I've always loved red rubies and have asked for one on many occasions :) Well today I finally got one! It's probably not what you think though. It's a Specialized Ruby bike and it just happens to be red!
She's beautiful and feels like she was made for me. My first bike (which I still have) is a Specialized Tarmac - also a very beautiful bike which I LOVE (your first is always so special!) - but I always felt a bit nervous on it. I thought it was just my poor bike handling abilities but as it turns out my Tarmac is a racing bike and is therefore 'twitchy'. It's meant to be very sensitive and able to dart in and out of other riders as you would do in a race. Going downhill you feel absolutely everything - every pebble, every little change in the pavement, EVERYTHING. My Ruby is more meant for long rides like the Gran Fondos that I so love to do and is a bit of a smoother ride.
When I took Ruby out for a test ride up and down some hills I knew she had to be mine! She's also a few centimetres smaller which makes all the difference in how stable you feel on a bike. I have a smaller torso so with Ruby I'm able to better distribute my weight and not feel like I'm pitching forward and hanging on for dear life.
I'll always love my Tarmac and will be sad to see it go, but I'm blown away with how much more comfortable I am on a slightly smaller bike.
My Sunday group ride is up Seymour this week (and then back down of course) so I'll really get a chance to test Ruby out - stay tuned!
Health and fitness to fit any lifestyle and any fitness level!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
I LOVE Naps!
Today I had a great nap! I napped for about 4 hours. Maybe that's a bit long for a nap but I must have needed it. I think my Gran Fondos finally caught up with me. Not to mention I don't really get any down time before or after my cycling events.
Being a full time fitness instructor requires me to be active all the time if I want to make money and pay the bills! Luckily I'm in love with being active and even when I'm exhausted I'm at my happiest when I'm leading a class :)
With my profession I actually am afforded the luxury of taking naps. My schedule usually has me teaching 2-3 classes in the morning and then I have a large gap in the afternoon where I can usually sneak in a 20-30 minute nap (which, by the way, is the optimal amount of time for a nap - not 4 hours). Then I answer e-mails, work on building my business and then typically have 1 (sometimes 2) evening classes to teach before I return home for a well deserved glass of red and a healthy, delicious dinner.
Do you nap? I'm sure most of you don't but probably wish you could. Did you know that napping has many positive benefits including making you a more productive worker? Tell your boss! You need to nap to be more productive! We should take a lesson from the Europeans. When I was in Switzerland at 12pm each day people would take a 2 hour break to eat and rest. The power was actually shut off to the building we were staying at everyday from noon-2pm.
One thing I really noticed during my time in Europe is that the only obese people were the tourists! There really is a link between sleep deprivation/stress and weight gain. Europeans seem much more healthy, happy and way less stressed out. It's too bad we're all so rushed here in North America. We seem to be of the mindset that the more we can accomplish in a day the better we are. We seem to be always chasing something. We need to take better care of ourselves and really enjoy life and the simpler pleasures such as taking an afternoon nap.
Still not convinced? Here are some benefits of napping:
Reduces stress
Increases alertness and productivity
Improves memory and learning
Good for the heart
Increases cognitive functioning
Motivates you to exercise!
Boosts your creativity
Makes up for a bad night's sleep
So again I'm not suggesting you nap for 4 hours at a time, but a quick 20-30 minute nap could make a world of difference! For those of you who work in offices at a desk you may want to consider what George Costanza did on Seinfeld - create a secret napping spot under your desk - no one will ever know you've been napping but they'll all notice how much fresher you are!
Being a full time fitness instructor requires me to be active all the time if I want to make money and pay the bills! Luckily I'm in love with being active and even when I'm exhausted I'm at my happiest when I'm leading a class :)
With my profession I actually am afforded the luxury of taking naps. My schedule usually has me teaching 2-3 classes in the morning and then I have a large gap in the afternoon where I can usually sneak in a 20-30 minute nap (which, by the way, is the optimal amount of time for a nap - not 4 hours). Then I answer e-mails, work on building my business and then typically have 1 (sometimes 2) evening classes to teach before I return home for a well deserved glass of red and a healthy, delicious dinner.
