Flying...

The Sea of Okhotsk from our window.

Joy here...Well, after time in Winnipeg for meetings, I can assure you that I did no workouts.  I tried...and I failed.

The Man ran on the treadmill, and I just looked after my nephew and brought him down to watch his uncle on the treadmill.  That's pretty much as close as I got to working out.

Then I hopped on a plane for home, unpacked, did laundry, repacked, and hopped on yet more planes to head across the world from Ottawa, Canada to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Our route took us:  Ottawa->Toronto->Tokyo->Beijing->Singapore->Kuala Lumpur.

Ugh.

And as we flew over Eastern Russia with the Sea of Okhotsk emerging from the vast and snowy barren landscape of Sibera, we relaxed into our seats and got good and ready for the tropics.

Over and out,
Joy

Patellar Tendinitis

Joy here...My last post identified some recurring pain that I was having in my left knee.  I suppose it's not too surprising given that I've upped my workouts by layering in some running with the cycling.  However, it is a bit of a bummer to get stalled just as I felt like I was getting my mojo back.

But c'est la vie, right?

So I went to the physio who said that I have an inflamed patellar tendon (basically the tendon that attaches my thigh muscle to my lower leg muscle that goes over my knee cap).  She's given me some exercises and a warning to just keep on icing my knee.

Coach Woods has said that he wants me to take it easy until I'm "symptom free."

Coach Andrew has said that I need to gauge things for myself.

So I've been taking it easy.

Which has kind of worked out for me, because this week I've been out of town for meetings (which makes it notoriously difficult for me to work out), and then I hop on a plane (or rather a series of planes) to get to Asia where we'll spend part of the holidays before hopping on yet another series of planes to get to Australia for Christmas itself.  New Year's Eve will be spent in Singapore, and only then will we return to this part of the world.

Let's hope my fitness doesn't fall apart entirely while I'm away.

Over and out,
Joy

Knock Knees

My 2010 physio said
that I "run like a girl."

Joy here...Yesterday's workouts were kind of a fail--just a short, easy run followed by a failed indoor TT--and so I told myself, "self, you gotta get out there and do it today."  I wasn't going to be daunted by anything.  No no, I got up bright and early, fuelled myself with pancakes, and headed out the door to knock off my running workout that Coach Woods had planned for me, and then intended to do the workout that Coach Andrew had on tap for me on the bike.

So out into the chilly, but sunny Sunday I went, doing the warm up run (around 25 minutes) and then the running drills.

But this is when things started to go sour.

You see, I used to have pain in my left knee when I first started training for my first half marathon in 2010.  I went to a physiotherapist back then, and she said that I "run like a girl" and have a tendency towards being knock kneed.  She told me to build up the muscles in my quads to compensate and pull my knees back in line.  So I did lunges and squats, but most importantly, I started riding the bike again.  And the pain in my knee went away.  So then when I took a bit of a hiatus from running (from spring 2011 until around now), I didn't count on my knee pain showing up again.

My bad.

Hmmm...this looks familiar.

While I was doing the drills, in particular the jumping and bounding ones, my left knee really started to hurt.  Well, to be honest, I've been ignoring a little bit of discomfort in that knee for a couple of weeks now, telling myself that my knee just needs to get used to running again.  But the truth of the matter is that on Sunday morning, I knew I couldn't finish the workout.  My left knee was squishy and jelly like, with the knee cap wobbling all over the place if I touched it, and I was starting to limp and favour my right side.

So I admitted defeat, headed home, put ice on my knee, and looked up the physiotherapist's number.  I guess I'll be showing up there this morning.

Again.

Over and out,
Joy

Run Stats:
Ran for 22:11:36 for 3.5km with an average pace of 6:15min/km...then I did drills...then I went home.

Failed Indoor Time Trial (again...sigh)

Joy here...Coach Andrew had an indoor Time Trial on the books for me today.  But before heading out there for that, I had to drag my slightly hungover self out the door to complete an easy run as part of my training with Coach Woods.

The bright world above reflected below in the still waters
of the canal.

So out into the chilly autumn day we headed for a little, light run along the canal.

We kept our egos and pace in check knowing that that indoor Time Trial would be coming up later in the day, and so we just chatted and enjoyed being outside.

Then we came back home, stretched, showered, ate, and had a nice, long nap before hopping on the bike to tackle that indoor Time Trial.

I've not had a great track record with indoor Time Trials so far (failing my first one miserably and then succeeding in my second one, only to truncate my third one from 10 minutes down to 6).

This time I hopped on the bike, feeling a little bit nervous.  Then I started going through the warm up as Coach Andrew outlined for me.  I got to the 5minute section at my tempo pace (wattage 177-203w, or my Time Trial effort), and partway through that section of the warm up, I got the WORST EVER PMS CRAMPS.  Seriously.  Like hop off the bike and writhe on the ground bad.  I've written before about cramps, and Nomi just said she "pops a painkiller and runs like normal" when she gets hit.  And maybe I should have done that, because even though I got back on the bike and tried to do my workout, I was deflated.  Utterly deflated.  My legs felt heavy, and my heart wasn't in it.  It took all my effort just to finish a mediocre 50 minute ride.

And now in the wake of yet another indoor Time Trial fail (I'm working on a 25% success rate so far), I'm wondering if I don't have something psychosomatic when it comes to this kind of effort.  Maybe I just don't really know how to push myself to the limit?????

Any suggestions?

Over and out,
Joy

Run Stats:
Ran for a total of 35:03:13 for a distance of 5.6km with a pace of 6:16min/km.
Ride Stats:
Rode for a total of 50minutes...with a truncated "hard" session, followed by one 5 minute set at ME (moderate effort)

Early morning run...

