"Can Eat Eat"...Malaysia Styles, Part 2

Sarawak Laksa

Joy here...Okay, so the last time I was in Malaysia over the holiday season (and Malaysians know how to do Christmas well, trust me), I gained so much weight that I literally burst out of my pants before I got on the plane to return back to Canada.  This time, I narrowly missed bursting out of my pants, but that's only because I wore jeans that had some stretch in them this time.  I gained as much weight (if not more) than I did back in 2009.

Back in 2009, that pants-bursting-experience is the motivation that kicked my smooshy butt into action to sign up for my first ever running race, the 10km race that Nomi and I did together in May 2010.  Since then, I've done 5 other running races.  Now I'm going to use my newly smooshy butt as motivation to sign up for my next running race.  This time it's going to be the 1/2 marathon in my hometown.

Chicken Rice

You see, lately each year I've been in Singapore for the last weekend in May, first running the 10km race (2010) and then running the 21km race (2011).  But that same weekend is "Race Weekend" in Ottawa where I live right now.  I've never actually been around to participate in any of the events at this weekend, but thanks to my over-indulgence with booze and food while in Malaysia, I've decided to sign up for the local 1/2 marathon as my motivation to get back in shape and get over all the food that I've eaten for the last 3 weeks straight!

Everyone keeps telling me that the holiday season is a time of indulgence and that even professional athletes need an "off season," and I shouldn't feel bad about all the food and booze that I consumed since the start of our trip to Malaysia, and with only the odd 30-40minute run in my vibram five-fingered shoes, I've certainly had one heck of an "off season."

Now, it just remains to be seen whether or not I can have enough of an "on season" to work off my spare tire and train for a decent 1/2 marathon in 5 months!

In the meantime, enjoy this little pictoral of what I've been stuffing myself with, and you'll get a sense of what I'm carrying around on my midsection! :)

Home made Chocolate Mousse Cake with Cointreau Cream

Christmas lunch (vegetables, turkey, potato salad)

Salty Seaweed Snack

Mushroom Quiche with salad

Okay, I'm going to go and put on some sweatpants (one of the few pants that still fit these days) and go and have a workout.

Over and out,
Joy

Christmas in Malaysia

Christmas in KLCC (the base of the
Petronas Towers).

Joy here...One thing I love about this country:
THEY KNOW HOW TO DO CHRISTMAS RIGHT!

Back in Canada, everyone is really politically correct and respectful of diversity, and in so being, we are very aware of the privileged status of Judeo-Christian traditions in our otherwise secular state and don't want to push it in the faces of other people who hold other traditions and religions near and dear; now the unfortunate side effect of such sensitivity is a crazy watering down of holiday spirit.  You see, in Canada, no one really says "Merry Christmas" with abandon in the public sphere.  Nor would you hear Christmas carols that are overtly religious in nature.  Santa, yes/Baby Jesus, no.  In Canada, we wish each other "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings" and we listen to Jingle Bells over and over and over again, sprinkled with the odd Here Comes Santa Claus...

Christmas in Pavilion (the most amazing mall
you will ever experience).

When we're amongst friends or family, we will wish each other Merry Christmas if we know that those friends and family members actually celebrate it.  We wouldn't presume.  And for those who are Jewish, we make a point of saying "Happy Hanukkah" (if we know they're Jewish for sure) or at least "Happy Holidays" (if we're not sure whether they are or not).

Children at school have "Holiday Concerts" not "Christmas" ones, and they have "Holiday Parties" not "Christmas" ones, and loads of people have no problem turning "Christmas" into "Xmas," even on their holiday cards and decorations.

In Malaysia, it's a little bit different.

Oh, I need a little Christmas, right
this very minute...

You see, technically, the "official" religion of Malaysia is Islam.  But, like Canada, Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-religious state; even with Islam being the "official" religion of the state there is freedom of religion and both sharia and secular court systems.  That said, they are unabashedly Christmassy in ways that Canadians have been trained is insensitive.  Girls wearing tudungs (Malay head scarves) smile at me on a regular basis and wish me a "Merry Christmas."  Whenever I buy anything in the shops, I am greeted with "Merry Christmases" throughout the interaction.  Restaurants have special Christmas menus and meals, and all the shops play the widest range of Christmas carols I've ever heard.  I've heard more about the birth of Baby Jesus in malls in this country where Islam rules the roost than I ever have in Canada.

People don't necessarily care whether Christmas as a holiday is mine or theirs, but they just love an excuse to have a holiday, and what's not merry about that???

My sister, who is visiting at the moment, saw some of the Christmas decorations in one of the newer malls in Kuala Lumpur, and when I asked her what she thought of it, she said "it was like Christmas of the future."  And I know what she means.  Malaysians out-Christmas the official celebrators of Christmas, and they mean business!

So let's buy stuff; let's sell stuff; let's give stuff; let's receive stuff; let's eat; let's drink, and let's have a merry ole time doing it all, and feel unabashed in our celebration of this crazy holiday with all its contradictions!

The Christmas decorations at the club attached to the park
where Nomi and I (and The Man) did our Christmas Eve run!

