July Update: 939 Kilometers To Date

Bike: 15 km – Walk: 2 km

Monthly Total: 347 km

8 Thousand Kilometer Challenge Update:

April: 58.5 km

May: 248 km

June: 285.5 km

July: 347 km

Total: 939 km

July was an excellent month. Summer is in full swing and I established new gains in the 8 thousand kilometer challenge. Here are the highlights:

• Exponentially increasing the kilometer count each month – it was huge 347 kilometer month!
• Introduced Paddling to the 8 Thousand Kilometer Challenge. We canoed at Otter Falls and the Pinawa Channel. We also rented kayaks in Kenora to check out Lawrence’s Lake. Love it!
• Hiked at Minaki and the Whiteshell. These trails were just tough enough to not bike instead.
• Camped at Spruce Woods. We also stayed at Heather and Peter’s cottage for an activity laden week-end.
• Continued to cycle commute on a regular basis, including a trip through a wicked thunderstorm. I expanded the bicycle trips to include appointments and other errands.
• (July Goal): Epic Bike Tour at Epinette Creak – quite spontaneously too! We also mountain biked at Seven Sisters Falls, Birds Hill, and did a 40 kilometer urban route
• (July Goal): Practiced Yoga after (and even during) physical activity.
• (July Goal): Attended the local Farmers’ Market, again. We also incorporated more fish & seafood into our home cooking.

B-E-A-Utiful. (Jim Carrey quote from Bruce Almighty for ya). I missed two July goals: continue MissFit Personal Training Services boot camp and signing up for a 10 kilometer run. Lisa decided not to have the Assinboine Park MissFit Boot Camp for July and August. (More demand in the south end of the city). I have continued to run, but have been focusing on cycling instead. I believe it’s a fair trade off. Running is naturally more challenging, but I have been upping my biking game.

Here is what I am thinking about doing next:

• Plan a trip that incorporates outdoor adventure. Do I smell mountains and ocean?
• Look into yoga. Alison has approached me to practice with a yogi friend of hers, so I hope to set something up.
• Invest in some equipment. Perhaps packs, sleeping bags, and/or light-weight tent.
• Keep on paddling. It’s thee best summer time activity.

B-E-A-Utiful times 2.

Good Vibrations

Bike: 10 km

Monthly Total: 330 km

This evening was lovely.

It started off with a quick chat with Sorks, who is lending us her cottage at Seven Sisters Falls this week-end. Biking, paddling, hiking and maybe running are on the agenda. If it rains, we have a cute little cottage to stay dry in. Perfecto!

We had a lovely seafood pasta dinner and decided we should top it off with ice cream. The weather is gorgeous, so we jumped on our bikes and headed to our local Ice Cream Shoppe. I guarded the bikes, while Jere picked up a hot fudge sundae for himself and a cherry cheesecake frozen yogurt for me. Heaven!

As we stood at the light with our bikes and treats, a stranger smiled at us. She sad, “You would make a perfect picture with your bikes and ice cream.” We laughed and said, “Thank you”.

We rolled our bikes across the river and discovered Ballet in the Park was in full swing. So, we stood with our bikes and ate our frozen treats. Heaven II!

After a while, we jumped on our bikes and headed home. Our neighbor had some people over and they greeted us enthusiastically. They said, “Hey! You’re those crazy outdoor people! Where were you tonight? Where do you go? We’re going to Rushing River this week-end… bet you’ve been there before, haven’t you?”

Best compliment ever! I love that we give off that vibe.

How to Become a Public Washroom Ninja

Bike: 11 km – Run: 1 km

Monthly Total: 320 km

Bonus Activity: Ultimate Frisbee

My go-to excuse for not biking to work used to be: “It’s too difficult for me to clean up at work. I’m a professional, yo.” Now, I get ready at work like a champ! Since I started cycling early this year, I commute with ease. Plus, I give myself extra time in the morning, so I can meander and stay cool. When I arrive, I hang out in my cubicle long enough for my computer to start up. Then, I grab my lululemon bag of goodies from my desk and swagger to the washroom. I clean up, straight up, stealth like ninja.