Do you nap? I'm sure most of you don't but probably wish you could. Did you know that napping has many positive benefits including making you a more productive worker? Tell your boss! You need to nap to be more productive! We should take a lesson from the Europeans. When I was in Switzerland at 12pm each day people would take a 2 hour break to eat and rest. The power was actually shut off to the building we were staying at everyday from noon-2pm.
One thing I really noticed during my time in Europe is that the only obese people were the tourists! There really is a link between sleep deprivation/stress and weight gain. Europeans seem much more healthy, happy and way less stressed out. It's too bad we're all so rushed here in North America. We seem to be of the mindset that the more we can accomplish in a day the better we are. We seem to be always chasing something. We need to take better care of ourselves and really enjoy life and the simpler pleasures such as taking an afternoon nap.
Still not convinced? Here are some benefits of napping:
Reduces stress
Increases alertness and productivity
Improves memory and learning
Good for the heart
Increases cognitive functioning
Motivates you to exercise!
Boosts your creativity
Makes up for a bad night's sleep
So again I'm not suggesting you nap for 4 hours at a time, but a quick 20-30 minute nap could make a world of difference! For those of you who work in offices at a desk you may want to consider what George Costanza did on Seinfeld - create a secret napping spot under your desk - no one will ever know you've been napping but they'll all notice how much fresher you are!
Monday, July 18, 2011
No More Sugar Please!
Today I feel pretty rough. Not from the 115km Gran Fondo Kelowna I did, but from all the sugar I consumed! On these long rides the feeding stations offer mostly sugar and electrolytes. There's fruit, gels, sugary electrolyte drinks, bars and other assorted goodies (Honey Stinger waffles are my favourite!). I love the feeding stations!
When riding a long ride you need the sugary carbs to keep your glycogen levels topped up so you have energy to get through the ride but I tend to go a bit overboard and I justify it by telling myself that since I'm doing such a long hard ride I need to eat all the sugar I can get my hands on. Did I mention that I used to be very addicted to sugar?
When I was younger everything I ate had sugar in it - and I mean everything! Breakfast was a sugary cereal, or a non-sugary cereal with loads of white sugar added to it. For lunch a sandwich with lots of miracle whip (contains sugar). For dinner whatever we were having smothered in ketchup (contains A LOT of sugar)! My mom loved to bake and I loved to eat desserts anytime, anywhere. No wonder I used to be a bit on the chubby side. I also had exercised induced asthma and pretty bad allergies.
Sometime in my twenties I decided to try to give up sugar. It was not easy - not for me, nor for the people who had to be around me. The first 3 or so days were the worst! Then after a while I started to notice that my allergies were pretty much gone, and I was hardly ever using my inhaler. I used to have to use my inhaler before doing any kind of exercise. I used to use my asthma as an excuse to get out of doing physical activity actually. Once I cut out sugar it all went away, not to mention my head became clearer and I didn't feel as sluggish as usual. The best thing was that my taste buds started coming back. Did you know that regular sugar consumption will deaden your taste buds? That's why when you first give up sugar everything tastes bland. Don't worry though they do come back after a while once you give up the white death.
Sugar causes inflammation in your body which is why it aggravates such conditions as asthma, arthritis and any kind of joint pain. If you have any kind of dis-ease in your body sugar will only make it worse! So why do so many of us eat way too much of it? Because it's addictive and it's in practically anything that comes in a package. Check the ingredients on any packaged good and chances are there will be some sugar in it. Any word ending in 'ose' is a sugar by the way. The marketers try to be clever by saying they're product has whole grains and is therefore healthy. Here's a hint - if your cereal has brightly colour bits and little marshmallows in it, it doesn't matter how many whole grains there are: IT'S NOT HEALTHY! I think it's disgusting how these manufacturers are able to get away with confusing people into eating a product that is totally unhealthy for them. So many people are making food choices that they think are healthy and wondering why they have problems with obesity, diabetes and all sorts of other health problems.
