2010 Reflection

It seems like just yesterday we were all worried that the world would come to an end, thank goodness we handled Y2K with class. Now eleven years later we have had the iPod revolution, the PVR, HD TV, Facebook (Twitter, MySpace etc. etc.), YouTube, Nintendo Wii, and the blackberry vs. iPhone era. A world when CD’s were cutting edge and every young female who had choreographed a dance to the Spice Girls, The Backstreet Boys, or even New Kids on the Block were pleasantly surprised with tour dates and welcomed childhood memories.

This is a new decade. A new year. All with new questions. Will life as we know it end by 2012? Who will be our next hockey hero? Will Canada win the next gold in Olympic hockey? Will we start doing what’s right for the planet and learn from our mistakes or will we continue down a destructive path? Will we become more conscious about the decisions we make about our health or will we continue to blame over eating and greediness on our culture? What will be game changers of the next decade?

This year has been one of the best years of my life, that’s a lot to live up to 2011! There have been so many amazing memories and adventures that I was fortunate to experience. I learnt a lot of lessons about forgiving, forgetting, letting people in, and letting people go. Some people have entered my life and have taught me more in a few months then I’ve learnt in 23 years. Others have left my life, and although they have left this earth or are no longer involved in my life, I am thankful that they have helped me grow and have taught me something along the way.

I started this blog to help turn my life around and to focus on more positive things. Although I sometimes struggle and find myself drowning in this thing we call life, I always have something to look forward to and I know that someone in my life will be willing to help pick me up; even if it’s working on a list item.

So although this list is very selfish, these are my top 10 memories of the year. These are in no particular order, just when they popped into my head.

1. The Olympic Experience

2. Every night that I spent with my friends – olympics, camping, hiking, hot tubbing, crafts, cooking, hockey, training, swapping stories, and the list goes on . I’m thankful for such amazing people in my life.

3. Camping trip with the buds from Van

4. Getting my new bike

5. Competing in my first triathlon and first half marathon

6. Dance parties (my place, friends places, MJ dance parties, clubs, 90’s dance parties; you get the point right? I love dance parties)

7. Learning new things about photography from my friends, family, the club, books, and trial and error.

8. Experiencing Vancouver

9. Starting a community garden

10. Olympic gold in hockey, Sutter stepping down, great hockey games with good luck jerseys with great company (in the dome!). So really a lot of hockey.

10.1. Learning how resilient people can be even in the toughest of times. It amazes and inspires me every day.

I welcome 2011 and am going to try hard not to compare this year with 2010. This year will be full of life changes and it scares me and excites me all at the same time. All I can say is 2011 - bring it on!

A pic a day (practice trial)

I’m making adjustments every single day trying to figure out how I would like to present my photos. Be patient with me as I continue to develop this portion; it’s a learning curve on how to use html. We will start the real thing on jan 1st!

Dec 30 2010

Kiersti, Kaitlyn, Rilla, and I went skating today. Drive 20 minutes, put on skates, start skating around and last about 15 minutes (max!) before we were all too cold to continue. I suppose ice skating outdoors isn’t the best idea when it’s -20 outside.

Dec 29, 2010

Kiersti and I have been working hard at the list item of designing and making a dress. With many hours of thinking, learning, and frustrations we are well on our way of successfully creating something beautiful. Hopefully it will be finished before grad!

Dec 28, 2010

I was so excited that I got a new pair of hiking boots, book, gift card, and jacket for the West Coast Trail that I decided to take a picture of the goods. Again this is a work in progress and I’m keen to learn from my mistakes. These boots have officially started the breaking in period in hopes that I don’t suffer from major blisters on the hike.

Dec 27, 2010

My Mom and I took a trip out to Canmore to try out ice walking. For anyone who hasn’t heard about it you put on crampons and start walking on a river that has been frozen over. I took my dog but she struggled and slipped on the ice. It was stunning out there and would try it again.

Dec 26, 2010

This is one of my first pictures that I shot with the new camera. I always find shooting ornaments on the tree quite difficult but figured I should give it a shot (pun intended!). Low light, tripod, and a long exposure. It’s a start but I know I have a long way to go!

#89 – Go Snowshoeing

I’ve lived in Alberta my entire life and I’m ashamed that I haven’t been snowshoeing at least once. Since I created the list I have found some of the greatest pleasures in really simple things – this list item especially. Although it was one of the simpler items I found it incredible.

