Loop #10 of the Summer and #4 of this Week!

Joy here...We got "Team Sunday" (as my friend SK refers to our "sisterhood") all set and ready and out the door by 7am to do another loop of the park.  Today, we had 4 ladies and 3 guys all meeting up for the ride.  While I tried my hardest to stick on the guys' wheels up that first big climb to the Pink Lake lookout, eventually they dropped me before the peak of the climb.

The lesson from this is that while my cycling has definitely improved from my earlier days, it's still got a long way to go if I want to compete with the boys!

And even though I had a minor fall (which I blame on the loose gravel around the gate that cyclists must ride around to access the part of the road that is closed to vehicular traffic), the ride was a good one.

I got up, dusted myself off, and announced to everyone who saw me fall that there was nothing bruised except my ego.

You gotta love data!

And maybe that ego needed a bit of bruising, because I was almost beginning to feel cocky.  I mean, after my mid-week ride with a 19-time Ironman and his kind comments about my potential as a triathlete on his blog (where he wrote:  "And for the record, when Joy takes the triathlon plunge she is going to be awesome - you heard it here first so be warned ladies."), I might have been letting my ego write some pretty big cheques.  And with this ride my total kilometres ridden for this week alone is up somewhere around 260kms.  If each loop of the park is roughly 65kms door-to-door, then 4 of them is roughly 260kms.  To put that into perspective, the distance between Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan is 259kms, and the distance between London and York is 262kms.  So putting that kind of distance in my legs within a 7 day period is pretty good, and maybe as my brain was writing those kinds of ego cheques, my body falling over was the cosmos' kind way of reminding me not to write cheques that my body can't quite cash yet.  I may have the heart and stomach of a triathlete (to paraphrase Queen Elizabeth I), but I don't yet have the body of one!

But you gotta start somewhere, right?

Over and out,
Joy

Girl Power! (And Loop #9 of the Season)

Joy here...Yesterday I did a loop of the park in about 3 hours and 30 minutes door-to-door as I did my best to make sure that I didn't fall too far behind our visiting Ironman friend, but because we had been up so very late on Tuesday night, that ride on Wednesday didn't happen until the afternoon, which meant that none of the girls from my ever-supportive cycling "sisterhood" were free.

No problem.  I made up for it today.

In less than 24 hours I completed TWO loops of that park (approximately 65kms each, door-to-door, which means that I've done approx. 130kms of hard riding in less than two days)!

The early morning sun peaking through the trees.

I headed out the door at 7am with the sun already up fairly high in the sky, but the air wasn't yet too  hot.  Since The Man rode yesterday, I was on my own to meet one of my friends, and so I rode along the road at my own pace, neither waiting for anyone, nor trying to catch up to anyone.  And I've learned that I don't mind riding alone.  I used to be afraid that any time I was on my own, I was running the risk of falling over and lying there - unseen and unknown - until some bystander would happen to stop by and save the day, but I've now got about 2 summers of bike riding under my belt, and I no longer fear riding all alone, and, in fact, I enjoy the feeling of setting my own pace and getting into my own rhythm.

You can see a cyclist in the distance if you look closely!

But more than that, I enjoy meeting up with a friend on a July morning to just get out there and accomplish something.  I find that I never feel as good as I do on the days when I'm up bright and early and doing something physical first thing.  Then...no matter what else I get up to during the day, I end up feeling like I've accomplished something and the rest of the day is like "gravy" or Icing on the proverbial cake of life.

And so I thank my friend for getting my lazy butt out of bed this morning to head out for a ride through the park when I was thinking..."just sleep in...just sleep in...just sleep in."  And I thank Nomi and Lulu for kicking my butt with running (which I really need to get back into as much as I've been getting into the cycling).  Because all my friends have shown me that there's really not a whole lot that can go wrong in the world when you've got good girlfriends to kick your butt and keep you accountable!  Girl Power!

The view that makes getting up at 5am all worthwhile.

Over and out,

Joy

Ironman Lake Placid Party of Awesomeness

Joy here...On Sunday, July 24th two of our friends - Simon and Bryan - competed in the Ironman Lake Placid Triathon.  Lake Placid is in New York State and is only a few hours' drive away from our home in Ottawa, so we planned a post-race party for them at our house, and invited all our friends.

That was Tuesday night.

It was awesome.

Simon ended up leaving our house at 4:30am.

You are an IRONMAN!