Over and out...and MERRY CHRISTMAS,

Joy

Fun Run in the Sun

Joy here...Every holiday season ends up being a season of indulgence.  We eat too much; we drink too much; we buy too much; we give too much; and we generally have too much of all good things out there. What happens then at this time of the year is that the athlete - be it a serious athlete or someone just trying to prevent herself from bursting out of her pants à la Joy 2009 - has a hard time sticking to a regimen of healthy eating and routine activity.

Early morning in the park.

This blog started in 2010, because in 2009 I spent the Christmas holiday season in Malaysia, stuffing myself silly for two weeks, and then exploded out of all my clothes.  Nomi and I looked at each other, looked at our midsections, and were signed up for our first ever running race, the 10km Sundown race in Singapore.  Then last year I spent the holidays in Canada, stuffing myself silly for an extended four-day weekend of indulgence, and then felt like exploding out of all my clothes.  This year, we're back in Malaysia, and I am well on track to meet (or even beat) my record of bursting out of my clothes!

We've been eating and drinking our body weight nearly every day.  'Tis the season, right?

The typical running loop...

The upshot of all this eating, all this drinking, is that we've also being doing a fair bit of running.  Instead of just sitting around on the couch all day, we've done two runs around the golf club where I've run with The Man and with Nomi before, where monkeys roam freely.  Instead of trying to run loops and loops there, we stuck to two 30-ish minute runs in our five finger shoes so that we can build up our distances as barefoot runners.  Then we've done two runs around the park where Nomi and I usually run.  These runs have been 40-ish minutes, so that's our new distance in the barefoot shoes.  And I can say, that at the end of each 40-minute stint, I wish that I was going to keep on going.  I feel like I want to keep running, and so stopping feels more like an act of restraint, to be careful with these new shoes, rather than an exhausted cessation of activity due to organ failure (which is kind of how I'm used to feeling at the end of a run; this new, invigorated feeling is kind of neat.).

...it even looks cool, doesn't it???

Here in Malaysia we're experiencing what everyone calls "Christmas weather," which feels nothing like the white Christmas in Canada that I'm used to, but which is truly lovely.  There is this fantastic breeze most days, and in the morning, the temperature has been known to dip as low as 23 C!  It's positively balmy.  So with the refreshing breeze and the sun high but not too hot, we've really been able to have fun with our little barefoot shoes and reinvigorate our running.

Now, I'm not foolish enough to think that a few 30 or 40 minute runs here and there will be enough to counter the Christmas eating frenzy, or overcome the fact that one glass of wine has about 200 calories, and on any given day I've been consuming 5-12 glasses of wine (sometimes even more, but after 12, I stop counting...or rather, I lose the ability to count!).  I know that I've been eating and drinking much more than I've been working out at any kind of intensity.  I get it.

But what I mean to say here is that even with all the eating, all the drinking, and all the pants-splitting indulgence, I've been able to rekindle my love of running and just head out there into the tropical "Christmas weather" and run with my pink barefoot shoes making me feel like a kid again - a kid who loves to just run and run and run purely for fun.

Joy - just running for fun!

Over and out,

Joy

"Can Eat Eat"...Malaysia Styles!

Nasi Lemak

Joy here...Well, in addition to our first couple of barefoot runs since arriving in Malaysia, we've found time to fit in another couple of barefoot runs, at only 30 minutes each, and The Man has squeezed in a few good bike rides.  I chose not to bring my bike on this trip to Malaysia, and I think I'm regretting it.

You see, brief, 30 minute runs, no matter how fun they might be (and they are fun), are not really enough to stave off the midsection growth engendered by all the yummy Malaysian food we've been eating.  Even though we try to stick to our Paleo Diet food plan , i.e. no salt, sugar, gluten, starch etc., when we're in Malaysia, it's always extra hard to eat healthy and clean.  Add to that the fact that it's the holiday season, and you have a sense of the fact that trying to watch one's food intake is particularly hard.

So at this point, I think we're just on damage control and minimizing the problems caused by eating stuff that is, well, an indulgence!

So in the spirit of indulgence, enjoy these pictures that show just the kinds of goodies that we've been eating over the past week since arriving!

Yummy antipasti platter

Marinated Raw Fish

Beef Bourgignon

Homemade Indian food (courtesy of Cross Mansions)

Salmon Platter (both cooked and raw)

Now go and get something to eat, since I'm sure your mouth is watering just by viewing this smallest of samplings of what we've been up to since arriving!

Over and out,

Joy

Barefoot Running in the Tropics!

Joy here...Okay, so my posting of late has been rather lacklustre.  That's because, well, my workouts of late have been rather lacklustre.  I mean, I can't write much if I'm not doing much, can I?

Well, this will all change.  The Man and I arrived in Malaysia on Monday night (it's now Wednesday) and have gone for two barefoot runs in our bikila five-fingered shoes.  These haven't been super long runs (only about 30 mins), but we're terribly jet lagged, and so we're just happy to get back on the running wagon and get our mojo going, if you know what I mean.  Running out there in the tropical weather, with the humidity all around me, the light sweat on my skin, and the pavement beneath my five-fingered, barefoot shoes is transformative.  No longer do I feel bored and bound by the regular work-a-day world that can often threaten to suck me under, especially in a Canadian winter, but now I feel like I can do anything.  I can run barefoot, free as the breeze!

