I recently had the opportunity for a quick weekend visit to one of the many beautiful little islands off the coast of Vancouver, BC.

by scazori

With road bikes safely stowed in the back of the SUV, about 17 changes of workout clothes and enough runners / workout shoes to match, as well as a cooler full of healthy foods (ok, that last might be an outright lie, there were cheeses and meats and some liquid refreshments too) we set off from the mainland via ferry. Less than two hours later we were on picturesque Pender Island, winding our way through the countryside on the lookout for its single grocery store.  After a quick stop to pack our cooler even more tightly (ice cream was essential), we were soon back on the road.  After a few more minutes of driving we emerged out of the Enchanted Forest (real name) and pulled into the drive of Poet’s Cove Resort.

Poets’ Cove Resort

Poets Cove is rugged and beautiful and everything you’d expect when you think of BC’s spectacular show of nature.  It’s namesake beachfront resort boasts both a lodge and self-contained cottages.  In addition, the resort features 2 pools, spa (with an outdoor steam cave), marina, pub, restaurant, coffee shop and activity shop where you can book tours by kayak, canoe or boat.

Sunset at Poet's Cove Resort (Galvez)

As we checked in, we were happy to run into a few returning road bicyclists who reported that the Island was a dream for cycling. We couldn’t wait to get unpacked and explore the outdoor adventures the island had to offer.  But first, we had a tough schedule booked…starting with relaxation massages.

We had booked a cottage with 2 bedrooms, full modern kitchen, living room, dining room, patio (and patio heater) and our one “must have”…the private hot tub with a stunning view of the cove. The cottage didn’t disappoint.  The furnishings of the cottage were modern, clean and well-maintained and the staff was friendly and helpful. We quickly felt at home.

The spa was upscale and clean and the staff were accommodating.  I requested a last minute change to a sports massage which was not a problem.  Both my massage and my friend’s massage were excellent and exactly what we had wanted.  Afterward, we dashed outside and took advantage of the steam cave and by the time we headed back to our cottage we agreed that starting with the spa was a great way to transition to “Island time” from the hectic lives we left behind on the mainland.

Cafe at Hope Bay (Tiarescott)

We woke up the next day and headed out to a yoga class which we never did connect with (I’d recommend a quick phone call in advance). However, we did visit the Cafe at Hope Bay, (try the freshly made hot scones with your cup of coffee and enjoy the ocean panarama) and we window-shopped at a couple of art galleries as well.  Heading back to the resort, we were disappointed that the local yoga class wasn’t on, but we happily geared up for a road ride instead.

Riding on Pender Island

(kteague)

Pender Island roads do not have a shoulder to ride on, however, you are more likely to hit a deer than to be hit by a car. (Not kidding, we must have seen over a dozen on our ride, including one that walked nonchalantly across the road in front of my friend’s bike). Stay on the side of the road, don’t stop on a curve and keep your eyes and ears open. We didn’t have any problems or close calls, but we did ride during a week day. Weekends are bound to be busier for traffic as mainlanders visit their cottages.

The landscape is gorgeous, alternating through fields, forest and shoreline.  I couldn’t imagine a more stunning backdrop for our ride. The island is a bit hilly, but what goes up does come back down and the hills are more roller coaster than mountainous.   We packed snacks and plenty of water and instead of a serious training ride we did a two and a half hour leisurely exploration of both southern and northern parts of the island.

When we arrived back at the resort, we were grateful for our private hot tub and we soaked while taking in the view of the sea birds diving down at the marina as they were backlit by a wash of colours from the setting sun.  We revived to head to the pub where we dined on tasty local shellfish paired with a fine glass – or two – of white wine.

Farmers’ Market and Art Galleries

The next morning we took the car to the farmers’ market and browsed through an amazing bounty of artisan works and food that the talented islanders have to offer.   There are numerous artist who make Pender Island home (for more info see the Pender Island Artist Guide).  I chatted with well-respected local artist Peggy Bagshaw who was witty, warm and charming, saw the amazing works of The Button Lady, browsed through books of poetry and novels of local authors.

