Unbelievable.

We got up early on Saturday morning, K-Rod was dropped off at 7 a.m. and we were on the road by 7:10 a.m. We stopped just north of Newcastle for some carbs. We chatted and sang and just tried to contain our nervous energy. We stopped again in Kinmount, a little hamlet just southwest of Bark Lake. We visited the lovely public restrooms and the Valumart to stock up on snacks for after the race. We ran into our 2 fearless leaders, Shane and Susie who were going to grab some grub. Onward to Bark Lake...where Gail Van Awesome had already checked into the Tamarack Cabin, our home for the next 24 hours. It was a large room, with cots and ....drum roll...a bathroom (not all the cabins had bathrooms, so this was a luxury but with 8 girls we definitely needed it). We unloaded our gear, dropped our bikes and went to register for the race. We received our race packages, t-shirts etc. We then sat, reviewed our maps and ate. At 1:30 we boarded the yellow school bus that was taking us to the start of the bike portion of the race. We had 7 minutes to spare when we were dropped...I felt like I had to pee and I was going to be sick at the same time!!! haha. 2 p.m. RockstAR started.
The first portion of the biking was extremely hard. Lots of mud, lots of hills, more hills, steeper hills. Then we arrived on pavement for a little, which then turned into gravel. This was a combination of hills and flat, some big hills, some little hills, some awesome downhills too. Then the OPP stopped traffic while we crossed the highway for a short stretch and into Bark Lake. We had commented driving in, in the morning how long the driveway was...we got to enjoy it again on our bikes...5 km. We were stoked when the CPA came into view...time to get off the bikes and continue the journey. However, we were greeted by RockstAR volunteers for a random mandatory gear check - our hats. None of us had our hats, we didn't think we needed them since we would have our helmets. 30 minutes penalty, no negotations. We were very disappointed because our hats were at the top of the gear bin but it gave us time to gather our thoughts and get ready for the next portion.

30 minutes down, onto the canoe portion. We started out with a relatively easy CP on a beach. Then a hard CP, 41. We spent about 15 minutes looking for it and thanks to another team found it. 61 was located in the middle of Bark Lake. We had planned on 60 next but the current was getting strong, so we went back to shore and did the dives. 3 easy CP's. I dove in and got the easy one first...I kicked myself because I could have gotten all 3 in one swoop...so the next time I grabbed 2. Then we headed to the CP on the point. There was 20 minutes remaining...go for one more CP and maybe be late or head to the finish line now. Our team decision was to head to the finish rather than be late...hindsight is that we made the right choice...we heard the CP was difficult to get to and hard to find. PHEW! 3 hours 47 minutes and 520 points. Unbelievable. The other Phat Chicks/RaceDay Rush teams finished and we all celebrated. Dinner was followed by Awards Ceremony. We clapped for all the teams. Then they announced that 3rd place for 3-Female-4 hour was "Scenic Route"..."what are they talking about? It must be a mistake" is all I could think...we came in 3rd place? haha. Talk about UNBELIEVABLE. None of us had done anything like this before, we stopped to take pics, we didn't take the Scenic Route but we had FUN!!! That was one of our stipulations about our team. FUN had to be part of this race.
It was an UNBELIEVABLE weekend with amazing PhatChicks, whom I've bonded with over these last 12 weeks. I look forward to continuing our friendships with more Adventure Races, bikes rides and even social gatherings.
I've learned so much during the adventure and I thank Susie, Neil, Shane, Matt, Bryan, Mark, Heather, and especially the other 9 PhatChicks. You guys Rock.
xoxo

packed

Well...I am packed and almost ready to go. I hope I have everything - 2 whistles, lifejacket, sleeping bag, pillow, bike, helmet, Saucony shoes (woot woot), extra socks, extra long sleeve shirt, stuff for after the race, tire tubes, levers, water, snacks, chamois butter, first aid kit...and lots more. Heading to Szerenka's for a sleepover. It will be fun and that way I won't have to get up at 5:30 a.m. in order to meet everyone tomorrow morning.
I am getting excited and nervous all in one. Tomorrow at this time we will be half way through the race. Woot Woot!
This has been an amazing experience and I am glad to have been part of this group of fabulous ladies/Phat Chicks.
xoxo