One of the greatest running books out
there - a must read for runners and non-
runners alike!

And what we've discovered since we were last here - preaching about the benefits of the five-fingered shoes and the barefoot running movement - some of our friends have joined us in embracing this barefoot running movement.  Two of our friends here just ran their first 1/2 marathons in the five-fingers, and another friend just bought his first pair last week.  So when they all came over yesterday to welcome us back to town, out of the 6 people sitting around catching up, 4 of us own five-finger, barefoot shoes, and the other two were Nomi and her Man.  Since Nomi just finished her first full marathon, as far as I'm concerned, her running credentials are without question; so now, we may just lure her over to the barefoot movement too (especially since she's already started wearing minimalist shoes).  I mean, I bought her a copy of McDougall's great book Born to Run about ultra-distance running, how humans are evolved to run, and the focus on barefoot running, so it's only a matter of time before she, too, joins us in the wonderful world of running barefoot!  While we decide what our next running races are going to be, what our next fitness goals will be, and determine where to set our sights next, we may just enjoy the sensation of running the way humans were meant to run:  barefoot.


Over and out,
Joy

The Sisterhood Rides Again

Joy here...Back in early November, when I was out of town taking care of my little nephew (and being run a bit ragged in the process...kudos to all moms and dads out there!), two members of our erstwhile cycling sisterhood, The Professor and The Trainer, went out for a morning bike ride to the park.  They figured that they would just do a ride up to the Pink Lake lookout and then get on with their Friday.  What happened was an entirely different story.

I was out of town, with a toddler pulling at me, a friend beside me with one child in her lap and her elder toddler pulling at her, noise, toys, and insanity all around when my phone rang.  It was the Trainer.  I was wondering why she was calling, because she knew I was out of town.  I could hear the wind behind her and knew she was calling from outside.  As I strained above the voices of the children to hear what she said, I started to understand.  I heard the words "there's been an accident" and "hit by a car."  My stomach dropped.  Oh god.  I handed my nephew a toy, stood up so I could concentrate, and mouthed the words "car accident" to my friend so that she would know I was distracted.  What can I do?

As The Professor and The Trainer had finished their ride up to Pink Lake and were exiting the park, The Professor was riding just ahead of the Trainer and where the bike path meets the road, she had a green light to cross.  The car turning right also had a green light.  They both took their opportunity at the same moment - The Professor riding straight, the car turning right into her.

The Trainer saw it all happen; she saw The Professor fly over the hood of the car; she heard the thud as she hit the road on the other side.

Luckily, The Professor seemed fine, shaken but fine.  She was scared; she was bruised, but it didn't seem like anything was broken.  But she certainly wasn't going to ride home after this.

That's where the phone call to me comes in.  The Trainer was desperately trying to think who would be around on a Friday morning with a car who could help.  She knew I was out of town, but she also knew I'd be able to get ahold of Cili Padi, the one retired sister in our cycling sisterhood.  If we could only contact her, she could ride in on her white horse and rescue the damsel in distress.  And so with a bit of phone tag that's what happened.  Cili Padi drove out and met them there and drove The Professor home.  She went straight to emergency where she was diagnosed with a concussion and told to take it easy.

Fast forward 3 1/2 weeks.

The Professor teaches a spinning class on Tuesday nights at The Trainer's gym.  This past Tuesday was going to be her first class back teaching while riding the bike herself.  So we all decided to register for that class and head out together.

It was a cold, November day.  The rain fell heavily and loudly around me as I walked to the gym, soaking my feet through my shoes, and drenching the bottoms of my pants, almost all the way up to my knees.  Cars whooshed by through puddles, splashing me with road water, and I was wet and cold by the time I reached the gym.  But there they were:  the sisterhood.  The Professor was getting ready to teach the class, with her microphone on, and Cili Padi and The Sashinator were already set up on their bikes.  I hopped on my bike and felt the familiar feel of the wheel of a stationary bike engage my thighs just like it does every Thursday morning during my regular spinning class, and as I adjusted my heart rate monitor, Power Penna made her way into the gym.  She was almost as rained on as I was, and as we all settled into our strength ride, the car accident and the cold November seemed to fade, as we pushed ourselves and sweated hard.

We went out for a post-class drink (and, no, we didn't shower beforehand!), and The Trainer met up with us.  We chatted; we laughed; we caught up, and we just generally enjoyed each other's company.

So what started out as just a loose group of riders getting together every now and then throughout the summer to get some cycling fitness has turned into a group of friends.

And I, for one, am thankful for that.

Over and out,
Joy

I.....I, Want To Reach For The Stars....[Nomi's First Marathon]

Nomi says,


Well, maybe I'll start with the finishing line of a full marathon first.


Joy had I planned to run a full marathon this year. And I sort if wanted to chicken out. And, if Joy and Lulu did not encourage and support me, I probably would have. I didn't think i would be able to finish one at this point of time. My right knee had been giving me problems for the past 2 months or so. I wasn't in horrific pain or anything, but it would start twinging about 45 minutes into a run, and sometimes it would scream silently even as i got ready for a session at the gym or a road run. I had stopped running significant distances about 3 weeks prior to the race. I mostly went to the gym and used the elliptical trainer or the stationary bike. And i had only run a maximum of 3 hours prior to this. I didn't know if i could run more than that. But, i thought if i didn't do this now, when would i do it then? And I wanted to commemorate 2011, a significant year for me, with a personal event.