Joy here...Now that I've taken up with running Coach Woods, my Wednesday morning entails waking up before the sun and eating enough food to be fuelled for a workout, but not too much as to be an undigested runner.  Then The Man and I hop in the car (which this morning needed a few extra minutes to warm up as winter is beginning to encroach more and more), and we head over to the local park where there's a running track.  We meet up with a collection of Coach Woods's clients and head into the woods for a 15-20 minute easy run where we chat, joke, and generally pretend like we're all having a super easy time of it (whether we are or not).  And then we regroup with Coach Woods so that we can work through some running drills.

Like these...

Then we all break apart and do our individual workouts as designed by Coach Woods.  On Saturday my run workout included hill repeats, but today I just had an easy 30 minute run on tap since I had a heavy workout yesterday.

winter is coming

What Coach Woods had me work on was my form--not letting my arms cross my torso as I run and ensuring that my arms are bent at 90% and only swing from the shoulders not the elbows--and then he went to focus on the other guys workouts while I headed off along the canal, paying attention to my arms, my breathing, and my stride.

I ran for about 15 minutes, and then turned around and headed back to where the rest of the group was doing their own individualized plans, and my timing was perfect, because just as I ran up behind The Man and another one of Coach Woods's clients, I hit my 30 minute running target and was set to get in the nice, warm car to drive home to a nice, warm shower and follow that up with a nice, warm espresso.

Over and out,
Joy

Run Stats:
Ran for 30:11:22 for a distance of 4.96km with an average pace of 5:58min/km.

Hintonburger Double Workout

Joy here...I was supposed to do a 60minute run on Monday, but somehow life got incredibly busy on Monday, so The Man and I decided to double up on our workouts on Tuesday so that I would fit in an easy 60 minute run in the morning, and then end my work day with my scheduled bike ride (three 9-minute sets building up to my tempo pace).

The run went well; it was bright but cool and crisp as we ran by the canal, and even though my knees felt a little sore for the first 20 minutes or so, I eventually warmed up, and everything began to move the way it was supposed to, and with a little bit of sweat, heavy breathing, and old fashioned endurance, I knocked off another 10km run, my second one this month!

Later in the day, I hopped on the bike to complete around 75minutes (including my warm up, cool down, and drills), ending with a couple of light sprints (see below), to get my legs moving and my juices flowing.

Then, well, after hitting a double workout in one day, you can imagine just how hungry I felt.  And, um, so in that state, I was easily able to convince myself that I had earned what has been called "one of the best burgers you've ever tasted," a hintonburger.  It is named after "hintonburg" the area of Ottawa in which it is located, and it's been getting rave reviews for its seriously good (and totally loaded) burgers and hand made fries.  I earned it, right?

Booyah!

Over and out,

Joy

Run Stats:
Ran for 1:00:07 for a distance of 10.02km for an average pace of 6:00min/km.

The Pros and Cons of Assos

Joy here...in my last post I celebrated our new espresso machine, and the excitement that comes from getting hopped up on caffeine either post- or pre-workout.

And, well, seeing as how I am a pretty big bike nerd, it shouldn't be too surprising to learn that I would find a way to accessorize my new espresso machine with something bike-related.

My new Assos espresso cups!

You see in the world of cycling apparel and accoutrements, there are really two gold-standard companies:  Rapha and Assos.  They make good quality, expensive merchandise and capitalize on the gullibility and trend-following tendencies of cyclists.

I admit to being guilty of both.

However, I have written before about Rapha (both as a tribute to its awesomeness and as part of the list Nomi and I compiled of our "favourite things"), and to those early expressions of enthusiasm (even gushing), I hold.  The quality of my Rapha gear--everything from cycling socks to winter cycling jackets to cycling shorts to cycling caps etc.--is beyond reproach, and what I can say is that the items seem to be made by and for people who actually cycle.

Assos, on the other hand, seems to need some serious help, especially when it comes to its women's line.  Here are some problems that make my blood boil about Assos's women's items:

1.)  "Lady":  The guy's line of products are for "Man," but the women's items aren't for women (or womyn if you wanna be seriously feminist), but rather for "Lady."  Excuse me while I don my petticoat before I take off for a bike ride on my side saddle.

Phewf...maybe I can
fit a condom in that back
pocket in case I get lucky
out there on a ride.

Good thing I've got one, teeny
pocket for my makeup compact.

2.)  Lack of Pockets:  The women's jerseys come equipped with one, lame back pocket.  Um, yeah, just enough for my lip gloss and my tampon; who needs an extra tube, some food, or even a multitool when out on a ride to pick up guys (which brings me to my next point...)

Excuse me while I go for
a bike ride...or just go and
pole dance for a while.

I could go cycling...or I could just
play with my breasts instead.

3.)  Super LAME Advertising:  For the men's clothing items from Assos, they just show a guy standing there wearing Assos clothing.  Granted he's buff and wearing sunglasses, and you're supposed to think he's a hottie, but at least he's just standing there.  The women's items, however, are straight from Victoria's Secret.  It's ridiculous.  I know that "sex sells" but seriously...for bike shorts??????


So even though their cycling clothes are of good quality and of a similar price point to Rapha, I buy Rapha every time, and I generally just think of Assos products as the brunt of jokes or the topic of my rants.

But then I brew myself a little cup of espresso and drink it out of the only Assos item I would ever buy, and all is right in my world.

The only thing Assos makes that isn't ASS!

That is until Rapha starts making espresso cups!

Over and out,
Joy

Today's Ride Stats:
warm up
5 minutes of sprints X2 (with a 3 minute break between each set)
cool down

A Tribute to Espresso

Early morning fuel!

Joy here...Last year I used to sometimes do double workouts in one days (I called them my "double double" days), but it seems like it's been a long long time since I've worked out consistently and done anything like that.

Well, I changed that this weekend.

