Dedication

Yesterday I attended a park dedication. It was a park in memory of Tyler. His family and friends gathered together on what would have been his 25th birthday to see the permanent structure that was created by his neighbors in his honour. I thought it would be depressing and sad, but, although there were sad moments to be sure, the event was far from depressing. It was comforting, even uplifting to stand with so many people who love him, who miss him too. The event reminded me so much of Ty, we launched rockets, watched fireworks laughed and remembered this bright light that was gone too soon. It reminded me of this song, and it was nice to know Ty could still be depended on to make people laugh.

The Big 5-0

If you had asked me a year ago if I would ever bike for 50km, in a row, without stopping, I would have laughed at you and reached for the cheese. Well, a person can change a lot in a year, and yesterday I rode my bike for 50km. As I was getting ready to leave my husband told me "the wind is against you on the ride out, just fight through it and on the way home, you'll feel like a rock star." The wind was steady, and, according to the weather network, 22km/hr. So, here is my ride.

2 km - Get buzzed by a car for the first time on Portage. I was buzzed a total of four times, all on Portage. After the second one I stopped being scared and started hoping the drivers could read lips.

10km - Almost pulled over to call Ken to pick me up. Convinced myself to go 5 more kilometers. I had this conversation with myself frequently over the course of the ride.

12km - See my first dead animal, followed shortly by the first of many banana peels.

15km - Want to stop, tell myself I can turn around at 20km. My self is relieved by this prospect.

20km - Let self know I am a liar. Proceed to tell self to stop being whiney little bitch.

25km - Stop on side of road, eat my snack and stretch a bit. Feel some of the blood flow back into my ass and am invigorated. Turn around and head home.

The way home was uneventful. I stopped one more time at a gas station to refill my water bottle. The wind was now behind me, and although Ken said I would feel like a rock star, I did not. I just felt tired. My two favourite moments of the ride were:  number one, making it that first 25km. Number two, after being tailgated, buzzed, then cut off by a man in a blue truck, I pulled up to him at a red light and got to call him an asshole to his face. That one almost felt better then making it through my ride alive. Three cheers for me, and heres to the first of many 50 k's!

Ignoring my ego....

As of today it has been two months since my last run. I stopped not because I don't like it, but because it hurt. A lot. It got to the point where I could barely walk down the stairs, and since that is where my washer and dryer are located, my family began to suffer as well. My ego kept egging me on, saying it was just pain in the beginning, it was normal. I wanted so badly to run a half marathon at the end of September and I had such a short time frame that I just kept ignoring what my body was screaming at me....I was doing something terribly wrong and well on my way to injuring myself. I decided living in chronic pain was not something I was into, so I stopped.

Physically, I no longer run, but I just can't seem to get it out of my head. Running has wormed it's way into my psyche and has taken up permanent residence. So, if I can't get running out of my head, I am going to prepare my body to do it right. Biking has helped with weight loss and leg strength, plus I have been reading up on running, form, training, nutrition and strength training. I won't run for a while I think, I am loving my bike training and want to dedicate myself to the bike tour. That said, the next time I start to run, I am going to do it right, because I have two young kids to chase, and a slow hobble just isn't going to cut it.