Leaving the "FIFTIES" behind....

Well this week it happened, I turned 60 - others are saying that it is much easier to turn 60 now than it was before because we are turning 60 at a much younger age than they used to - 60 is young to some of you and old to others. I've learned that age is relative - you are only as old as you feel and at times that can be very real... like yesterday when I went out for a ride with 3 other SeatoSea cyclists. I won't name them, but some of you will know who they are. My brother in law, Ed, suggested a 50 km ride - just a few hours in the morning. I was game - one of the cyclists was 18 and the other in her early 20's and Ed is just a few years younger than I am. We started off from Ed's home and we were only a few kms away when my chain fell off - meanwhile the others are way ahead already.... I fixed the chain - it just so happened there was a towel lying beside the road so I could clean my hands off...caught up to the others and off we went again. I could tell very soon that this was no match for me - I just couldn't keep up so I urged them to go on and I would meet them back at my sister's home for lunch. We all arrived back within 5 minutes of each other - I had done a much shorter ride than the others but we all had a good workout. Ed admitted to me that he had a hard time keeping up with the young riders. We will all find our comfort level on the tour and those will be who we ride with.

On Thursday Rita came down/up from Dorchester and we did a 60 km ride up country from Waterdown. Now, we were very compatible - we had a good workout and we had fun - we plan to ride together from Denver to Jersey City.

The total distance cycled in 3 outdoor rides was 130 kms for the week - this along with a spin class and anther session at the Y on their newest bike/trainer was my exercise - needed that to work off the "birthday meals and cake". Good thing birthdays come but once a year.

Today I joined my 9 year old granddaughter for a 21 km ride at her pace - not a real workout until the last little bit when we found a very challenging road with some rolling hills to get the cardio up - we had fun while she tried out her new bike.

The weather in Southern Ontario has been just great for cycling - no excuse for not getting outdoors - it's supposed to change over night so we will see what the new week brings.

Now to keep up the momentum....only 9 weeks till the tour starts. Keep on cycling - keep safe out on the roads.

First Flat...

Well a week has gone by - did get out 4 times for a short ride for a total of 125 kms. An indoor spin class at the beginning of the week plus some weights was my total exercise for the week. The knee discomfort is slowly going away. This week I should up the total kms cycled - the weather is supposed to be great once again for outdoor cycling.

Last Saturday Joe and I were out for a ride up country from here - lonely country roads with some hills for a good workout when we met up with someone we knew who was out rappelling. We stopped to chat with him and all of a sudden a loud pop from my front tire and slowly the air went out of it - a real sinking feeling. Dave offered to drive us home but Joe said he would try to fix it. I had some new tubes with me but there was a cut on the tire as well. My hands stayed clean so guess who changed the tire. I watched closely but don't think I'm ready to do this on my own yet - will have to learn. Joe temporarily fixed the hole in the tire with a piece of paper but I will need to take the tire into the cycle shop to have it either repaired or replaced. We also left home on Saturday without our wallets or cell phone, not a smart thing to do in case we would have needed to call someone - must make a check list for each time we/I go out.

On Sunday lots of cyclists were out enjoying the day - we decided to join our local churches in cleaning up our neighbourhood for Earth Day - it amazing how much garbage surfaces once all the snow is melted.

Now The Serious Training Begins.......

It's time for me to get real serious about training….

It’s the middle of April and the push is on to get some serious training going…..enough of the leisure stuff – the snow is gone so we will put the skis away until next season. We did enjoy 3 days of excellent spring skiing at Mt. Tremblant during the last week of March, after we came home from Florida. We were invited to join some fellow cyclists from the 2005 ride along with one other couple who is doing the 2008 ride as well – it’s interesting how you meet up with people who do the same activities that you do. On the last run down on the third day I did twist my knee and once I arrived home, I needed to see a chiropractor to get it so that I could exercise again. This meant no doing the stairs or walking too far. Cycling isn’t hard on it but getting on and off the bike did cause some pain so he suggested to take it easy for two weeks. He promised to have it better so I could start cycling again by the end of this week. I have been doing the spin classes at the “Y” but at a relaxed level. Skiing was well worth it…..wouldn’t have missed it so will live with the pain and inconvenience. A personal trainer has set me up with some programs for both my upper body and legs so this will also help to get ready. Just over 3 months from now Joe will be bringing me out to Denver to start.

I met up with some of the local cyclists at one of their fund raising events last week and this weekend some others will be making and selling pies so I will try hard to get to that as well. It’s neat to hear what others are doing in regards to fund raising and training. Hopefully in the very near future some of us can get together to do a ride locally.

Last weekend I celebrated my upcoming, big “60” with family and friends – the actual date is not until next week so I can still say I’m 59. It was great to have some fellow cyclists there as well. My children, who sent out the invitation, suggested donations to the ride in lieu of gifts and I will admit that it was an excellent idea.

Monday was a cool day, only got up to 7 so I decided to do a spin class instead of cycling outdoors. Today Joe and I did get out after lunch and we did a 29 km tour up country from where we live. This was my first time outdoors since Florida. The knee held up so maybe tomorrow we will add a few more kilometers. By the end of this week the temperature is supposed to be up to 21 degrees so we should get some long, outdoor rides in. Today’s Hamilton Spectator had an article all about fitness and how we need to make our training plan public so others can hold us accountable – I have encouraged some family members to ask me from time to time how the training is going.

The Hamilton Spectator featured the attached photo last Friday - I thought it was priceless – after this summer’s ride, Joe and I should be able to pull our trailer with our bikes and go on vacation that way so it’s actually our summer vacation 2009. Who knows what the price of gas will be then….we usually head north to Killbear Park so it may take us a week to get there……

Enjoy the training, take it one day at a time, be safe on the roads…..