Rolling with the punches and grieving goals lost

Creeping slowly up. I had my eye on the prize for a while now. I had a plan and some goals. I was going to start my plan six months before my birthday and embrace the 40 I wanted to live. But then life throws a curveball.  Depending on how you look at it, I…

How my first crash made me want to ride more

I wear a necklace around my neck that says “I am stronger.” It reminds me that I am stronger than the disease that ravages my body (rheumatoid arthritis). That I am stronger than the road or trail in front of me. That I am stronger than all of the burdens and responsibilities that go into…

Why we choose green: Forest school

Ironically our journey into a forest school began with a ping on the computer. What’s a forest school? I wondered. I’ll bite. At the time the kids were two and four. We were spending much of our time in the forest. It was where we went to breathe, calm down and enjoy the magic of…

Crushing your first fondo – on Joyviva

I am doing some writing over at JoyViva  – a great website for everything an athletic and adventurous women needs (and for her male pals too). This week I tackled how to get read your your first Fondo in more detail .  Check it out. Crushing your first fondo – from training to finishline

Pulling for SickKids

All my kilometers this June will not just be exercise that makes me thrive – each one will help me help sick kids. I have joined the Great Cycle Challenge from the SickKids Foundation.  More than 10,000 Canadians will be working together by raising funds, conquering kilometres and putting all that towards research and support…

Getting pulled along – why you need a ride buddy

I took up cycling because I could do it solo. Just me and my bike (and shoes, and helmet, and glasses, and gloves, and kit, and, and, and it was a lot more expensive than I realized) on the open road. It took almost two years to discover the power of a ride buddy. When…

WOW. Just Wow – how to choose a cycling club

Last spring I was wondering what was next. I had fallen in love with cycling doing the My First Fondo Clinic – thriving in the daily exercise, the camaraderie and the accomplishment of riding up a mountain. I will be honest – I love having worked out. I typically don’t love working out. Road cycling…

Riding up a mountain – My First Fondo

My love cycling began on a whim. When I had the idea to ride the Whistler Gran Fondo I just needed to figure out how.  Before children I was active. Matt and I would go hiking or camping regularly. We members of a climbing gym which we tackled a couple of times a week. I…

When someone loses that loving feeling

A year ago we were here. That is five people skiing together on top of mountain (maybe six – depending if both my dad and mom were skiing with us that day). We had spent years bent over holding up our kids, sometimes skiing fast to give them a sense of freedom speed can bring,…

Summer fun at Silver Star

All this dreary winter weather has me reliving the fantastic summer of 2016. It has us planning upcoming adventures for this year. While I spend my days mainly on the roads, my family spends their days on trails. When the boys were small that meant I was running alongside as they dabbled on trails in…