Doe Ditty Dumb

Not sure where it came from. The title that is. It just popped into my head.

Been missing writing my blog posts. Too much life expectancies getting in the way. Some things take over. Mash up all the rest.

The big weekend is coming up. The moments I’ve been training so hard for.

I’m ready. Made the quota on the minimums. Grateful for my mama for reaching out to her circles.

The legs feel good. Here’s hoping the rancid chest cold leaves me before Friday.

There can be a flop when you stretch yourself hard towards one goal. Questionable intentions. Got me to wrangling three in one month.

Yes, June is busy. The Victoria Goddess Half-Marathon run to start things off. Coming up to the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, followed by the 140km Tour de Victoria.

As the DH’ers in my life (Downhill Mountain Bikers) would say. I’m dialed!

Knowing what all of this has done for me is the lift. Weight loss, fitness, focus. Time for training. Then some more.

Tonight I’m on the steel commuter rolling home. The smell is in the air. Trying to act like spring. The drizzle softens the haze of the worshipped green all around.

Who would of thought I’d of spent all this time outside come rain or come shine?

As the droplets christen the sea the dimples of the moon or the sun warp the surface as each oar rows me home.

My journey is peaceful. The sound of an oar-lock rocking to the catch of the water.

At least it’s not cold like December. There were a lot of wet, long and cold training rides. Many damp and frosty runs. 

The time was worth it. 

Ready or not, here we come!

The forecast for the weekend is for rain. Warm temperatures filled with lots of spring rain.

No matter.

It will be a doe ditty dumb.

Whatever that means.

It’s GO Time!

Ryder Hesjedal speaks to local media in Victoria today.

What a team! For a first year event I’m amazed daily at how things jive. Timing perfected. I'm talking about THE Ryder Hesjedal's Tour de Victoria happening May 28, 2011.

In a moment of hesitation I looked up today to ask a question. It had been a wacky morning. Ryder himself had rolled into town for a brief injection of his spirit. Breathing in motivating moments with the media. A chat on the event. What it has become. A shout-out for volunteers. With a thank you to sponsors.

I needed to confirm a small detail with Tour Director and Olympian himself, Seamus McGrath. We’re in our office at Parkside Resort and Spa. One of our founding sponsors.

Seamo, as he’s known to long-timers, starts an unprecedented ramble on how good a team we’ve got. There’s something for everyone and each individual’s skill fits the pie. Perfectly. Remarkable - truly for a first year event.

I have to concur. It’s what is. And it’s working.

Must be synchronicity.

And timing. The time is so right for something this big in cycling to happen on Vancouver Island. 

Yup! It’s GO time!

Will you be joining us?

Lucky me to have the opportunity to work with such a fabulous team on this the inaugural event. We're expecting up to 1,500 riders this year to enjoy the wonderland of Southern Vancouver Island's epic cycling roads. For more information roll on over to Ryder Hesjedal's Tour de Victoria 
P.S. I really hope you'll ride or volunteer with us!

One Body One Life

It’s pretty usual for a Saturday that I should struggle to get out of the sack. Just cause. The week flies by and those early morning ride grinds put me into sleep deprivation.

I look forward to Saturday’s cause it’s an 8:30 a.m. start. How very civilized.

Even though, snooze gets smacked till there is no chance. Once I swing into gear I’m fine. Except I’m eating the oatmeal while I’m walking the dog.

New people are showing up these days with the Ryder Hesjedal’s Tour de Victoria on the horizon. More women, which is great!

My body is toasted today. I did a grind on Wednesday night and yesterday morning with the TripleShots. They should really change their name to UberShots. They’re super fast. Super fit.

The sweet thing about Saturday’s ride is the social at the bike shop afterwards. Coffee and good mingling.

Cycling is awesome for fitness, but it's only one thing and if you’re not doing anything else, certain things in the body (mine at least) wear, e.g. the hip flexors.

Last week it was the bike. I’d worn out my rubber. So I had to get new tread. The week before it was the brakes. Proof I’m putting in the time.

Back in the fall I remember a ride where we’d had a new gal join in. She wasn’t dialed on the peloton riding or drafting. She got dropped, and so did I so I tried to pick her up. When she admitted she wasn’t in the know I showed her how and she got right into the groove. So much in fact, the weeks that followed I couldn’t keep up to her.

Turned out she’d been a rower. Now a personal trainer.