Our quick weekend trip was well worth the ferry ride.  The Island is beautiful, people are friendly and the accommodations were lovely.  I’d recommend Poet’s Cove Resort and will visit again, soon, I hope.

Tips for Visiting Pender Island

• Check ferry schedules before you go.  While there is frequent ferry service, you may want to reserve or prepay to ensure you arrive at the time you want.  Also, you may want to ask for early check in if your ferry is an early one.
• Bring a car or use the local “car stop” service.  Pender Island has “car stops” that work like bus stops, but the system is basically a hitchhiking one. You wait a a designated car stop sign for a kind soul to stop and pick you up.  If you use the system, use caution, just as you would anywhere.
• If you plan to be outdoors, book late spring, summer or early fall when the weather is best. Ditto for the farmers’ market and many of the galleries that may only open in the summer or on weekends. Check first!
• Look for off-season deals for tourists if you are thinking about visiting at other times of the year.  We got 2 massages and 2 breakfasts and a discount on our second night as part of our package in the spring.
• Poet’s Cove cottages have well-equipped, modern kitchens – bring some of your food with you to save money.  Also, if you are visiting for more than a couple of days you  may find the island’s restaurant options limited beyond a short stay.
• Want to blend in like a local? Ignore the deer. Pender Island has so many deer they are almost a nuisance for the locals – you won’t see them pulling over to take pictures like we did.

I recently had the opportunity (a nice way of saying my brother signed me up, paid for me and dragged me there) to take a one day swim camp with swimming legend Karlyn Pipes-Neilsen.

Two more different women, you couldn’t imagine.  Karlyn, long, toned, as graceful in the water as a dolphin; me, the uncomfortable lobster-type with weird looking limbs… It was my first time learning front crawl in about 25 years,  and I really did tend to sink to the bottom of the pool and skuttle about awkwardly.

But then, that’s why a great teacher is necessary, right?

Karlyn is a superstar, I’ll list just a few of her accomplishments because I don’t have time to write a book…but you can find them all on her website:

• 2009, 2008, 2007 & 2004 World Masters Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine
• To date, Karlyn has set over 208 FINA Masters World Records…more than any swimmer!
• Currently holds 47 FINA Masters World and over 95 United States Masters National records
• Karlyn’s records stand the test of time spanning THREE age-groups: 35-38, 40-44 and 45-49
• International Masters Swimming Hall of Fame (IMSHOF) class of 2007
• Female Swimmer of the Year 1997, 2002 & 2003 United States Masters Swimming (USMS)
• Top Ten Masters Swimmer of the Year 1994-1998, 2000, 2002 & 2003
• NCAA Division II record holder in 200-yard backstroke from 1998 to 2001 with a time of 2:00.54
• Oldest athlete to set and/or hold an NCAA record
• Featured in Swimming World May 2004 for “Swimming Tall” backstroke technique photo

I was really nervous leading up to the day of the swim camp, envisioning all the long, lean triathlon  athletes (read: Ironman athletes!) who would laugh their heads off at the middle aged housewife who couldn’t remember how to breathe in the water, let alone swim freestyle for 25 whole metres at one time. Not to mention the intimidation I felt at being taught by such an amazing athlete.

I hadn’t even been in a pool for about a year.

Heck, I don’t even like taking baths.

Am I crazy? Yes!

But when I got to the pool I found that the other people signed up for the camp had a wide range of skill sets and comfort levels in the water too. Yes, there was one lady who was looking to improve her freestyle stroke so she could break a master’s world record, but there were also a couple of other people who looked just as awkward as me. Or at least I liked to think so.

We started off in the classroom with Karlyn having us practice her techniques standing up.  We all looked like unsynchronized marionettes, and if I hadn’t been concentrating so hard on trying to keep my hands, wrists, arms, elbows, head and body position correctly lined up, I’m sure I would have seen some humor in the situation.  Luckily, the tiny-but-graceful girls in tutus on their way to ballet class in the room next door saw plenty to laugh at in our efforts and they took many opportunities to giggle and point at all of us.  Or maybe it was just at me.

Anyway, I had more important things to worry about.

Like apologizing.

