But You Have a Tail Wind?

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

Fake Backwards Triathlon Training

Obligatory salt encrusted post race posing

Okay, it's all fake. I'm not training for a triathlon (no swimming!) and there's no such thing as a backward triathlon anyway (that would be run bike swim - kinda dangerous 😀). I did a couple of triathlons back in early 2000's and they were fun but you have to train twice a day on most days, which is really a pain. And swimming was at 6 AM. Too much dedication required.

In late May, I completed the Ottawa half marathon that I had been training for since January. I had a really fun time with my new running friends from the Stittsville Running Room who helped energize me for what was a terrible winter for run training. In the days leading up to the event, I watched the weather and knew I was doomed for achieving my goal time, when I saw the overnight low being 15 C and the humidity being 100%. I knew I was really doomed when I woke up on the Sunday morning and my opened house windows were completely fogged. My personal best in a half marathon was at 3 C and ice pellets. My PB for a 10k was in February at -17 C (wind chill -27 C). Needless to say, my finish time is primarily determined by not hot/humid weather.

Half Marathon Grant Crossing Running Room Team!

I did okay for the first 10 km and was still kinda on goal pace. After 16 km I was off pace but still looking for a decent finish time. And it all fell apart in the last 5 km - too much walking. Oh well, I finished upright and smiling, as they say and had Desa and friends out on the course cheering me on.

But no time for commiseration - I had to get on my bike and start getting in some distance. This spring in Ottawa was quite cold and wet, and road cycling started pretty late for everyone. Much of the most used cycling paths (and some roads) in the region were flooded. So it's not like I could have gotten in a lot of riding in April/May even if I wasn't focused on running.

KNBC early May ride to Fitzroy Harbour. Ferry to Quebec closed due to flooding

To help me out, I joined the Kanata-Nepean Bicycle Club (or KNBC for short). They offered up rides of different speeds and distances pretty much every Saturday and Wednesdays and some Sundays. So after buying some new running friends in January, I bought some new riding friends in April.

After all day breakfast in North Gower. Urp.

I also joined something called the Ottawa Bicycle Club Advanced Skills Clinic, based on recommendation from my friend Bill. Despite the onerous and super serious sounding name, I characterize this as "bike rodeo for grownups". When the kids were in primary school I used to take them to something called bike rodeo which was doing stuff like riding through a cone course layout. The skills clinic emphasized bike handling (agility) and safe and proper riding in a group. It was really really fun - I learned stuff like how to bunny hop over obstacles, how to crash (really), how to turn and brake properly (not obvious), how to balance at a full stop without un-clipping (still working on that one) and how to ride in a rotating 2 line echelon like you see in the Euro tour races on TV.

KNBC Pakenham Burnstown Loop - lunch at Neat Cafe

Meanwhile, I need to get in 2000-3000 kms in the saddle before my 401 charity ride for children's hospitals from Toronto to Montreal in late August. Besides logging that total distance, it means I need to also log a single training ride of over 200 kms (that's like 8+ hours of riding) as well as logging 2 day back to back century rides (a century ride is is 100 miles or 160 kms). So I have a plan.

Oh my

I get to do a training ride with the 401 challenge team in late July in Vermont. Looking forward to that. So far everything is going well. No injuries, feeling comfortable and getting stronger. Now the distances get real. Tomorrow it's Gatineau Park. Saturday, I finally get to use the Fitzroy/Quyon ferry that was flooded back in May for a trip to Norway Bay in Pontiac region.

Until next time, happy cycling!

Take care,
Dan

Help kids with cancer at both Toronto SickKids and Montreal Children's 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

Follow me on social media:

Monday, May 6, 2019

It Coulda Been Any of Us

Robert Wein participating in Ottawa Race Weekend

Now that I signed up for the Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge in late August, I figured I would need to plan how I'm going to train up for the ride, even though I'm still in the most intensive part of run training for Ottawa Race Weekend. The breakdown of the 575 km ride distance is:

Day 1 - Toronto to Belleville (190 km)
Day 2 - Belleville to Cornwall (260 km)
Day 3 - Cornwall to Montreal (130 km)

It day 2 that's daunting. The most I've ridden in a day is about 185 km and that was years ago. I am familiar with the route, having ridden all the pieces of it on various multi day bike trips. Most of the Ontario part follows Highway 2 (aka Kingston Road in various locations) and it's quite flat, being mostly along the lake shore and St. Lawrence river.

In my usual planning style, I figured I'd better start cycling NOW. The ride training guideline recommends cycling 2000-3000 km prior to start. Since I can't get much riding done in April and May, I figure I'd at least sacrifice one day's run training to get going. So, I signed up for yet more support activities - including joining 2 bike clubs and also enrolling in an advanced bike skills course, which will improve my safety and ability to ride in a group. Kanata Nepean Bike Club has Saturday rides, which will help prevent divorce because Desa works most Saturdays anyway.

I signed up as a guest rider for a 54 km ride with KNBC. Starting in Kanata, it basically followed a big southerly rectangle to Munster and then Richmond and back. This was on Easter Sunday and some businesses were closed - in particular the favorite coffee shop in Richmond that the cyclists tend to converge upon. So a trip to Tim Hortons was planned instead.

The ride was very enjoyable and uneventful. The howling 70 km wind gusts from the previous weekend were long gone. I got to know the various other cyclists in the ride, most of whom are longtime club members.