I've lost my compass? lol

I haven't posted in a while...as usual, life is busy. NYC was amazing! We did lots of walking (about 15 km's a day), had a great meals, did sightseeing, a little bit of shopping, took lots of pics...The following weekend we went to a friends cottage on Georgian Bay that was water access only. It was so relaxing. I was up each morning just after sunrise, dressed and enjoying the morning before everyone else. I spent alot of time growing up on Georgian Bay so this weekend brought back great memories. Last weekend was very relaxing. I met with some of the Phat Chicks on Sunday. It was wonderful to get together and talk about the upcoming race.
Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to attend the final get together on Thursday night. We find out who won the contest, however, I think we all won. This experience has been amazing. All the women are unbelievable. Everyone brings something different to the table. I have learned from everyone. There will be lots of laughs and probably some tears (Keri, xoxo). I guess there will be lots of info about the 24th too, hopefully someone will keep me posted!
Oh, and can you believe it? After all of this...I can't find my compass...isn't that crazy? Who loses their compass.
I was reading through my previous posts. I think Meredith would be very proud of each and everyone of us. She will definitely be there in spirit on Thursday night and on the 24th in Bark Lake. Be Phat!

City Chase Toronto June 2010

Unbelievable!! I had a blast on Saturday during City Chase Toronto June 2010. It was 5 hours of orienteering, running, walking, taking the TCC, talking with complete strangers and bonding just because we were wearing the same red t-shirt, playing leap frog, mixing drinks, pulling cars, learning sign language, taking my shirt off in public, communicating via Blackberry messenger, doing Parkour, burning calories using a elliptical trainer, getting up on stage and much more. Our goal for our first City Chase was to finish within the allotted time. We finished 319 out of 600 teams. We were very happy with that result. We were EXHAUSTED!! We stopped at my cousin's house on the way home and they laughed at how tired we were.
We are talking about doing City Chase Toronto August 2010!!

Well, today I signed up for RockstAR Adventure Race...omg. I can't believe I did. I am nervous but I don't think I would be human if I wasn't nervous. I am most nervous about the running aspect and hoping my ankle will be ok. I was back at the chiropractor this morning (I know some people don't believe in chiropractors but mine changed my life, for the better. I wouldn't be able to live without him or my Massage Therapist). Saturday July 24 at 6 p.m. CHECK. Just another thing to check off my bucket list. I know I will be leaning on my fellow RaceDayRush/PhatChicks Chicks in the coming month and on the 24th. WOOT WOOT!!!

I am going to miss this Sunday's bootcamp as I will be in NYC!!

Mtn Biking, Orienteering, CP and The Cop

Today's Raceday Rush/Phat Chicks session was amazing! We met at Hilton Falls and reviewed orienteering tips and tricks from Bryan Connell. Once again, Bryan was patient with us, and even laughed at some of our colourful jokes/comments. The exercise today was to go to 4 Checkpoints (CP) and find colour balls (the same ones that taunted me during the canoe session a couple of weeks ago). I was determined that I wasn't going to let that happen this time. haha. We were given the bearings for 2 of the checkpoints where we had to use our compass, the other 2 we had to look in certain areas. My partner, Gail and I mapped out our plan. We got to the first check point and decided that we were spending too much time looking for it, so we continued on to the next checkpoint. This checkpoint was located at Hilton Falls near a fire pit (or a cookie lol). Shane met us at The Falls and stayed with us for a brief stretch. After we had found the ball and continued on to CP 3, we realized that we didn't even look at The Falls. Before the exercise started Neil was telling us how nice The Falls were. I guess Gail and I were concentrating on the task at hand! Then we heading to the most northerly CP. It was a nice ride on mostly wide trails, with one small portion of singletrack. Half way to the CP, Neil caught up to us with his stealthlike biking skills and scared me. I hope he edits what I yelled from his helmet cam recording. After finding the CP at the firepit and making fun of Neil (again) and his "interesting" video we took off to the next CP. It was up a singletrack trail that was muddy, Gail and I opted to get off our bikes. We were passed by Shannon, Susie, Bryan and Shane. For some reason, I worried that Susie would hide our bikes on us (funny after we all finished, Susie commented that it crossed her mind!). We had to make it back to the first CP. We looked for several minutes and decided we were too far into the forest and rode further down and finally located our final CP! We exited the forest and Neil was at the bottom telling us we were the first Phat Chicks to return!! We couldn't believe it! SWEET! It was a great day, lots of fun and my partner rocks!
I got my heart rate monitor today, so it will be interesting to see how it works.
Even getting pulled over by a cop on my way home didn't ruin my day. I forgot to get my validation sticker a couple of months ago. Duh. He just gave me a warning and I have to get it done with 72 hours. Guess where I will be at some point tomorrow. haha.

