k.p.nook

So that whole BikeTREK thing? It really got me liking the idea of having to train for something. This is the reason why I just registered for the Leamington sprint triathlon that is approximately 3 weeks away.

The triathlon is of the sprint subdivision and includes a 750 meter swim, 20 kilometer bike ride and 5 kilometer run. The only part that worries me is the 750 meter swim for which I will have to train like mad. Fresh from the 200km bike trek, I am ready to face this challenge head on.

All these events are stepping stones to an eventual life's goal of running a marathon and completing an Ironman triathlon.

More updates to come.

Fresh after finishing the last 105 km leg of the 200+ km trek, the picture above is one in which I am extremely satisfied. Last weekend's ride was nothing short of spectacular in every sense of the word and I could not be any more content for being a part of this event. 

The first day was slightly disgruntling for me as I did an extra 17.2 km of riding due to a blown over directional sign that I did not see. This landed me in 17th place out of 55 participants with a total distance of 112.2 km, a moving average of 27.8 km/h, a fastest speed of 39.9 km/h and a total time of 4:22 (including all rest stops). The detour on the first day was not a fun one as I had missed a particularly important turn entirely and had to complete a gigantic horseshoe shaped ride, half of which was on loose gravel, in order to go back to the proper path. Although disappointing for a few moments, I did not dwell on this mistake. The most interesting part of the trek happened within 2 km of the finish line on the first day, where my rear tire went flat. I picked up my bicycle and ended up running approximately 500 meters with it hoisted over my head and then then remaining 1.5 km with it at my side. 

Although a much tougher ride due to wind and rain, the second day's trek was far more enjoyable. I finished 7th out of 55 participants, coming in 10 minutes behind the lead pack of road bicycles; I have to restate that I was riding a mountain bicycle with road slicks and no foot locking pedals. My GPS' battery had died in the middle of the second day's trek, so I could not collect exact data on the 105 km ride as I did with the previous day.

What a weekend. A special thanks to Joe Stonehouse who ended up being my road buddy for most of the trip and a very good one at that.

This is it! My 200 km bike trek for the lung association of Ontario begins tomorrow morning.

I will do my best to get near a computer during the weekend's events in order to do a thorough update. I am hoping this will not be too difficult of a task, seeing as the overnight stay happens at St. Clair College, a rather modern campus that will be littered with computer stations.

The first day will consist of a bike ride that is outlined in the map below, starting at the Leamington marina and ending at the St. Clair College campus.

The next day's route will be as follows:

I am excited to no end and cannot wait for tomorrow morning. I cannot give enough thanks to all those who have supported me, both monetarily and psychologically. 

Three months of training will finally be put to the test this weekend. Wish me luck!

Less than one week to go until my 200 km bike trek for the lung association of Ontario!

Training like a madman! I can hardly contain my excitement for the event. The weekend of the event falls squarely on the same weekend that my store has to do its quarterly inventory, which I now get to skip out on. A mixture of guilt and glee are upon me, the latter in a higher dose. 

I took the bicycle in for a tuneup at the original place of purchase; cables got tightened, adjusted, gears properly oiled and everything tightened. I am ready for this and am literally counting down the days until I can put this on my list of accomplishments.

I have also found something really interesting the weekend after the bike trek in which I am hoping to partake: the Belle River triathlon, which includes a 500m swim, 30km bike and 5km run. The only reason I am considering doing the event rather than having already registered is the monstrous 500m swim. Most people really do not realize how much of a workout a good swim really is, with hardly any muscle in one's body being left unused, especially after half a kilometer. At this point it is a major consideration. For now, I will focus on the bike trek.

If any of my readers want to help me reach my pledge goal of $400, they can visit my donation page. Any little amount, even a dollar, will be of great help! Much thanks!

Less than two weeks to go until my 200 km bike trek for the lung association of Ontario!

I finally made the dive yesterday before my training run and bought a pair of road tires for my bicycle. I now have much less difficulty pedaling and have been able to achieve a faster base speed than with my nubby tires. My training made use of the nubby tires for as long as possible to allow myself to grow accustomed to a harder ride than with road tires. This seems to have worked quite successfully. After switching over the the road tires I successfully rode a total of 85km yesterday, from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle River and back, in under 4 hours. My training has prepared me well enough that I did not fall victim to either shortness of breath or cramps at any time in the ride. 

The donations are pouring in as well. I am within a $100 of achieving my goal and this is an easy task at this point. Much thanks goes to those who are supporting me!

If any of my readers want to help me reach my pledge goal of $400, they can visit my donation page. Any little amount, even a dollar, will be of great help! Much thanks!

Less than two weeks to go until my 200 km bike trek for the lung association of Ontario!

Today will entail a small training session of a 40km bike ride from my home in Tecumseh to the Ambassador bridge and back. I have made a small but incredibly worthy investment in that I purchased a pair of bike shorts; one of the most drastic changes in my riding style has come because of these regular looking shorts which have an inner lining and chamois that cushions your ride and prevents chafing due to perspiration.

The past few months of training have definitely revealed themselves in the past few days. Specifically, I helped a good friend of mine move the other day and went from 11 to 22:30 without a break tugging heavy furniture and boxes. Loss of breath seems to not be an issue for me, which is entirely a side-effect of my training.

If any of my readers want to help me reach my pledge goal of $400, they can visit my donation page. Any little amount, even a dollar, will be of great help! Much thanks!

Less than three weeks to go until my 200 km bike trek for the lung association of Ontario!

I am more than excited and am also more than half way to collecting my minimum of $400 dollars in pledges. I was astounded as to the generosity of my neighbours last week when I went knocking on doors: out of approximately 20 houses, I managed to collect $85 in pledges.

I have been training heavily and am currently recovering from a very sore quadricep muscle, which seems to stem from an overly powerful hamstring muscle that is now overpowering the weaker quadriceps, causing undue strain and tears. An uneven exercise program is the cause and is entirely my fault, I have been focusing on my hamstrings much more than my quadriceps as I do not have a road bike with clamp in pedals and will have to rely more heavily on my hamstrings than my quadriceps. The pain is subsiding rather quickly, but I know that I have to give more attention to my quads in order to prevent this from reoccurring. A few more days off and I am back to a more rigorous training regimen to prepare myself mentally and physically for the 200 kilometer bike ride.

I have already noticed signs being posted throughout the downtown Windsor area denoting the correct path to take on the trek. I feel proud to be a part of something like this.

If any of my readers want to help me reach my pledge goal of $400, they can visit my donation page. Any little amount, even a dollar, will be of great help! Much thanks!