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…..

The H.E.A.R.T Experience

While in Florida, we looked up acquaintances that Joe had met while on a mission trip to Haiti way back in 1988. Art and Suetta were a real inspiration then and over the years we've kep in contact mainly at Christmas time. After Haiti they went back to Florida and just recently moved to Lake Wales which was only an hour drive from where we were staying. We made phone contact and were invited to spend a weekend with them. They live on the campus of Warner Southern College where Art is employed. During a tour of the campus we were taken to the site of H.E.A.R.T (Hunger, Education And Resource Training) and this village simulates many of the aspects of life in a third world country where students learn to adapt to an environment without many of the modern conveniences to which they are accustomed. Many others come here as well before they head out to the mission field so they can get a feel for what it's like to live in third world countries. I will say it is very, very basic living here for them...laundry is done on scrub/wash boards and there is a wringer available if you want to turn it by hand, latrines, very rustic solar powered shower facilites, raised housing with nothing but screens for windows, etc. etc. There was a youth group staying there from Boca Raton the same weekend we were there.....we woke up to frost on the grass the next morning so I hope they stayed warm with no heating in the houses.......there is electricity there but it is used only for cooking meals and for running the computers in the classrooms where they have their classes. College students can earn credits by staying here for 3 months at a time.

Also on this campus was a sculpture called, "Love Essence" which showed Jesus washing Peter's feet. Very meaningful.....a wonderful campus.

Florida Spring Training......

I've noticed that the Florida maps show the Spring Training Sites of all the famous baseball teams.... we didn't check any of them out but we chose our own sites/trails for spring training. The maps also show bike trails and we discovered two of them close to where we were staying that we used for our spring training. The 42 mile Suncoast Trail runs parallel to the Suncoast Freeway, not a quiet, peaceful ride but we did do 75 km on it one day - this is where we met all the cyclists who wanted to do some serious cycling without having to deal with traffic. Storm clouds rolled in on our way back and the last 3 km we did in the rain - oh well, I have to get used to that too. I hope we aren't going to have many rain days on the SeatoSea ride.

On another day we did 78 km on the 29 mile VanFleet Trail - this trail runs through swamp, forest and farmland so was a very enjoyable and peaceful ride. Everything in USA is measured in miles and my flight deck reads in kilometres so therefore the confusion between miles and kms. I was so focused on reaching my goal (had to better the 75 km day) that I did not stop to smile at the 5 foot alligator sunning itself right beside the path. Joe spotted it and called me back to see something so I did turn around and took a look....noticed the mileage mark where it was and on the way back made sure I crossed over to the opposite side of the path. It had moved closer to the edge of the swamp so was not as visible but I did see it again.

Folklore has it that when you see an alligator just laying there, it has just had a meal and the sunshine helps it to digest it's food. Comforting to think that it was not looking for another meal....so would not chase us. No camera with us this day so no picture to prove that we actually saw it. The colour camouflaged it to look just like a log......turtles were also in abundance, some even mating or so it seemed to us...lots of squirrels, salamanders and mosquitos but if you kept moving they didn't bother you.

From our trailer in Thonotosassa, we found country roads that we could take to do some serious cycling on as well. This was all rural with fresh strawberries ready for the picking as well as oranges if you could reach them.....the lower branches had all been picked clean. This was so rural there were no coffee shops, cafes, or variety stores so we had to take all refreshments and food with us. The Florida countryside is flat so it was relatively easy to cycle except the wind could be strong at times. The hills will have to be conquered now that we are back home.

On the day we were doing the Suncoast Trail, we all of a sudden had 3 dogs come out of nowhere and they started chasing us. Joe told me to just go faster and eventually they would get tired. My average that day improved greatly....I think more out of fear than anything else. They didn't give up for a long time and once they did, my heart was pounding. Joe remarked that the puppies would be getting sour milk for lunch because it was obvious that one of the dogs was nursing pups. Not sure what I would sooner have chase me - dogs or an alligator. I carefully watched all twigs lying on the paths in case one would slither away - that would have been my biggest fear...and on the last two days, I did notice them...

Team Adrian, Rita and Margaret got together one day to do the VanFleet Trail. Peter and Joe would be our personal trainers but before we knew it, Adrian had joined them and they took off ahead of Rita and myself. They were carrying the lunches and we knew that if we wanted to eat we would have to go to the end of the trail - sure enough that is where we met up with them, so we landed up doing the whole 58 miles that day which worked out to 95 km. The temperature was in the 70's so a perfect day for cycling.