Then on Wednesday, Simon, The Man, and I all headed out to the park to do a loop.  I mean, we figured that Simon is our very first friend from Malaysia to come to our Canadian stomping grounds, and we weren't going to let the opportunity to show off our regular ride circuit pass us up.  I just hadn't necessarily planned on riding in the company of someone who has finished NINETEEN IRONMANS!!!  Needless to say, he and the Man rode ahead of me, and were kind enough to wait at certain intervals.

The day was hot and clear, and the afternoon summer sun was high overhead.  We were all tired after a late night with too much booze, but I have to admit that it was one of the most enjoyable loops that I've done in the park.

Pink Lake Lookout

Champlain Lookout

We rode up to the Pink Lake lookout and enjoyed the view (and took in some much needed hydration) before carrying on up to the Champlain lookout (more view and more hydration).

A happy triathlete out for a ride Ottawa-style!

Most importantly, Simon has said that our Wednesday afternoon ride was "one of the most amazing bike rides...one of best ever!"  How awesome is that?  How awesome is it that we can lure a friend from Malaysia who has done Ironman races all over the world - Ironman Korea, Ironman Langkawi, Ironman Kentucky, Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman China (just to name some of the ones he's completed) - and he was able to say that our regular Sunday morning ride in the local park is one of the best rides that he's ever done?  It really doesn't get much better than that as an endorsement for home, sweet home, does it?

My bike...lookin' good!

So while the three of us were enjoying the scenery, sweating out the excess booze, and getting energized to make up for the lack of sleep while out for a 3 hour bike ride, I was also building my confidence by realizing that I was able to ride with the guys and not make it a painful ride for them.  Sure - Simon's post-Ironman, and jetlagged, and lacking sleep etc. etc., but he didn't complain about having to wait and wait and wait for the slow girl to catch up.  That was a real boost to my confidence.

Such a boost to my confidence, in fact, that I'm starting to think that I should set my sights on triathlon.  Who knows?  Maybe I've got an Ironman in me too!

So I'm going to continue riding on Sundays with my "sisterhood" and enjoying the improvement with my cycling.  And then maybe instead of setting my sights on a marathon, I should start thinking about a triathlon.  Or maybe a marathon and THEN a triathlon.  The sky's the limit!

Over and out,
Joy

PS - Watch this video for Simon and Bryan's Post Ironman Lake Placid "race report":

Another Nearly Nude Run!

Joy here...While the weather forecast was calling for thundershowers and rain today, instead we were treated to blue skies and sun.  So out the door we went for another one of our brief, 10-minute runs in our nearly nude shoes!

It was a nice, leisurely jog along the canal, and I can say that my feet are getting more and more used to these comfy little foot gloves.  They're helping rekindle my love of running, and helping me get over my lethargy.  So maybe, just maybe there's a full marathon someday in my future.

Maybe.

Over and out,
Joy

Loop #7 and the Cycling "Sisterhood"

one of the vineyards

Joy here...Okay, so loop #6 of the park on my bike happened just before we hopped on a plane for Victoria, and then while we were gone, our physical activity dwindled to about zero.  Nada.  Zilch.

Sure, we went on a wine tour and tasting and checked out some local vineyards.  Sure, we drove around and ogled the beautiful scenery.  Sure, we visited with friends and ate unhealthy food.  I mean, don't get me wrong, we had loads of fun.

the sea, with the Olympic mountains in the distance among the clouds

Just not particularly healthy fun.

So when we arrived back home, we slept and tried to recover, but made sure that we'd be out for our weekly ride with the crew on Sunday morning.

And let me tell you, the group of ladies I've been able to gather together for these rides is slowly growing.  We can have anywhere between 3 and 6 women on any given Sunday.  And this Sunday, as we rode through the park, laughing and talking, and then huffing and puffing, we decided that we should come up with team jerseys or a name for ourselves. One of us said that no matter what our name, it must have "sisterhood" in there somewhere, so we've laughingly started referring to ourselves as the "Sisterhood of the Travelling Cycling Shorts"!!!

our unhealthy final meal in Victoria

So while my summer has not unfolded the way that I would have planned with all sorts of running updates about my steady march towards a fall marathon, with Nomi and Lulu training for their own marathons in November and December, I have to say that my cycling sisterhood is helping to keep me sane and happy, and I have no complaints.

Well, okay, I probably do, but I'll keep them to myself!

