The Long and Winding Road

That's life. Long and winding. We never know what's ahead. Sometimes we're not even sure what we've passed. This month, Peter and I celebrated our 29th anniversary. I can't imagine traveling this road without him. We have been through difficult times together, especially in the last few years, but the difficulties have never been about us. We are solid. We always make it a big deal and celebrate our anniversary. It is so very special to us. Sadly, our youngest son has just split up with his girlfriend, the mother of our little granddaughter, Astrid. This has been so hard for everyone, but we will carry on, and do what we can to help. Tomorrow, both our boys will come for dinner, and Astrid, too. It's been raining here so much lately and rain is forecast for tomorrow, but we'll bravely attempt a barbecue anyway. You never know what the weather will really do.
On the cycling and running note, I ran 16K last Sunday morning, which was our anniversary, without any caffeine. We slept in, then threw on running clothes and drove to the store. When will I ever learn that I can't run without coffee? Terrible, torturous run. I cycled 70K on Friday morning, and tomorrow we'll run again. I picked up our race kits for the Canada Day race today. Should be interesting. I'll report soon.

Faster Roads - A 5K PB

This morning I raced Emilie's 5K Run and achieved a personal best. My time was 23:09. I was hoping to break 24. It wasn't an easy race. What I mean is I didn't find it easy to get to the finish. You would think that a 5K would be easier than a marathon but the last 2K seemed just as hard if not harder than any of my previous races. I know I slowed down every kilometer except the last. I felt nauseous as I approached the finish line. Maybe this is because I've been fighting a touch of flu, but more likely because I ran so intensely. It's really hard to figure out just how hard you can push without collapsing. Even so, I'm quite proud of my effort. I placed 84/290 and 3rd in my category. Not bad, considering I haven't done any speedwork and my running training has been haphazard - two or three times a week, if that, for many weeks now. The next race is the Canada Day 10K and after that I'll begin training for the NYC marathon. As much as I enjoy cycling, I'm going to have to make time for some serious runs.

Roads and Rain

The CycleFit CHICKS Monday night cycle in the Gats was cancelled and moved to Tuesday. On Tuesday, the weather wasn't any better, maybe worse. Still, I made a last minute decision to throw my bike in the car and go. Normally, I would cycle to P3, but I decided to hedge my bets. If the weather didn't improve, I could at least drive home instead of cycling in the cold rain. This proved to be a good call. When I arrived, the sky began to clear and the sun felt quite warm for a bit. We climbed up to Black Lake. Unfortunately, the skies opened and the rain fell hard on us as we descended. The roads were slick, so I took it easy, holding back and even braking at times to make it down safely. It was a good ride and I was happy I'd gone.
Last night Peter and I went to the Running Room. Again it was a rainy night. We ran to Hog's Back, then through Vincent Massey Park, and back to the store along Bank Street. This was about 10.6 kilometers and Tom's Garmin indicated a 5:13 pace. Not bad, but I'll have to run faster if I want a PB in Emilie's Run, a 5K race I'm running on Saturday morning.
It's rainy again today. I'm waiting for Nick to call. We're going out to Orleans this afternoon so he can meet with a lawyer. I'm sick of the rain, now. Bring on the sun.

Roadkill

That's what I felt like after my international duathlon yesterday. I really had no business participating in this race. This distance seems to draw more serious cyclists. I didn't pass anyone until the fourth loop. All the same, I am proud of my performance. I finished 28th out of 46. I finished first in my category. I cycled consistently - strong, good cadence, and managed to maintain a 28 kph speed. My maximum speed was 38. My 5K run was decent - I clocked myself at 24 minutes. My 10K run time was not a pb but at about 55, not bad since it followed 40k of hard pedalling.
Peter performed well in his first triathlon. He wants to do more. We had fun celebrating. All in all, it was a really nice day. There were certainly moments, especially during the 10K, when I wondered why I sign up for these things.
What a full day. After waking at 6, we met Frederica in the T-Zone in Britannia Park at about 7:30. I watched the swim portion for both Frederica and Peter (they started about 20 minutes apart) and was even able to see Peter after he finished before my race began. Two hours and forty-nine minutes later, I was finally finished my event. (And felt like roadkill!)
Peter and I had DiRienzo sandwiches and white wine in the backyard, a delicious bath and nap, and eventually got ourselves down to WestFest. Dinner on the patio at Trio was great. Good wine and food, people-watching, and the boys found us there. We must remember that this is an ideal way to take in WestFest.

The Road to Manotick

There are many roads to Manotick, as it turns out. I suggested the country back roads which took us a bit out of our way. I cycled this morning with three fellow CycleFit CHICKS. The French Cafe turned out to be a real find for fair trade coffee and treats. We sat on the patio so we could watch our bikes. Cycling back was pretty fast. We took River Road instead of the meandering farm roads. More traffic, but more direct, and almost all downhill - or so it seemed.
In my quest to figure out how I really want to spend my time, I'm trying to pay attention to what I really enjoy. I really enjoyed this morning. Meeting new women who like to do the same thing is really satisfying. Joining the club was a terrific idea.
Last night, I rediscovered another enjoyable activity. I met Nick and Astrid at the beach. It was so relaxing. It was bliss, actually, playing with Astrid in the sand and watching her delight at every new experience - splashing in the water, kicking the beach ball, breaking my sandcastles. I am definitely going to spend more time at the beach this summer.
Tomorrow morning is my duathlon. Stay tuned.

The Road to Richmond

The road to Richmond is relatively flat and eventually scenic once you cross Fallowfield. The scenic part is relatively short, however, and arriving in Richmond is anticlimactic. What Richmond needs to make it a cycle destination for me is a decent coffee shop. The Richmond Bakery just didn't do it for Frederica and me.
I am pleased that we made the 70K trek just the same. My legs are pleasantly tired, even more so after a 16K run this morning. I need to make myself very, very tired through physical exertion to feel human. That's a little strange, I realize, but whenever I let up too much on running or cycling, I feel very, very down. Tomorrow, Frederica and I plan to hop on our bikes again but a shorter ride is in order. We'll reward ourselves after with the Taste of Wellington and maybe even see Sex in the City.