Anyway enough ranting for now. I'm off to have a healthy dinner with no sugar and get to bed early so I'm ready for another fun-filled day of teaching fitness classes!
Want some advice on how to kick the sugar habit? Leave a comment below and I'll gladly give you some advice :)
When riding a long ride you need the sugary carbs to keep your glycogen levels topped up so you have energy to get through the ride but I tend to go a bit overboard and I justify it by telling myself that since I'm doing such a long hard ride I need to eat all the sugar I can get my hands on. Did I mention that I used to be very addicted to sugar?
When I was younger everything I ate had sugar in it - and I mean everything! Breakfast was a sugary cereal, or a non-sugary cereal with loads of white sugar added to it. For lunch a sandwich with lots of miracle whip (contains sugar). For dinner whatever we were having smothered in ketchup (contains A LOT of sugar)! My mom loved to bake and I loved to eat desserts anytime, anywhere. No wonder I used to be a bit on the chubby side. I also had exercised induced asthma and pretty bad allergies.
Sometime in my twenties I decided to try to give up sugar. It was not easy - not for me, nor for the people who had to be around me. The first 3 or so days were the worst! Then after a while I started to notice that my allergies were pretty much gone, and I was hardly ever using my inhaler. I used to have to use my inhaler before doing any kind of exercise. I used to use my asthma as an excuse to get out of doing physical activity actually. Once I cut out sugar it all went away, not to mention my head became clearer and I didn't feel as sluggish as usual. The best thing was that my taste buds started coming back. Did you know that regular sugar consumption will deaden your taste buds? That's why when you first give up sugar everything tastes bland. Don't worry though they do come back after a while once you give up the white death.
Sugar causes inflammation in your body which is why it aggravates such conditions as asthma, arthritis and any kind of joint pain. If you have any kind of dis-ease in your body sugar will only make it worse! So why do so many of us eat way too much of it? Because it's addictive and it's in practically anything that comes in a package. Check the ingredients on any packaged good and chances are there will be some sugar in it. Any word ending in 'ose' is a sugar by the way. The marketers try to be clever by saying they're product has whole grains and is therefore healthy. Here's a hint - if your cereal has brightly colour bits and little marshmallows in it, it doesn't matter how many whole grains there are: IT'S NOT HEALTHY! I think it's disgusting how these manufacturers are able to get away with confusing people into eating a product that is totally unhealthy for them. So many people are making food choices that they think are healthy and wondering why they have problems with obesity, diabetes and all sorts of other health problems.
Anyway enough ranting for now. I'm off to have a healthy dinner with no sugar and get to bed early so I'm ready for another fun-filled day of teaching fitness classes!
Want some advice on how to kick the sugar habit? Leave a comment below and I'll gladly give you some advice :)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
I did it and the wine was delicious!
Just back from Kelowna where I completed the RBC Gran Fondo Kelowna and it was awesome!! I was nervous about the hills but they weren't that bad. The first big one was a bit of a doozy though! It was over 6km long and at some points had a 14% grade. What are you gonna do though? Just one foot over the other, keep pedalling, keep breathing and before you know it you're over the top and all is good. Except for the dirt road we had to ride on just after the hill - that wasn't so nice. My road bike prefers a nice paved road thank you very much. I will definitely do it again next year if the schedule doesn't conflict with my other rides.
While climbing those glorious hills this weekend I was really thinking about my technique and I found that the more I focused on pulling up on the pedals the 'easier' it felt. My cadence was higher and the burning in my quads subsided as soon as I focused on pulling up more. If you have problems on hills give it a try the next time you're out climbing.
I had such a great time this weekend riding with friends and seeing many of my indoor cycling participants. Many of them told me that my classes really made a difference in their ability to particpate in this Gran Fondo. That's about the best compliment I can get! My goal is to inspire others to get fit,healthy and get out and play and to know I'm achieving my goal is the best thing I can hear. I hope to see even more of my participants out on future rides!