These bike docks showed up along the trail as well- not sure exactly of their purpose ..they were usually beside the swamp that was covered with a layer of green scum - wouldn't want to try to walk on that water.

In the 14 days that I cycled, I have 705 kms under my butt - time on the other 7 days was spent visiting with friends and family, flea markets, beaches, pools, bingo (and not the Dutch, CRC type) euchre, reading, and being lazy - just an excellent holiday.

On Top of the World

and literally it felt like that....I spent a few days skiing at Whistler last week - there's a run out there called "7th Heaven" and we wondered if this is what heaven could be like or what we would want heaven to be like. Not a cloud in the sky, perfect snow conditions and wonderful friends to share the experience with, what more could you ask for? The only problem was that thousands of others wanted to share this experience with us - it was President's Day in the US and many Canadian students had a reading break. Who says that BC doesn't have beautiful weather? We had temperatures of +17 there and came home to -17 last evening on the way home from the airport. On one of mornings the group decided we should do the "Peak to Creek" run which goes right from the peak of Whistler to the bottom - a mere 11 km. run - an excellent workout for the legs - will this get them in shape for cycling, we'll find that out next week. We took our time coming down enjoying the panoramic view all around us - what an awesome God we have who created this majestic scenery for us to enjoy. We were able to eat lunch outdoors each day - a real treat for us from Ontario who have loads of snow to deal with yet. Skiing is so much easier than cycling - no gears to change, there is only one way to go and that is down. Going up the hill is easy - you sit in a chair and don't have to work at it at all.

Now the serious training has to begin - Florida here we come.....no snow or ice on the roads and hopefully no heavy traffic either. My bike is there waiting for me, I bought a new helmet today and our clothes are packed - we are ready. We are leaving a few days later than originally planned -a friend from church was tragically killed in a work related accident late Thursday and we want to be able to support his wife at the funeral service - shows us again how fragile life is and how it can change instantly.

British Columbia is getting ready for the 2010 Olympics and has erected this beautiful Inukshuk at the top of Whistler - it's visible for miles (km) and is a excellent place to meet up with others. I picked up a piece of paper describing what the symbolism of Inukshuk is - it's an Inuit word meaning "in the image of man" and they are/were built for a variety of purposes. It can serve as a guide post in a barren landscape - a silent messenger showing the correct place. It can also symbolize the value of friendship and can remind us that we are not alone on our journey - others too have walked this path. Probably not sound theology but irregardless it's a unique monument on top of the world.

Hanging up my apron...time for serious training..

We're home again from Louisiana - we had a wonderful time meeting new friends and at the same time doing what we could for a three week period to help those still in need after Hurricane Katrina. There is still so much to do in the New Orleans area but it seems that politics stands in the way of really getting the job done fast. It's been 2 1/2 years since Katrina hit and still there is such devastation that we see as we travel the freeways. Downtown New Orleans is even worse and some of our crew did go there to check out some possible future work and came back with stories that break your heart.....one elderly grandmother living in a motel room with 7 grandchildren ranging in age from baby to 9 years old just waiting to get back into her own house and I could go on and on relating stories of need. Those that we were able to help were so thankful for what we could do for them. The "green shirts" of the DRS division of CRWRC are very welcome sights in this area. Everyone seems to know of them...and we were very thankful to be able to show God's love to the people especially in Slidell where we were staying in a hall owned by the Presbyterian church there.

I had hoped to get lots of cycling in on the weekends but that did not happen. On our way down we had to make a stop in Laurel, MS and did manage a 35 km ride on the Saturday morning - it was a balmy 54 degrees with blue skies so we explored the country side there. Must say the roads were narrow and have no shoulders but it wasn't busy traffic either. Felt good before getting back into the van to continue on our way to Slidell. Our first weekend in Slidell the weather didn't cooperate so no cycling - I know we may/will have to cycle in rain during the SeatoSea but during training, I'm not too game - I'll use the excuse I don't have rain gear yet.

The following weekend we drove down to New Orleans and we did get to cycle on the bike path that is on top of the levee and runs parallel to the Mississippi. This is very safe - only used by joggers and cyclists. From our vantage point higher up we see areas of New Orleans that had not been affected by the hurricane and were actually very affluent neighbourhoods. We managed to cover 25 km in just over an hour before we had to meet up with our "SAG" wagon which was waiting for us at the River Shack. Here we needed to quench our thirst from all the hard work. Mind you we had a head wind on the way out so was looking forward to the trip back but it seemed the wind changed direction and we were heading into the wind again so naturally we needed refreshment.

