Rebecca's 'Turning Forty' Triathlon: Rebel Ride from Erika's House

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Rebel Ride from Erika's House

Thanks to Erika, a teammate, a bunch of us got together this morning to do our long ride from her house in Vancouver. The workout called for some rolling hills, so she scouted out a ride that took us through some beautiful wooded bike paths with rolling (but not insignificant!) hills, wooden foot bridges, and gorgeous views of the valley and beyond. Vancouver is really a hidden gem in many ways! I was so thankful to have Craig's company on the ride today because without his guidance I would have been totally lost! He kept me at a good pace, and told me stories of his life and family. We even rode past a homeless shelter that he and his partner built in Vancouver.

Today we did our first brick; a brick is when you do two of the three events back to back (probably a good idea since we'll be doing three back to back in the race!). When we got off the bike, we quickly changed into our running shoes and went for a 10 minute run. Our coach told us to shuffle our feet at first because the legs are a bit like rubber bands when you get off the bike; after a few minutes, the muscles start firing and behaving normally, and then you can lengthen your stride. I tried this today and it worked pretty well. It did feel a bit like running on legs that were not connected to my body....I wonder how many people face plant during the transition because they start out too fast??! Not me!!!

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WHAT YOU WILL FIND ON THIS BLOG

This is a diary (complete with photos) of my experience training with Team in Training for the Pacific Grove Triathlon on Sept. 12, 2009. I am participating to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and to get my ass in shape! There is nothing that says turning forty shouldn't herald the best damn decade of your life.

I hope you will visit often. If you do, you might just catch a glimpse of my team running with pringles between our fingers, or on the pool deck doing plank in our speedos!

Although this triathlon is a personal fitness journey, it is more importantly an opportunity to give back to the community by raising money for an incredible organization, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS is helping children, families, and individuals fight the battle against blood cancer; all of us at one time or another have known someone who has struggled against Leukemia, Lymphoma, or Myeloma. In my life, its been my grandmother Virginia, a little boy who goes to school with my kids, Zachary, a grandson of a co-worker, Ethan, a sister of a dear friend, Cindy, and the brother-in-law of a colleague, Tom. Now it is also our team's honored teammate, Dean who is in remission, but is struggling to surmount the side effects of his treatment. You can help out too. Please donate to my fundraising campaign by following this link: http://pages.teamintraining.org/or/pactri09/rramsay . All the money goes directly to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and then to children, adults and families who need all the support we can give them.

I am participating in memory of my grandmother, Virgina Wrigley, who died of Leukemia.

Tri.ath.lon

A triathlon is a multi-sport endurance event consisting of swimming, cycling, and running in immediate succession over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall course completion time, including timed "transitions" between the individual swim, bike, and run components.The demanding nature of the sport focuses primarily on persistent and often periodized training in each of the three disciplines, as well as combination workouts and general strength conditioning to ensure the highest levels of endurance, strength, and power possible come race day. Proficiency in swimming, cycling, and running alone is often not sufficient for success in triathlon.....truth be told, what is really needed is an almost unnatural capacity for denial and an unruly belief that anything is possible...(a good masseuse, buckets of himalayan bath salts, and an iron stomach capable of tolerating extremely high doses of Ibuprofen are the other critical prerequisites).