Here’s how to become a Public Washroom Ninja:

• Choose your stall. A roomie shower stall is optimal, but the larger corner stall will do the trick. The more room the better.
• Get down to your knickers. Remove all your biker clothing at once – no individual swapping of  wet clothing for dry clothing. It gives you an opportunity to be free and airy. Throw the wet clothes over the door.
• Towel off the bod. Hand towel or paper towel will do the trick. Dabby, dab some antiperspirant while you’re at it.
• At this point, about 45 seconds has passed. (Ninjas are quick!) Throw on the minimal level of clothing before you high kick through the stall door. Note, balance is key. If you can master tree pose, you’ll avoid weird barefoot touches, where even feet dare not go.
• Cartwheel over to the sinks, preferably an out-of-the way corner spot. Pull out your bag of goodies. I personally have a travel blow dryer to reduce helmet hair, a comb, some hair serum, and some powder make-up. Shine be gone!
• Hide the evidence. Throw the wet clothes in your pannier bag and pack-up the prep tools.
• Suit-up. Grab the blazer, sweater, scarf or whatever remains to finish your look.
• Leave no trace. Do a quick review of your stall and sink. Ninjas do not leave any embarrassing personal items behind.

That is how it’s done boys and girls! I manage this in 5 minutes flat. Proceed to strike, block, and grapple your way back to your desk. No one will be the wiser that the once sweaty mess is now – the professional, styling vision before them. Ninja styling.

Epinette Creek Trails – Sweet Victory

Bike: 40 km (mountain) + 18 km (commute)

Monthly Total: 308 km

Do you have a personal, physical feat that you successfully and gracefully achieved? For example, I felt fantastic when I ran my first 5 km race this spring. Fan-tastic.

How about that personal, physical feat that you successfully and not so gracefully achieved? I’ve got one.

Two years ago.
Mountain bike.
Epinette Creek Trail system.
All 40 kilometers of it.

We attempted and finished it, but it was not pretty. At the time, I blamed it on the trail itself: too hilly, too grassy, too sandy, and was not ideal for mountain biking. Looking back, the mess at the end may have been due to operator error. Back then, I barely rode my bike, we didn’t have enough water, and we hadn’t packed the insect repellent. (The bugs were a killer!)

Needless to say, I have avoided the subject since then. When I listed my goals for July, I included an Epic Bike Trip. Secretly, I had envisioned biking the Epinette again – conquering it versus just finishing it.

Now, I get to tell the Epinette Creek Bike Story again – Part Deux.

Saturday, we had a fabulous day at the lake. It was my grandmother’s 80th birthday party and she was the beautiful, gracious guest of honour. I had a blast hanging with the whole family – all characters. After eating entirely too much food, we set out for Spruce Woods to camp for the night. Hubs and I had a few adult beverages by a camp fire, and fell asleep peacefully in our tent. (Air mattress and all – love car camping!)

We had hauled our bikes out, so we figured we should take them out for a spin.  I proposed to Jere that we check out the Epinette Creek Trail, to see what was up. He was all for it.

We were well equipped for our bike ride, in the event we turned crazy and the whole 40 kilometers came to fruition. Lots of water, bug spray, sunscreen, and GPS were are all packed. The sun was hot, but there was a gentle breeze that was very comfortable. We jumped on our bikes and took off down the trail.

The Epinette had been altered somewhat in the last couple of years, but it still put on a “grass, sand, and tree root” show. However, it was I that was different this time. I ride my bike all the time, I did MissFit Boot Camp for 8 weeks, I have been running, paddling and hiking – I felt good. I pumped through my low gears and crawled up those hills. As I was reminded at Birds Hill last week, mountain biking is a full body workout. My back and shoulders were feeling it, but my legs and cardio were holding strong. When we got to Cabin 3, we figured, “what’s 20 more kilometers?” Thus, without any previous mental prep, we went for it! I took on my trail nemesis.

