cycle 20 km

1. I need to get a bike shirt. The one with the 3 pockets in the back. You go so many different places and you could be taking so many interesting photos, so a small portable camera, a cel phone, some money, and some snacks in there and I will be set (mind you the pockets are on the back so not only will I be set, but I will look like quasimodo).

2. Never, ever bike over a bridge that goes above a sewage treatment plant on the hottest day of the year. No explanation needed, but as per 1, a photo would have been nice.

This wasn’t the hardest thing that I have done. I swam for a half an hour this morning, then got on my bike and rode for 2 hours. The riding wasn’t very hard because it was mostly flat and I was supposed to do a relaxed bike ride. I rode around the north shore and then headed over the Lions Gate bride to Stanley Park, the location of my triathlon. I did one of my 2 laps for the race and it wasn’t that hard. There is one hill that is brutal, but otherwise, the ride isn’t so bad. You are almost under the bridge and you can see it way, way, way above you and then you hit this switchback that takes you up and over the bridge.

I got much better at switching gears and that helped alot. I went mountain biking with my gym for the adventure race that I stupidly agreed to be on a team for (http://www.adventurechallenge.ca/index.html). As part of this adventure race, you get to do some training sessions with experts. So while we were mountain biking I figured I could ask the expert what the gear thingy on the left hand handle bar was for. I figured the right one was the main one and the left one was just small degrees within the values of the right. Oh how wrong I was. Turns out it was the other way around. Now it is like I have discovered seven higher gears and seven lower. I can’t tell you how much this helped.

So, over the course of almost 2 hours of biking (1:48 ish), I biked 28.45km. That was right after swimming too. I am not so worried about completing the race now. Okay, that is over stating it. I swim so poorly, I really was surprised, even after swimming for 35 minutes continously last week, that I was able to swim for 30 minutes continuously today. I suck. I really, really need to work on the swimming.

Oh well, under a month to go. When I was in the park I stood and looked over at where the swimming course is. There is already a couple of bouys in the water and some guy was swimming out to one. I wonder if those are the race bouys? I should try swimming out to them later, when I have had a little practice and when I have a friend along for safety.

Sprint Triathlon = 18.8km

_The sprint and Olympic distance bike courses will be comprised of 2 or 4 laps respectively. The course follows Park Drive.
THIS COURSE IS ENTIRELY CLOSED TO TRAFFIC. Draft marshals and volunteers will patrol the course. Please keep your head up and be aware of other athletes, pedestrians and wildlife. The course will open to traffic flow at 10am.
The park may be busy with walkers – PLEASE KEEP YOUR HEADS UP. We will do our utmost to ensure your safety, but ultimately it is in your hands._

So far I have biked to work twice. It may be about 2km, maybe 3, but I doubt it is that far. My legs hurt so bad when I am done. There is a reasonable amount of hills both ways, but more on the way to work. I have to walk my bike up 2 hills (although less this last time). I made the ride all the way home though without any walking this last time. It might seem like I am getting in better shape and thus walking my bike less, but the reality is that my bike tires were extremely flat the first time out and it was like biking in sand.

As well, I have a mountain bike. Ironically, I have never taken it out on a mountain path yet (although there are many all around me). I got the bike late last year because the bike store was right next to the ice cream store. I had been teaching the kids how to ride their bikes and they were getting fast enough and wanting to go long enough that it looked like I was going to need a bike. The bike that I saw at the store looked pretty good and it was really cheap, so I was sold.

In any case, apparently there is a different breed of bikes called road bikes. I think they are like the 10 speeds of my youth. In any case, the people who live around me all have road bikes and they have paid upwards of $6000 per bike for them. A couple of things that I can do to help my current situation is to switch out to road tires on my bike and get stirrupy things for the pedals. Apparently the pulling is as important as the pushing.

Oh yah, I am totally freaked out of biking with traffic, so this doesn’t help either.

50km ECP 15 October 2006

Do it outside or inside.