Thanks Ladies

I train with an incredible group of people but it's a small group of women that really push me (not counting my coaches who get paid to ride my butt). I train with a bunch of women spanning three decades in age. We're all high performance, hugely dedicated athletes and we all bring something different to the table.

The 20something is energetic and fearless, the 30something is a workhorse but she's put in her time and is a little more cautious, a little more relaxed, and the 40something is experienced and wise and is the mother of our little group.

We push each other during training, celebrate each others victories and offer perspective, sympathy and hugs when we're feeling beaten and discouraged.

I don't need a therapist because I have these women in my life. 4 hour long bike rides provide a lot of opportunity for group therapy. All of it free.

But Can You Get Up?

Chris joined me for a 2-hour easy ride on Friday afternoon. We rode to Iona (Iona Beach Regional Park by the airport) and back via the Cypress Street Bike Route and Arthur Laing Bridge. Getting on the bridge from airport side is a little tricky. With the bike route closed as a result of the Canada Line construction, cyclists are left with two choices for getting on the bridge. One involves crossing two on/off ramps and the other involves a fast left turn and a ramp crossing. The left turn is fast because the intersection is huge and the green light is so short. Having had problems with the two on/off ramps the last time, I chose taking the left turn.

The light turned green, we started moving into the intersection, and the light turned yellow - we're only 1/4 through our turn! - we kept moving. At this point, I have my eye on a car opposite us that is waiting to turn right but that is rolling forward. Chris, who is behind me, is watching the same car. Chris yelled something to me about the car and, as a precaution, I straightend up my front wheel out of the path of the moving car. Chris, who is riding with one hand because he's fussing with his shirt, couldn't turn his wheel in time and hit me. Chris crashed onto the road behind me and in front of all the cars waiting to go our way.

Except for some stiffness and some bruises Chris is fine. He blames me for the accident but I think there's more to it than just moi. The important thing is we've learned from it. We won't repeat our mistakes that lead to Friday's accident. But we'll make other ones. That's the way it goes. We all fall down sometimes.

The million dollar question is "can you get up"?

(Note: After the accident, we saw cyclists using the closed bike route to get up onto the bridge deck. The route has re-opened.)

Running Scared

We're now running scared. Our fear can be spin doctored as being "aware" and "street smart" but, really, it's plain old fear.

The murder of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry, a woman of 53, a mother and an ardent runner, has shattered a family, a neigbourhood, and a city of walkers and runners. Wendy was killed while running in Pacific Spirit Park on the afternoon of April 3rd. Pacific Spirit Park is a forest with a large and well maintained trail system that attracts walkers, dog walkers, runners and cyclists year round.

My husband and I walk or run with our dog in the park a lot - more than once a week when we can. I have logged endless hours of training in and around the park as have most of my training partners. We have trained in the park together. We have all trained there alone. But not anymore. Now, we're running scared.

And, frankly, it sucks.

Oscar Winner!

Thanks to Chris I am an Oscar Winner! Well, specifically, I am now in the "fashion" circle of the Oscar losers.

Oscar nominees that didn't take home Oscar took home goody bags containing jewelry hand-crafted by a Vancouverite, Constantina James of Simply Sublime on Oak Street. Claire Newell of Global TV hosted a contest to win the matching silver and 24k rose gold necklace and earring set valued at $256. Chris entered the contest v-email (my email) and we won!

I picked up the set at Simply Sublime last Wednesday afternoon and had my picture taken with Constantina James, "JC", in her studio.

The jewelry is beautiful. Watch for it!

The Return of Hard Week

Having low training volumes in December and January made even the "hard" weeks seem easy. Now hard week is HARD.



(My training program is periodized meaning, roughly, that training intensity and volume build over a three week period that is followed by a week of recovery. Training intensities and volumes making of the build and recovery weeks vary throughout the year so that endurance, strength and speed are gained at the right time of the year to make me race ready.)

This hard week totalled 15 hours of training. Hard weeks in the coming months will push over 20 hours. This week included a "Swim Camp" consisting of 7 swim sessions in 8 days. These sessions included club TT's (Time Trials) last Sunday, Master's workouts and two 1 on 1 sessions with Coach Andrew that totalled about 18k of swimming (with 6k in one day). This camp was hard but I finished it with a strong solo long distance swim yesterday. This hard work should pay off down the road.

Today is my day off and next week is Recovery week. Recovery weeks mean fewer and shorter workouts and lots of sleeping and eating.

Really, the best thing about hard week is recovery week.

Olympic Dreamin' (for sure)

Chris surprised me with a trip to the Callaghan Valley for a two-day ski and Whistler stay. We powered down our computers at 11 AM last Thursday and started our mini-holiday with brunch at C'est Mon Cafe where the all-day breakfast is delicious - every time.

We skied the Callaghan Valley and Olympic Nordic Centre trail systems, which are integrated and offer 100+ km of tracked skiing. Conditions were good, a little slow, and the groomed trails seemed like a dream after blazing trails and combating walkers/snowshoers on the Vancouver beaches in December. We zoomed, huffed and puffed, and laughed our way around the looping routes we chose. We played at the Olympic start line and skied all alone along some of the Olympic race trails - thankful that no one witnessed us side-stepping down one of the hills. We played at being Olympians.

Before and after skiing we ate, slept and laughed some more. The trip reinforced two things for me: cross country skiing is fantastic and holidays, even mini ones, are critical to our well being.

I can't wait to watch the Nordic skiing LIVE during 2010!

Impatience Is a Virtue

I read that from the Howe Street bus stop south of Robson Street on a banner in a store across the street. Finally! A major quality I posess is virtuous. I can't wait to tell Mom & Dad.

WHAT’S THAT SMELL??

100cm of snow over of the month of December and early January forced my bike workouts indoors. Luckily, training at this time of year, is light. This means my sessions on the bike have only been 1 to 2.5 hours. Plus, riding indoors, although it can be tedious, offers some creature comforts.



The early morning news, including news broadcasted from the Maritimes in the wee hours of the morning, VOD movies, Oprah, and Law & Order re-runs, all punctuated by visits from my dog, Max, and my husband, Chris, have helped the hours roll by.





My trainer is in the basement, which we call “Max’s apartment”. Basically, it’s an empty suite furnished with sports equipment and smelly Dog stuff (food, bed, toys, towels all covered in fur). I ride surrounded by all this stuff. I don’t know what smells worse: Max or Chris’s goalie equipment.