This weekend I also had the pleasure of visiting my friend's winery - Rollingdale Winery (2306 Hayman Rd.
Kelowna, BC). They have the most delicious organic wines I've ever tasted! If you're in Kelowna you have to visit them and try some of their fabulous reds, whites and ice wines. You can also order online at http://www.rollingdale.ca/. And no I don't get any comission if you buy their stuff, I just think it's the best and want to share it with you :)
Anyway, I've got a 6am bootcamp to teach tomorrow as well as one at 9:30am, an indoor cycling class at noon and another bootcamp at 6:15pm so, I'm off to enjoy a nice glass of Rollingdale Estate Red and something good for dinner!
Feel free to leave a comment below ;)
While climbing those glorious hills this weekend I was really thinking about my technique and I found that the more I focused on pulling up on the pedals the 'easier' it felt. My cadence was higher and the burning in my quads subsided as soon as I focused on pulling up more. If you have problems on hills give it a try the next time you're out climbing.
I had such a great time this weekend riding with friends and seeing many of my indoor cycling participants. Many of them told me that my classes really made a difference in their ability to particpate in this Gran Fondo. That's about the best compliment I can get! My goal is to inspire others to get fit,healthy and get out and play and to know I'm achieving my goal is the best thing I can hear. I hope to see even more of my participants out on future rides!
This weekend I also had the pleasure of visiting my friend's winery - Rollingdale Winery (2306 Hayman Rd.
Kelowna, BC). They have the most delicious organic wines I've ever tasted! If you're in Kelowna you have to visit them and try some of their fabulous reds, whites and ice wines. You can also order online at http://www.rollingdale.ca/. And no I don't get any comission if you buy their stuff, I just think it's the best and want to share it with you :)
Anyway, I've got a 6am bootcamp to teach tomorrow as well as one at 9:30am, an indoor cycling class at noon and another bootcamp at 6:15pm so, I'm off to enjoy a nice glass of Rollingdale Estate Red and something good for dinner!
Feel free to leave a comment below ;)
Thursday, July 14, 2011
An Awesome Calorie Burning Workout!
I just got back from auditioning for Cadence Cycling Studio to teach indoor cycling in their fabulous new studio - I hope I get a few classes there : ) Today I got to teach 3 indoor cycling classes! I love teaching indoor cycling and I normally teach a lot but over the summer my schedule gets reduced and I get a bit panicky - kind of like an addict needing their fix.
Today I really got my fix! If you're an instructor or are just looking for a great workout to do on an indoor cycling bike try this out: pick 8-12 different drills. Do the first one for 30 seconds then take a 30 second break. Repeat the first 30 second drill, add a second 30 second drill, do the first one again then take a 30 second break - see where this is going? The work period gets longer and longer and the rest period is always only 30 seconds long. By the end if you have 10 different drills you get a 10 minute work period.
Here are some drills you can do: flat road sprint, light hill 15 seconds pedalling with your right leg, 15 seconds pedalling with your left leg (OLP - one leg pedalling), light hill seated sprint, light hill standing run, medium hill to the beat of the music, medium hill with 2 count lifts, super heavy seated climb, super heavy standing climb, moderate to heavy hill standing push, moderate hill seated push.
So you do the flat road sprint for 30 seconds and take a 30 second break, then do the 30 second flat road sprint again followed by the 30 second light hill one leg pedalling (15 sec/leg), then the 30 second flat road sprint again and take a 30 second break. Then do the first 2 add on the 3rd and back down and so on and so on. Guaranteed to make you sweat and burn upwards of 500 calories in 45 minutes to an hour!
That's my gift to you - a fabulous workout that will leave a nice puddle of sweat under your bike! You're welcome!!