Over and out,
Joy

Barefoot Running!

Joy here...In my last post about running, I extolled the virtues of running barefoot and alluded to my previous post about the wonders of Vibram's Five Fingers running shoes, which are more like foot gloves than shoes.  Now, I can tell you that while my marathon training goals and ambitions have almost faded into the dusk with the late setting summer sun, I have found a new running dawn in this experience of nearly nude barefoot running.

You see, I've had to come to terms with the fact that in the four weeks since I've been back in Canada, I've spent three of those travelling away from home, and travels are notoriously bad for my running routines.  I can't eat properly or at regular intervals; I can't guarantee that I'll get the runs in; and I generally have much more work to catch up on upon my return, which eats into running time.  I'm not whinging here, but rather chalking this up as a "life lesson":  If you travel too much (either for fun or for work) chances are you won't really be able to meet rigorous training goals.  Well, at least if you're me that's the case.

Instead of beating myself up over this and feeling like I'm letting Nomi and Lulu down (not to mention myself), I'm focusing my energies on my ever-improving cycling as well as on my barefoot running adventures.

The advice given for new barefoot runners is to take it slow, to run no more than about 2 or 3 kms at a time, and get used to the new shoes before doing long runs.  So you know what?  That's just what I'm doing.  I've been heading out the door for brief, 10 minute runs down the canal and back again in my new, nearly nude shoes.  And it's fun!  I'm feeling muscles in my calves and the arches of my feet that I didn't know were there; I'm reinvigorating my love of running rather than just chasing a race goal; I'm enjoying myself; and most importantly, I'm trying something new.  And isn't that what life is all about?

Over and out,
Joy

PS - Don't you worry...my marathon goals are not shelved permanently, just deferred for a while.  Nomi just told me about a marathon in Stockholm in the spring of 2012, so maybe Lulu, Nomi, and I will just have to set our sights on a nordic marathon adventure!

Endorphins and Loop #6!

Joy here...It's the day before hopping on a plane for Victoria, the capital city of the province of British Columbia, and The Man and our two friends headed out to the local park for yet another 65km loop.  While The Man and his friend rode along at a fast pace ahead of us, my friend (the 60-year old who is seriously strong and a serious cycling idol of mine; she's also the one who took spinning classes with me all winter) and I headed out to the park at our own pace.

We rode under the crystal blue sky with the bright green leaves beside us and the cool wind blowing over our skin.  We chatted about life, and we stopped chatting entirely when riding up the steep parts.  We enjoyed each other's company, but even more than that...I think that we are really beginning to enjoy the endorphin rush that comes at the end of any hard athletic effort.  We find ourselves reaching the top of a particularly steep or difficult climb, and even though we're sweating and huffing and puffing, we're also smiling ear to ear!  We're high-fiving and celebrating being able to haul our bodies and our bikes up steep hills and long hills and rolling hills; and we're enjoying being confident enough to ride down those inclines at breakneck speeds.

More than that, we finished this loop 8 minutes faster than Sunday's loop and 18 minutes faster than last Thursday's loop!  Who doesn't enjoy a little hard, objective data like that that speaks to one's forward progress?  I, for one, will admit that I'm a sucker for that kind of validation.  "What?  I'm faster than I was before...Yahooooooo!"

Let's just hope those endorphins last long enough to get me through the long and boring plane ride all the way out to the west coast!

Over and out,
Joy

PS - You can order poster-sized versions of the photo of the rider cycling in Gatineau Park that I've used for today's post.  Please see:  http://www.allposters.com/-sp/A-Cyclist-on-a-Scenic-Drive-in-Gatineau-Park-Posters_i3566421_.htm

Running Naked!

Joy here...Imagine running outside in the buff...free from the "burden of clothes," the sun on your bare skin, the wind coursing over your body; you can feel your every step as you are connected to the world around you; there's no chafing of awkward clothing, and you feel as though you are one with nature, the way humans were meant to be.  This is the premise of a few new running events popping up throughout North America, like this one - "Try Running Naked" - from Runner's World magazine.

And while folks out there may be doffing their clothes and feeling the freedom known to few outside Eden or the local nudist colony, I think I'm a little too much of a prude to jump wholeheartedly into this enterprise.

The closest thing that I'd get to naked running is to join the ever-growing barefoot running movement.  Instead of entire nudity, I've opted for nudie feeling feetsies.  Somehow it seems just a little more "me."

