Started the day out with a bike ride with Annette that reminded me of that section of the newspaper that tells you your emotional, intellectual and physical scores for the day.....today must have been a 1 for physical because I thought I was going to DIE. You have some good rides and some bad. This was a bad one for me. I managed to make it through to the end which resulted in 56 kms being covered.
Ran home and got ready for a summer BBQ that I was holding. The same group came: Annette, Jamie, Bob, Uncle Paulie, Gill, Lisa and her family. We had lots of red meat and goodies and had a great time as per usual. Great weather too. God I love summer.
If Calgary was like this for even 5 months of the year I would consider staying long term.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Monday, June 12, 2006
MS Bike Ride 165 kms
I just wanted to thank everyone for their wonderful donation to MS. I just completed the ride today and have spent the last 4 hours sleeping on the couch, recovering. I had 25 people sponsor me and raised a total of $1385.00.
The first day of the bike ride ended up being 95 kms, and it was a grueling, taxing, arduous ride. It took us all day to arrive in Olds due to the major headwinds and most of the ride being uphill. To help you visualize it, we had to pedal going DOWNHILL. We managed to not get picked up by the "Sag Wagon" though, which was a good thing.....we watched tons of people drive past us in them that were too tired to finish. We didn't even think to lather on the sunscreen since the forecast predicted overcast skies and rain - yet halfway through the ride the sun came out and burnt the hell out of us. Our fault, we know :(
Once we arrived, we were pampered - due to Annette and I raising over a thousand dollars, we were upgraded to a townhouse, rather than camping or staying in the dorms. Due to this, we also received Bernard Callebaut chocolates and a bag of goodies - and were able to have our own bedrooms and bathroom....we had hot water in the shower - heard later that the dorms ran out of hot water early and they all showered in cold water. As well, we were invited to the "high rollers room" which had gambling for charity and free alcohol..to let you know HOW tired we were - we spent most of the night nursing our one and only drink on the leather couches in the lobby - only because we couldn't physically move to any other area. At 7:30, I was ready to call it a night. Managed to make it to 10:30 though - for anyone that knows me, they are probably surprised that I went to bed that early. We were physically, and mentally exhausted.
This morning, we woke feeling like a train had run over us. We ate breakfast and got back on our bikes and FORTUNATELY, the wind was at our backs. Today's ride was better - it was a different route so we didn't get to take advantage of all the downhill areas, but it's easier climbing hills when you aren't fighting the wind. Today's ride ended up being 70 kms. Although we hit some rain at the end, it was a pleasant day.
There were hundreds of volunteers, and the sponsors made the whole experience worthwhile. Volunteers were so friendly and encouraging, the food was wonderful and the organization was above our expectations. The Hutterite community baked fresh bread and shared it with the group on the first rest stop - they were extremely kind. The ride raised over $700,000 which was a record.
I have attached a link to some pictures for you - enjoy. Again, thanks so much for your support.
http://community.webshots.com/user/merdypops2
The first day of the bike ride ended up being 95 kms, and it was a grueling, taxing, arduous ride. It took us all day to arrive in Olds due to the major headwinds and most of the ride being uphill. To help you visualize it, we had to pedal going DOWNHILL. We managed to not get picked up by the "Sag Wagon" though, which was a good thing.....we watched tons of people drive past us in them that were too tired to finish. We didn't even think to lather on the sunscreen since the forecast predicted overcast skies and rain - yet halfway through the ride the sun came out and burnt the hell out of us. Our fault, we know :(
Once we arrived, we were pampered - due to Annette and I raising over a thousand dollars, we were upgraded to a townhouse, rather than camping or staying in the dorms. Due to this, we also received Bernard Callebaut chocolates and a bag of goodies - and were able to have our own bedrooms and bathroom....we had hot water in the shower - heard later that the dorms ran out of hot water early and they all showered in cold water. As well, we were invited to the "high rollers room" which had gambling for charity and free alcohol..to let you know HOW tired we were - we spent most of the night nursing our one and only drink on the leather couches in the lobby - only because we couldn't physically move to any other area. At 7:30, I was ready to call it a night. Managed to make it to 10:30 though - for anyone that knows me, they are probably surprised that I went to bed that early. We were physically, and mentally exhausted.
This morning, we woke feeling like a train had run over us. We ate breakfast and got back on our bikes and FORTUNATELY, the wind was at our backs. Today's ride was better - it was a different route so we didn't get to take advantage of all the downhill areas, but it's easier climbing hills when you aren't fighting the wind. Today's ride ended up being 70 kms. Although we hit some rain at the end, it was a pleasant day.
There were hundreds of volunteers, and the sponsors made the whole experience worthwhile. Volunteers were so friendly and encouraging, the food was wonderful and the organization was above our expectations. The Hutterite community baked fresh bread and shared it with the group on the first rest stop - they were extremely kind. The ride raised over $700,000 which was a record.
I have attached a link to some pictures for you - enjoy. Again, thanks so much for your support.
http://community.webshots.com/user/merdypops2
Friday, May 26, 2006
34 vs 24
Today I turned 34.
Ten years ago I turned 24....obviously. I remember 24 very well. I moved out of my parents' home and moved in with James. Who, coincidentally, has the same birthday.
So much time has passed between then and now and yet I feel no different. A little fatter but just as youthful. Yet when I look into the mirror I see that I look different - more laugh lines and wrinkles on my forehead that I inherited from my Dad.
I'm the last age in the checkbox on questionnaires....18-25, 25-34..soon I will be checking off 35-50. Until then, I'm going to whoop it up.
Happy Birthday to Me!
Ten years ago I turned 24....obviously. I remember 24 very well. I moved out of my parents' home and moved in with James. Who, coincidentally, has the same birthday.
So much time has passed between then and now and yet I feel no different. A little fatter but just as youthful. Yet when I look into the mirror I see that I look different - more laugh lines and wrinkles on my forehead that I inherited from my Dad.
I'm the last age in the checkbox on questionnaires....18-25, 25-34..soon I will be checking off 35-50. Until then, I'm going to whoop it up.
Happy Birthday to Me!
Monday, May 22, 2006
Metric-osity
Ok so I have been training for this 180KM bike ride from Airdrie to Olds. Each time I go out I get scared that I am not going to be able to finish this thing since:
a. I'm out of shape
b. My bum kills like a sunnuva
c. I never seem to get past 40kms without dying
So yesterday Annette, Jamie and I decide to do the path from Elks golf course to Chestermere. We all set our computers together and half way I realize that my computer is off by A LOT. I know that mine must be wrong since Annette's GPS is close to her own computer reading on her bike. After doing some calculations in my head I realize that my system is calculating MILES rather than KILOMETERS. THANK THE LORD ABOVE. I'm not as bad as I thought I was......we finished 75 kms yesterday and I feel okay today so I think I'll actually be able to do this thing after all. 19 days to go.
a. I'm out of shape
b. My bum kills like a sunnuva
c. I never seem to get past 40kms without dying
So yesterday Annette, Jamie and I decide to do the path from Elks golf course to Chestermere. We all set our computers together and half way I realize that my computer is off by A LOT. I know that mine must be wrong since Annette's GPS is close to her own computer reading on her bike. After doing some calculations in my head I realize that my system is calculating MILES rather than KILOMETERS. THANK THE LORD ABOVE. I'm not as bad as I thought I was......we finished 75 kms yesterday and I feel okay today so I think I'll actually be able to do this thing after all. 19 days to go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)