: )
Today I really got my fix! If you're an instructor or are just looking for a great workout to do on an indoor cycling bike try this out: pick 8-12 different drills. Do the first one for 30 seconds then take a 30 second break. Repeat the first 30 second drill, add a second 30 second drill, do the first one again then take a 30 second break - see where this is going? The work period gets longer and longer and the rest period is always only 30 seconds long. By the end if you have 10 different drills you get a 10 minute work period.
Here are some drills you can do: flat road sprint, light hill 15 seconds pedalling with your right leg, 15 seconds pedalling with your left leg (OLP - one leg pedalling), light hill seated sprint, light hill standing run, medium hill to the beat of the music, medium hill with 2 count lifts, super heavy seated climb, super heavy standing climb, moderate to heavy hill standing push, moderate hill seated push.
So you do the flat road sprint for 30 seconds and take a 30 second break, then do the 30 second flat road sprint again followed by the 30 second light hill one leg pedalling (15 sec/leg), then the 30 second flat road sprint again and take a 30 second break. Then do the first 2 add on the 3rd and back down and so on and so on. Guaranteed to make you sweat and burn upwards of 500 calories in 45 minutes to an hour!
That's my gift to you - a fabulous workout that will leave a nice puddle of sweat under your bike! You're welcome!!
: )
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Loves me some hills!
Just got back from teaching one of my outdoor bootcamp classes. I love teaching outdoor bootcamp! I feel like the bossy kid in the playground who everyone listens to. I tell them to run to that tree and do burpies and they run to that tree and do burpies. I tell them to run up a hill, they run up that hill. I tell them to run up the same hill backwards, they run up that same hill backwards - it's great!
Speaking of hills here's a fun drill for you to do, or if you teach outdoor bootcamp do this with your group as a fun drill. Find a shortish hill (the steeper the better), start from the bottom and have them run forward 10 steps then come back down to the bottom. Next they run forward 20 steps then come back down to the bottom. Then 30 and so forth until they do enough steps to reach the top of the hill. It keeps everyone focused because you have to count, and it's a great way to use up some time. Also you can either run it or walk it so it's great for any fitness level.
I did something today I don't normally do. This weekend, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm doing the Kelowna Gran Fondo. Today I was looking at the site and for some reason I looked at the description of the course. Normally I like to go into these types of rides ignorant of what's to come - that way I can't obsess and stress out about what I have to do. So here's what I found out: there's a hill that has a 22% grade! Say WHAAAAT???? I don't think I've ever climbed a hill that steep! They tried to sugar coat it by saying it's only for 3 blocks, but I'm betting it's going to be the 3 longest blocks of my life! And there's another hill that's not quite as steep (starts off at a 14% grade) but it's about 7km long!! And then I have to go down the other side!! What have I done!
Oh well, nothing like a good challenge and some sheer terror to make you feel alive : ) Good thing the friends we're visiting up there own a winery (Rollingdale Winery) - I think I'll need a bit of wine after all that (or maybe before would be better).
Speaking of wine, I'm off to have a delicious glass of shiraz and some dinner.
Speaking of hills here's a fun drill for you to do, or if you teach outdoor bootcamp do this with your group as a fun drill. Find a shortish hill (the steeper the better), start from the bottom and have them run forward 10 steps then come back down to the bottom. Next they run forward 20 steps then come back down to the bottom. Then 30 and so forth until they do enough steps to reach the top of the hill. It keeps everyone focused because you have to count, and it's a great way to use up some time. Also you can either run it or walk it so it's great for any fitness level.
I did something today I don't normally do. This weekend, as I mentioned in my last post, I'm doing the Kelowna Gran Fondo. Today I was looking at the site and for some reason I looked at the description of the course. Normally I like to go into these types of rides ignorant of what's to come - that way I can't obsess and stress out about what I have to do. So here's what I found out: there's a hill that has a 22% grade! Say WHAAAAT???? I don't think I've ever climbed a hill that steep! They tried to sugar coat it by saying it's only for 3 blocks, but I'm betting it's going to be the 3 longest blocks of my life! And there's another hill that's not quite as steep (starts off at a 14% grade) but it's about 7km long!! And then I have to go down the other side!! What have I done!
