


Hmmmmmm.... come to think of it, that list isn't so bad. Way shorter than I expected. I was at the Spring Bike Show last weekend and picked up tubes, a minipump, and a camelback. Maybe I'm being a little naive, but I don't really see how all the necessities will fill two Rubbermaid Tubs up completely - I see one being for clothes/personal items and the other being for camping stuff and bike equipment -- but even then????


Mmmm -- I'm sure the overpacking beast will emerge sooner or later.

Okay.... So a Training Plan.

As much as I'd love to whine about fundraising I won't. I'm saving that for a much warmer day.

I'm going to start my warm weather fantasies with thinking about the Training Plan. Bah!

By my estimates I reasonably need to drop about 20lbs before the rally. In my world I'd like to drop about 40, but we all need to start somewhere. I need to work on my Abs, my back muscles, my ass, and stretching. The rest will come naturally. I need to improve my cardiovascular fitness enough that I won't be a sweaty mess at the end of my day.

I also need to do technical things to the bike like fix the 2nd bottle cage holder (or rather, get the broken screws out of the holes and buy a new one), look into a new headset/bar combo (along with re-taping and re-cabling) and buying some spiffy tires that get on with minimal swearing.

Cycling can't possibly start for another month at least so in the meantime here's the plan:
- 1 day boxercise/week
- 1 evening swimming/week (maybe 2)
- 3 days 20 minute cross-training workouts (30 day shred)
- 2 days of Rebounding/Trampolining for 1 hour (or substitute for walking outside)

That's not so bad, won't take more than an hour and a half a day to do - and some of them are social activities at least.

So that's the plan, stay tuned. Cycling season begins end of March.

Friends for Life Bike Rally - 2009

So after thinking about it for awhile I decided not to make a whole 'nother place for myself on the web just to chronicle my adventures with this year's sporty endeavour - that is, the 600k cycling rally from Toronto to Montreal in support of the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation.

Training hasn't really started yet. All I've managed to do so far is get The Beast out of the Garage one day to cycle to work. It left me winded, with a sore ass - but good start!

I just got the training schedule, and have fundraised about 25% of the money needed so far. The whole fundraising thing makes me nervous as hell, but I'm excited to take the ride on.

So here we are - the running training blog has been co-opted while I do the Cycling Thing for the next year or so. If I ever run again I'll be amazed to be honest, I don't really miss the PAIN that comes along with it.

I'm WAY more a fan of coasting along with the wind blowing in my hair and the only thing I need to remember is to unclip when I stop at intersections.

Awesome.