MEC Century Ride

Once in a while, my brother, Thom, and I will do a cycling event together and today I was very happy to have his company for the 45K distance in the MEC Century Ride event. It was a very nice day for a bike ride - a little bit brisk in the morning but sunny and not terribly windy. We ran into our nephew-in-law, Matt, who works for Mountain Equipment Co-op and was out there to staff the ride. The ride covers some of the beautiful, quite roads of Strathcona county, east of Ardrossan. We didn't rush at all but always tried to be sure there was someone behind us on the road (since we were in the last group to head out) and we had competitive moments where we tried to pass people who were not too far in front of us. But we talked a lot and simply enjoyed the day and the fresh air. At the halfway point, there was an aid station, where we ate one too many chocolate chip cookies and then set off for the return trip. At the end of the ride, there was a delicious lunch of lasagna and salad and dessert. There is no bad day on a bike and this was no exception!

Riding with Dad

My dad loves two things: Camping and riding his recumbent bike. So I was thrilled to be able to join him and his wife (whom he also loves, of course!) for some beautiful, peaceful time out at Abraham Lake on the edge of the Rockies where we were able to ride together on the David Thompson Highway, which is pretty quiet in that area. We rode toward the west, right into an incredible headwind! Dad turned around a bit before me but I only made it 12.5K out before I got tired of fighting the wind and wanted to turn around. My ride back to the campsite took half the time that it took for me to ride out! But, the wind aside, it is incredibly beautiful there and I had to keep myself from stopping every 200 metres to take a picture! It was a treat to ride in such a magnificent place and enjoy a glass of wine with my dad afterward.

Summer Riding Bliss

After a great indoor cycling season, I was so happy to be able to get out on the road again and ride with my new hips and pain-free, stronger body! Sometimes I rode by myself, just to be able to ride without feeling like everyone was waiting for me (I'm still a bit slow). Other times, I rode with friends. My friend Judy is training for an Ironman in November so we did a couple of rides together when she was tired and slower. LOL. It was great to ride with her. We went out east of the city and rode the beautiful, quiet roads of Strathcona County.

I also rode with old and new friends on the roads to the west of town. Cycling on the prairies in July is gorgeous with all the canola in bloom! It was such a gorgeous summer of riding!

A Great Spin Season

This season (2016-2017) I was able to get back into consistent indoor cycling training. I love my group and our spin leaders. It's so much fun to train together and enjoy a coffee afterward. This year, the season ended on my birthday so our spin instructor, Stephen, brought scotch to celebrate and another group member brought some cookies. It was a great way to finish up a season of bonding through the pain!

Resolution "Run"

Today I did the 5K Resolution Run, which I signed up for in August, right after my second hip surgery, knowing I'd be ready to go by today. I've been getting back into things in the last few weeks. I started spinning and have been looking forward to this event as a test of where I'm at and what I can do with my still-healing hip. I got a nasty case of bursitis after my second surgery and it has delayed my recovery somewhat. It's getting better now, though, and today's "run" felt great. I actually walked it, as I will always do now. Some people run after their hip replacements but I'm not going to take the chance. I want my new joints to last. Anyway, my goal is to walk the run portion of triathlon events now at a pace that's fast enough to finish under the cut-off time in an Ironman. I was able to hold that pace for the 5K I did today so I'm feeling good about that as a baseline. I'm eager to get back into training and today was a good start.

Hubbles Lake: Always Perfect

This summer, I have been squeezing in a few swims at Hubbles Lake, trying to take advantage of the beautiful open water before and after my second hip replacement surgery in July. My brother, Paul, a triathlete who lives in the Seattle area, was here for a visit and I took him out to Hubbles to show him the favourite swimming hole of local triathletes.

I also made the summer last by swimming as late as possible into the season with my constant triathlon training buddy, Tania.

Every day at Hubbles Lake is a beautiful day!

Training Fun in Jasper

On Friday, my friend Tania and I drove out to Jasper National Park in the Rockies to do some riding and swimming. Her partner Stephen came later in the evening to join us. We stayed in a charming cabin beside the Athabasca River.

On Saturday, after lattes on the deck, we got our bikes ready for a ride. T and S were planning a six hour day, while I wanted to keep it a little shorter. I went off on my own to ride around Lake Annette and Jasper Park Lodge. By the time I got back to our cabin, I didn't quite feel like it was long enough so I went a bit further down the highway to add a few more kilometers. I ended up climbing up to Maligne Canyon, where I spent a few minutes taking in the magnificent scenery. All in all, I rode 35 kms, which is a pretty long ride for me right now. It was an awesome day! T and S enjoyed their rides, too - lots of climbing - and in the evening we went out for dinner.

Our plan on Sunday was to swim in Lake Annette. It's gorgeous - crystal clear water and a weedless sandy bottom. And wow! was it cold! It was painful to get in. We convinced ourselves that we would get ourselves fully submersed and then force ourselves to do 25m. We did that and then headed for the shore but then I felt like we were wimping out so I said we had to do more. I ended up doing 1000m and Tania did over 2000m! We got used to the cold and then really enjoyed the beautiful water.

Just as we were finishing, it started to rain so we sat in my Jeep and had a picnic.

We are so lucky to have such a beautiful playground so close to home. It was a fun and beautiful weekend.