I actually planned my training more than 6 months in advance. Did I follow the plan...of course not! Planning and actually following it are 2 different things for me. Towards the deadline of the marathon...i was just thinking that i would be thankful if i could even do the distance. Runner's World  Nov 2011 issue had very good advice regarding running a full marathon and i did try to follow some of the pointers regarding carbo loading,  hydrating well , tapering, getting enough rest, etc, etc.

I remember while driving to the island where the marathon was to be held, i had to cross the bridge where i would actually run later in the night and it was so daunting. It seemed to stretch forever and i didn't know if i could run that far. But, i had already signed up for the run, planned a holiday around it, so i would do it.

This year, there were about 27, 000++ participants, but only a fraction were full marathoners. My run started at 2 am. Luckily , it had rained earlier, so the asphalt was cool...( for tropical standards, cool would be anything that was 26C and below) and the weather was wonderful . There was a refreshing breeze blowing and it made a huge difference to the run. Joy and Lulu were super encouraging, sending messages of support before my run and i really wished that they were there physically with me. I remember voicing that thought to Lulu just before the race and she texted me, telling me that she would be by my side in spirit throughout the run, and that was such a comforting thought. And i know that Joy, was rooting for me from halfway across the world too...

Starting point...from the 'Finish' end...

So there i was , just an insignificant dot amongst the thousands of people around me at 1 am on the day of the race. I sat next to a bunch of elderly gentleman, all who were sporting the race tag of full marathoners. I thought to myself...if they could do it , so could I right? I decided to carry a 1L camelbak, because i didn't know about how well planned this race would be with regards to hydration. I think that there were in total about 5 individuals who decided to bring their own fluids...And i came armed with a handful of gels too.

And with a loud blare, the horn went off for the start for full marathoners at 2 am in the morning. People rushed ahead of me. Me.. i decided to take it slow and easy . Not having run this distance before, i had no idea what i was in for. So , there i went off, feeling a bit a fool venturing into the unknown, the fluids sloshing in my hydration pack feeling like i was going into a trek into the Himalayas. And, about 15 minutes into the run, my right knee started twinging, giving off small niggling pain impulses and I remember thinking....how was I going to do this, if there was going to be this discomfort. Luckily though, the pain stopped about 30 minutes later and the run was comfortable and actually enjoyable.

About 1 hr and 22 minutes into the run, barely one third of the total distance, i saw the front runners passing me on their way back! They were these strong , fast Kenyans and they were sure to cinch the top 5 titles. Also, the half marathoners had also started their race and they literally zoomed ahead of my slow plodding form. This annual race, that i run is generally well planned, but this year, the first water station was approximately at 5km, the next at 10kms and the first isotonic rehydration fluid station was at 15kms into the run !!!! I as so thankful that i decided to lug my camelbak, because the fluids were certainly insufficient for long distance runners. 2 of the stations after the 15km mark too, had run out of water.

The run was comfortable for the first 21/2 hours to 3 hours or so. The weather was wonderful, with a gentle cool breeze blowing, the asphalt wasn't radiating heat and all my body parts were behaving generally well. I had a pack of gels with me and they were so useful. I consumed one every 1 hour and felt energized and not the least tired. ( I think i had consumed enough caffeine in the gels to keep me awake for 72 hours or so) Till about 3 hours into the run, when the pain started creeping insidiously . It started with the right knee...then the left. It was quite tolerable at first. Kind of like whiny toddlers that haven't broken into full fledged yowls. It started with twinges, then dull aches...no loud protests to stop as yet. But it grew steadily and after the 30km mark and it was decidedly uncomfortable. I had mostly run continuously before, just stopping to get fluids or refill my camelbak. Now i had to stop for short breaks to relieve the pain. And i started counting the kms till the end. I couldn't believe that i still had more than 10kms left!!!



For a while the run-walk-run strategy helped....but during the last 5 kms, the pain was continuous. Frankly, it hurt like hell!!!! It didn't make a difference whether one walked or ran. The 'whiny toddler' was screaming in full force now. I remember Joy's Man mentioning that it was better to run fast and finish earlier...than to run slow and drag out the pounding of the joints on the pavement...Both my hips and knees were so painful and  even the back of my neck hurt. Luckily there were stations with volunteers handing put bags of ice and i ran while pressing the ice into hips, knees, legs...and it did help, mostly as a distraction. At the last 3.5km mark, i walked with another runner who told me that this was the 4th full marathon that he had run, in this year. And he said that he thought it would be easier, but after 30kms, the pain didn't lessen at all, during every run...and he questioned why he put himself through this 'torture' every time. But then he said that the feeling of accomplishment that he got when crossing the finishing line was indescribable, and made him plan for this next run....

The last few kms of my run coincided with the10km run, 5km run and the fun run event. It was chaos. There you were just wanting to have the run over and done with, your whole body protesting in pain, ...having to contend with hoards of mostly young runners who were walking, chatting, holding hands and strolling in your path, some sprinting without much sense or direction.....and you just felt this overwhelming" Get out of the way" feeling...

