When technology fails you

The important part of our training is the actual physical conditioning.  The calories we burn are really just an added bonus, since the goal is strength and endurance and not necessarily weight loss (although if we weighed less, it would be easier to get up those mountain passes).

Since calories are an easy thing to track though, they are an encouraging way of keeping you motivated- like a pat on the back after a hard workout.

Imagine my frustration at the fact that I just busted my butt on the trainer for an hour and 10 minutes and my new garmin watch (Christmas gift that I just can't quite figure out!!!!) tells me I burned a grand total of SIX calories.  To put this in perspective, I would have guessed 700.  BUMMER!  Not a biggie, but would be nice to know.

Working out in the dungeon.  AKA: the basement.  It snowed on Monday evening so we can't ride outside for a bit.  My trusty companion was by my side though in the absence of Den (away on business trip).......the dog that is.....I haven't taken to calling my bike my trusty companion (yet).

Sometimes to get through a tough workout and have the motivation to keep going, I have to 'self talk' positive or encouraging thoughts.  Today's positive thoughts were that I'm so lucky that my body is allowing me to do this.  I'm healthy and have no ailments right now.  I never want to take that for granted, because we know all too well how quickly that can change.  Today's self talk was something along the lines of "I'm healthy.  My body can do this.  I have nothing hurting me, I have no reason to stop.  Many can not do what I am doing now-not because they don't want to,  but because their body won't let them."  For that, I am grateful.

Training nutrition

Peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies MUST be a good training food, right?

PB for protein.
Oatmeal for carbs.
Chocolate for..........happiness?

Since the butter and sugar aren't actually in the title of the cookie, they probably hold little significance and I can just ignore them.


We didn't want to, but we both went into the basement for cross training last night.  Me on the treadmill, and Den on the weights for some upper body work.  It helps to have someone there for the pain!

Keeping it fun

We worked hard this weekend, but had so much fun doing it.

Saturday we did a 40 mile ride with a neighbor friend of ours (grrrr.....my computer must be set to American, and every time I type something with a 'u' in it....like neighbour.....it auto corrects it to American english.  Yes, I can change it each time but it takes more work!!).

It was a fantastic workout, and I can't tell you how much better it is to get outside than to toil away inside on a trainer.  The change of scenery was wonderful, and our friend's knowledge of the roads/routes and about the area in general was welcome too.  We're really hoping that he's wanting to do some of our longer rides with us-it's great to have more people along, and it makes the time go faster when you can chat away......

Sunday was a snowboarding day.  We weren't sure what it would be like up there because this hasn't been the best winter for snow, but it actually was the best snow day yet.  Rather than hard packed icy conditions, we had tons of runs that had nice snow on them.  It made the day so much better!  Those legs sure are getting a workout lately!

I guess that'll be the key to this training.....keeping it fun.  That'll be the goal from here on out!  Then again, I'm not sure how much 'fun' it'll be when we need to do 100+ mile training rides.  Blech!

As an aside.....do you know how annoying it is to workout with guys and have them burn 1/2 again the number of calories that you burn in the SAME workout?  Those darn muscular frames!  Every time I work out with Den he blows me away with his calorie burn (based on our actual heart rates, not on averages).

Ripped muscles

Not ripped as in "Gee, that girl looks RIPPED!".

Ripped as in "My muscles feel like they've been ripped into a million pieces".

Ouch.  :-(

Guess the P90X leg workout did it's thing.

1st training workout

It was January 21st yesterday.  Not New Years day, or even the day after.  We had let 3 weeks go by before making good on our promise to "train hard" in the new year.  UGH.  How does that happen?  Life.  Life happens.  (and laziness.  that happens too).

The reality is, we are NOT hard core athletes.  We like the treats just as much as the rest of you.  We'd prefer to browse the internet most times than train.