Since starting with Coach Woods on a running regime this week, we had a scheduled run workout on Saturday morning, and then I had another bike ride effort planned by Coach Andrew.  So when the alarm went off at 6am, we got up, made ourselves espressos with our new espresso maker to fuel us for our run workout.  Then we headed out to the track/park to meet with the other folks, do a warm-up run of around 20 minutes easy with the other folks (five of us in total), and then did our drills--walking lunges, backwards lunges, one-legged lunges, As, Bs, Cs, hops, and strides--and then we broke out into our individual programs...which, for me was five hill repeats.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I didn't know how it would go, because it's been two years since I've done running hill repeats, but with Coach Woods standing there in the chilly air watching my form as I pushed my knees up and drove myself up the hill, I wasn't going to give up or fail.  So I just kept my legs swinging and my arms pumping for my five repeats before cooling down...meeting up with The Man who was finishing his harder tempo sets up the hill, and driving home in a car warmed up against the chilly outside air.

And then we fuelled ourselves with a post run treat...affogato!  That espresso maker came in handy for the second time in one day as we topped a scoop of vanilla ice cream with espresso, and then sorted ourselves out to get ready for workout #2 of the day on the bike.

Affogato!!! 

The bike workout included drills to warm up my legs and then four 6-minute sets at ME effort, which is "moderate effort," or one wattage zone below my full tempo pace (i.e. 156-177w).  Ugh.  With hills in my legs?  Really?

So with some Lord of the Rings on the DVD, The Man joining me on his bike beside me, and an affogato in my belly, I was set to go.  I diligently worked through the warm up, and then it was time to go with the first ME set.  I kept my eye on my wattage meter and also on the clock; at the 3 minute mark I was already ready to stop, but was only halfway!  Then I broke that second 3 minutes down into 90 second chunks, regulating my breathing and counting out the seconds, and before I knew it, I was into my final minute and getting ready for the 4 minute rest between sets.  And basically each set felt much the same.  At the start of each one I felt like I wouldn't be able to finish; then at the halfway point I felt like throwing in the towel; and then I just breathed and counted my way to the end of 6 minutes.

And it all paid off.  Here's what Coach Andrew said when he looked at my workout data:  "And nice stuff on the ME work today...each of them is around the same wattage, and heart rate, just what we are looking for. And it indicates that the efforts are manageable. Booyah!."  That's right...Booyah!

Two workouts in one day...and all thanks to espresso...there's nothing you can't do when hopped up on caffeine!

Over and out,
Joy

(1) Run Stats:
Total 90 minute run workout
-20 minute warm up
-45 minute drills
-5X hill repeats
-10 minute cool down

(2) Ride Stats:
Total 68 minute bike workout (indoors)
-20 minute warm up
-2 minute recovery
-4 minutes at SE (steady endurance)
-4X 6 minutes at ME (155-175w)
-5 minutes of high cadence spinning
-2 sets of 20 seconds per leg of one-legged pedalling

LOTR ride...

Frodo and Sam, about to start the hardest part of their
journey...like me, warming up on the bike, about to start the
hardest part of the workout.

Joy here...Okay, I came out of the proverbial closet as a Lord of the Rings fan on one of my most recent blog entries (and given that I also outed myself as a Song of Ice and Fire nerd, it's fair to say I have dorky fantasy movie/book tastes).  Beyond the special effects, imaginative landscape, and epic scale of some of the greatest imaginative fantasy work of this era, what makes these kinds of stories appeal to me has something to do with archetypal narrative arcs.  Critics like Frazer and Frye popularized the Jungian notion that human experiences--especially narrativized experiences--can be understood in terms of shared, powerful archetypes.

A typical narrative archetype is the journey or quest where, of course, a hero must triumph over adversity, and so on Friday morning when I hopped on my bike on the indoor trainer and turned on my Lord of the Rings DVD to pick up where I left off the other day, I channelled my inner archetypal hero.  I started off feeling unsure, my legs heavy and tired from Wednesday's running workout, not knowing if I'd be able to work through the 15sec. accelerations as planned.  Full of optimism I worked through the warm up drills as outlined for me by Coach Andrew, slowly but surely feeling my legs loosen up...and then it was time for the accelerations...

Pretty much how I felt as I huffed and puffed my way
through my four accelerations.

...2 seated accelerations followed by 2 standing accelerations...

I was grimacing, feeling the pain build up in my legs...ack, am I going to be able to finish?...as I was getting ready to give up and throw in the towel, admit defeat as the end of my quest and realize that sometimes you just don't triumph over adversity but rather get your butt good and kicked by adversity, I suddenly realized that I had knocked off yet another workout and was into my cooldown phase.

And when Coach Andrew looked at my data from this LOTR ride (where I, of course, cast myself as the hero), he said:  "Your wattage is up from when you did this workout earlier, so great that the form is improving," which means that I'm on the right track...as Bilbo says:  "You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."  I just don't know where this journey on the bike will take me, but I'm set on my path...I've stepped out onto my proverbial road.

Over and out,
Joy

Ride Stats:

-10 minute warm up
-3 minutes easy
-5 minutes of ME (moderate)
-2 sets of 40 seconds of super-high cadence (140rpm)
-5 minutes of SE (steady endurance)
-2 seated accelerations (15 secs)
-2 standing accelerations (15 secs)
-2 minutes of high cadence, easy spinning

And Now I've got a Running Coach!

Joy here...when I started this blog, I posted my first entry about my new cycling coach, Coach Andrew, recently retired professional cyclist.  I wanted his help as I prepared for the Ontario Provincial Time Trial Championships (where I placed 6th in my division), but also his expertise, motivation, guidance, and training plan to get me through the winter to start the spring and summer racing season with levels of fitness and skill that I can only vaguely imagine at this point in frosty early November.

But cycling isn't my only love, and not even my first love.

Before cycling there was running (and my co-written blog with Nomi, my friend in Malaysia who is/was my running buddy, East and West Running).

And before cycling there was The Man, a guy I first met over 9 years ago, and went on a first date some 6 years ago, and to whom I've been married for over 4 years.

Coach Woods back in 2005!

