In the spring of 2017, my husband, Dean, and I finalized our travel plans for a fall trip to Europe, which was to include one week at the Belvedere Bike Hotel in Italy. We had both been involved in long distance running for about 15 years and had a fairly solid cardiovascular fitness base. Over the years, we had completed several bike touring trips around BC. However, neither of us had much experience riding in a larger group, we didn’t have road bikes, and I had never used clip ins (the mere idea of clip-ins freaked me out a bit).
So Dean suggested we join the Spring Kits Energy beginner cycling course and were so fortunate to have Kristina as our trainer. The beginner course provided me with the support and encouragement I needed to get into clips and conquer my fear of falling. The course structure, which involved weekly instruction on a specific topic, followed by a group ride, provided just the right combination of education, practical skill development, and fun.
By the time September arrived, I felt confident in my emerging road cycling skills, but the real test was still to come. The highlight of the trip was my sense of accomplishment upon riding to the top of San Marino, which is a tiny little country within Italy set at the top of a “little” mountain. As I dug deep and used the numerous hill climbing techniques Kristina had drilled into me (yes, she can be a task master), the full extent of what she had taught me, sunk in.
I don’t know whom to attribute the quote to but I agree wholeheartedly that “A coach is someone who always makes you do what you don’t want to do, so you can be who you’ve always wanted to be. There is no glory in practice, but without practice there is no glory”.
Thank you for all the good luck wishes for my 30th marathon! I don’t usually write a race report for (just?) a marathon, but since it was my 30th and a destination race, I thought I’d shared a little about my day….The weather had been quite cold leading up to race day. But the day promised to be perfect running conditions and didn’t disappoint. Having not run a big city marathon recently I prepared for security checks, long porta-pottie line ups and a lengthy wait in my corral to reach the start line. So, other than being a bit cold while I waited, everything went fairly smoothly and 23mins after the race started I crossed the start line and my marathon began.
The crowd support was amazing and the volunteers were fantastic – they really did the city of Philadelphia proud. Because of the wave starts which were three minutes apart, initially we had lots of room to run. But since the half and the full marathon ran together for the first 13 miles the course became quite congested at times. In some neighbourhoods the roads were quite narrow and the spectators were gathered on the road so it was challenging to find my pace. In my mind I was really hoping to finish sub-4:15 so when I reached the halfway mark at 2:08 I was a little worried. As the half marathoners broke off for the finish line, the pack dispersed and I was finally able to find my groove. As it turned out, the slower pace in the first half paid off for me as the miles in the second half clicked by easily and I just kept feeling strong! My pace picked up and I caught the 4:15 pace group. Once I passed them, I never saw them again:)
When I reached the 25 mile mark at 3:59, knowing I had only 1.2 miles to go, I knew I would finish sub-4:15, but didn’t think I would be so close to my personal best. I ran strong and happily into the finish. I looked at my watch and was surprised to see a sub-4:10! I couldn’t believe I was only 12 seconds off my PR!!!! I had to ask myself, Could I not have run just half a second per mile faster?!?
In the end, I had a great day on the course. I felt strong the whole way and enjoyed a world-class marathon here in Philadelphia. What more could a girl ask for?
The city of Philadelphia has been an amazing city to visit! The history here combined with some unbelievable collections of art has left Brian and I with too little time to see it all. We’re plotting out a strategy for our last couple of days….so we’re off to see a bit more before we head home later tomorrow.
Thank you again for supporting me in my marathoning adventures!
Riding for a cause helps you stay motivated to train and will boost your spirits when things get tough.
Jackie, Tamsin and Carolyn were still smiling after 240km! These three girls have many reasons to still be smiling after riding for two full days in torrential rain in the Ride to Conquer Cancer on June 16 and 17th. They were a part of something big on some many different levels.
On a pure physical level, each of them dedicated three months to train their bodies to be able to handle 120km on back to back days. Not only did they enjoy the ride, but they were exhilarated by the feeling of strength they had during the ride and being able to ride with faster groups.
Socially, they met a ton of new people who will touch their lives in many different ways and created a greater bond of friendship between the three of them.
Personally, they can all feel proud of themselves for making a huge difference in someone else’s life that they may never meet. Cancer affects all of us, whether it is someone we know who has been diagnosed or ourselves – finding new ways to conquer the disease is always a cause that is worth supporting.
Training for a cause greater than your own is a huge motivator. It becomes pretty tough to skip out on a ride when you know someone else can’t skip out on Chemotherapy. Those of us who are healthy, have a great opportunity to help people who are less fortunate and I congratulate everyone who takes this challenge seriously. You are our heros!