Kiersti and I started the morning off at The Outdoor Club at the University of Calgary where we rented boots and snowshoes for the day. We didn’t have much of a plan simply because Kiersti and I don’t really plan too far in advance (but it always seems to work out!). We hit the road and headed to Canmore. A quick stop at the nordic centre we were advised to continue on our journey to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park. Kiersti knew where we were going and I was going along for the joy ride!

Something you have to know about Kiersti and I is that we usually don’t get directions from people and the entire time we are questioning where we are going. Luckily it works out for the two of us because as long as we eventually get there we are two happy campers. We get to the snowshoeing hike and I’m amazed (already). I couldn’t believe we actually lived this close to something so amazing.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day to experience our first time snowshoeing. The weather and the company couldn’t have been better.

The entire time I couldn’t believe we were actually here. It almost felt like we were in a 3D IMAX  flying through the mountains in the winter; it was literally a winter wonderland.

If you haven’t tried snowshoeing before, love the outdoors, and don’t mind getting a little cold/wet then get out there and give it a try! It was a fantastic  experience and although it’s crossed off the list it won’t be the last time that I enjoy the knee deep snow in our paradise that I can proudly call ‘home’. Thank you Canada for amazing me more and more every day.

Quote of the experience: It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw – Emily Carr

#57– make a Christmas card together

So Kara and I decided to set out and make our own Christmas card this year. This is not the typical card sitting beside the fire place but a Christmas card that has a artistic spin on it.

Kara came over to my place in celebration of her birthday and we decided to start on our Christmas cards. We ventured out to find red and green cellophane in Kitsilano. It turns out that this is nearly impossible in this part of Vancouver so if any of you were hoping to make a Christmas gift basket and live in the area I would suggest planning ahead if you need it!

Four stores later and no cellophane we decided to start our project without it and just used our two flashlights. Finally we set up the tripod around 10:30 at night and started snappin’ away with a long exposure. One hundred takes later and we finally wrote some words and drew some pictures that actually made sense. Unfortunately, Kara and I weren’t able to write the entire word ‘Christmas’ but managed to write ‘Xmas’ during the short exposure time that we had.

A few hours later, one major blister (partially from Kara’s journey that night), and some cold hands, toes, and feet we were finished! 

Being a beginner photoshop user I had to learn a few things before I could make the card. For your viewing pleasure here is the Christmas card! Photo credits are given to Kara for this beauty.

The best part of Christmas is spending the quality time with the people that matter the most. If they are around the block or a phone call away (or skype with all this new technology!)  you always find out who matters most to you during this time.

May you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The West Coast Trail

So over the Christmas break it was  my job (because I clearly don’t have one) was to check out the details of the west coast trail so I can knock it off my list summer 2011.

Over the past few months I’ve been reading blogs, watching videos, and researching things about the WCT and I’m extremely excited to actually get out there and just do it. I realize that my lack of experience backpacking might not be the best to set foot on one of the hardest hikes in the North America, but there is quite a bit of time until we venture into the rainforest. If I can train for a tri and a half marathon in one summer I can train for this! Suggestions are welcome on how to accomplish this. 

If you are reading this and are thinking maybe you would like to join (yes, we are looking for people to come with us!) then here is some information that I wrangled up. 

So here is the information on reservations for the west coast trail: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/activ/activ6a/v.aspx. It doesn’t look like they give you much of a buffer so once we decide on a month we have to be pretty open.

The fees for backpacking in the park are here:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/bc/pacificrim/visit/tarifs_fees_e.asp?park=21  ($152.00)

Here is the price of transportation to the trail head and I’m not really sure if there is an alternative unless someone is willing to risk their lives driving on the logging road!

 http://www.trailbus.com/Fares_wct.html ($145 for return)

Since I’ve just begun researching I’m not sure what trail head to start at though so if you have any ideas, have experienced the trail, etc. etc. throw them my way! Here is the info on the trail heads and then some other info on transportation, also a neat resource just for the 411 on the WCT:

 http://www.westcoasttrailbc.com/trail_guidebook_map.htm#plan

Ferry to the island ($13.75,  $27.50 return) if we wanted to bring a car over (91.50 return) plus there is a ferry as part of the WCT that is mandatory ($25.00)

Total without the cost of travel to Vancouver, food, and equipment:

Park Fees	$152.00
Transportation to and from trail heads	$145.00
Ferry transportation	$52.50
optional car ( would be divided among passengers)	$91.50
Sum without car	$349.50
Sum with car	$367.80

I’m looking into taking a few backpacking trips prior to the big 7 day one so I’m prepared and not a complete disaster (also might include a wilderness first aid course too!). We will all be prepared to embark on (yet another) experience of a lifetime!