The Epinette is a lovely display of spruce trees, creeks and sand dunes. It is a fun represent of what the Canadian Prairies have to offer. Plus, it tests one’s endurance to the maximum. It is an up and down ride, mostly up on the way to Cabin 4 – thankfully, downward the way back. It took us under 7 hours to complete the trail, with breaks included.  Going down the hills was wild, with both the bod and bike feeling it. I had to walk down and up some sandy patches, but all and all I rode the whole trail. Conquer, one might say.

When I go back to my initial mission statement, I wanted to push myself to new limits. Now that I know I can tackle 40 kilometers of mean trail on the fly, I know I am ready for the next challenge.

It’s working! It’s really working!

Ghost Ride the sand.

The grassy prairies. At least there is a hint of a trail in this spot.

The beautiful green forest from the top of a hill we just climbed. Delicious.

The Heart was Willing – The Legs, Not So Much

Bike: 26 km

Monthly Total: 250 km

Bonus Activity: Extended the Bike Commute

Today was a gorgeous day, so I decided to extend my bike home. I hit Assinboine Park and toured up Wellington. (La-dee-da Mr. Rich). Lots of bikers, lots of runners, and peeps walking their dogs. It was a very good vibe.

Alas, my heart was into the ride, but my legs – not so much. I suppose the double header ulti game last night did not help the situation. My initial gut was to blame my bike, thinking my rear wheel was sticky. Deep down, I knew it was operator error and I had reached my limit for the day.

That’s one thing I have learned over the last couple of months. A workout will indicate you how you are really feeling. I remember Lisa (MissFit Personal Training Services) talking about exercise and body awareness. If you’re not feeling well, your workout results will show it. The trick is, you won’t truly know how you’re feeling until you apply the pressure. I mean, who doesn’t feel tired first thing in the morning, after work, or in the evening? My goal is to always stick with the plan, which includes rest days, no matter how I feel. If I get into the middle of it (like today) and find out it wasn’t meant to be, I decrease the intensity and duration. There’s always the next session. Some physical activity is always better then no physical activity.

This week-end, we are going to a Gray shindig to celebration G.G.’s big 8-0. It should be good times at Oak Lake, as we had a blast together last fall. The question is, what to do with the rest of our week-end? We have been thinking about stopping over at Spruce Woods for some camp fire TLC and perhaps some hiking and biking. It’s Wednesday, so we had better figure it out soon.

Almost living spontaneously.

Double Header

Bike: 12 km – Run: 2 km

Monthly Total: 224 km

Bonus Activity: Ultimate Frisbee – Double Header!

Quickie Postie tonight. It was a lovely day, including a bike commute and two ultimate frisbee games. We played with a lot of heart, but couldn’t put the points on the board. I encountered my first hit of the season. Dude side swiped me – his body against my head, which had me spinning to the sideline for the rest of the point. I caught the dang disk however, so the play continued in our possession. Kinda worth it?

Thus, it’s late for a work night and my head wants a good night sleep. I’m all good – it will not be necessary for Jeremy to wake me every hour.

Urban Road vs Single Track: A Bicycle Story

Bike: 34 km – Walk: 9 km

Monthly Total: 210 km

Part I: Urban Road

I biked to work on Friday and enjoyed the beginning of the commute with Jeremy. (Normally, the starter’s pistol goes off a different times for us.) Everyone we met gave us a big grin and some people threw out a “Good Morning” our way.

Jeremy said, “Wow! You sure get a lot of smiles in the morning”.

I said, “I smile first, Jere”.

Jeremy’s one-way commute is longer then my round trip. While I ride figure eights and watch for bunnies, Jere has his head down and plays for keeps. It is understandable, but I think he may try the “smile game” on his future rides.

At the end of the day, I was invited for drinks with some co-workers. Since it was on route, I agreed. A co-worker offered me a ride, which I politely declined. There was a look of confusion and the ride was offered again. I realized that A.) he could not fathom why I would choose biking over riding, and B.) I was being borderline rude or something if I did not accept. Thus, I reluctantly threw my bike in the back of his truck.