Oh well, nothing like a good challenge and some sheer terror to make you feel alive : ) Good thing the friends we're visiting up there own a winery (Rollingdale Winery) - I think I'll need a bit of wine after all that (or maybe before would be better).
Speaking of wine, I'm off to have a delicious glass of shiraz and some dinner.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Heather's Biking Adventures
I teach fitness for a living - the best job in the world! I actually get paid to play! I teach a lot of different formats, but my favorite is indoor cycling aka Spin. There's nothing I love more than leading my class through a grueling workout, me smiling them grimacing all the way. I love the pain and I love to tell them to 'get comfortable with being uncomfortable!' - followed by an evil grin and chuckle.
At a Can-Fit-Pro conference one year, a presenter commented on my legs and suggested I get into some sort of sport - he suggested speed skating or maybe biking. Since I loved indoor cycling so much I decided I'd try that out. My philosophy is: if you're going to do something new do it right and follow through. So I hired a coach (Barb Zimich) and paid for 6 months up front - no going back once you've signed the cheque right?
On my first consultation with my coach, she answered the door on crutches. I asked her what had happened. Turns out she broke her femur....riding her bike!! I almost turned around right there to go back to my safe, predictable indoor Keiser bike.
In the end I decided to go through with it - I mean really go through with it. The next day I went to the Bike Gallery to buy my first road bike so I could go on my first group ride that Sunday. I got a beautiful Specialized Tarmac which I absolutely love! I got a great deal on it too!
When I got my bike home and tried riding it I thought for sure I'd make a HUGE mistake. When you're used to a heavy hybrid (that you last rode 10 years ago), getting on a super light road bike is quite the experience. I was scared to death, but I'd already signed that cheque for 6 months of coaching and invested in a quality road bike. There was really no turning back now.
So that Sunday I headed out on my new bike to meet up with the Zimich group for my first group ride ever. It was a chilly November morning - for some reason I thought November was a great time to take up road biking! I tend to jump into things without thinking them all the way through.
When I got there it was mostly men and everyone was some sort of cycling athlete - mostly tri-athletes. And I was the indoor cycling instructor that thought it would be fun to try outdoor cycling. Again I thought I'd made a HUGE mistake.
We headed off and I was shaking because I was so scared, but it turned out to be a good experience! I kept up with the group and got a bit of an idea of what it's like to draft off someone - terrifying! The next 6 months I put in all the time I could, went on the group rides, did the drills, got dropped a few times and learned a lot of stuff that has made me a better indoor cycling instructor and a lover of road biking.
I'm not going to lie though - I was so happy when the 6 months were over! No more pressure, or scary bike rides with my coach yelling: "Heather! Get on the wheel!" or on stupidly steep hills: "Heather! Get your ass off that seat!" I'm still a bit of a nervous (or should I say a cautious) rider and don't really like standing. To this day I do all my climbs in the seat and am one of the first ones up the hill every time. My male team mates seemed quite impressed (or were they annoyed) by my strong climbing technique :) Good thing I'm so good on the climbs, because I'm terrified of the decsents and tend to be on my brake too much: "Heather! Get off your brakes!"
I have to say, as much as it scares me sometimes, I absolutely love it! I did the 2 day Ride to Conquer Cancer (Vancouver to Seattle) last year and this year. I did a 120km ride from Vancouver to Harrison Hot Springs (Rotary Club ride to benefit the hearing impaired) last year. I did the 140km Tour de Victoria - Ryder Hesjedal was kind enough to share some of his training route for the Tour de France with us :) I also did the first RBC Gran Fondo Whistler (120km) last year and will be doing it again this year. I just did the Valley First Gran Fondo Penticton the day before yesterday (162km - longest ride I've ever done!) and loved it so much that I signed up for the RBC Gran Fondo Kelowna (only 115km) coming up this Saturday - hope my legs are fresh by then! I'm truly addicted to it!