Graduation

So today I received an email from school asking me to apply to graduate. I opened it up and I got so excited, I’ve been waiting six years (school years that is) for this moment and finally I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I officially picked what name my diploma will read when I receive it in May and it made it all seem that much more real.

One mandatory class left and then I’m in the home free! Being a student for so many years has made me wonder what my life will be like when I’m out in the real world and no longer sheltered and safe attending classes. I realize that everything about my life will change in the next four months and I’m ready for the challenge. What exciting things will I accomplish? Where will I live? What will I be doing? Will I go on any great trips? Although all of these questions have caused some anxiety over the last few months I feel like I will be able to tackle them one by one like I have in the past.

I’m that much closer to crossing #35 off my own list!

On my way to entering a photo contest!

 

A few weeks ago my friend Kara and I joined the UBC photo society. Last week was really our first week as part of the society were I learnt how to use a darkroom and Kara learnt how to work the studio.

My orientation to the darkroom was about an hour and a half long and I was really overwhelmed with excitement after the picture finally showed up on the photo paper. With all this excitement Kara and I took the trip out to a photo shop in Vancouver and picked up our very first roll of film (in about 10 years!) and some paper for use in the darkroom.

We ended up renting a camera from the UBC photosoc so we could start taking our first few pictures. I think that I’m not meant to use the cameras because the one I took out definitely wasn’t working out for me.

After a few hours taking some pictures I was really excited. I think I just wanted to finish the roll just so I could start using the dark room. This week the plan is to finish up the roll and then Kara and I will work in the darkroom to develop the photos. Our generation is definitely used to immediate feedback so having to wait over a week to see if that one shot turned out ‘ok’ is definitely hard for me.

I will send the update with after we finish our first session in the darkroom. I’m really hoping a few pictures turned out ok!

#73 – create our own ‘masterpiece’

So after the big triathlon I’ve been resting a bit and taking it easy for awhile. I still wanted to complete some items on the list but I decided to tackle something on the easier side.

Having just moved back to Vancouver I realized how bare my apartment actually was and decided that it was time to spruce it up a but. My Mom and I set out on a mission to add some colour to my place and cross off an item on the list while doing so.

Not knowing where stores are in Vancouver and not having a clue what to buy didn’t hep us very much when it came to doing a painting. As we were heading out to IKEA for the 5/7 time, we decided to stop off at Michaels craft store to purchase our paints and canvas!

A side note: Michaels has to be the most exciting store there is and I end up spending about 3 hours in there even if I know exactly what I’m looking for. Don’t take me there unless you are willing to spend some time there!

We finally get to the paint section and couldn’t believe how many different types of paint there were and different qualities of canvas were available to us! This was looking harder the further we dive into this.

After about an hour looking at the different paint, canvases, and paint brushes we were ready to check out. I was excited to start our arts and craft project, my mom on other other hand was having creativity overload in her mind – she didn’t know what to do! I think the night before she didn’t sleep very well because she was busy planning what she would paint.

Eight o’clock rolls around and I’m getting antsy. My Mom was leaving early the next morning and we had about 100 projects left to do before she went home. I thought she should have stayed longer but we worked with what little time we had together.

I started before my Mom because she was busy cooking supper and finishing other projects. It took me about 20 minutes to make the first paint stroke. Finally, I got up the guts and did it.

A few hours in and my Mom was really starting to get into it.

My Mom ended up painting two different pictures for my place. Thanks for the extra colour!

View Full Album

One more item off the list and I have to admit this one was pretty fun to finish! All the art work was finished at 1 in the morning and we tried to hang them on the walls but the neighbours weren’t that pleased with us.

Quote: A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament – Oscar Wilde

#23 – Suspension Bridge (Capilano)

 

Well I’m back in Vancouver for yet another year of my undergrad, six is the new four right?!

Anyways, my Mom and I thought that it would be nice to have some fun and cross another item off the list of things to do before I die. I’ve lived in Vancouver for a few years now and have had spent thousands of bus rides staring at the same Capilano suspension bridge advertisement. I knew it was something that I wanted to do while I was in Vancouver but hadn’t had the time to do it. I did make it over to the Lynn Valley suspension bridge for a hike (aka a nature walk in Alberta) but I didn’t think that was big enough to really knock the item off the list.