While visiting New Orleans we took in the Imax production of "Hurricane on the Bayou" and watched one of the many "Mardi Gras" parades. Seeing the film did give us a better understanding of what damage there had been as a result of the hurricane and it was also sad to see and hear about the losses experienced by the people there. To us it seems that Mardi Gras is just an excuse for partying......everyone gets caught up in the excitement. I think we left just in time before the big celebration of "Fat Tuesday" this coming week. Everything is shut down in the city and it's one big party.

My responsibility during the three weeks was to feed the troops and they did get fed well, all 22 of them - meat, potatoes and vegetables followed by dessert every working day.....weekends, everyone had to fend for themself - won't say that all meals were low cal so now the challenge will be heavy duty training starting tomorrow already. Wasn't much opportunity to get exercise in during the day time as we were all busy and at night it wasn't safe to walk/jog the roads there. I think the muscles in my tongue and the muscles that you use to laugh got the most excercise the last three weeks - as you can tell, we had fun!! This small group of 22 people formed a community that I was so happy to be part of - just a foretaste of what the SeatoSea will be with so many more people to meet and fellowship with...how rich these experiences are! So for now, I'm hanging up the apron and taking up serious exercising. Joe won't be getting the same calibre of meals that we had there and I certainly don't need that - maybe it's good that Lent is coming and we can give up these extras for that. We will hit the slopes yet for some downhill skiing in the next few weeks and then we will head to Florida for some real cycling at the end of February.

Stay safe in your training on the roads....we did have a mishap in Slidell where two cyclists were out for a short ride one Sunday afternoon just before supper and they did get too close together, touching wheels, and one of the cyclists landed up with some fractured ribs when he hit the road....needless to say Adri was in much pain for several days. Adri will be in fine form once he gets to Seattle at the end of June. He's off to Florida now to heal more....it could have been so much worse.....pray for each other while we are in training, it could happen to any one of us.

Happy New Year!

Another year of Christmas celebrations are behind us - hopefully your celebration was a joyous one as you reflected on God's goodness to us in sending His son whose birth we could celebrate. As we enter into the New Year may we go with confidence and peace...trusting that God will bless the choices and decisions we have made. To those fellow cyclists, may you have peace knowing that the decision you made to join the ride is the right one. May you also be confident that whatever training you have started or will start soon will prepare you for the ride. The many questions and comments going back and forth between the riders, make for some interesting reading. What type of bike to buy, what pedals to use, what shoes to wear, will the high altitude in Denver be hard to get used to, what airports to fly into/out of, etc. etc? - all real concerns for those who have never done something like this before.

I have the advantage of being married to someone who has done all this already so whatever I need to know, I can ask Joe - this was particularly very helpful just before Christmas when we went out to buy some cycling shoes. We were in the bike store and took a look at the new bikes there as well and just happened to ask the clerk if they ever had used bikes for sale. He asked my height and I told him - he then responded, "I've got the perfect bike for you". He brought it in a few days later and it was a perfect fit - a TREK 2300 - almost brand new and just the right fit for me. The colour passed as well - a lovely mauve colour - now to buy the cyling clothes that match..... The previous owner upgraded and I got a real good deal on this bike. Before we left the store, we'd purchased pedals, water carrier, pouch and carrier for the back and a flight deck. For those who aren't cyclists, you may think that this pertains to an airplane that you could put on auto pilot and it would just keep on going, but it's not, if only changing gears was as simple as putting it on auto pilot. Hopefully this gadget will help me with learning the whole gear changing mechanism. I haven't mastered that part yet. I'm getting used to the clip on shoes during the spin classes at the Y - at least I can't fall off the bikes there and I get some practice unclipping them.

We are heading off to Slidell, Louisiana to do a 3 week session with CRWRC and are taking our bikes with us. Every weekend we should be able to do 2 days of cycling outdoors - this will be a change in exercise from doing the stairs and the spin classes indoors. I don't think we will find too many hills there but we could get some strong winds. Here's hoping no hurricanes come through that area in the next 3 weeks either.

I love some of the interesting tidbits of advice that have come through on the forum as well - quoting scripture that could pertain to our training..."to strengthen feeble arms and weak knees and to make level paths for our feet. Do not swerve to the right or to the left" - good advice when riding in a group. To quote from Philippians 3, the last part of verse 13 reads "forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead...press on toward the goal"- this doesn't only pertain to biking but could be used by all of us as we live our lives to do God's will.