Now you might wonder how I could run barefoot when you know that I live in a city.  You've seen the asphalt path where I run around the canal near my house, and you must wonder why anyone in her right mind would choose to subject the soles of her feet to such a beating.

Well, putting aside the question of whether or not I'm in my right mind, I can at least assure you that my barefoot running adventures are a little bit tempered.  You see, a while ago, I bought a bare of Vibram Five Fingers shoes, which are like gloves for one's feet.  And the day before yesterday, I went out and bought a pair of the Bikila version, which is specifically designed for runners.  There's just a little more support around the ankles, and a little more cushioning on the soles.

Yesterday, I figured that I might as well give them a shot.  So I slipped on these oh-so-comfy-you-don't-even-know-you're-wearing-them shoes and out the door I went for a 10minute run to get used to them.  And let me tell you:   It was awesome.  Like the naked runners who slip out of their clothes and feel the freedom of their nudity, my almost-barefoot feet contacted the ground in a way that really let me know that I'm running.  I'm running and running.  And after 10 minutes, I could feel the ache in my calves that even after 30kms of running in my regular shoes, I never felt.  Because, you see, these shoes force my muscles to work the way they were meant to.  We weren't meant to run with cushioning and support preventing our muscles from growing and working in concert together.  We were meant to move and feel the ground beneath our feet.  We were meant to adjust our stride with every undulation.  We were meant to fall lightly with each step.  In short, we were mean to run barefoot.

And maybe, just maybe we were meant to run naked too.

While I'm not ready to make that leap, I sure am glad that I made the leap into my Vibrams!

Over and out,
Joy (the clothed)

Bike Loop #5 of the Season!

Joy here...While my last few posts have lamented my lack of running and have grappled with the newly forming realization that there's just no way that I can pull off a full marathon this October, I have continued to get some solace out of my cycling.

I mean, I went out on Thursday and rode the 65kms over the high hills in loop #4 of this summer season through the park, and this Sunday I did yet another loop of that park.

I gathered up a group of lovely riding ladies - 5 of us in total - and out we went.  The day was perfect, a bright blue sky with a cooling breeze, and we were set for a morning of fun riding.  And I don't know what got into each of us, but we really rode those hills like champions.

Maybe it was my new shoes, or maybe it was our good riding company, or maybe it was just one of those days, but all of our legs seemed to have extra energy.  We rode up those hills like nobody's business and when we reached the end, one of us looked to a fit, young guy, and cheekily said:   "Just so you know, you were passed by a 60-year old woman."  Talk about a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e!

But then again, I still haven't run at all in 3 weeks...

...you win some, and you lose some.

That's my deep thought for today.

Over and out,
Joy

I'm not a runner...(but maybe I'm a cyclist)

Joy here...Okay, Nomi wrote about taking the plunge and signing up for a full marathon, and then I grappled with that same notion myself, committing to doing it.  I may be regretting that.

You see, when I was all gung-ho about running a full marathon, I was thinking "okay, if I can run for 2 hours, and I expect to complete a full marathon in around 4 hours, then I have July, August, and September to get from 2 to 4 hours of running."  I sat on the long plane ride back from Malaysia, doing the math and scheming.  "Okay, that's 12 weeks, so adding 10 minutes per week on my long runs, and that's an extra 120 minutes on my 2 hour base.  Yep, that's doable."  I settled into our long 12 hour flight from Beijing to Toronto and felt like my goal of a full marathon was within my sights.  "Yeah," I thought to myself as I watched movie after movie on my little screen, "I'll be able to complete a full marathon as a 35th birthday present to myself.  What an achievement."

But you know what they say about counting chickens before they've hatched?  Um, I think I was busy counting chickens a bit too early.

Since returning from Malaysia nearly 3 weeks ago, I think I've done a total of 3 or 4 lame runs.  None of them have been up to 2 hours, and at this point I feel like I'm a running novice.  And instead of having a 2 hour base to build on over three months, I now have about a 1 hour running base and less than three months to go until the full marathon.

I don't think I can do it.

Really.

I really don't think I can do it.

The problem isn't my ambition or motivation, it's truly the number of hours in the day and the demands on my time.  I've had to take two trips for work, and I've got another one coming up next week.  When I have to travel, not only is my schedule screwed up by the travel itself, but the difficulty also arises when I'm not in charge of my own eating.  If I don't eat regularly every day at regular intervals, then even if I have an hour or two to try to squeeze in a ride, I won't necessarily have the energy to do so.  It's disappointing and frustrating.