My Mom and I took a drive over to Capilano Canyon to experience the suspension bridge. I need to add here that we didn’t get honked at during this drive either – thanks BC for being nice to us Albertans for at least this one drive! We were waiting in line to pay to get in (yes it’s quite expensive if you are thinking about heading over there) and this lady hand us a two for one coupon. Although the coupon didn’t mean anything to our new friend, it meant that we didn’t have to pay an arm and a leg to cross the bridge!

We wandered around the visitors centre and learnt a lot about the history of the bridge and the people that were a part of it. The park was quite cute and was a great tribute to the people that brought the bridge into existence.

So how long is the suspension bridge you might ask? 450 ft or the length of two Boeing 747 airplanes wingtip-to-wingtip (taken off of the sign)

How high is the bridge? 230ft high (four full sized T-rex’s to reach the bridge from the river) – also taken from the sign.

 

Although the bridge was really neat (and pretty large) my favourite part was the rainforest with the treehouse! If you know me, you know that I’m a bit of a tree hugger with a love (sometimes obsessive) for the environment. I can’t help but love my cedars!

Can someone please build me a treehouse like this?! It’s two stories and looks like you could permanently live in the treehouse and be quite comfortable. The architecture of the house is stunning and their use of natural resources is impeccable – Santa can I have a treehouse for Christmas this year?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although this picture is pretty blurry, it gives you a sense of how high the bridge is. It doesn’t seem that high when you are on it but it’s pretty decent. I wouldn’t want to go bridge jumping off of this one.

 

Didn’t really want to buy the t-shirt but for memory sakes:

Pretty easy item on the list but it was really great to experience another piece of Vancouver!

#42 – Compete in a triathlon – DONE!

 

Finally, the last race of the season! I have to admit regardless of the time it took me to complete the race – I’m proud of myself. As a competitive person by nature I obviously looked at my time and thought I could have done better but that’s not what this is about. This triathlon was about more than just a time, it was about completing something that I never thought was possible. This race took more inner strength than I could have possibly imagined and made me realize that I really can do anything that I put my mind to.

A few years ago I struggled to run in a 10km race. Yesterday I completed a 1500m swim, 41.8km bike, and 10 km run. It’s amazing how resilient our bodies are and how your brain and your attitude can give you a DNF or it can help you finish a race.

I’m writing down my story for my memories so feel free to read. If I loose you half way that’s ok too!

This summer was for training for this triathlon. I had initially signed up for a sprint distance because that was the practical thing to do. I really wanted to enjoy my experience and feel like I was ready to finish something of this magnitude. Two weeks before the race I decided to start swimming…

My Mom came with me to my first visit to the pool. Our goal was to swim the distance of the race I wanted to do (1500km) that way I would be over prepared for the race I was registered to do (750km). I finished the 1.5km at the pool in 47mins, so not any kind of shape for a race. By the end of my swimming training I was able to get my time down to 30 minutes for 62 lengths (25m).

Biking was fun for me until I got clip ins.. I had a few spills trying to unclip from my bike but with the help of a loaner bike trainer I felt like I had practiced enough to wear them during the race.

After the half marathon I felt like I could run a 10km race no problem. I went for a few jogs over lunch hour but nothing serious. Unfortunately a few days before the race the black toe that I got doing the half had started to pull away. Too much info? probably, but this was a moment where my body was winning over my mind (first time ever).

A week before the race, I switched my distance from sprint to Olympic.. what was I thinking? Well to be honest I just wanted to see how far I could really push myself and determine what I can really do!

Race day: Swim

Everyone was all decked out in their wetsuits and looked like they could swim for miles. Me? I was wearing a sports swim suit and a rash guard. Hmm.. one of these things is not like the other haha. I’m already feeling intimidated by all these people. I ended up chatting with a mother of four who was competing (also wasn’t wearing a wetsuit) and she put me at ease a little bit. So, how many triathlons have you done? None… Have you swam in open water? Nope. OK, so you’re just just going to wing it? Yep, that’s my game plan – just have fun!

The race starts and 50m in I’m shocked that the water is so cold. 100m in and I feel like I’m drowning in the water. It was one of the most terrifying experiences I have ever been in. At this point I thought to myself ‘how the heck am I going to finish this race?’ my mind panicked and my body went numb. I stopped and took a bit of a breather to calm myself down. 100m down – 1400 to go! All I could think to myself at this point is ‘Death before DNF’ I didn’t work this hard to not get past the swim portion of the race. 650m later I was able to swim and feel comfortable – I finished the race portion and was onto transition!

With the help of the trusty volunteers I was out safely and off to the next transition.