We descended upon Timmy's to replenish our energy. Sitting with a couple of other riders near the door, we noticed that some of the cyclists outside were fiddling with the front glass door, trying to get the second door unlocked. I looked out as it seemed odd that they were trying to do this without asking for staff help and wondered what they were up to? Looking further down the entrance side, I saw what they were attempting - a man on an electric scooter that had mobility issues was trying to get in and his scooter would not fit through the single door. The cyclists' attempts to open the second door were unsuccessful and eventually they helped the gentleman set up his walker and helped him through the single door, leaving the scooter outside.

The restaurant was pretty busy it being lunchtime and all. The disabled man stopped at the entrance and was obviously trying to figure out where he could set up. Since I was sitting near the entrance on the movable couch style chairs, I asked him if we could move the setup around so that he could more easily access the chairs and table with his walker. He was quite grateful and said thank you - he seemed to be about my age and we started to chat.

"I used to cycle a lot" he declared at one point. "Have you ever heard of the Kanata 5?"

My emotional response felt like a punch in the stomach while at the same time draining all intelligence from my brain. I knew this man's name, but with the shock of his introduction I couldn't recall it. "My name is Robert Wein" he said.

Ottawans know the story well. Back in 2009, a group of 5 cyclists were out starting a training ride early on a weekend morning when they were struck by a man in a van, who immediately fled the scene. Robert suffered the worst injuries. The perpetrator waited some time before turning himself in. We will never know if he was intoxicated at the time. In 2012, he received 9 months for dangerous driving and 15 months for leaving the scene of the crash, served consecutively. The cycling community was outraged, as the van driver played the situation perfectly to avoid more profound consequences and got away with it.

It could have happened to any of us.

I don't exactly remember what I said to Robert next. Probably that I was glad to meet him - everything sounded wrong (uhh ... I'm glad to meet you because you were permanently disabled by a reckless van driver??). I shook his hand. I wanted to say I was sorry, but stopped myself. I started to recall some aspects of the incident, of which he reminded me he has no recollection. I mentioned that this type of tragic event replayed itself recently, this time with the cyclist being left for dead in a ditch, which he acknowledged.

Robert seems to be an amazing individual. I have friends who know him and who worked with him prior to the hit and run. He has exhibited remarkable positivity about his situation and has created his own his foundation to raise funds for brain trauma research.

I am very glad I met him.

(Top photo of Robert Wein courtesy CBC)

Take care,
Dan

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

The Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge

Welcome!

I'm raising money in support of the pediatric/oncology departments at the Toronto SickKids and the Montreal Children’s Hospital by participating in the epic 401 Bike Challenge.

Along with my team of fellow cyclists/fundraisers, I'll be riding 575 kms in just 3 days from the doors of SickKids in Toronto to the doors of the Montreal Children's Hospital to raise funds for and awareness of childhood cancer.

I'll be posting to this blog from time to time to give you an update on my progress as well random thoughts on cycling, running and other activities that I find myself engaging in. Find out how I managed to get involved with this great charitable challenge!

By making a donation, you are helping to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer and their families. 100% of the funds donated are split between these two important facilities in their efforts to improve the health of children by integrating care, research and teaching.

This is my first time participating in this kind of fundraising. I'd love for you to make a donation today and help make a meaningful difference in the lives of these children and families!

Take care,
Dan

Monday, April 1, 2019

It's Gonna be a Kickass Summer

T'was the start of my 2017 trip from Ottawa to Quebec City

Not that I was in horrible shape in 2018 but I was working out less and less and gaining more an more. Christmas/New Years is always like piling on unless your're already in training mode.

So how did I get from 'need to workout a bit more' to 'need to get in a half marathon and 2000 km of cycling before early August'?

He're an example of a slippery fitness progression:

Gee I should get into better shape, but I dislike running in crappy winter weather and I'm not super keen on the cycling trainer
I'll join a Running Room clinic and "pay money for some running friends" as my daughter Claire likes to tease me about.. That was January
Sign up for the Ottawa Half Marathon in May, because, well, it's easier to motivate yourself when you have some kind of goal in mind
Be reminded of the Air Canada Vacations 401 Bike Challenge by a friend who I've sponsored to ride for several years now. This was in March
Consider and waffle about whether I should register to do the ride - $400 registration fee, $2500 minimum fundraising requirement and training to ride 575 km from Toronto to Montreal over 3 days in late August
Commit!

I've never undertaken this kind of fundraising before. For an introvert like myself, it seems a bit daunting, but I had encouragement from several friends who have undertaken much larger cycling based fundraising initiatives. They assured me that I can get there via contacts, social media, friends and family, some door to door and basically asking every person I encounter. Hopefully I can then avoid the 'raffle night', 'bake sale', 'comedy night', 'garage sale' and 'sitting in front of Loblaws begging strangers for donations' type of activities that I would loathe when the kids had to do it for school or sports.

Cycling is my favorite individual fitness activity. But I usually run more because the one downside of cycling (other than %*# Ottawa winter) is that I find it very time consuming per unit of 'fitness'. Even for a slow runner like myself, if I was training for a full marathon, it never takes more than 4 hours to do a long slow training run. But prepping yourself to ride 260 km in a single day between 2 other days means ramping up to weekend rides between 160-220 km. That takes all fricken day and then you're wiped and useless.

But my wife Desa said it was okay 😇. For this year. Only.

I'm very much looking forward to the satisfaction of completing this dual challenge. It's gonna be kickass!

Take care,
Dan