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.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
You Know You're a Triathlete When...
... you'd rather go running than go to an amazing party;... you'd rather spend $$ on "multisport apparel", aka training gear, than Guitar Hero*;
... your computer wallpaper (and facebook profile photo) is a picture of your snazzy bike;
... vacation plans begin to revolve around races;
... you start to think of food as "fuel" (as in "an apple is a better fuel source than a Big Mac snack attack")
... you miss the start of your favorite show because of training (we need a PVR!)
... you're still glad you bought the bike rather than the PVR
*That was still a tough decision. C'mon, it's the ultimate air guitar!!
Last night, ~4.5km run with N, 35 minutes
Monday night, bike to Sicome Lake and back home, 45mins
Monday, July 7, 2008
Hardisty Run and Swim
Okay, I know I've been bad with updating! A lot has happened since the last post, but I really have no excuse.
Anyway, this weekend we went out to Hardisty, AB for my cousin's wedding reception (which was a blast-- great to go back and see everyone, especially since I haven't really been in touch in the last few years). While we were there, I figured it would be a good opportunity to practice lake swimming, since my next tri will be my first lake race.
Saturday was a pretty full day, with breakfast at one place, then a mid-afternoon barbeque at another, then the party at the town hall. N wanted to get a run in, and Dad is always up for a run, so we decided to go for a lap around the lake at 8am. About 4.5km, it was a good loop, and N did really well, keeping up a pretty good pace. She's graduated from run 10mins/ walk 1min to full-out running for 30-40 minutes, and is getting faster all the time. She seems to be really enjoying running, and has even been getting me out there on days when I'm feeling lazy.
After showering and going for breakfast, the weather was still pretty nice, so before I could chicken out, I geared up and headed down to the beach. Wading in, the water was a bit of a shock, but really not too cold on my bare legs. I almost thought better of it, but I dove in, sprinting over the weeds and into deeper water.
Very disorienting! I learned to swim in this lake, but never with googles, and not being able to see anything but shadows was bizzare. It took me a while to find the right rhythm and pace, but all in all, it felt pretty good. I decided to practice sighting, aiming for the white buoys at the public beach. I don't know if it was from tying to look up every few strokes, the (relatively) cold water, or my pace, but by the time I reached the buoys, I felt a little dizzy.
I took a bit of a break on the beach, then decided I'd better swim back. I could have walked, but I knew I wouldn't be very satisfied with myself if I did that! So I just took it easy on the way back. N was sitting on the shore in the sun, yelling "faster, faster!" every time I stopped or slowed down. How nice of her.
The lake is much higher than it was when I was a kid, but that's a good thing, because it was starting to get extremely low. I think it was the town council (or maybe the ag society?) that started pumping water out of the river and into the lake a few years ago. The water goes to a holding pond first, to let all stuff that gets churned up in the river to settle out. It seems to be working quite well.
Tonight, we go to MEC to get some bike shorts. No more sore bum! Yay!
Run: 4.5km
Swim: 500- 1000m? (I really have no idea!)
Anyway, this weekend we went out to Hardisty, AB for my cousin's wedding reception (which was a blast-- great to go back and see everyone, especially since I haven't really been in touch in the last few years). While we were there, I figured it would be a good opportunity to practice lake swimming, since my next tri will be my first lake race.
Saturday was a pretty full day, with breakfast at one place, then a mid-afternoon barbeque at another, then the party at the town hall. N wanted to get a run in, and Dad is always up for a run, so we decided to go for a lap around the lake at 8am. About 4.5km, it was a good loop, and N did really well, keeping up a pretty good pace. She's graduated from run 10mins/ walk 1min to full-out running for 30-40 minutes, and is getting faster all the time. She seems to be really enjoying running, and has even been getting me out there on days when I'm feeling lazy.
After showering and going for breakfast, the weather was still pretty nice, so before I could chicken out, I geared up and headed down to the beach. Wading in, the water was a bit of a shock, but really not too cold on my bare legs. I almost thought better of it, but I dove in, sprinting over the weeds and into deeper water.
Very disorienting! I learned to swim in this lake, but never with googles, and not being able to see anything but shadows was bizzare. It took me a while to find the right rhythm and pace, but all in all, it felt pretty good. I decided to practice sighting, aiming for the white buoys at the public beach. I don't know if it was from tying to look up every few strokes, the (relatively) cold water, or my pace, but by the time I reached the buoys, I felt a little dizzy.
I took a bit of a break on the beach, then decided I'd better swim back. I could have walked, but I knew I wouldn't be very satisfied with myself if I did that! So I just took it easy on the way back. N was sitting on the shore in the sun, yelling "faster, faster!" every time I stopped or slowed down. How nice of her.
The lake is much higher than it was when I was a kid, but that's a good thing, because it was starting to get extremely low. I think it was the town council (or maybe the ag society?) that started pumping water out of the river and into the lake a few years ago. The water goes to a holding pond first, to let all stuff that gets churned up in the river to settle out. It seems to be working quite well.
Tonight, we go to MEC to get some bike shorts. No more sore bum! Yay!
Run: 4.5km
Swim: 500- 1000m? (I really have no idea!)
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