Sunday, we slept in a little (N's surprise birthday party on Saturday kept us out pretty late... in fact I'm sure N thought she'd be home by 10... heh heh heh, I'm so sneaky :-) ) but since we didn't really have a whole lot planned for the day aside from another birthday dinner, we managed to get out on the pathways for a nice long bikeride. (Yes, "bikeride", not "bike ride". It runs together when I say it, so why not when I write it?)
I remember going for bikerides with Mom and Dad and my brothers when we were kids. We used to go all the time in the summer, it seemed. In Lloydminster, we'd ride to Bud Miller park, or even just around the block. When we moved to Calgary, we'd cruise the pathways, stopping at parks along the way. When I got older, I'd explore the pathways with friends, with my brothers, or by myself.
This bikeride evoked a lot of those memories. We were riding pretty fast (after all, we are training), but at the same time, it was a leisurely expedition, a tour of the area.
We set out from our building, rather than trying to pile two bikes into one of the cars. It only took about 30 minutes from our door to the reservoir anyway, thanks to the pedestrian bridges over Anderson, Macleod Trail, and 14th Street SW. Since we didn't have a pathways map, I looked it up online and tried to memorize the route, but obviously didn't to a very good job. Nevertheless, we made it.
Since I'd never actually ridden around the reservoir, when we got to Glenmore Landing, I decided we should go counter-clockwise, because I didn't really want to have to go up the Weaselhead hill at North Glenmore Park. From the Landing, past Heritage Park and the Rockyview Hospital, the path is pretty tight and winding. Once you get to Glenmore Trail though, it opens up nicely. We didn't go all the way to the dam on the north tip of the reservoir, taking the path along Glenmore Trail instead.
Generally, the ride was pretty uneventful. N did a good job of keeping up, but like I told her afterwards, I think she took my "high cadence" advice a little too far, spinning her pedals faster than she needed to, sacrificing some speed. It's a strategy that the tri coaches I trained with last year preached: keep the pedals going fast on the bike, to keep the legs loose for the run. It worked for N, because she said her legs weren't sore at all the next day. I guess I'll just have to push her harder next time. *grins wickedly*
After stopping for a Booster Juice at the Landing, I decided to try a different route on the way home. We needed a pathways map, and no one seems to sell them except for Calgary Co-Op. We eventually found one, and lo, they had the coveted Calgary Pathways Map! I now have a copy in the wedgie bag under my seat. Hopefully I won't get lost any more.
In all, the bikeride around the Res took about three hours. But that includes about half and hour of me messing around with a flat tire before we started.
Props to Pedalhead for their amazing 2-year unlimited tune-ups policy. I left the bike with them after this ride... It's great being able to drop my baby off for a day or two and get it back squeaky clean, lubed and tightened.
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Okay, I admit it. This post has been back-dated because I'm a little behind! Rather than write one reeeally long post to catch up, I'll break it into three.