I would make of the kilometers later, when Jeremy and I decided to enjoy a beautiful evening outside, patio styles. We rode our bikes to Stella’s to enjoy some pescetarian fare – I had the fish tacos and the hubby enjoyed a fish burger. De-lish Dish. The bike loop would add 12 kilometers to my score.

Part II: Single Track

It’s Sunday and we had previously discussed checking out Birds Hill Park. Reviewing the trails online, it was difficult to get a read on the terrain. Only paved? Grassy, muddy and not maintained? Or *hopefully* super fun single track? In the spirit of adventure, we  packed up our bikes and took off north of the city.

We looped around the park, appreciating its large size. Jeremy and I have both lived in Winnipeg for over  a decade and neither of us had ever taken in the amenities of Birds Hill. We pulled into a parking lot, eyed up the map, and decided to tackle the Bluestem Trail – the largest loop at 14 kilometers.

The trail had a little bit of everything: a small piece of pavement, a little more mud and grass, but mostly it was glorious single track. The path was worn in and clay, which equates to some good riding. There were lots of tree roots, which created a more jarring and challenging experience. I carried my bike through some wet patches, but after watching Jeremy plough through the water, I decided to try it. In low gear, I gave it a good run and successfully drove through several water patches. I was even able to skirt around the sides of a couple of muddy areas, feeling BA with the mucho mud all over my legs.

Overall, the trail was not difficult technically, but definatley required some endurance. It was not the most popular trail (lots of people in the park, but we only saw 2 people on Bluestem), which created a more challenging ride in the less maintained areas.  It was super fun and gave us a sense of accomplishment.

Part III: The Conclusion

The urban road and single track provided different, but equally enjoyable experiences. For us, the urban bike provides an experience of traveling greater distances, higher speeds, and enjoyable commutes. The single track provides an experience of great difficultly, lower speeds, and time with nature.

In the end, we decided to stretch our legs with a relaxing walk through the park. Assinboine Park was alive with activity tonight. We toured through the Leo Mol Sculpture Garden and stopped at the Lyric to listen to some jazz.

Fan-tab-ulous.

To Bike or Not to Bike… On the Sidewalk

Bike: 12 km

Monthly Total: 167 km

Cycling purists, pedestrians, and traffic laws all agree – Cyclists belong on the roadways, not the sidewalks. In Manitoba specifically, if your rear tire diameter exceeds 16 inches, your unit is not to be ridden on the sidewalk. My 26 inch tires and I are therefore banned to the streets.

Seriously – a quick Google search proved that most agree with this rule. It is more dangerous for everyone involved when cyclists hit the walkways: pedestrians can get hit by bikers and bikers can be hit by drivers leaving driveways, turning right, or emerging out of back lanes. Fair assessment.

And yet day in and day out, I ride on the sidewalk for 0.5 km of my commute. Why you ask?

• I ride through park and residential roadways most of my commute. It is glorious and I have a safe ride with mucho space for myself and traffic to operate.  The 0.5 km in question is a narrow road, disguised as a residential street, where in reality it is a major route to the city airport. Taxi drivers, buses, out-of-towners, and commuters all use this road with conviction. I know this to be a fact,  as I am one of them when I’m driving.
• We live in a land of extreme temperatures. These extreme temperatures lead to road stress. There are pot holes, cracks, not to mention pieces of curb scattered in the “make believe” bike lane. One swerve to avoid debris may equate to a cyclist being clipped by a side-view mirror – hopefully tumbling away from traffic, not into it.
• I see 1-2 pedestrians at most, every 4 commutes. I am a very respectful rider and always give them the right of way. I am yet to get a snooty look, and more often get a sympathetic look.
• The traffic is heading for the airport. Minimal traffic is turning or otherwise. I keep my head on a crazy swivel and slow down at all intersections, driveways, and otherwise.

So yah, I ride on the sidewalk. I hit the road 99% of the time, but I believe there can be an exception to every rule.

As to keep my “sidewalk sins” secret, this is not a picture of “thee sidewalk”. Nice try.