 

 

 

 

In the transition area I thought that I was going to black out and hit my head on the bike racks. I had to sit down and reassess the situation – should I continue? You bet I will! I get on my gear and head out of transition one and start my bike adventure.

My bike was clearly not set up to be an hk triathloner so I’m just riding along freezing from the water and enjoying my ride. The hill was the intimidating part on this ride. It was a km long and steep. The first lap I rode up the hill in the hardest gear possible, I had no idea that I had messed up the gear process that bad until I got to the top! Lap 2-5 went a lot smoother and I could honestly say that I ate hills for breakfast that morning.

Transition two comes up and I am terrified of falling in front of that many people! I dismount way too early and do it in the most awkward way possible but I did it without any falls. I see my sister, LD, Darren, Kiersti and my mom cheering me on by the entrance and I am pumped, it was the best feeling having that support there!

 

In transition number two I get my shoes on as fast as possible and forget to take off my shorts. Turns out it’s hard to take off spandex when shoes are on so I decided to run with them. Not the most comfortable decision I’ve ever made but it saved me some time.

 

Mind over body. Mind over body. All the motivational talks that Tyler had given me in the past came flooding into my head. I didn’t make it this far to start walking! I get into the groove of things and just keep running. Every hill felt like it was a mountain and with every step I could feel the finish line getting closer. My body had no clue what it was doing or why but it was doing it. Raisins in hand and the motivation of all of my supporters in my head I ran.

I’m almost finished and I felt disappointed that my cousin had left early. I turn the corner and he’s there waiting to run with me! I almost teared up at this point because that’s when your body hates you the most but your mind wants to be finished. He pushed me through the last half kilometre of the race! And this is exactly how I felt at the end of the race…

I have to admit there were a few tears at the end of that race. I finished it, not competitively but I finished it and I was so proud of myself for doing it!

Thanks to everyone who supported me in my triathlon. From Kait who pushed me through a few races at the beginning of the summer, Justin who inspired me to change the distance and go on a few bike rides, Tyler who ran with me a few times this summer and gave me a number of motivational talks, Matt who gave me some biking pointers and lent out his trainer, and my Dad who said ‘there’s no such thing as a DNF’ and believed in me  - although you weren’t there in person you helped inspire me along the way.

Thanks to Kiersti, Darren, LD, Lauren and my Mom for coming and supporting me at my race. Seeing you all cheer me on made such an impact on my spirits throughout the race. Thanks for sticking it out in the rain and showing up early enough to watch the race. It means more than you can imagine and I can honestly say I probably couldn’t have completed it with a smile on my face at the end without you guys. There were a ton of other supporters as well who made an impact on me either prior to the race or after and I feel very blessed for having so many wonderful people in my life!

Quote for the experience: We have two options – give up or fight like hell.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last and definitely least are my times (no judging allowed):

Position #: 136 Time: 3:17:59 Place/Total: 14/18 Category: Women 20-20

Swim

Category: 150 Time: 40:22 /100m: 2:42

Bike

Category: 137 Time: 1:37:30 Km/hr: 24.6

Run

Category: 113 Time: 1:00:08 /km: 6:01

 

#42 – Compete in a triathlon

 

Not quite off the list yet! The race is in 5 days and I’m pretty nervous..

I’m doing this one solo and I’m excited to prove to myself that I can do it! I’ve dedicated my summer to training and it all comes down to this Sunday (hopefully it paid off and I don’t get a DNF haha). Transition prep is this Saturday so maybe I’ll have a better idea of how this whole triathlon thing really works.

I officially switched from the sprint distance to the Olympic distance just to make it that much tougher! I’m competing in the big leagues now so hopefully my competitiveness comes out and they help me push myself that much harder. 

So a recap for the summer:

2 10 km runs, one half marathon, and hopefully a completed Olympic distance triathlon.

So some details for the race in case anyone wants to come witness this:

Sunday August 8

Race Starts – 8:00am sharp

Lake Chaparral

half of # 6 – Run a Marathon

Well, since this technically isn’t crossing off number 6 – run a marathon, I decided to call this ½ of #6 (which technically it is!). I still thought that this was such a huge accomplishment so I’m writing about it regardless of whether or not I crossed another item off of the list.

I had heard that my friend Carolyn, from Vancouver, was running in a half marathon through the grapevine of related friends. I talked to her on June 27 and she sounded so excited after running the race that I decided that I should actually sign up for the half that I was supposed to run. I honestly didn’t have the guts nor was I ready to run that far, but I did it anyways. With a little inspiration and a good two weeks of training I thought I would be ready to race!