I spent most of my time saying sorry – with abject shame – to the man who was unfortunate enough to stand on my right.  After I hit him in the head a few times I didn’t bother apologizing any longer – I think I’d boxed his ear to the point where he couldn’t hear me any more.

My brother was standing on the other side of me so I hit him in the head too.

That was just for fun.

We watched a couple of Karlyn’s instructional videos about the wrong and right ways to position our bodies in the water and then we hit the change rooms to try out our new skills in the pool. Of course we had laughed at all the “wrong” ways you could swim, confident that we’d never make such silly mistakes after seeing them on tv.

Why is it that something that looks so easy on land is so hard to do in the water…?!

To top off the indignity of the whole endeavor, we were videotaped by our host – and Karlyn’s coaching partner for the day – Bob, from TriStars Training in Victoria.

If there was any doubt about how silly I can look in water, there is now concrete evidence.  I would make a great “how not to swim” model!

Turns out I wasn’t looking down (“See the fishies,” Karlyn said)….

I wasn’t blowing out my breath properly (“Hummmm to the fishies,” Karlyn said)….

I wasn’t positioning my arms wide enough (“Wider,” Karlyn yelled. Repeatedly.)….

Those were just three of the umpteen things I was doing incorrectly, so I concentrated on improving them.  But I am so uncoordinated that I could only ever remember  to fix 2 out of 3 things at the same time. I must say, Karlyn not only has the positive energy of a yogi, she has the patience of a saint too.

We ate our lunches while reviewing each student’s video.  This was unfortunate timing because I think a couple of people laughed so hard at mine they choked on their sandwiches.

Yes, he's laughing at the video of me swimming. Katie, at least, shows restraint.

Unfortunately, my brother survived.

However, I got to slap him on the back as hard as I could and that was fun.  Of course his girlfriend Katie looked perfect in her video and I hoped she’d hold that over him later. I like Katie, because she is cool. And because she bakes really beautiful cakes. And she kicks azz at sports.

In the afternoon, we hit the pool for another hour plus of practice.  I was already exhausted and I really just wanted to nap, but Karlyn did a head count and found me in the hot tub. Apparently the bright green swim cap wasn’t as good of a disguise as I’d hoped.

Then another round of videotaping and back into the classroom to review our performances once again.

We’d all shown improvement, some of us more than others.  Of course, when  you start at the bottom, there’s no where to go but up, right?!

My brother looked great, so did Katie and I was actually really pleased with what I’d learned.   While it was a full day of training and I was really tired afterward, it was the happy tired where you’ve put in a good effort and had a solid workout and you feel like you’ve tried your best.

And isn’t that why we do it?

Thanks to Karlyn, I hope it doesn’t scare her too much that she’s made a student for life – I will definitely take another class with her when she comes to town again. I highly recommend her classes, go if you get the chance.

And thanks to my brother, Mike, and to Katie.  Don’t tell them, but it was a great day and I really appreciated that they talked me into going.

The Krypt.

This year marked my first foray into road cycling, for no other reason than decaying joints and a whim.

Mostly the decaying joints whim.

I bought myself a new bike…a pretty little butterfly-light  Argon 18 Krypton (duly named the “Krypt” because I’m sure I’m going to die on it), some snazzy new clothes (helloooo, shopping opportunity!) and then looked around for a reason to actually get on it and train.

Enter the Whistler Gran Fondo.  122k (approx 75 miles) of mountainous riding from Vancouver to Whistler.

Yup, that’s a fun little goal for a beginner.

Well, hold on, my nickname may be Crazy Legs, but I’m  not that crazy.  I talked my friend Kim into signing up (because misery loves company and evidently, so does torture) to do the Medio distance which is only half.  Easy peasy.

Me out for my first ride...yes, I eventually got off the sidewalk and onto the road.

(Note to self, next time, pick the easy half, not the blimey mountainous half).

A bit of a running die-hard, I quickly found that I really, really like this riding thing. This was unexpected, but road cycling is not called “the new golf” for nothing…. I found it easy on the body (compared to running), fast (compared to running) and you cover wayyyy more ground (compared to running).