And The Man was feeling jealous of the program and expertise that Coach Andrew has been able to give me so far, and he talked to a local Olympic-calibre runner* in our neighbourhood (who I've mentioned before on this blog) about hiring him on as a running coach.  Due to an injury to his foot, his running career came to a halt after a sports scholarship to the University of Michigan and an early career smashing records (you can see his blog here:  Rusty Woods), and now he took up cycling.  He raced in over 42 races this past summer and has just signed on with a local professional team for the upcoming season.  In the meantime, he's started coaching The Man to get back into some running shape.

And, well, I got jealous.  I started to think that I could balance my cycling goals with reclaiming some running fitness.  I mean, afterall, I've been doing the odd run here and there since the end of the summer, surely a little structure couldn't hurt.  Maybe Coach Woods was just the person to help me out.

So I floated the idea with Coach Andrew to see if he thought I could balance fitting in some running training with my cycling training.  Here's what he said:
"I think it's great that you're looking to get in the running workouts! It shows motivation. The running can compliment the cycling nicely over the winter: on the weekend if you combine a workout on the turbo and a run you've got a good day's workout, something to match the 3hours you would do in the summer outdoors."  With that support I turned around and called up Coach Woods to see if he would take me on as a new running client.  I now feel confident that I'm on the right track with Coach Andrew and Coach Woods, and I have high hopes for what working their programs will be able to do for my fitness (not to mention my midsection).

The frosted over grass and early morning
sunrise over the hill at the outdoor track.

Speaking about that right track...this morning was my first workout with Coach Woods out on the track.  Since I had my tough Big Ring workout last night, today's running workout was just supposed to focus on form, stability, and core, and not be too taxing on my system.  In the early hours of the dawn, The Man and I headed out to the local track to meet up with Coach Woods and some of his other clients (including a modern pentathlete who came in the top 20 at the London 2012 Olympics).  He explained the drills to me--walking lunges, one legged lunges, As, Bc, Cs, hops, and strides--and then put me through my paces, correcting me when I was a spaz and complimenting me when I did something right, and then he set me off for a 30 minute easy run before we debriefed.

Then I got in my nice, warm car and headed home to stretch, have a coffee and get ready for my afternoon's strength training session with The Trainer.

Geez, with Coach Andrew, Coach Woods, and The Trainer on board, I better end up being a super athlete...I'll have no excuses!

Go Team Joy!

Over and out,
Joy

*What I mean here is that he could have gone to the Olympics.  He's got five national titles, three national records, and a victory in the Pan Am Junior Championships.  Some of the guys he used to race against (and beat) just competed at the London 2012 Olympics; so if it weren't for his foot injury, there's no telling what he could have done as a runner.  But then again, if it weren't for his foot injury, he probably wouldn't be my new coach.

The Return of "Big Ring"!!!

Joy here...Last summer and then into this early spring, I earned a nickname amongst my cycling friends, "Big Ring."  It was mostly due to my penchant for pedalling in a hard gear and grinding rather than holding a nice, high cadence.  Cycling aficionados debate whether high cadence (smaller gear, faster spinning) is a better method that a lower cadence (bigger gear, slower pedalling).  Naturally I tend to favour a big gear and slow turning legs.  I've worked hard throughout the summer, and especially since changing over to this my own sole-authored blog (in comparison to my past, co-written one) and getting my cycling coach, Andrew, to help me out.

My inner Jan Ullrich (look at his chain
on the front...ON THE BIG RING).

So when Coach Andrew told me that this week's workout would include a Big Ring workout, I was stoked.  I was ready to channel my inner Jan Ullrich, noted East German Tour de France winner (and Armstrong runner up) whose big gear grinding was a stark contrast to Lance's high rpms.

I had a warm up that would take me just over 30 minutes with various drills and intensity to work through, and then I would have 30 minutes of big ring drills.  The plan was that I would do 4 minutes in the big ring, in a hard gear, and pedal at a low cadence, and then do 6 minutes still in the big ring, but with a higher cadence (and in an easier gear on the back), and then I would do that all over again 2 more times.  Then I was to do some light pedalling in a high gear to loosen up my legs, and then it would be all done.

So I hopped on the bike in the basement with The Lord of the Rings on my DVD player (hey...for a Big Ring workout, why not watch a movie about the "one ring"???).  I did my warm up as planned and then started the Big Ring section.  The first 4 minutes were really hard, I was pedalling slowly, and I could almost feel my whole body rocking on the bike with the effort; by the next 4 minute set I was already telling myself that I'd skip the final set and just tell Coach Andrew that I miscalculated or didn't watch my time or something.  As I pounded away on that big gear, the gears in my head were turning over, coming up with lame excuse after lame excuse.  But then when my third set was about to start, I used the same kind of willpower that little Frodo used to resist putting on the ring in the presence of the Wraiths, and I just pedalled right on through that third set, finishing my workout as planned and finally hitting my workout to my full satisfaction.

Boooyah!

Big Ring is back in business!

Over and out,
Joy (aka Big Ring)

First 10km Run in Months!

Two loser condom heads getting ready for a run!

Joy here...Back in the winter I was planning on running a fast half marathon this spring (May 2012) and then a full marathon this fall (September 2012), but in March of this year (2012), I fractured my little toe, which doesn't seem like a big thing, but meant that I couldn't run.  So I got on my bike, and, well, I kinda didn't get off my bike all summer--completing something like 7 time trials, 1 bunch bike race, and 2 sportif events--and my running all but disappeared.

I've slowly but surely started to get some running back into my life, trying for a once-a-week kinda casual run with The Man, and yesterday we got out there for a 65minute run, over 10kms, something I haven't done since February (some 9 months ago!).

Runnin' on the grass before the snow comes!

I remember when I first learned how to run (only 5 years ago), it took me months and months (something like 7 months), to be able to run 60minutes without stopping for a walk break.  Working up to being able to run 10kms was a tremendous feat in and of itself, and I never thought I would need to or want to run more or longer.