So I'm trying my best not to be disappointed and frustrated, but to be realistic.  And realistically, I am able to head out for a bike ride every now and then, and since I'm having to face the sad fact that not only do I not have proper running fitness, but I don't really have much fitness, period; I'm thinking that a ride is better than nothing.  So yesterday, after taking a week off doing any physical activity (blamed on travelling, again)...I went out for a 65km bike ride with a friend of mine.  We were faster than our previous loop of the park, and it was a glorious summer day with a nice, cool breeze.

Instead of beating myself up over failing in my full marathon training aims, I tried to focus on the Beverley Hills swimming pool blue of the sky and the bright green of the leaves; the feel of the wind against my sun freckled shoulders down the descents; the sight of a hawk riding the air with wings outstretched; the feeling of camaraderie with the other women riders we met up top the lookout; and generally feeling that even if I'm not a runner at the moment, I may just be a cyclist, and, heck, that's better than nothing, right?

Over and out,
Joy

PS - To commemorate all this riding, I treated myself to a new pair of shoes, because nothing cheers up a woman like footwear!

Bike Loops # 1, 2, and 3...it's all about priorities!

Joy here...so we landed in Canada after an excellent six-week visit in Malaysia and we hit the ground running.  I wish I meant that literally, but, alas, it's only a figure of speech.  We have barely had time to run at all, because we've been so busy running around getting life on track.  You'd be surprised how much you need to do around the house when you haven't been there for six weeks!

hmmmm, now where should I start weeding???

And while my running has been suffering, and I've been having those dark nights of the soul where I've been doubting (seriously) whether or not I can really train enough to pull off a full marathon without injuring myself this fall, I have snuck out three times to the national park for long bike rides to at least get my muscles moving and my lungs working.

The loop through the park is about 65kms door-to-door, with much of that over some pretty serious hills.

So while I am feeling worse and worse about my ability to run, I am feeling better and better about my ability to ride my bike.

The view that makes it all worth while!

Now you might say, "Joy, if you have time to go for three different 65km bike rides, surely you have time to get your butt out to door to run.  Don't bullsh!t us about not being able to train for this full marathon, 'cause we don't buy it!"  And you would be right.  You are right.  If I really, really wanted to, I could skip the bike rides and head out there with my running shoes laced up and train for that marathon that is looming large and inviting at the end of the summer just as the leaves begin to turn from vibrant green to a million different shades of amber.

Once you get all the way up here...then the rest is an easy downhill!

I don't really have a good answer to your comment.  Honestly.  I don't.

But my answer as to why I've chosen to spend the few hours of time I've been able to squirrel away for myself on riding my bike rather than running comes down to one of the reasons I began running in the first place:  friends.

I would have never started running races had it not been for Nomi.  Without her, I'd have no motivation.  And even when we were really busy in Malaysia during this trip, those runs we were able to squeeze in together were ones that I really and truly value - running laps in our usual park in the pre-dawn, running around the golf course where the monkeys roam, running with Lulu and getting strength and courage in numbers, running up and over the hills in one of the poshest areas in town, and somehow pulling off our second half marathons exactly 12 months from our first ever running race - because I was able to run in company.

Cyclist waiting for the tortoise to cross the road.

I guess for me, sport is the vehicle through which I get to spend time with friends.

And so it has been with cycling since I've returned.

It just so happens that many of my friends here are up for Sunday morning bike rides much more than they'd be up for a run with me.  And at this point, when I'm cramped for time and trying to balance and juggle all that's on my plate, I guess I'd rather make time for friends and ride my bike, than go for a run and miss out on some valuable socializing.

Phewf, made it safely across.

So if you were to call bullsh!t on my claim that I just don't seem to have time to run, well you'd be right.  I guess it is a bit of bullsh!t.  I guess it's all about priorities.

I still want to be in shape.

I still want to be healthy.

I still want to work out.

I still want to challenge myself through sport.

But I want all of that AND I want to be able to hang out and spend some quality time with my friends.  And so if I can get that through cycling a little more than I can through running these days, then I guess I'll just have to take what I can get and hope for the best.  And if it means that I just don't reach the running fitness necessary to be able to pull off a full marathon in the fall, well, I guess I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed that I can achieve it next year.

After all, life is all about priorities, isn't it?

Over and out,
Joy