The end approached, it was broad daylight with beautiful sunshine by that time and i crossed the finishing line at 5 hours and 48 minutes. My joints sighed in relief. I was done...finally. Joy and Lulu would be proud of me:) Unfortunately this race was not very well organized. A lot of the full marathoners, did not get their finishing T's or those who got them didn't get them in the right size, no water or hydration fluids were handed out to the exhausted runners at the end of their run, there were no shower bays or changing areas for the runners and they were a total of maybe 10 or 15 porto-potties at the start /finishing area to cater to 27, 000++ runners????? And the most glaring error..the start/finish banner was placed in reverse ie you started at the "Finish "line and ended at the "Stat" line....well...

 It was certainly a memorable event. I couldn't walk properly for about 48 hours after that. I think that this is the longest post that i have put up and i hope that the next time i do something like this, it would be with Joy and Lulu. I certainly couldn't have done this without them.

IronKids!

Joy here...Back in July we had an IronMan party in honour of two of our friends who had just finished IronMan Lake Placid.  The day after, one of the IronMen, Simon, went out for a bike ride with me and Rueban.  He's back in Malaysia now, and he's just updated his blog with a race report for his twin boys' first ever triathlon!  It's a real nail-biter, and I hope you'll give it a read:  

http://tritwins.blogspot.com/2011/11/aism-triathlon-my-proudest-triathlon.html

The boys did really well, and I can't wait to congratulate them in person when we head to Malaysia for the December holidays!

Now, if two primary school kids can do a triathlon, I guess I have no more excuses, do I???

Over and out,

Joy

Running, what's that?

Joy here...Well, I had these great plans for my training throughout the fall that would include both running and cycling, that would work strength training in, and that would ultimately start laying the groundwork for my vague and undefined aspirations to become a triathlete.  Maybe, like Nomi who finished her first ever FULL MARATHON over the weekend, I, too, will be able to do a full marathon in the foreseeable future.

But then, somehow, my last run was October 5th when I did the "Run for the Cure," and it wasn't really a run per se, because it was at a nice, easy pace, the pace of an 8 year old!  So, in all honesty, my last runs were probably sometime in September.  And while the weather has turned cold, the fallen leaves have started to turn brown and crusty, and in the mornings our cars are painted with glittering frost, I dusted off my trusty vibrams and headed out the door for an afternoon run.

You see, Nomi and I started this running journey together.  We both decided to run our first ever running race last year, and then we both decided to run our first ever half marathon; after that, we ran a half marathon together in Singapore, and we were all set to run our first marathons.  But then, the marathon I was planning to run fell on the same weekend as my grandma's 90th birthday party; then, I spent much of my summer cycling instead of running; then, my running turned into an experiment with the barefoot running movement, not full on marathon training; and now, I find myself really, really, really proud of Nomi for finishing a marathon, but I'm also really jealous.  And that jealousy is giving me the kick in the pants that I guess I've needed lately - a kick in the pants to get me out the door and running.

So while I won't be running a half marathon or marathon anytime soon, since I've let my running fitness fade away from me, I know what it's like to start at the beginning and build up again.  Yesterday's run was that beginning.  I ran for 3kms; it wasn't painful; it was easy; and I could have kept on going.  But I didn't.  I know that I'll have to ease back into things with short, easy runs, and soon I'll be able to run with Nomi in Malaysia over the holidays.

Only I doubt I'll be keeping up with her.

Over and out,
Joy

Cozy November Ride

Joy here...Well it's November, and what this means is that any ride outdoors is a borrowed ride.  I mean, we should be freezing to death and all snowed under, so the fact that we've yet to have the first snowfall of the year means that I'm popping champagne and celebrating on a daily basis (in my head if not always in reality).  So on Sunday, Cili Padi, Superdave, The Man, and I put on our cozy winter riding clothes and headed out to the park so that I could complete Loop #22 of the season.  I'd love to make it to Loop #25, but we'll see...

The bare trees in a near-winter landscape.

The park is now closed to vehicular traffic, so we chose to ride in the afternoon rather than be the first ones out the door in the morning.  And it was lovely.  The sky remained a shade of pewter throughout our ride, but the air was still, and we all broke a sweat trying to ride up those steep hills.  I was especially hot given that my riding (not to mention running!) has suffered greatly over the last few weeks.  Life has taken its toll, but I was out there with my friends, turning my legs, working up a sweat, and generally enjoying a mid-November bike ride as the bare arms of the trees reached ever upwards all around us.

Superdave, Cili Padi, and The Man all relaxing after the
toughest part of the Fortune Hill climb.

So while Nomi is counting down the last few hours until she runs her first ever full marathon, I'm counting down the hours to snow and full on winter lethargy.  But as I try my best to avoid being discouraged, I will think of riding my bike through the park on a cold November day as a triumph.  At least I wasn't snowed in!

Over and out,
Joy

Heart Rate: All Time High!

Joy here...While I've been hanging on to any leftover fitness by the merest skin of my teeth, I have at least been keeping up with my weekly spinning and strength training sessions.  And after spending four days running after my nephew (and picking up a few of his little kid germs), today I was back in my spinning class ready to work my butt off.

