Well, here we are with less than 1 month before the ACV 401 Bike Challenge. So far, my fundraising has been fantastic thanks to all of you who donated. I keep having to raise my target goal, which I love doing
So how's your 2022 going? Here's a little bit of mine so far
Start by Cycling in the Snow
During the pandemic, I needed to get outside more with an actvity that didn't require too far travel from home. Enter Costco(tm) and their sale of cheap winter fat bikes. For $499 plus tax you got a Northrock fat bike. For a while, these were like the new toilet paper - people would line up and rush to different stores to buy one. Usually they were all sold by 9:00 am on the days they were brought in. What made them attractive besides the price is that the frames are made in the same factory that makes Giant bicycle frames - the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world. And the components were decent too. Of course, I made a pile of upgrades including studded tires that cost more than the bike!
Fat biking is an absolute blast. Think of the thrill of mountain biking but without all those nasty rocks and roots to worry about falling into. Just soft fluffy snow. Well, okay there are those trees. And some of the snow is really hard ice. And the rocks are hidden. But you get the idea. And what a workout. At 15 km you're quite fulfilled. At 20 km you're exhausted. Fortunately, I'm blessed with easy access to a swath of National Capital Commission trails in the Ottawa greenbelt as well as Gatineau Park
On the crappy days (freezing rain, storms, temperatures below -25C) I feel priviliged to have an indoor trainer and a virtual riding program that I can use to climb Alpe d'Huez or ride along Ha Long Bay in Vietnam
"Train" for a 21.1 km Race, but then don't Run it
This is what happens when you hang around with a bunch of marathoners. Long runs every Sunday morning at 8 am throughout the winter and spring. They're following a training program. So I just keep running the longer and longer distances with them. To a point. But I did get up to 24 km, which is the longest run I had done in 8 years. But there's a difference between doing what I did and real training. Real training means discipline throughout the week and through the whole training program. It means doing hill repeats and speed work on a track. Painful boring stuff. And the worst of it - actual training means watching what you eat. I couldn't mentally bring myself to do any of that. But it was still fun to see the distance go up and claim victory when running with like minded people through sometimes crazy weather conditions. It was either victory or delusion
Oh, and also as usual, the weather sucked during Ottawa Race Weekend (24 May). 23-26C + near 100% humidity, which my body is never prepared for after running in the freezing cold for the prior 3 months. Everyone's times were terrible. I'm glad I saved the $100
Ride the Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour
Another reason to not run the half marathon in Ottawa is it's always 2 weeks before Ottawa's Bicycle Club's premier event - the Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour (RLCT). So doing both means ironman type training. No thanks. RLCT takes you from Ottawa-Kingston on Saturday and back on Sunday. I rode the "Classic" route which was 173 km each way. So it's a good warm up for the 401 Bike Challenge. Great weather on the Saturday with a brutal head wind heading down into Kingston. Pouring rain on the trip back but at least with a tailwind. I had not ridden the RLCT since the early 2000s (mostly because of Ottawa Race Weekend). It's a fun event and one that I'm likely to ride again going forward. Maybe the "Challenge" route next year? (220 km each way)
Catch Covid at Ottawa Bluesfest?
After RLCT, my goal was to build up my riding distance - both in terms of total kms as well as ride length. After RLCT in early June, I had over 3000 km of riding so far for the year. So I felt pretty confident. I put together a riding plan that would increase distances. The idea was to build to do another 2 days of back/back 160 km rides (imperial centuries as they call them) as well as a really long ride - like 230 km. The summer felt more like a pre pandemic summer with get togethers and events. I got Desa and myself tickets to Ottawa Bluesfest to see Jack Johnson and Alanis Morrisette. (If you ever get a chance to see JJ, DO IT! I could watch his show 100 times) I love the shows at Bluesfest. But I'm not thrilled with the venue - it's very crowded, some people are loud and rude during performances, I'm short, you have to stand for long periods of time in a small space. Anyway, several days after attending, I started to feel symptoms and tested positive. Crap. I managed to avoid this thing for 2.5 years but got caught up in the 7th wave. I don't know for sure if I caught it at Bluesfest, but I think the chances are quite high
And now I had to recover and re think the remaining riding I can do before the 401 Bike Challenge. I'm not too worried as I have over 4400 kms logged to date. So in a pinch, I can slog it out if required. Remember, whatever I need to do is a pittance compared to undergoing cancer treatment
Take care,
Dan
Help kids with cancer at Toronto SickKids, Montreal Children's and CHEO hospitals and support my fundraising goal. You can donate to my ride via Dan's donation page at the Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge website. 100% of your tax deductible donation goes to the hospitals
No comments:
Post a Comment