Beautiful Day and an Awesome Partner

Sunday was an amazing day!! Most of the other training days have been cold so we really appreciated the weather. We met at Kelso to participate in a paddling session. I hadn't bee in a canoe since high school while at my friends' cottages on Georgian Bay. I had never steered a canoe so it was fun to get out there and try it. Sharon and I were partners and we rocked the session! (haha) We took turns, learned strokes, had 2 competitions against the other teams, went for a swim and had a great time. Shane and Neil are so patient and I think they enjoy all the ribbing they get from us!
I am not sure what the criteria was when picking the 10 women but Meredith, Susie, Shane and Neil did an amazing job. There is a great cross section of women. We all compete against each other but once the competition is done, we all work together, support each other and still have a blast. I look forward to my bootcamp Sundays and hanging with these Chicks! You guys are Phat!

Workouts and Taylor Swift

Wow, the last week has been really busy! I went to a Habitat for Humanity Women Build Fundraising night on Wednesday. It is a great opportunity to give back to the community. Talk about small world, I ran into the lady who introduced me to the Phat Chicks!

I had to work on Thursday night so I was really disappointed to miss the first bike session. It looked like so much fun!

I did the second part of the homework on Saturday morning. It wasn't as hard as the first part but it was still great! I took my 11 year old niece to see Taylor Swift in Toronto on Saturday night. It was amazing, we both had a great time.
I did the interval sprints on Sunday morning. As I was half way through the exercise, I knew I could do it!! It was a great feeling. I went on a hike today, it was so warm but it was a gorgeous day. It was an awesome weekend.

Another busy week coming up!!

Today's Workout

So...tonight I did the homework. Holy cow! I worked out for 60 minutes hard and I was only able to do half of it and the calf session!! Another night I will do the second part and core. It was a tough workout but I feel great.

At our session on Sunday we received Saucony swag - a running hat, shoe bag and a shirt. Awesome!

Determination and I'm Alive!

I did it!! I completed our training session of trail running. I have never run trails, let alone run. It started out really hard trying to regulate my breathing. When we started Susie said "Let's run for 15 minutes". At the end of the run, I asked how long we had run for...45 minutes. Now, I didn't run the whole 45 minutes but it was my run and I did it at my speed. The other Phat Chick/Rockstar ladies are amazing from explaining their tricks for breathing, grabbing my hand to encourage me, high fiving at the top of a hill, telling me to remember to enjoy the view. I love you guys!

Susie rocks. She explained running technique, additional stretching and overall encouragement. She makes me realize my potential.

As we stretched, Susie explained our homework for this week. We are going to be busy girls...6 workouts this week - intervals, strength training, bike ride, cardio. You name it, we are doing it.

There is a group ride on Thursday night. I am disappointed that I won't be able to attend. I now work Thursday nights and have Friday afternoons off.

I heard one of my favourite songs on the drive home and it resonated even more today.

Intimidation...

Just got an email from Shane tonight. Sunday's workout is going to be trail running. OMG. I know this is part of the adventure but I am intimidated. Oh well, I will bite the bullet and do my best. It is my run, and no one elses. I will have Meredith running with me, coaxing me on along the way.

Orienteering and the past week

The one thing that all of our workout sessions have had in common is the weather. What's with that?
Today was our first session of orienteering with Bryan Connell. He is an "orienteering god". That man has patience! Tracey, Amy, Szerenka and myself were up for the challenge. Suzie, Connor (her awesome dog) and Shane hung out with us too. Bryan taught us topo's, mouse in the house (or houuuuuuse as Suzie says), declanation...the list goes on. At first I felt very clumsy trying to figure out how to figure out the compass and how to use it. After we "orienteered" Rattlesnake Point, with lots of laughs, lost keys (and I think Shane and Bryan shaking their heads throughout the adventure), I felt much more at ease but I still need lots of practice.
This workout was exactly what I needed. I needed to see my fellow adventurers, Suzie and Shane and the orienteering session was perfect. It helped me find my bearings after an unexplicable week.
I did my 30 minute bide ride on Tuesday along the river in Guelph. It felt great to get out. I am going to do a similar ride this week.

Just Breathe - Pearl Jam

I was driving home tonight and heard Meredith's song...

The Dash

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend
He referred to the dates on her tombstone from the beginning…to the end.
He noted that first came the date of her birth and spoke of the second date with some tears;
But he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash represented all the time that she’d spent alive on the earth
And now only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.
For it matters not how much we own; the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters most is how we live and love – it’s how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard. Are there things you’d like to change?
For one never knows how much time is left – you could be at dash ‘mid range’.
If we could just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real,
And always try to understand the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger and show appreciation more,
And love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect and more often wear a smile…
Remembering that this dash lasts just a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read with your life’s actions to rehash,
Would you be proud of the things they say about the way you spent your dash?

By Linda Ellis

This is a poem that originally was read at my Grandma's funeral. Everyone in my family has a copy of this poem somewhere. I like to live my life remembering my dash.