I still kept up my 3 runs per week but added in a few rides as well.  Contrary to dire expectation, my body did not fall apart.  Riding seems to complement running (yes, I’m a slow learner) and I didn’t feel nearly as worn out or tired as I thought I would.

The day of the Whistler Gran Fondo was stunning and hot, even by Vancouver’s wetcoast standards.  The race itself was extremely well organized (huge props!) and given it’s “new golf” designation as a sport, it was quite genteel as well. (Glass of wine at the aid station…yeah, baby.  Now we’re talking!)

Kim, right, and I share a glass of red wine. And all is right in the world.

With thousands of riders along with us for this sold-out little jaunt, Kim and I did get separated a time or two but found each other at the aid stations. There were plenty of people to talk to, jaw dropping scenery on the Sea to Sky Highway and a ton of food and fuel to keep us going.

I won! I won! Just like the 6,999 other riders!

Reaching the village of Whistler and crossing the finish line in my first road cycling event….priceless!  I may not win any medals but I sure had fun.  (Wait…we all get medals. Sweet!)

Brave road warriors that we are, Kim and I are already signed up for next year.  Since we did the hard half the first time, we figure the whole distance should be a piece of cake.

Right?

Well…doubtless it will burn off a piece of cake or two, anyway. And that will make all the effort worth it.

That and the glasses of wine.

Last week I started the P90X program (upcoming post).  I also did the Grouse Grind, tried kayaking (post upcoming Sunday) and continued to run.  All in the summer heat.

Turns out (no surprise, right?), it was too much for my body.  This I found out on a hot, muggy run. In retrospect, I could have just sat on the deck with a Corona and thought about it, but some of us learn the hard way.

The run wasn’t hard, but the day was a boiler.  I had just finished a hill that I’ve run many, many times before with no problem. It isn’t that steep and it isn’t that long.  But this time I got to the top and had that yucky feeling I’ve only experienced once before on a run – at the end of race, that time – that yucky feeling that everything in my stomach was screaming to heave back out.

At first I didn’t take the feeling seriously so I fought it for a minute before I realized that I was actually going to throw up.  I hastily looked around and ran behind a tree.

And….well, I’ll leave the details to your imagination.

Later that day, with my Corona in hand, I Googled the whole messy situation and found out that vomiting on a run isn’t anything new.  As a matter of fact, some trainers – as well as unqualified hacks – actually encourage runners to work that hard.  (Is it just me, or is that insane?)

And I found out that regular people like me are actually wondering if they should train to puke.

I did find one race where I guess vomiting is pretty much a given (not a race I’d volunteer for clean up duties):

Tell us, have you ever thrown up after a run or workout?

Spill! (sorry)

So excited!!!  I’m still training for the Canuck Place Adventure Challenge, (5k kayak, 20k mountain bike, 5k trail run) and while I was hanging with the family at the lake I took some much needed me-time and hopped in the canoe for a little paddle practice.  It’s not kayaking, but at least I’m still getting an upper body workout, right?

BlackJack – my impetuous toy fox terrier – decided he wanted to accompany me…

Yup, he wanted to be there. At least until he realized that "there" meant surrounded by water.

….until – too late we’d pushed off – he remembered he was afraid of water.

But BlackJack’s a brave little guy and he soon found his lake legs.  We had a great paddle!

Me (and BlackJack) in the Green Monster at Shuswap Lake.

The langorous hills of the Shuswap area were great to practice 25k mountain bike rides on and the occasional dump truck zooming past me on the road really made for some exciting peddling!

However, with the little bit of training I did at the lake, I also did way too much of this:

Yup, lazing around on the boat - again. In between cocktails on the beach. Lots of arm workouts, there.

Now, finally back home again from the lake (I can’t believe summer has gone by this quickly) the girls and I on the Fitness Town team got together this morning for a photo opp for a local newspaper:

Pimping ourselves in the local newspaper, for a great cause: the terminally ill kids who visit Canuck Place Children's Hospice, pictured in the background.

Three more weeks until race day!  And I still have some significant fundraising to do.  Yikes!

If you care to support us in our race – and more importantly, support the kids – please click here to donate. If we all give up our coffee money for a day or two and put a smile on a sick kid’s face, we can warm our souls with something more than just coffee.