Musselman Lake pt.2 (67km)

21 07 2010

Sunday was my last ride before I depart from Toronto and make my way to Montreal. A friend and I completed our usual route to Musselman Lake. Much cooler than Saturday, but still quite a beautiful day.

We rode up to Musselman and took our break at the Cedar Beach Variety Store , the home of the “Coolest Little Ice Cream Shop”… don’t believe me? Check out the sign! This place is mostly full of candy, but we were able to grab ourselves some beverages to quench our thirst.

If you haven’t had a chance to visit Musselman Lake, I strongly suggest you head out there. It’s close enough to the city that you can make a day out of it or just head up for ice cream!


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Other Training, Road Challenges

Musselman Lake (67km)

17 07 2010

Wednesday was the first mid week ride I’ve done all season, slacker? Yes. Musselman Lake is a gorgeous place to visit so riding the bike out there doesn’t feel like work at all.

We built our own route, departing from Bayview and Highway 7 we made our way up Leslie and across Vandorf Side Road. Not many hills to climb on this route, aside from some gentle ones, but it’s just the right ride for after work. Clearly Musselman is a popular ride for cyclists as there were a number of others on the road at varying stages of their rides. It’s great to see everyone out on the road at this time of year!

This weekend will be my last set of rides before departing for Montreal. We’re off to Lake Simcoe on Saturday and a short ride back out to Musselman on Sunday! Can’t wait!


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Categories : Other Training, Training Rides

Rogue Ride – Kennedy to Ashburn (102km)

14 07 2010

Saturday I rode from Kennedy station to Ashburn, a rogue ride with a few team members from the Friend’s for Life Bike Rally. We were originally slated to ride up to Belfountain (my favourite ride), but I was convinced to do a side ride. Needless to say that once the bike rally is finished I WILL be doing the Belfountain ride!!!

We set out from the station at 8am and made our way through the city and out into the beautiful countryside and the Rouge Valley. Aside from a few climbs, this route was relatively flat! Flat rides are not my ideal as I like the hills, but, with the heat on Saturday, I didn’t mind at all. We had a quick break at a small country store in Ashburn where everyone refueled!

I’d done this ride a few weeks back in gloomier conditions and actually quite enjoyed myself this time around and, more importantly, no injuries or wrong turns to report this week!

Next Saturday is the ride to Keswick. I’m looking forward to this ride as it’s the last of our training rides before departing for Montreal on the 25th.


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Categories : Other Training, Training Rides

Kipling-Terra Cotta (102km)

10 07 2010

A little late with this post, but late is better than never!

A few weeks ago I rode with the Friend’s for Life Bike Rally from Kipling Station out to Terra Cotta. This was one of the only rides that I didn’t complete last year on the training rides and it was such a great ride! The road crew also joined us for this ride to cheer us on and lead the way to Terra Cotta.

There have been quite a few wrong turns on almost every ride this year and this ride was no exception. Even with road crew with us we still managed to make a wrong turn. We did get one extra hill in from our wrong turn so there’s always a positive, even if, for some, an extra hill is not a positive!

We had our lunch break in Terra Cotta and were joined by the fabulous Food Crew. Much thanks goes out to all the crews that join us for the ride, we couldn’t do it without you!

Only 2 weeks until we leave for Montreal! My bike will be going in for service this week and will hopefully be ready to go by next weekend and the final training ride to Keswick!


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

Finch-Holland Marsh (103km)

28 06 2010

While the city of Toronto was burning and dealing with mobs of protesters, I was completing my training ride with the Friends for Life Bike Rally.

Not the greatest day for riding, but this fair weather rider braved the rain storm and rode out to Holland Marsh from Finch subway station.

The ride time improved drastically for this ride; I suspect mostly motivated by being cold and wet.

Still, the scenery along this ride does not disappoint – even on a rainy day. We rode through the town of Kettleby, where we usually stop for a quick break at the local bakery, and around the canal of Holland Marsh.

A few construction zones along the way left me covered in mud, but I made it back safely so can’t complain more than that.

No photos of this ride due to the weather, but more to come as this past weekend was also my back to back 100km rides!

Sent from my BlackBerry device.


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Categories : Friends for Life Bike Rally, Training Rides

Yoga Bootcamp

14 06 2010

Yesterday I tried another class with Fireflow Yoga, this time Yoga Bootcamp. It was quite a difficult class for me since I only just started last week. This class, like my last, was led by Fireflow Yoga founder Jonathan Perlman.

The pace of the class was quite fast and very much like an aerobics class. I’m not all that sure that it was an appropriate level for me to attend, but I did what I could and got into the poses required, to the best of my ability. I suspect that the more time I spend practising, the more easily I’ll be able to do it.

I’m looking forward to trying out some additional classes this week, but think I’ll stick to beginner for now.

No ride to report on this weekend due to uncooperative weather here in Toronto, but Yoga was a nice way for me to keep active without cycling this week.


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Categories : Other Training

Fireflow Yoga

9 06 2010

Monday night was my very first yoga class ever… I know right? What was I waiting for?!?! I think I just found one of my favourite things! It’s the perfect thing to accompany my training, in the gym and on the road, and will help keep me nice and limber. I have started to notice that my leg muscles are getting very tight, which has been limiting my flexibility somewhat, since starting to cycle again.

The class was led by Jonathan Perlman, founder of Fireflow Yoga, and was quite intense, but in a very enjoyable way. Not too far into the class the sweat was dripping off my body. The teacher was involved with the class and made sure that everyone was in their proper poses and form – without straining or injuring. For anyone that has yet to try it, you definitely should – maybe even at Fireflow.

I’ve signed up for two weeks of sessions so I’ll be sampling their class offerings to determine whether it’s the right studio for me and seeing how much progress I can make. Now the only question is how many classes can I squeeze into one day? I’m totally addicted! Next class tomorrow!

Thanks Fireflow!


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Not Feeling Motivated…

11 02 2010

What is one to do? Even when the gym is calling from downstairs I seem to be finding every excuse not to go! Needing a nap, having a snack, writing this blog post…

I’m sure we would all agree that motivation is key to attaining our fitness goals, but what contributes to this general lack of motivation? Is it Winter blues (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or is it just simple laziness?!?!Not sure about you, but I can speak for myself and say that, in general, I’m merely answering the call of the couch and for the past few days that call is getting louder.

What should we do to stay motivated? Everywhere I look I keep seeing things like:

  • set goals – this is key to the success of any training routine, but a suggestion would be to break your goal down into smaller ones so you have successes along the way to your overall.
  • keep a training diary - these are great ways to track both your progress and your routine so that you can change up your workout every now and again, 3 months is the general consensus.
  • get a workout partner – This one I would say is more of a personal preference, but my advice is to choose wisely as this could also have the opposite effect.
  • reward yourself – Just because you are trying to get in shape doesn’t mean you need to punish yourself, just don’t over do it!

What’s keeping you motivated to keep your fitness goals or helping you stay on track?

Tonight, for me, it will just have to be a healthy dose of mind over matter! Until tomorrow…


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