But now I've done some longer running races and some bike races, and my perspective has changed.  Now I am able to head out there and run for over 10kms without really thinking about it.  Sure my feet started to ache by the end; sure my legs were sore afterwards; and sure I huffed and puffed as I ran in the cold autumn air, but the point is, I did it.  And more than that, I realize that as much fun as I've been having with the cycling, I also miss the running.  I want to find a way to have them both.

They both give me different kinds of feelings, making me feel confident and powerful in the world, and I need those feelings to translate from my sporting life over into the rest of my life where I can sometimes feel paralyzed by fears of my own incompetence.

So from here on in, I'm going to try to do my best to train as a cyclist AND a runner and see where that takes me.  Maybe I can do both...and maybe, just maybe, one day I'll become a triathlete...hmmm, now I just have to find a pool. ;)

Over and out,
Joy

Run Stats:
Ran for 65minutes for just over 10kms.

Sunday, Chilly Sunday!

Joy here...Back when I was a kid, U2 released their War album, and many of the songs on that album became (and still are) part of my life's soundtrack; you know, that collection of songs that plays in the back of your mind (or iPod/iPhone) to accompany what you do, as if your whole life were a movie with well-chosen songs set to underscore your mood or activities.  (Some of my blog posts have alluded to this musical undercurrent, like a June '11 one about leaving Malaysia, or this one from this spring '12 when I tell the story of my failed 13-year old musical audition, or this July 4th '12 one where I channel my inner Spice Girl...you get the picture.)

Now loads of people I am friends with are into music and have really advanced musical tastes and a refined ear.  They choose cool and alternative music and turn their noses up at my pedestrian tastes.  But I am unabashed in my cheezy music tastes; give me a popular band with great lyrics, and I'll likely be a fan for life.

Which takes me back to U2, a band who often informs my inner soundtrack, like "Sunday Bloody Sunday," a political anthem that roared through my brain as I woke up this Sunday morning.

But instead of hearing a song dedicated to the unarmed victims of a horrible shooting during The Troubles, I heard a variation of the song reflecting the sub zero temperatures that I'd be heading out into for my Sunday ride...Sunday, CHILLY Sunday!  Again and again my own little refrain ran through my head as I bundled up and headed out the door with The Man and Retrofriend and headed to the parkway to meet up with another ex-Winnipegger who was riding with us.  (I guess this cold weather really gives the 'Peggers an advantage!)

Sunday, Chilly Sunday

Along the way, we met up with The Professor and Cili Padi (members of my Cycling Sisterhood from last summer who have continued riding together all throughout this summer), as they were on their way out along the Ottawa River's gravel path on their cyclo-cross bikes.  So we had a bit of a chit chat with them; then they went on their way; then I had a bit of a chit chat with the ex-Winnipegger; and then I put my hands down on my aero bars and started pedalling in harder gear and with a higher cadence as I pulled away from the others to do two 8-minute efforts as planned by my coach.

So even though we got home with frozen fingers and toes on this Sunday, Chilly Sunday, at least I knocked off yet another workout...because by being consistent I will begin to see some gains, I just know it!

Over and out,
Joy

Ride Stats for Sunday:
Rode for 2 hours, 41kms, with an overall average of 23km/hr (with 2 8-minute sets of a medium intensity effort and 30km/hr averages)

Oh Lance...

Joy here...In one of my recent posts, I mentioned Lance Armstrong's fall from grace; he's gone from "hero to zero" in a shockingly short period of time, while all those who have benefitted from his cycling career (from his sponsors like Nike and Trek, to the organizers of the Tour de France, to the UCI, to bike shops and cycle touring companies etc. etc.) sit back and shake their heads with righteous indignation, scapegoating one individual for his role in what sounds like a profoundly dysfunctional professional context.

Oh Lance...

Tonnes of people have been weighing in online with their thoughts on Lance, everything from the "we knew you were a nasty cheater from the beginning," to "oh, Lance, you've broken my heart," to "but you've still done such good for the cancer community," to "we don't want our kids to learn about sport from someone like you"...etc.  I refuse to really get in the mix, except to say that the furor surrounding his fall from grace is more telling about the society in which we live--and its desire to build up heroes and place them on pedestals, and then to pull them down and dance around their broken remains--than it does about him, cycling, or doping.

That said, when I'm working out in my basement, I still watch old Tour de France DVDs and convince myself that I'm riding up the Tourmalet or Mont Ventoux with the best of them...even if they were doped to the eyeballs in order to do that.  So on Saturday, I joined my hopped up cycling favourites and settled in for a ride on the trainer with the 2000 Tour de France.

And whether it was thanks to Lance's face on my screen ahead of me, or just my own inner dope, I knocked off another workout as planned, even with my game thrown off ever-so-slightly by the trip earlier in the week to Winnipeg.  So I think I'll just continue with my high of working out consistently as my own personal boost rather than a shocking cocktail of EPO and who knows what else!

Over and out,
Joy

Running in the 'Peg...

Joy here...It's the start of a new week (the last in October, the first in November), and I can look back on last week and feel like I'm back on a program.  Here's what I wrote in one of last week's blog posts:
After running last Friday, doing a trainer session on Saturday, heading out to ride outside on Sunday, running on Monday, resting on Tuesday, doing an indoor TT on Wednesday, and doing a trainer session on Thursday, I now find myself on Friday morning after a week of getting back into my groove feeling much more energized than I did during all my weeks off the bike when I was sitting on the couch and gaining those extra 5kgs or so around my mid section. 
So with a solid week of working out under my belt, I was feeling good...but...then...I...had...to...go...to...Winnipeg.

If you've come over to this blog from the one I used to co-write with my friend Nomi in Malaysia, you'll know that I've whinged about travelling to Winnipeg (and the havoc it wreaks with my training) before (for example, as early as September 2010 and again in the summer of 2011).  Essentially when I have to head to Winnipeg usually my time is not my own.  I get sucked into someone else's plan--meetings, conferences, family obligations--and it is remarkably hard to find time to both eat well and workout according to my schedule.