Most people think I'm a bit crazy - I teach fitness full time and then in my down time I go on huge bike rides - but I just can't get enough of it. There's nothing better than being able to move your body and push through things that seem almost impossible to do. I feel the most alive when I'm teaching classes or riding my bike.
I'm so lucky to be able to do what I do. My goal is to inspire people to get out there and play! Have I inspired you?
At a Can-Fit-Pro conference one year, a presenter commented on my legs and suggested I get into some sort of sport - he suggested speed skating or maybe biking. Since I loved indoor cycling so much I decided I'd try that out. My philosophy is: if you're going to do something new do it right and follow through. So I hired a coach (Barb Zimich) and paid for 6 months up front - no going back once you've signed the cheque right?
On my first consultation with my coach, she answered the door on crutches. I asked her what had happened. Turns out she broke her femur....riding her bike!! I almost turned around right there to go back to my safe, predictable indoor Keiser bike.
In the end I decided to go through with it - I mean really go through with it. The next day I went to the Bike Gallery to buy my first road bike so I could go on my first group ride that Sunday. I got a beautiful Specialized Tarmac which I absolutely love! I got a great deal on it too!
When I got my bike home and tried riding it I thought for sure I'd make a HUGE mistake. When you're used to a heavy hybrid (that you last rode 10 years ago), getting on a super light road bike is quite the experience. I was scared to death, but I'd already signed that cheque for 6 months of coaching and invested in a quality road bike. There was really no turning back now.
So that Sunday I headed out on my new bike to meet up with the Zimich group for my first group ride ever. It was a chilly November morning - for some reason I thought November was a great time to take up road biking! I tend to jump into things without thinking them all the way through.
When I got there it was mostly men and everyone was some sort of cycling athlete - mostly tri-athletes. And I was the indoor cycling instructor that thought it would be fun to try outdoor cycling. Again I thought I'd made a HUGE mistake.
We headed off and I was shaking because I was so scared, but it turned out to be a good experience! I kept up with the group and got a bit of an idea of what it's like to draft off someone - terrifying! The next 6 months I put in all the time I could, went on the group rides, did the drills, got dropped a few times and learned a lot of stuff that has made me a better indoor cycling instructor and a lover of road biking.
I'm not going to lie though - I was so happy when the 6 months were over! No more pressure, or scary bike rides with my coach yelling: "Heather! Get on the wheel!" or on stupidly steep hills: "Heather! Get your ass off that seat!" I'm still a bit of a nervous (or should I say a cautious) rider and don't really like standing. To this day I do all my climbs in the seat and am one of the first ones up the hill every time. My male team mates seemed quite impressed (or were they annoyed) by my strong climbing technique :) Good thing I'm so good on the climbs, because I'm terrified of the decsents and tend to be on my brake too much: "Heather! Get off your brakes!"
I have to say, as much as it scares me sometimes, I absolutely love it! I did the 2 day Ride to Conquer Cancer (Vancouver to Seattle) last year and this year. I did a 120km ride from Vancouver to Harrison Hot Springs (Rotary Club ride to benefit the hearing impaired) last year. I did the 140km Tour de Victoria - Ryder Hesjedal was kind enough to share some of his training route for the Tour de France with us :) I also did the first RBC Gran Fondo Whistler (120km) last year and will be doing it again this year. I just did the Valley First Gran Fondo Penticton the day before yesterday (162km - longest ride I've ever done!) and loved it so much that I signed up for the RBC Gran Fondo Kelowna (only 115km) coming up this Saturday - hope my legs are fresh by then! I'm truly addicted to it!
Most people think I'm a bit crazy - I teach fitness full time and then in my down time I go on huge bike rides - but I just can't get enough of it. There's nothing better than being able to move your body and push through things that seem almost impossible to do. I feel the most alive when I'm teaching classes or riding my bike.
I'm so lucky to be able to do what I do. My goal is to inspire people to get out there and play! Have I inspired you?
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