Anyway, she drops in for the post-ride social with cookies. We start yakking about the strength training conditioning that ideally should go along with. I bail on the talk. Bottom line. The choice - pay the mortgage or walk the talk.

She turns to me as I’m leaving and says it right.

“Gotta take care of your body, you’ve got it for life.”

She’s so right. Sign me up.

Hard Work and Power

Straddled the road bike tonight. It’s about time. Putting work before training till today. Hump day. Gotta leave the screen. Dial in on the day.

Been great as I’ve found an inspiring young gal to pedal with. Super supportive of my Lantern Rouge positioning. Always encouraging.

We blast out after 5 p.m. My heart rate’s already revved. I try and hold a breathless conversation. Manage barely to keep pace. Till we attack the killers. Hills that is.

Glenowyn cheerfully rolls back to tag me. I then advise of a plan to meet-up after the big one. Give her some more mileage! Maybe a little recovery for me... (Here’s hoping!)

I’m 3/4s the way up Mr. Big. She rolls down. I nail the thumbs up without dragging too much.

Keeping the happy heart rate (as Glenowyn would say) I conquer too.

Rolling down is fun. You realize how far you’ve climbed.

It’s really over before you know it.

In my own zone I carry on till I see her ahead of me. She’s already done one loop! I pick it up and roll through to our meet-up but within minutes she’s back!

Given our different levels of fitness we worked a pretty good tag team. She got her pace and a little more.

Although there was a few times on the way home where she had to steady up for me. Honestly, I was SO grateful.

As we sped home on the last leg I reminded myself by telling Glenowyn the same.

“Every step and strain you take today is an investment in tomorrow morning’s strength.”

The hard work will give you power.

Being lazy will make you a slave.

Training for Life

Gotta love riding in a pack. The Peloton. When you’re at a pace that you can talk.

I’m introduced to a new guy over the weekend. It’s my fave weekly ride with the gang at the coolest (in my opinion) bike store in town. We’re grooving outbound. After the namesy introductions the dude starts telling me how interesting he finds it that they’re so many conversations going on. People have so much to talk about.

No stranger to a good yack I take it upon myself to initiate some dialogue out of him. We roll along in some silence. Then I pose the question.

“So what are you training for? Are you doing the Tour de Victoria?”

I know we’ve got triathletes and GranFondo types in the pack. I remember seeing him stretching before we left and thinking he looked pretty serious. His response was refreshing and a first that I’d heard.

“I’m training for life,” he said.

Wow. Brilliant. Great answer.

Sure many of us have goals for this race or that ride, whatever – but really all of it rolled up into one is we are training for LIFE!

During a post-ride coffee earlier in the week I’d engaged a topical on young athletes and motivational speaking. My thinking tangled up in what happens to an athlete when they retire or quit being pro? Inevitably do they end up being trained in motivational speaking?

One of the gals at the table, a once pro rower uttered some different angles into the conversation.

There’s no training out there for an athlete to stop being an athlete. Another wards, how to take care of themselves when they stop moving and become sedentary - or get fat.

Again I mulled over dude’s answer. The most important thing in a day. Exercise. Part of life.

It's the training for life. 

Tuned Into Training

Power in the legs. First time ever. Felt good!

The dudes still led the way. Strong like ox legs pedaled it out. I took his draft at the first little incline. Lasting half way. Better then my norm. I gave out the “Wahhhh” when I dropped off.

Was good to be in the groove for a bit anyway.

“I did something different today,” I pant out to one of the dudes as we continued along.

“Oh yeah, what’s that?” he replied.

“I ate breakfast.”

This conversation happened before the major long hill grunt. I have to say I was feeling surprisingly perky. A first given what we’d already ridden.

I managed to take a lead in the windy parts. Started to think maybe they all still had snow legs. We’d all been out of regular routine for at least 10 days with the weather.

I battered it out anyway. Made it to the top third in line. Personal best ever! Even the guys looked shocked.

“You should eat breakfast more often,” gasps Warren as he pulls up BEHIND me.

Yup, I was strong.

That was Saturday.

I take Sunday for the big hills. Me, the IPod, the country roads, the deer, the wind, the rain and this Sunday – some hail. It bites you when you’re rolling down a hill at speed.

Had to say as the heart rate rose and the sweat formed, the intensity of my cadence remained unexpectedly consistent.

Could it be the body is now, dare I say it – tuned into training!

Wahoo!!!