So last night when the text came in (yes, Den and I text each other even when we're in the same house) asking if I wanted to go soak in the hot tub.....the answer was "YES!  I WANT to go soak in the hot tub!!!".  That's not what I said though.  I texted back "Nope, it's time to get on the trainers".

And without a complaint, down he came with a spring in his step.  It was time to train.  No more excuses.  He got our bikes set up, grabbed our shoes, filled our water bottles and was raring to go. (As an aside....do you know how nice it is to have a personal bike mechanic/'getter readier'?  LOVE!).

He was keen to do the 40 minute cycling DVD we have.  I told him we needed more, and put on the 75 minute one.  Whine.  Complain. "Can't do it". "Too much, too soon".  Ooooh boy, there were a lot of complaints coming out of his mouth.  Good thing he's not much of a swearer. :-)  Even as much as 1/2 way through he was telling me he wasn't doing the whole thing, "only 40 minutes, like I wanted to in the first place!".  (He's stubborn).  Luckily, I'm stubborn too.  I stood my ground (or rather, 'sat my bike').

And you know what?  We both completed the whole darn 70 minute workout.  It was brutal hard.  I wanted to give up and lightly pedal (otherwise known as 'fake it') SEVERAL times during the workout, but I didn't.  WE didn't.

Getting our butts up all of those stairs from the basement was a great reminder of how sore our muscles were.  OUCH!  But getting to the top and knowing that we had our first workout done felt awesome.

I tell you this because there will be many days when we don't feel like working out.  Many.  Do us a favour and support us, and keep us honest to the process, OK?

Proud of both of us.  1 workout down.......countless more to go.

Off to get in a leg workout this evening (and hoping Mr. Stubborn doesn't give me a hard time AGAIN!)


******


Update:  We struggled through the P90X leg workout.  Yowza, what a killer!  I know it'll get easier as the weeks go on, but tonight really put us through our paces.  Mr. Whine didn't even show his face tonight!

A daunting task ahead

5 months from TODAY, I will participate in my very first Ride2Survive event.  And by 'participate', I don't mean volunteer this time.  I'll be attempting to ride the entire event.

Why?

Because I can (at least I *hope* I can!).


I've volunteered the last 2 years, and really loved being part of the team.  Last year, Den and I and the kids travelled back to B.C. so that we could be a part of the event.  Even though we had extremely generous people donate money to the cause in Den's name (and the name of loved ones that have fought a battle with cancer), we also had several people contact us to tell us that they would not be donating that year because we weren't riding.

I get it.  There are lots of worthy causes to donate to.  Tons.  It's often difficult to choose.

It just makes sense then for both of us to attempt to ride our bikes this year, in the hopes that we will raise more money towards the cause than when we volunteer for it.

To say we have been touched by cancer is an understatement.  Den will forever bare the scars from losing a lobe of his lung to it......and we are one of the VERY lucky ones that caught it early enough.  The least we can do is try to pay it forward, and hope that someday no one else will need to hear that diagnosis.

Am I scared?  Yes.  I have no idea how I'll fit in all of the training that is required to prepare properly for this.  This isn't an ordinary bike ride.  400kms on our bike, in a single day.  Oh ya, and I should mention that it's over two mountain passes, with 12,000 feet of climbing.  Yikes.

Probably the worst part of all will be training to do this without the support of the wonderful Ride2Survive teammates.  The ones that plan the routes.  Drive the support vehicles.  Bake the treats to refuel us.  Pick you up when you have no gas left in your tank.  Encourage you when you think you can't possibly turn the pedals even a single time more.  Remind you why you're doing it.  We'll miss them terribly.

Over the course of the next 5 months, I'll try to post updates on the training and the ups and downs of getting ready.  Perhaps some of you will follow along and post reminders and encouragements to keep us motivated.  I'd love if you'd share a personal story of how you were affected by cancer (loved one, friend, yourself).  Hearing the names and seeing the faces behind this disease is so much more powerful than a statistic.

This was us after Den's Ride2Survive, 2011