Double Rainbow Show

Walk: 6 km

Monthly Total: 155 km

Today started off stormy and ended rather peaceful. Jeremy and I enjoyed a lovely walk to the park with enough of a breeze to keep the bugs at bay. There were many people enjoying the evening, whether playing volleyball, running, biking or feeding prairie dogs.

As we looped back, we were hit with a light shower. We stood beside a piece of Assinboine Park artwork, somewhat sheltered, laughing at people either scurrying for cover or playing through it. When it stopped, we were presented with a groovy rainbow. Jeremy pulled out his iPhone to capture the moment, when we noticed it wasn’t one, but two rainbows. Noice! We walked into the field to get a better vantage point, when suddenly this woman appeared out of no where. She had a cool, power walker look to her. She said, “I’m sorry, but I have to point this out. There are TWO rainbows behind you. Very rare. Make a wish!” She turned and strutted away. That was that.

So, here’s my attempt at capturing such a scene with my iPhone. The picture doesn’t do it justice, but it will probe that memory of the last double rainbow you saw.

I know this is kind of a gooey blog post, but I’m in a gooey kind of mood. I am feeling quite relaxed tonight without my usual edge. I’m running with it.  To support the spirit of goo, I even searched for some Internet opinion of what a double rainbow means. Aside from some information regarding a group called “Double Rainbow”, there are interpretations as the symbol of hope, peace and transformation. All good things, so I dig.

Big week-end planned. A date with Bon Jovi, a repeat ride to the Farmers’ Market, and a trip to Birds Hill Park. Plus, I think backpack purchases are in our near future.

Top 10 Reasons NOT to Drive to Work

Bike: 12 km

Monthly Total: 149 km

I took the car to work today, as I had to run various errands (strike 1). Plus, it was threatening thunder storms (strike 2). Finally, my little sister Heather stayed with us last night. We were up pretty late and I ended up sleeping in (strike 3).

It turned out to be an annoying drive into work. As I watch the Dave Letterman Top 10, I am inspired to write the “Top 10 Reasons NOT to Drive to Work”:

10. Summer Time Construction. When I drive I have a favorite lane to take, which helps me fly through traffic. This goes out the window when the construction season hits. Why do they block lanes off weeks before the work begins? Why?!

9. Zombie Commuters. People are zombies in the morning and zoned out on their drive home. One has to incorporate offensive and defensive driving techniques against the common road sharer. Dangerous.

8. Road Rage Stress. When I bike to work, I get to see wildlife, fellow bikers, happy runners, and enjoy the fresh air.  When I drive – see No. 1 and No. 2. A more stressful drive to work equates to a not-so-happy employee at work.

7. Lack of physical activity. Unless you’re doing some major grooving to the golden oldies, you won’t achieve that “healthy” high heart rate that we are all encouraged to achieve these days. (Versus achieving a high heart rate due to No. 3′s Road Rage).

6. Bad for the Environment. There are worse things then driving, but there are also better things then driving. AKA The bike or The feet.

5. Gas Money. With the influx of gas prices, your cost of commute follows suit. Biking or walking – it’s a fixed price.

4. Scenery is hit and miss. I am lucky to have a bike route through a park and not so lucky to have a major roadway for my car route. I wager one can make a more interesting commute on the bike versus car. As the crow flies, so to speak.

3. One of Many. There are many, many drivers out there. There seems to be less bikers. I have many co-workers who are impressed with my commitment to riding to work – boosts the ego.

2. Less Thinking Time. When one is driving, there are many things you must pay attention to: buses, other drivers, pedestrians, etc. When you ride your bike on a quiet route, you have an opportunity to hash out your thoughts, both positive and negative. You know – solve the worlds problems.

1. Loss Opportunity to Add Distance to the 8 Thousand Kilometer Challenge! Enough said.

I experienced a minor case of separation anxiety from my bike today, due to my negative drive experience. Short of a tornado passing through the city, I am taking my bike to work tomorrow.

Side note: This post exempts all the people who have an exceptionally long commute. This also includes all my friends and family who have the gorgeous commutes in the country. This is a shout out to all the city commuters who live close enough to blow the dust off the ol’ bicycle. Trust me – you’ll thank me for it later.