Friday 13 March 2009

So much is going on

A lot of time has been spent on the road to no where. Way back in late January, a friend of mine gave me a bike trainer. How great is that? So needless to say, endless hours have been spent pedaling my butt at home on Ruby or going to spin classes at the gym I donate money to. I'm getting ready for the Century Ride for the Rideau Lakes Bike Tour in June.

Marathon training is in full swing as well, so needless to say, the only day I have to myself is Saturday, during which I've been spending time searching for pedals, bike shoes, bike jerseys, and questioning do I go clipless? do I get cages? So many things to learn and try out, so that is how I've been spending my one day "off".

However, last Saturday, the weather was finally cooperating so I met up with a friend of mine (who gave me the trainer) who is an avid runner and cyclist. We were able to get in our first outdoor ride of the season. Although it was cold and the sun was trying very hard to break through the clouds and there was little to no wind. We drove over an hour and parked the cars at the car park right in front of the locks and our tour began from the little picturesque town of Merrickville and headed off towards Burritts Rapids and beyond.

Once we were off the main road it was fantastic. Just miles and miles of beautiful old roads, rolling hills, century homes, farms and the Rideau canal. There was so much to see that the time and miles flew by. Since it was the first ride of the season I felt very fortunate to be able to seize the moment! On our way back the wind had picked up and it was becoming difficult for me to keep up even though I was drafting behind my friend, I ended up slowing down quiet a bit and caught up with them at the car park. We loaded the bikes into the cars and headed over to the Yellow Canoe Cafe for a late lunch. It was just the best way to spend a Saturday and end the ride. If you are ever in the area, I would definitely recommend touring the area and going to the cafe afterwards!

Another Saturday was spent with the Wooo Hooo's. We hadn't all been together since New Year's Eve and it was really time to catch up. Luckily we were all able to meet up and spend the afternoon talking, laughing, eating, having some wine and sharing our lives. Originally we had thought about running a 10K first then getting together, but the run would have definitely interfered with the reunion!!

So that's it to date, just a lot of cycling, running and friendship. Throw in my full time job and that is why I wasn't blogging too much.

Well, I'm back and happy for it, thanks for all of your support, I missed you guys!

Saturday is another day of biking and Sunday is a 26K run, so I'll let you know how it goes...

Oh, to change the subject just a little. please pop over to Marci's blog site and support her run for Joints in Motion and Reese's Run. Arthritis is a disease that impacts many, so please check it out!

Life's fun if you don't weaken,

Lily

17 comments:

Marlene said...

Sounds like a great ride. Makes me want to buy a bike! Good to have you back. :)

Vickie said...

Glad to see you are getting in some serious biking. And just between you and me and only a few others, I will e-mail you with some info on a race I am going to do this year.

Bert said...

Laurel, that sounds like fun all the way! I wonder, does the Yellow Canoe Cafe have some vegan options...?

Marcy said...

Ain't no thang!! I'm just glad to see you back! Plus I'd ditch blogging for the Whoo Hoooo ladies any day ;-)

Unknown said...

Sounds like you are doing great with both your riding and running. As far as the pedals go, clipless is the way to go. Not only are they more comfortable, they are much safer. Once you get used to them, they are much easier to get out of than cages. Yes you will fall down a couple of times when you are learning them - everyone does. But once you get used to them, they are the way to go. Have fun this weekend!

Chic Runner said...

You are hardcore on that bike! Amazing workout and have a great weekend. I can bike maybe 5 miles. :)

Gotta Run..... said...

GO clipless. You loss power in your pedal if you are in the cages. it is not near as scary to learn how to use them as you might think. I only with that I had did this right away rather than waited a few months when I first started riding over two years ago. trust me... :)

btw - I have speed play for my clips.

C said...

So glad to have you back! :)

Runner Leana said...

Glad to see you back here! Yes, I know I owe you an update e-mail, but I think things are progressing fairly nicely ;)

I would say definitely go for clipless over cages. The amount of power you get from being clipped in is amazing!! I just don't think you'd get the same thing from cages, and once you get the hang of getting in and out the pedals are super easy to use. Definitely go for those!!

Marci said...

Its great to have you back and you have been busy! I can't wait to read about marathon 2 training, thanks for the plug, I really appreciate your support!

Aka Alice said...

Yay for an evening with the Woo-Hoos...and glad you're back...

Alexandra said...

Good to see that the "so much is going on" is fun stuff! Woohoo for the weather finally cooperating!

bluecolnago said...

clipless. you may try mtb pedals and shoes if you plan to tour and get off to see the sights. road shoes just aren't conducive to walking. understand that you will fall over once or twice until you learn to use them. after that they are easy. heck, i still fall over once in awhile. lol. ah well, you know me....

glad you're back to blogging, young lady! have fun on the bike.

Judi said...

don't you just love to ride?

Groover said...

Great ride and great to hear that you are busy and happy. You'll be kickin' butt come June!

Thanks for the virtual hug and I'm not as sad as my last post might have sound. I'm actually quite content now. :-)

Anonymous said...

hope the run goes well. It's a beautiful day for it!
HUGS
Ter

Bill Carter said...

Hi Lily

It is about time we got some decent weather. It has been one LONG, cold winter and as I tell my patients, "I don't do winter well!".

Sounds like a truly beautiful place you went to ride and I'll bet you can't wait to get back out there. And maybe it will even be a bit warmer!