A Critical Mass (of Bouviers?)

Nop, not Bouviers...bicycles!

Yup, Guy and I partook in the 2,000 bicycle strong Critical Mass bike ride through Vancouver this evening. The idea is to remind people that bikes belong on the roads too. The oft chanted refrain is "we're not stopping traffic, we are traffic!" From what we heard, the other objective was to "close down the downtown core" and I think we accomplished that too.

We met at the VAG and rode across the Granville Bridge, down Broadway to Main St, back into downtown, down to Davie, along Davie to Denman, up Denman to mid-point on the Lion's Gate Bridge where we hung out and closed traffic for about 30 minutes, then back through Stanley Park, across the Burrard Bridge to Kits, and once we hit Broadway we turned off and went home, while the others continued on.

As the group moved along, front-riders would stop and hold back traffic at each intersection so everyone could move through safely. We took our turns "corking" as they call it. It was peaceful and drivers were always thanked for their patience. For the most part, motorist were either mildly amused or resigned to cooperate. A few people were angry, but they mellowed as they sat around waiting - even the guy in the Hummer we forced to stop and wait - now that alone was worth the 2.5 hours of cycling.

We peddled for about 2.5 hours, with a good cross section of society -- most of whom were flying their freak flags high and proud. Some were costumed, others were naked! Many adorned their bottle holders with beer cans, while many more puffed as they rode. It was a real sense of freedom to cycle without having to worry about cars.

Sadly, the Bouvier can't cycle, so he couldn't join us, though I was eyeing some of the contraptions people were towing their kids, boom boxes, and the like in, and wondering if the Bou would like to join in some time. I think we'll make this a regular event (last Friday of every month) so I hope some of you will join in - what do you think Millie!

One Big Chop for Guy; One Little Chop for Killaine...

I did the Little Chop - a 4.8 k kayak race from the Maritime Museum to Third Beach, and back. I'm not a kayaker so this was new territory. I had to rent a kayak, which they had available for $10.00. I was a little wobbly off the start as I couldn't control the rudder, but once the safety guy showed me how I managed ok. My strategy was to do the first half at a comfortable pace, and then go harder on the way back. I did exactly this, and so managed to move past a canoe after the turn-around and finish 3rd ! (also second last since there are only 4 boats in the Little Chop; or first in the single kayaks!).

Guy did the Big Chop, which was about 10 km and attracted 25 or so boats. Most racers were in super fast boats, which gave Guy quite a challenge in his heavy-duty touring boat. It's kinda like riding a mountain bike in a road race, so he wasn't really in contention with the fast boats, but he didn't finish too far behind them, and nearly nipped his nearest competitor at the finish. After chopping, we enjoyed vegie dogs and draw prizes. All in all, a good evening of fun for $18.00 (rental of my kayak included).

I've heard that there are some kayak races where they incorporate a run into the middle....now those I'm looking forward to!

My Torment Continues

...it's another day of restraining myself from running much as I try to get my feet healthy enough to run the KKNSTR and T2T marathon in mid-July.

Today the Knee Knacker group is running the first three-quarters of the KK right now, and I'm sitting at home eating pancakes. I'm trying to keep my exercize to the 1 hour a day range as I try to let my foot recover.

Yesterday I hiked up the Bluff Trail with Guy. Today I might do a one hour run, and later do a hike up the Grind....two one hour workouts adequatley spaced might be ok :) But, I'm not sure it'll get me ready for my back to back KK-T2T runs.

Teddy is sleeping in his blue bed right now. He had half of a blueberry whole wheat pancake and chicken for breakfast. He seems very happy. Here's a picture of Teddy from when he was in Idaho a few years ago! Yes, Teddy has been to Idaho!

No Bouviers Run This Day

Today is Saturday and I should be running. In a few weeks I'm planning to run the Knee Knacker in North Van, and then the Totem to Totem marathon in Haida Gwaii, on two consecutive weekends.

But, here I am sitting on my couch distracting myself by creating a blog.

I'm blogging because, well, I can't run much at the moment. I have a sore right ankle, left foot, and right calf. I had x-rays taken of my foot, and next week I see the specialist to find out what's up. It gets really sore when I run long runs, and I can't put a shoe on or walk on it for two days after.

The good thing is that as I spend less time running, I spend more time with Teddy. Teddy is my gorgeous 11 year old black Bouvier. He loves me so much, he's a bit like my own personal stalker. That big mass of black fur on the right...that's him.

Teddy lives 2 blocks from Kits Beach in a funky condo. He eats organic chicken, salmon, herring, and veggies, and buffalo knuckles. Today he had some french toast and maple syrup as a special breakfast treat. He doesn't like to drink tap water; he only likes rain water. I keep a bowl on the deck to collect rain water for him. What I like most about Teddy is how gentle and innocent he is. He has no idea the world is full of evil, harm, and pain, and has no idea he's capable of the same. It must be a beautiful place to exist.