Angels

I couldn't concentrate yesterday. I didn't want to believe it. I kept checking my inbox for emails from "My RaceDay/Phat Chick" friends. Thank goodness I have them to lean on.
I am sitting at the cottage this morning listening to the thunder. When I was little my Aunt used to explain that thunder was angels bowling. Well, I think today the thunder is one particular angel getting all the other angels in shape by doing burpees, skipping rope and running etc. Of course, all the while with that infectious smile, lots of encouragement and her blonde ponytail!

Homework #2

Tonight I completed our second homework assignment. It was tough...but mostly on my wrists. Did anyone else have that problem? The homework consisted of all different kind of squats, crab crawls, pushups, triceps dips, different kinds of plank followed up intervals. I was really surprised how well I did with the intervals. I feel good tonight but am going to have a bath because I have a feeling I will be stiff tomorrow. I am still slacking on my 30 minute bike ride. I will do the bike ride on Saturday as I am heading up to the cottage and there is a trail right near the cottage that will be perfect for the ride. The weather is looking good for Saturday too.

Calves

I woke up this morning with sore calves...anyone else?
I did my first homework workout for this week tonight. I normally would have bailed on my workout tonight because I didn't leave work until close to 8 and I still had some running around that had to be done. I am glad I worked out because I felt better afterwards and had the energy to do the running around. I am hoping to get my bike ride in tomorrow night...I still haven't done the 30 minute ride without taking my feet off the pedals!

Kerncliff Park workout

On Sunday we had our 2nd group workout at Kerncliff Park. I think the Phat Chicks have ordered rain/drizzle or cold weather for our workouts. These days have been ok because by 5 minutes into the workout we don't notice. Even Susie was laughing at how muddy I was by the end of the first 20 minutes...I didn't mind! Our group warmup consisted of us warming up by skipping rope (and me singing!), then we were separated into 2 groups. The 1st group did squats, squats with leg raises and pushups until the 2nd group came back to the starting point. The 2nd groups circuit consisted of running on a boardwalk, stopping at 3 different points to do steps up, tricep dips followed by running back to the 1st group. My group which consisted of Shannon, Gail, Sharon and Keri (the moaner :)), had decided to stick together throughout the circuits. It made things easier as we could all work together. Then we did core exercises including the TRX...I think that what the contraption was called. It definitely worked the core!
We have the same homework as last week with an additional of another workout plus cardio. I wasn't able to do the biking last week so I looking forward to doing it on Saturday up at the cottage.
Have a great week ladies!

Homework #1

It has been years since I have done homework! I did a Zumba class on Sunday morning. It is a fun dance style class and depending on your instructor can be a great cardio workout. I did cardio on Monday night...trying to increase my cardio this week. I am not a runner so Saturday was difficult for me. Tonight I did my first homework assignment. I was proud that I was able to complete the whole workout without stopping and I did more reps on some of the exercises tonight than I was able to do on Saturday!!

First Workout with the Phat Chicks and One Phat Dude

This morning was the first official workout with the Phat Chicks, Susie and Meredith. Shane from Raceday Rush was also there and participated with us. He brought along the paparatzi (however you spell it, you can tell they don't follow me around) who documented our every move (every curse, every red face, every colliding body during suicides). We started out with a couple of laps around the pavilion, jumping jacks and stretching. Then suicides...I haven't done those since high school during tennis practice. Burpees, pushups, running stairs, squats up the stairs, more running, core exercises followed up stretching. It was a really hard workout but having all my new friends there cheering me on definitely made things easier. We have homework this week including getting out a couple of times to do cardio.
After I had a bath (which I needed) I decided I needed some pampering and treated myself to a manicure and pedicure. Ahhhhh. So nice.
Now that the first workout is behind me, I am looking forward to the next one and the ones to come to see how strong this challenge is going to make me!
Thanks Phat Chicks! Thanks new friends!

Great group of Phat Chicks and Phat Dudes too!

Meet and Greet

Today I met 9 wonderful strong women that I am going to be spending the next 12 weeks with sweating, running, biking and who knows what else. Today was the meet and greet for my next adventure. I am embarking on a 12 week "boot camp/mtb clinic/orienteering challenge, culmanating with RockStar Adventure Race. http://racetherockstar.com/RockstAR_Adventure_Race.html
The organizers of this adventure are Raceday Rush and Phat Chicks . I had originally met Meredith and Susie at a networking night in November 2009 in Guelph. I saw the link on their website and thought this would be a fun way to improve my limited mountain biking skills and meet some more amazing Phat Chicks!
The Meet and Greet was perfect because it answered lots of our questions. Now it's time to get out on my bike, do some training and classes to ready myself for our first training session with Meredith and Susie (Head Phat Chicks) next week.