Today's ride was an "interval" ride, which means that our spinning instructor tried to kill us.  For our three intervals during the 60 minute ride, we had to try to force ourselves to ride so hard that we failed.  And while I never reached the failure point, at one moment I looked down at my heart rate monitor - my legs were screaming, full of lactic acid; my breathing was laboured; sweat was dripping off me onto the bike - and my heart rate topped 176 beats/min.  That's the highest I've ever seen it go, especially on a bike!

So today's spin class was a real triumph, even though I feel out of shape.  For the sake of comparison, here are the calories burned during my last few spinning classes:

Oct 6 - 369 calories burned
Oct 13 - 306 calories burned
Oct 22 - 367 calories burned
Oct 27 - 257 calories burned
Today - 590 calories burned


So obviously getting that heart rate through the roof really does burn those calories.  Now let's just hope that The Trainer takes pity on my this afternoon when we have our strength training session.  Somehow I doubt she will.

Over and out,
Joy

Running...after a KID!

Joy here...Well, with the change of seasons and the turning of the weather, it seems like both my running and my cycling are suffering.  I'm no longer offering regular updates on the cycling "sisterhood," and I can't even remember the last time I went for a run...it must have been months ago.

And on top of the changing seasons, life has gotten rather hectic.  I had two out of town trips in September; three out of town trips in October; and three out of town trips in November.  Between these trips, I feel like a crazy person just trying to catch up on everything that didn't get done while I was out of town.  And, of course, if I don't even have time to get all my work done, you can just imagine what this travel has done to my workouts.

But one of these trips wasn't for work; it wasn't full of meetings and schedules; it wasn't complicated by crummy board meeting sandwiches and cookies; rather, one of these trips was a trip I just returned from where I babysat my little nephew for four days while his mom and dad went to the US for a trip, just the two of them.

Me and the nephew chasing waves...

Nomi has written before about the tough jobs that moms out there have.  And, believe me, she's one of the toughest moms out there!  So while I merely donned a "mommy hat" for a weekend, I sure did get a workout!

I didn't ride my bike.

I didn't run on a treadmill.

I didn't go for a run.

I didn't even bring my running shoes.

But I spent four days chasing after and entertaining a 17 month old boy.  And anyone out there who thinks that's not a workout, I say to you:  TRY IT.

Phewf.  Now I'm going to take a nap and recover.

Over and out,
Joy

Tribute to the Cycling Sisterhood

Joy here...This summer, I've been very lucky to ride with some really interesting women who have become good friends on long rides in Gatineau Park.  With our tongues firmly planted in our cheeks, we called ourselves the "sisterhood", and this sisterhood is comprised of 6 women, any number of whom might get together for a ride on any given day.

As autumn descends upon us with its cold winds and falling leaves, I know that our cycling days are limited, and most of us are already shifting from being cyclists to taking up some other sport that will see us through the winter.  In honour of a great summer of cycling, I invited this sisterhood over for an "Awards Tea" as a fun afternoon event to thank them all for riding with me.  I even gave out awards to each "sister":

Most Aggressive Rider - The Trainer (for always powering ahead of us and intimidating all the male riders out there, and, of course, for bringing out the best in all of us!)

Super Domestique - The Sashinator (for hauling a giant bag of food with her every ride, including a whole nectarine, a boiled egg with a spoon to eat it, trail mix, nuts...)

Best First Loop Ever - The Professor (because she had never ridden in the park before riding there with the rest of us, and even though she was out there on a cross bike, she was just as fast, if not faster than those of us who had ridden in the park previously and were riding on carbon road bikes)

Most Powerful Legs - Power Penna (for not only hauling her daughter through the park in a Chariot, but for being an ex-bike racer with super powerful and strong racing legs)

Most Improved Cyclist - Cili Padi (for making exponential progress as a cyclist throughout the summer...consistently cutting minutes off every ride time)







And they also surprised me with an award as well:

Great Ride Organizer and Enthusiastic Amazing Accelerator (for which I'm very grateful, especially since my award certificate was pink - the universal colour of friendly!)

In honour of our super fun summer of cycling, I've put together some of the best cycling pics that we took throughout this summer in a little montage:

Over and out,
Joy

KABOOM! Loop #21...

The autumn leaves on the ground.

Joy here...When we woke up this morning the temperatures were around -4C.  There was a thin sheen of ice on the top of any shallow pools of standing water, and if you left plants outside overnight, they'd be dead by the time you awoke.  Yep, it's that time of the year:  the time when frosts become the norm, and it's time to get the snow tires put on the car before it's too late, and the time when normal people pack away their bikes for the winter.

I guess we're not normal.  The Man, Superdave, The Professor, and I all bundled up and headed out on our bikes to the park.  Now, my last loop of the park was last month, and somehow October has gotten away from me.  I've been so busy, that I've been hanging on to my fitness by the skin of my teeth, so to speak.  I was prepared for those hills to hurt.  I was prepares to feel my legs explode as I powered up the Fortune climb towards Champlain lookout.

The guys changing the tube and patching the tire.

