9-T!

While this shot doesn't exactly do the hill justice, you get some idea of the distance and steepness that I had just traveled. If you follow the road all the way back to the upper left of the photo, that is where I had just ridden from. And.... where I had to ride back to. Lucky me! :D Yes, I do mean that itty bitty, tiny crack in what appears to be the treeline... yeah, there.

Today was my second day in a row of riding 45 miles to bring the weekend total to 90 miles (150 km). As you can see from the map below, I took a very different route, north out of Spruce Grove on Century, ending up waaaaaaaaay up at the top of a giant hill. Yes, I rode the entire thing, without stopping AND... I didn't die! :D (happy dance!)

I'm a bit surprised that I am not more tired but it is still early in the day (3:30 MST) and I'm sure by this evening I'll be ready to fall right over. Maybe it was the alternative protein, aka: bugs I swallowed on the ride.. hmmmm.

Today was slightly overcast and I had a nice cool breeze for most of the ride so I didn't add to the sunburn that I managed to get yesterday. :) Oh, and I have a funny white stripe where I wear my ID band on my wrist. And bikers tan, I am developing bikers tan. What is up with that? Geesh!

45

Today was the first day of a 2 day training ride plan. I had planned to be up by 5am, riding from 6-9am, aiming for 30 miles before my 10am Butt & Gutt session. My body had other plans for me. Being a bit tired, I slept until 7 and hit the road at 8am, riding until I met up with the Butt & Gutt class at 10. I logged 20 miles in those 2 hours (Map on the right).

As I participated in the B&G session, all I could hear in the back of my mind was my mom: "You can't do BOTH bike riding and B&G, Silly Girl. You should just do one or the other." How right she was! B&G consisted of hill running and major leg work today, focusing on the thighs. And my poor thighs were already tired!

However, feeling that I still had something left in me to wrap up the planned 30 total miles for the day, I headed home after B&G for a pit stop, whipped up a smoothie (and downed it), and headed back to the streets (Map on the left). 2 hours, 11 minutes later, I had completed 25 miles and called it a day. And what a beautiful day it was! As tired as I am right now, I enjoyed every last second of sunshine, wind, scenery, exploring new neighborhoods, and kicking my butt! :D

I've planned to meet up with Bulls-eye Bike Club at 7am tomorrow for a 5 hour, many mile ride. See you after!

The Cliffs of Insanity

NOTE: This year's ride link is here (not the ones below, they are last year)

In my family, when something is too big to believe, it becomes "The Cliffs of Insanity" (reference The Princess Bride - yeah, even you guys can appreciate this movie). My mom grows Delphinium that reaches 6 ft tall or better - it has become The Delphinium of Insanity. I have registered for the Enbridge Ride to Conquor Cancer - a 2-day, 200 KM (125 Mile) bike ride to raise funds for Cancer Research Alberta. It has become The Bike Ride of Insanity!

Why did I do it, you might ask. And the answer is here: Why I am riding in The Bike Ride of Insanity.

Now, registering for The Bike Ride of Insanity is one thing. That is the easiest part (after a bit of nudging and encouragement from a good friend). The hard parts (Yes, there are more than 1 hard part or else it wouldn't be so insane, now would it?) are The Training of Insanity & The Fundraising of Insanity. Let's take them one at a time, shall we?

The Training of Insanity: In order to ride in The Bike Ride of Insanity, I need to be prepare to pedal 200 KM (125 Miles) over 2 days. Broken down, that is 100 KM (65 Miles) per day, most likely over 6+ hours each day. How does one train for such a thing? Personally, I participate in several high-intensity workouts at a local gym each week (3 days a week) and I ride 2-3 days per week. My last 2 riding sessions consisted of 3 hours of indoor spin on a Sunday and 1.5 hours of outdoor street riding on a Wednesday. Each week I add more time/distance to my rides so that by June 22nd (just 9 short weeks away), I'll be able to ride 6+ hours a day, at least 2 days a week. I know I can do this but that brings us to...

The Fundraising of Insanity: This is where you come in. I can't do The Bike Ride of Insanity alone. I've registered and I am training but I need to raise at least $2,500 to be allowed to get on my bike on June 22nd and ride out of Calgary, Alberta with 1,500 other riders who have raised their funds. This is why I am making The Plea of Insanity. I am asking you, a total stranger who may be reading my blog for the first time, please, sponsor me in The Bike Ride of Insanity.

Here are the stats as of April 20, 2013:

Date: June 22nd & 23rd, 2013

Distance: 200 KM (125 Miles)

Location: West of Calgary, Alberta

Donation Link: http://www.conquercancer.ca/goto/nhkayakgirl

Fundraising required to ride: $2,500.00

Money raised to date: $1,490.00

Money left to raise to date: $1,010.00

Days left for fundraising: 63

Dollar amount needed per day to make Minimum goal:  $16.03

Personal fundraising goal: $5,000.00

Dollar amount needed per day to make Personal Goal:  $55.71

Dollars that I have personally donated towards my goal: $100.00

Dollars that I have personally spent on training, nutrition, and equipment to date: $500.00 (note: this does not count the 24 weeks of fitness training at The Boxing Club that I have been participating in since January).

The Challenge to you: Become one of my sponsors by donating at least $25.00 towards my goal.

The Challenge of Insanity: Match what I have donated. 

Questions for me? 

Need a Laugh of Insanity today? 

A HUGE THANK YOU out to my many sponsors who have already donated and a Hug of Insanity to my #1 Cheerleader.