Week in Review July 12 – 25

Reading Time: 4 minutes

I’ve released two posts this week. The first, a recap of my ride home from the cottage in 2019, Haliburton Wolf Sanctuary to Home Via the Haliburton and Victoria Rail Trails. The second is part two of my journey from couch potato to half ironman, Discovering the Passion for Exercise at Logs, Rocks, and Steel, 2014. If you haven’t had a chance to read them, please do.

Also, I would like to introduce you to Christina LaFlamme, who is currently spending her summer riding from Toronto to Vancouver, and as of today has officially crossed into Manitoba. As I discussed in Haliburton to Home, I met Christina a few years back when she was selling her book Flip Flop Fantasy at MEC, about her solo ride from Toronto to the end of the Cabot Trail. You can follow her journey on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/blazepinkstrikesagain/. What I love about her journey is the simplicity with how she’s doing it. She has shared many photos of fellow bikepackers, she’s met, whose bikes are overflowing with gear, and compared to them her’s is practically empty.

What I’ve Been Reading

Moods of Future Joy by Alastair Humphreys – Around the World by Bike Part One: From England to South Africa

An excellent read about Alastair’s low budget around the world bicycle journey, this first book covers what was supposed to be the first leg of his trip from England to Australia in the late summer of 2001. Then the world turned upside down, and world events forced him to quickly change directions and head south through the middle east and the eastern half of Africa to Cape Town. Perhaps one of my favourite things about this book is the kindness he receives along the way. Although we hear so many terrible things about so many parts of the world, the reality he experiences is so much different. Whether in Syria, Darfur, or Ethiopia, it seems that although there are risks, the people are kinder and more welcoming then we would expect in our own backyard. All in all, I found this to be a great easy summer read which I think would probably be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys authors like Bill Bryson.

26 Marathons by Meb Keflezighi 

I listened to this one on audible, and thankfully it was much shorter then 1Q84, the 46 hour epic by Haruki Murakami from last month. I wasn’t familiar with Meb’s story before, which surprises me because he was the first person to win both the Boston and NY marathons, as well as an Olympic medal. The story follows Meb’s progression from his 1st marathon to his 26th and last marathon, following his ups and downs, and sharing what he learned and how he grew throughout that journey.

Cannonball 300

I came across this ride report for the Simcoe County Loop Trail, by Canadian Cycling Magazine, and decided to add that in as a one-day 160km training ride on the August long weekend. The route looks fun, with lots of great sights, and will be a great test to see if I’m ready for the Cannonball. Either way, it should make for a great post.

I also managed the third-longest ride of my life, only a few km short of my 135km Fathers Day Long Ride, when I was inspired by a friend to head up to Uxbridge for a quick social distant visit, and where I also managed to see the biggest spider I’ve ever seen enjoying his pool. The first half was effortless. What I didn’t realize is I had the wind at my back, and a slight downhill grade the entire way there. I paid for it on the return, with a wind warning headwind, high heat, and a never-ending slight uphill grade. If the final 18km from King City wasn’t straight downhill, I might not have made it.

Returning to Running

Cory Kawa, recovering from a mid day heat run.
Recovering From a Mid Day Run

It’s been hot, and it’s safe to say that I’m still looking for my groove..

There is one part of me that is happy to be running again, and there is another part that definitely is not.

Although I’ve been doing a great job following my schedule and building my base by running three times a week at forty minutes each, I was hoping it would get easier.

For now, I’m much slower and sluggish then I would like, even hitting some heart rate records for the year, despite the record slow paces.  That said, no heel pain, so at least that’s good.

Thanks for reading and have a great week,

Cory

 

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