I decided to register with 11 days until the race and then realized that the fact that I hadn’t been training hasn’t changed since a few weeks ago. I developed an accelerated game plan so I could at least attempt to finish the race.

I had anticipated that my longest run would end up being the Wednesday prior to the race. I had just gotten new socks for my birthday so I was excited to try them out on the big run! One kilometre in, my side stitches were so bad I could barely breathe – I already felt defeated with 17 kms left. That day I made it to 14 kms and had to call it a day because running without breathing is a little complicated!

Having only run 14 kms as my maximum distance I did not feel prepared for race day at all! Again, I woke up with side stitches which were almost worse then the Wednesday  prior to the race. Not the best thing to wake up to race morning.

I showed up to the race and decided to fight the pain and just get it done! I packed up my raisins and ran the best I could given the circumstances.

I ran the entire race with Tyler until the last two kms. Luckily Justin came to support us and decided to push me through those last couple of kilometres. Although I felt like passing out while I was running with him he definitely kept me moving forward.

Although my goal was to finish the half marathon under two hours I finished in two hours and six minutes. To be honest, I don’t think that I could have completed the half marathon without the support that I had that day. Overall, it was an amazing experience but I definitely can’t remember much of it!

Cost of running a marathon: cut ankle, bruised toenail, a sore body, and the feeling that I can accomplish anything with support, determination, and a little competiveness.

Quote of the Race/Training: ‘You don’t change your goals, your goals change you’ - TM

#35 - Graduate from University

Well, I am proud to say that we have knocked another item off the list! This has been 6 years in the making and I could not be more proud of Kaitlyn.

I have only known Kaitlyn for four years now, and have only lived in the same city for one of those years, but within that short time it didn’t take me long to figure out that she is one smart cookie! I have to say that she has been one of the most outstanding students I have ever met. She is the most motivated and naturally talented girl that I know and will do anything to pursue excellence.

Without her even knowing it she has inspired me to keep pushing through classes even when I felt like giving up. The tears that I wanted to cry were held back because she understood how hard those classes are. She would always give me mini-pep talks (probably more to help her through her ridiculous econ courses) that kept me motivated and committed to studying.

Graduating with Honours in Economics cannot be easy; in fact it turns my stomach whenever I think about how challenging that must have been. Kait had a rough ride getting there but managed to come out alive.



Her family celebrated her graduation by inviting friends and family over to her house for a little get together. Her and her father made speeches to the group and I couldn’t hold back the tears. I am just so proud of Kaitlyn and I’m glad I got to be a part of her journey.

I only have one picture for now but I will add more pictures as soon as she send them!

Thought for Kaits graduation:

“You have brains in your head,
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
Any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”
- Dr. Seuss – Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

The New Bike

So the day had to come sooner or later - I got a new bike!

I was talking to one of the salesman about my knees killing me when I bike ride and he said that if I got a bike that fit properly I shouldn’t notice a thing! This almost brought tears to my eyes, I was so excited that I could actually ride a bike without wanting to get a knee replacement at the end of it!

Being the savvy shopper that I am, I wanted to look around for the best bang for my buck. Unfortunately, this also took me about a month to get up the guts to fork out the money to buy a new bike. I stuck to my guns and kept telling myself that it would be a great investment. So, I have officially put my years of agony behind me and have upgraded to a road bike. I purchased a Giant Avail and she is a beauty.



First bike ride of the season – I was really excited to get riding my bike and start training for that triathlon that Kait and I signed up for. I get on my bike and fifteen minutes later I was already complaining. It turns out that the seats on road bikes are definitely not anything to brag about. Any other seat would seem like a cloud compared to my seat; it almost feels like I’m riding on a piece of wood.



A few bike rides later and a really sore butt I was back in action. Knees felt good, butt felt.. umm.. manageable, and I was ready to keep training. I’m still thinking of where I need to go before I get to the triathlon in August. I’m still worried about riding 40kms and then having the enthusiasm, drive, and determination to complete a 10km run. I may need to have some cheerleaders situated at every 1km to help me finish the race.

It’s been snowing and raining here in Calgary so I’ve been a bit of a baby in terms on exercising in the cold. Summer has finally rolled around and I am determined to do well in this triathlon so if any of you want to go for a ride I'm in!

To end off the entry here is a quote from a man that will help me push through any kind of pain and cross that finish line with a smile on my face:

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
– Lance Armstrong