Click here to see a site with more on Air Canada's suckery.

Knowing all this, The Man and I got up early for our pre-dawn flight to my home town, and planned to eat on the plane so that we'd be fuelled and ready to run as soon as we landed.

But we were foiled.  Air Canada didn't have any breakfast options for flights shorter than 3 hours (even though ours was over 2 hours), and the one granola bar that they did have as a potential for us, was all out!  F--k you, Air Canada!

So we arrived at the airport hungry.  And realized that there would be no food at my dad's house.  So TGIF at the Winnipeg airport became our breakfast stop.

Me looking like a "condom head" in my running hat as I
stand waiting for the train to pass.

While not the most healthy option of all times, what it meant is that when we got to the house, we were able to drop off our luggage, change into our running gear, and head out the door without any further delays (because delays then turn into workouts cancelled).

Out we ran into the chilly Winnipeg air...hoping to warm up as we ran...and warm up we did.  Winnipeg has a nice running trail that runs down the middle of one of its prettier streets that is lined with mansions fronting the Assiniboine River, and so that is the route we ran, admiring houses along the way, nodding and waving to dog walkers, and feeling slightly self-conscious about how my running hat makes me look like a loser.  But with temperatures 17C in Ottawa and a mere 3C in Winnipeg, I wasn't about to take beauty over comfort.

And afterall, looking like an idiot in a stupid running hat but getting out there and running, is better than not running at all!

Over and out,
Joy

Run stats:
Ran for a total of 55minutes for around 8.5kms.

Winter is Coming

Frozen leaves..."winter is coming"...

Joy here...It was a cool Sunday morning, when I awoke to find that the autumn leaves had all fallen off the trees and turned crispy in the pre-dawn frost.  But given my new sense of commitment to my training program (and to losing the extra 5kgs that have somehow attached themselves to my buddha belly), I pulled on all my winter weather cycling gear, put air in my tires, and planned to head out for a ride with The Man and our friend who has joined us on rides every now and then, often in the early or late season (he's a hard man of the sport!).

In fact, he's from my hometown, and he moved to Ottawa the same year that we did, and he and his family live in the same neighbourhood we do.  So over the years, we've become good friends, and it's great to head out for a ride with him when we can.

All dressed up for winter riding!

He's a little bit retro and a little bit rock and roll, and a whole lotta fun.  He loves old school retro bikes, has a penchant for original Brooks saddles and retro woollen jerseys, and just when you think he might have been happiest had he been living in mid-century Europe or something like that, you realize that he's a die hard motorcyclist and hard core dude.  Talk about the best guy to have with you when you head out for a cold, Sunday morning ride.

So we all met up, bundled up, and rode leisurely towards the Parkway where I did my Time Trial efforts throughout the summer.  Summer is, of course, fully gone now, and to quote the mantra of my favourite Song of Ice and Fire family of Winterfell, "winter is coming."  You can feel it in the chill in the air and the bite to the breeze.

Then channelling my inner Arya, full of spunk, energy, and a healthy disdain for norms and etiquette, I pulled away from The Man and Retrofriend to put in a bit of an effort out on that relatively flat stretch of road that is so very familiar to me after so many summer efforts.

I felt my legs move solidly and consistently, and while I tried to keep my speed at around 35km/hr during the summer Time Trials, this time, I just tried to keep my speed consistent at around 30km/hr.  At this point in my training cycle (when I'm just coming off an extenda-off season) there is no gain to be made by pushing it too hard.  I will have all winter to work through a program and emerge in the spring time with a whole lot of fitness thanks to a clear cycling program that I'm working.

The Man and Retrofriend under a cold sky!

So even though "winter is coming," I have no intention of rolling over and letting it wash over me.  The Starks are the only ones who are always prepared for and ready for winter...and in my heart of hearts, I'm a Stark!

Over and out,
Joy

Ride stats for Sunday's ride:
Rode for a distance of 41km in 1:44 for an average speed of around 24km/hr (that's taking in the to-and-from portion of the ride that just noodles along the bike path).

Feeling Energized

Yesterday's work out plan (and the sheet
underneath is the one with my wattage
effort zones as per Coach Andrew).

Joy here...The funny thing about working out regularly is that when you first start, you can't help but think, "but I don't have the energy for that," or "but I'm too tired after a hard day's work."  If you're anything like me, then you can't help but think that working out will sap whatever energy you have remaining.  But strangely enough, that's not true.

The more you work out, the more energy you end up having.

It seems strangely counter-intuitive, because you would think that all that sports activity would tire you out.  And, well, I suppose there must be some point along the continuum where you tip the balance and the more working out you do, the less energy you have, but I suspect you'd have to be a really elite level professional athlete before you hit that mark.  For the rest of us regular plebeians, its seems to me that if you can get yourself up and moving, you'll strangely find yourself with more energy than if you just sit on the couch and supposedly "recharge."

After running last Friday, doing a trainer session on Saturday, heading out to ride outside on Sunday, running on Monday, resting on Tuesday, doing an indoor TT on Wednesday, and doing a trainer session on Thursday, I now find myself on Friday morning after a week of getting back into my groove feeling much more energized than I did during all my weeks off the bike when I was sitting on the couch and gaining those extra 5kgs or so around my mid section.

Fancy post-ride drinks for me and The Man.

After yesterday's effort on the trainer--which included a 10minute section cycling up through all my wattage zones, an 8minute section holding steadily at the effort just below my TT effort, and two 8minute sessions of 4minute sections where I worked through some hard efforts and sweated all over myself--left me feeling proud that I had ticked off the workout when for weeks I haven't been able to, but it also left me feeling energized.

I got off the bike and out of my sweaty clothes, put two oranges and a grapefruit into our vitamix (which is the best super blender of all time...worthy of its own blog entry) and made myself some juice, and then added some perrier to it for a special, post-ride treat and then went off to shower feeling healthy and energized.