But what I wasn't prepared for was the fact that some jack@$$es would throw a beer bottle out of their car the night before, so that there was shattered glass on the road that we didn't see, so instead of my legs exploding as we turned the corner to power up the steepest part of the hill, it was Superdave's brand new tire that was slit and his tube that exploded.  We stood there at the side of the road, getting progressively colder and colder and colder as he changed his tire before we could keep on going up the rest of the climb to the lookout, with me falling a little bit further and further behind the guys as my legs somehow didn't feel quite as powerful as I remember them feeling last time I did the ride.

The late autumn view from Champlain Lookout.

So today's ride - with its cold, its tire mishap, and with my legs seeming far less powerful than I'd like - sort of serves as a good metaphor for sport.  It doesn't always turn out the way you'd like, and at times you wish you could just curl up in bed and not leave the house, but it's in the very act of doing that sport offers its value.  It doesn't really matter whether your ride goes as planned - with no tire kabooms - and it doesn't really matter whether you're as strong as you'd like to be, get out there no matter what the weather and you will feel better.

At least I do.

For now that is.

So even though this cycling season may just be winding down; even though there are limited days before the snow comes and I can't ride outside at all; and even though life just gets busier and busier, I'm thankful to my cycling "sisterhood" who got out there throughout the summer, doing loops of the park with me, and helping me to learn that very important cliché:  it's about the journey not the destination.


Over and out,
Joy

Cili Padi's Birthday Ride!

Joy here...The sun rose this morning into a windy sky where clouds ran quickly after one another, hiding the blue behind their grey and white.  And while Cili Padi and I had originally planned on heading out for a loop of the park, it turned out that neither of us were up for such an adventurous ride.  I had been out until midnight, so when the 5am alarm went off, I was pretty darn tired.  She woke up feeling sniffly and on the verge of a cold, so she was pretty darn tired.  Given that, we decided to dust off our cross bikes from Sunday's ride and head west along the pathway.

It was very windy as we rolled out, and once we turned off the residential streets into an urban farm area (the "Experimental Farm" where I have gone running before), the wind buffeted us around the road, and our speed quickly went from around 24km/hr to 19km/hr just like that.*

And as we pedalled, pushing ourselves and our bikes forward despite the wind, we seemed to be riding towards ever-greying skies that looked threatening and ominous.  Instead of a ride towards a horizon beckoning us to exceed our limits and dream of the beyond, we were riding towards greyness.

The ever-darkening sky.  

But as we rode onwards, despite the grey above and the wind around, the day began to clear.  We became less and less afraid of rain (or...gasp!...snow) and more able to enjoy our ride.  For me, I was enjoying the sensation of my new cross bike.  Cross Eye rolls differently than Opie (my Opus road bike), but the gearing is smoother and offers a really great ride.

For Cili Padi, today is her birthday, so her ride was about celebrating herself, and celebrating the fact that on her 61st birthday, she was out riding over 40kms to get her day started.

So with these positive feelings in our hearts and in our legs, we rode forward into the blueing skies.

The ever-blueing sky.

With the blue skies above, the bright autumn leaves around, and the brightness of our own almost-matching jackets, a day that began tired, sick, and grey soon turned into a blaze of colour - a fitting birthday celebration for Cili Padi.

Cili Padi's red hot Gore jacket
and Joy's friendly pink Gore jacket.

So happy birthday to my friend, and happy cycling to all my friends!

Over and out,
Joy

*A note on speeds:  While a long road ride average speed would be anywhere from 27km/hr to 30km/hr and the average speed riding those hilly loops in the park is around 21km/hr (taking into consideration the faster downhill speeds topping 60km/hr and the slow uphill speeds around 14km/hr), so far it seems that the cross bike average speed is around 24km/hr.

Team Stevens: Cross Eye's First Bike Ride!

Joy here...It looks like my last bike ride may have been at the end of September, when the Trainer and I headed out into the rain.  That weekend I participated in the Run for the Cure, and so I wasn't on my bike,  and then life got very, very busy.  I ended up travelling on Oct. 4-5, Oct. 9-10, and Oct. 14-16; from Oct. 11-20, I spent each day at the local courthouse for the ongoing trial of the driver of a van who hit five cyclists back in July of 2009.  Three of these five cyclists were on the epic 100km ride that I did at the end of August, and two of them participated in the memorial ride for Danielle Naçu, a local cyclist who was struck and killed on her way to work.

So with all this travelling and court attendance, I've had to shove all my other work into my evenings and early mornings in the hopes that I can stay a mere one step ahead of the piles and piles that threaten to bury me.  And what this also means is that I've been hanging on with the barest of fingernails to my fitness.  I've still been going to my weekly spinning classes, and I've been doing my strength training, but aside from walking to and from the courthouse, I can't say that I've done any real workouts since the start of October.

That is just not acceptable.

My new cross-bike named Cross Eye.

The Man bought me a new bike for my birthday last month, a beautiful Stevens carbon-fiber cross bike, and I was not going to let it sit there and gather dust without being ridden.  So even though the temperature was 2 C when I got up on Sunday morning...I was going out there on my new bike (that I've named "Cross Eye") and wild horses couldn't keep me from it!