And now, if I can only keep that up maybe some of those unwanted kilos will get so energized that they run away and find someone else to attach themselves to!

Over and out,
Joy

Indoor Time Trial: Please Don't Suck...

Joy here...As I was training for August's Ontario Provincial Time Trial, I completed two indoor time trials on my trainer in the basement.  The first one was, well, an utter and absolute failure that beat my self esteem around the block and then kicked it to the curb for good measure.  The second one was better, if not as good as my outdoor time trials on Tuesday nights.

My workout details (courtesy of
Coach Andrew), outlining minutes
and wattage (note: the second-last bullet
is the 10 minute TT).

Well, as I've gotten back into the rhythm of training (slowly but surely) as I try to beat my body back into condition after its lengthy "rest" period, I was supposed to do another indoor time trial on Tuesday so that my coach could look at my numbers and interpret them for me (basically evaluating just how out of shape I am at this point).  But Tuesday came and went, and life somehow prevented me from getting on the bike at all; not to be daunted, I got up bright and early on Wednesday to do the indoor time trial before my workday started.

I had a whole warm up regimen planned to get my legs (and lungs and heart and brain) ready for the TT effort, and as I worked through all the elements that Coach Andrew had devised for me I was beginning to feel like an athlete again (granted an athlete whose body is a little bit more smooshy than usual, but who cares?).  I felt the familiar burn in my legs, and I felt myself huffing and puffing and finding the rhythm of breathing in and out to get my body back into a sense of synthesis where breath and legs all move according to its own beat.  Then I looked at the clock and saw that it was time for me to start the 10-minute section of the TT...ready, set...GO!

And off I went, putting my bike into a bigger gear on the trainer, and pedalling consistently, but at what felt like the limit to me.

Nothing like the loneliness of an indoor ride.

I had covered up my wattage numbers (as per Coach Andrew's request, so that he can see what I can do when not staring at a particular target number), so I just went into my mantra as I pedalled...please don't suck, please don't suck, please don't suck...The words went over and over, around and around in my head as I pedalled.

I was dripping sweat on my bike; I was feeling like I was going to explode; I felt horrible; I felt awesome.

Then the phone rang.

I wanted to ignore it, but it was a work-related call (before 9am, mind you), and I couldn't not take it, so my TT effort was truncated to 6 minutes rather than 10 minutes.

And as much as I want to be disappointed with that, I kind of can't be, because at this time last week, I was still in "resting" mode...so something is better than nothing!

Over and out,
Joy

Truncated indoor TT stats:
Rode for 40 minutes working up to TT effort, then rode for 6 minutes with an average wattage of 189w, average heart rate of 156bpm, and average cadence of 88rpms.

The Times They Are a Changin'...

Joy here...My last two posts (some shocking 6 weeks apart) have both lamented the bad habits that I've developed and the distance between the me of right now (earning a high score of 63.7kg on our fatty meter--the way we refer to our scale) and the me of the summer (weighing in at around 58kg).  The good news is that I am not alone.

And since misery loves company, I feel better already.

In fact, one of the guys who was an Olympic-calibre runner who then took up cycling after a foot injury and who works at our local bike shop (the Cyclery...where we are serious regulars) and raced very competitively all summer (in fact winning the first and only race of the season that The Man was able to compete in back in April), has just blogged about his own vexed relationship to his own weight at the moment, and his words could be mine:  "hey I have like 4 months to get lean and mean, and there is nothing wrong with putting on a little winter layer."

Autumn is upon us.

I've decided to take him at his word and get into the spirit of this season.  While all the trees are losing their fresh green colours of spring and summer and getting ready for winter, fully comfortable with the change of appearance, change of pace, and change of season, I, too, must get myself used to the fact that summer is behind me and the fitness that I was able to glory in as I learned that I could ride a bike and even be pretty good at it even in not knowing what the heck I was doing is also behind me.

Now is the season of change.

And change is a good thing.

What's not beautiful in this season of change?

Change is a beautiful thing; change represents growth, and change brings out the best in us.  So as I headed out yesterday for a little run just to loosen up my legs after my first bike ride in ages, I thought about those changes (and the changes to my ever-increasing midsection).  If my extra padding now helps me to recharge, rebuild, and move forward, then, hey, I'm happy with that.  Or if not entirely happy with that (I am, afterall a woman shaped and conditioned by a society that is, to say the least, obsessed with body imagery), then I've at least made my peace with it.

I may not be in exactly the shape I'd like to be in.  And I may not be exactly as fast or as fit as I'd like to be.  But I'm exactly where I need to be at this particular moment in time in order to be able to build and move forward throughout the winter so that come spring and summer I'll reach levels that I had never been able to imagine with respect to sport.

The best thing about change is that when change is afoot, you never know what the outcome may be.  And I'm one who has always loved surprises.

So, body, surprise me...show me what you can do!

Over and out,
Joy

Monday's run stats:
Ran for a distance of 6.7km for 40minutes with an average pace of 5:59min/km.

Habits, Both Good and Bad

Joy here...Okay, it's been 45 days since my last post, and that's the longest I've gone between blog entries since I very first started blogging with my friend Nomi back on our East and West Running site in July 2010, fresh after we had completed our first ever running race (a 10km event in Singapore).

It's not that there's been nothing to write about.  Since my last post, Lance Armstrong's career has gone into full free fall mode as the media and public have circled the waters like sharks amidst a chum-filled sea.  The feeding frenzy has been fierce, dramatic, and painful to watch.  Since my last post, I've also gotten fatter and lazier than I've ever been in my entire life.  I've stopped being able to fit even into my stretchy jeans, and so my body is definitely not my own.  Since my last post, I took a trip to the UK and enjoyed running around the East Sussex countryside and wandering the busy streets of London.  My friend Power Penna (from last year's cycling sisterhood) finally had her baby, a happy and healthy baby boy.  So a lot has happened and there's a lot that I could have been writing about.