So at 8am on Sunday, me, The Man, Cili Padi, and Superdave all met up with our matching Stevens cross bikes (which we all bought new this summer...can you say "peer pressure"???), and headed east towards Petri Island along the paved bike path that gave way to gravel pathways with the Ottawa River to our side and the brilliant autumn colours exploding around us.

I was getting used to the fatter tires on my new bike and the smoother gearing system, while trying to figure out the different cleats that are harder to clip into and out of than my normal ones.  Or, maybe, not necessarily harder once I get some practice, but I was a bit awkward at the starts and stops as I tried desperately to clip either into or out of my pedals without falling over.  And since I routinely used to fall over on my bike rides (see here for photographic evidence of my clumsiness), it felt like it was quite a feat that I rode for just under 3 hours on Sunday WITHOUT FALLING ONCE!

Our Team Stevens bikes all lined up on the beach.

Superdave and The Man rode up ahead of us, oblivious to the whole world around them besides their bikes and their conversation about bikes.  Cili Padi and I rode behind them, keeping an average pace of around 24km/hr over the mainly flat, but gravelly terrain.

We rode approximately 28kms out to the beach at Petri Island Park, and then stopped there to snack and visit a bit, before turning around to ride the 28kms back, for a total ride of around 56kms.

So for someone who hasn't been out on a bike in around 3 weeks, that's not too shabby.

Joy and Cili Padi -- guess who is the one in pink!!!

With a sore butt and a solid ride on my new bike under my belt, I'm promising myself to be better with my fitness in the weeks to come and a better blogger while I'm at it.

Nomi's recent posts, indicating that she, too, is playing with the minimalist running shoe movement and that she's having doubts about her upcoming marathon, offer testaments to the fact that both of us, a world apart - Joy in Canada and Nomi in Malaysia - are grappling with the same feelings of being strapped for time and stretched for energy.

And if there's a silver lining in all this, in all these feelings of not quite making the cut (so to speak), it's that sometimes when you fall, you just have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep on going.


Onwards!

So this was my first bike ride with Cross Eye, but I promise it won't be my last!

Over and out,
Joy

Memorial ride for Danielle Naçu

The clearly marked bike lane in which the cyclists rode.

Joy here...A lot has happened since my last post.  I wrote in August about riding with a three of the victims of a crash involving a van and five cyclists who the media have dubbed "The Kanata 5."  I've now met and befriended four out of these five cyclists who were out on a Sunday morning ride on July 19, 2009, riding in single file in the clearly marked bicycle lane when a mini-van drove over all five of them before fleeing the scene.  In the past two years since that fateful day in July, these five cyclists have picked up and carried on.  They are strong, resourceful, and remarkable.  And on October 11, 2011 the trial for the driver of that van began.  He was charged with five counts of dangerous driving and five counts of leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily harm.

The front of the van that hit the "Kanata 5" on
July 19, 2009.

I was sitting with three of them and their family members and friends awaiting the start of the trial as the jury was being chosen off in another room in the courthouse in downtown Ottawa.  We felt strange and nervous; none of us had been involved in a criminal trial, and so there was so much that was simply new about the process, and as we sat there, we fiddled with our iPhones and felt awkward.  And then the news  came in that at around 9am that very morning, a commuting cyclist who was riding down a main street in downtown Ottawa was hit by the opening door of a parked car, which threw her into the road where she was hit by a car and ultimately killed.  As I read the news update out loud to all of us sitting there, awaiting the start of the trial, our stomachs sank.  We were saddened.  We were disgusted.  We were angry.  And we were sickened.

We later learned that the cyclist who was struck and killed was a 33 year old civil servant who worked with another one of our friends (the one whose tire popped on our epic 100km ride back in August).  She could have been any one of us.  She was young; she was smart; she had her whole life ahead of her.  And simply because someone getting out of a parked car didn't bother to check over the shoulder to see if there was a cyclist coming, this young woman died on a street in the middle of downtown Ottawa.

Her name was Danielle Naçu, and I never met her.

Rest in peace, Danielle Naçu.

But when a memorial ride was planned for the following Tuesday to mark her death, I planned to go before heading back to the courthouse for the ongoing trial of that van driver.  And while I first thought I would be able to ride in solidarity with the hundreds of cyclists - Danielle's family, friends, coworkers, and those who didn't know her but were moved by this tragedy - in the end, I stood by the side of the road and watched the procession.  There were yellow balloons, yellow roses, yellow T-shirts, and yellow armbands all in memory of Danielle, a woman whose favourite colour was yellow, and who offered a ray of sunshine to all who knew her.  I stood there with the hundreds of people who walked or rode that stretch of road, stopping where she was killed to listen to her brother address the crowd.  I stood amidst the ringing of bike bells, more solemn and more rich than any pealing church bells signalling the passing of a life.

The local news, like the Ottawa Sun and the Ottawa Citizen, as well as the national news, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (the CBC) all covered the story of Danielle's tragic end and the ride to remember her.

I'm not a journalist, and I'm not a member of the media.  I didn't know Danielle, and before last summer, I probably wouldn't have really considered myself a cyclist, but I do now, and I care about the safety of our roads.  Here's my short video of that day that should work on mobile devices (at least I filmed it on my iPhone, and this is the first time I've felt it's important enough to share my own little video with others):

Over and out,

Joy