A run in the English countryside isn't really enough to
make up for all the resting I've done!

But when my coach explained the "rest" I was supposed to be having right after my Time Trial effort in order to let my body rest and rebuild, I took him a little too much at his word.  He wrote:  "We actually want you to be out of shape at the moment," and I kinda took that a little too much to heart.  I'm very out of shape at the moment.

You see, since my last post in early September, I fell into some bad habits, which is remarkably easy to do.  Folk wisdom tells us that you can make or break a habit in around 3 weeks - anything from cutting out that cream in your morning coffee to getting over a bad break up - and back when Nomi and I decided to train for our first ever running race, I trained myself into the habit of running often during the week.  Then on the high from our first 10km race, we worked ourselves up to longer distances (a max of 30kms for me, but Nomi's gone on to do two full marathons) and then I took up bike racing.  I got into the habit of the bike, and all was good.

Then I was supposed to take some "rest" time in September.  And what happened?  Well, I got into the habit of being fat and lazy.

Then when October rolled around, and my "rest" was supposed to be over and I was supposed to get back into the building up phase of things, I found that the habit of being fat and lazy was pretty hard to break.

Running in the beautiful fall colours.

Now, to be clear, I never registered that I was being fat and lazy.  I just believed that I had gotten really busy (which I did), but the truth of the matter is that I had gotten into the habit of working and not having to work my work schedule around work outs.  So then when the "rest" was over, I was unable to make the switch back to having to juggle work and workouts.  As a result, well, um, workouts became secondary, and then almost nonexistent.

For instance, the week of Sept. 24th, I was supposed to do 8hrs of working out; I did 3.  The week of Oct. 1st, I was supposed to do 7hrs of working out; I did 45mins.  The week of Oct. 8th, I was sick, and then the week of Oct. 15th I was supposed to do 5.5hrs of working out, and I did 1.5.

This past week, I've decided to get back on track.  I did my workout as planned on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, mixing both the odd easy run in with getting back on my bike.

The man and our friend who accompanied me back out there
for my first bike ride since sometime in September.

And let me tell you, I had forgotten just how fun riding my bike is.

I had forgotten that sense of "wheeeeeee!" that a burst of speed can give; I had forgotten how even a little ache in the legs can actually feel good; and I had forgotten the rush of endorphins that make me feel happy.  I no longer care that I don't fit my cycling clothes and bulge out of everything I own; I no longer care that I have neither the speed nor the power that I did at the end of the summer.  Instead, all is right in the world because I made time to get back on the bike with my friends, and I'm going to do it again and again.

Because I'm sick of this habit I've fallen into that pushing working out to the margins of my life, and I'm going to make it a habit again to prioritize my workouts.

Because, well, I'm making a habit of prioritizing me...and in 3 weeks that good habit will be set in stone.  And maybe, just maybe, I'll start feeling fit again.

Over and out,
Joy

A Little Run Here and There

Joy here...Since my big race at the end of August (the Provincial Time Trial), my coach has told me to take it easy, stay away from the bike, go for a few light runs, and have a little rest.

That sounds like music to my ears.

Sometimes you gotta use a treadmill.

But there's something a little strange about rest weeks...once I found myself out of the cycling training mode, I slipped rather easily into the sittingonthecoucheatingandreading mode.

You see, I'm not normally nor naturally an athlete (whatever that means).  I imagine there are people out there who jump out of bed and just can't wait to workout.  They can't wait to compete against someone else, and they can't wait to feel their muscles harden and ripple.  I'm just not one of those folks.  Instead I'm one of those who knows that if I can develop a habit (eating healthy or working out) and force myself to keep to the habit for at least 3 weeks, then it will become a normal part of my life, and I won't have to force myself that hard any more.  However, if I let that habit begin to slip, then it feels like I slip back to square one in no time.

That's where I am now:  square one.

The Man and the machine.

In 2007 I decided to take up running.  I didn't know what the heck I was doing, and so I just ran out my door aiming for a 10 minute run.  I lasted 9 minutes.  I made it 5 minutes out, turned around, and only lasted another 4 minutes.  I remember back then I read a really annoying article in a running magazine, with an interview with the founder of a running shop franchise here in North America (the Running Room, which first started in Edmonton in the 1980s).  In it, this guy's advice to new runners was to aim for 40 minute runs, because, he seemed to think it would be easy to run for 20 minutes, and then once you'd gotten that far, you might as well turn around and run back for 20 minutes.  After my 9 minute run, I laughed out loud at the idea that I could just "run 20 minutes."  Ha!  And it wasn't because I was super out of shape.  I played intramural volleyball once per week; I played squash a couple of times a week; I walked everywhere I needed to go.  I just wasn't a runner, and it took me a long time to work up from 9 minutes to 20 minutes, and then eventually to an hour and beyond.  To this date my longest run is just over 3 hours (when I did a 30km race).

But now I'm back to 20 minute runs.

So during my rest week, I've been taking it easy and doing little runs...at the gym and outside...and I feel like it'll be a big shock to my system to hop back on the bike and get back into the swing of things.

Fingers crossed that my wee 20 minute runs haven't hampered my ability to ride my bike for 3 hours!!!!

Over and out,
Joy

Rest Week(s) Stats:
MONDAY - rest
TUESDAY - physio (1 hour) & strength with the trainer (1 hour)
WEDNESDAY - rest
THURSDAY - 20 minute run on the treadmill & strength (a few pushups etc.)
FRIDAY - rest
SATURDAY - rest
SUNDAY - rest
--
MONDAY - 20:03 run, 3.36km, 5:58min/km, 156bpm
TUESDAY - physio (1 hour)
WEDNESDAY - 20:03 run, 3.30km, 6:04min/km, 149bpm
THURSDAY - strength with the trainer
FRIDAY - let's hope I get back on the bike!
SATURDAY - ???
SUNDAY - UCI Grand Prix de Montreal