2011 - Page 5 of 8 - ActiveSteve

Cycling Through Toledo and California

Welcome back to another report from me, Activesteve, on my latest exploits. This time I’ll be covering a little cycle touring that Deanna and I did with a group of friends last weekend. The tour? Rideau Lakes. The distance? 370km over the course of two days. Biking from Ottawa to Kingston, and then back again. Yes, it’s a lot of time in the saddle, but with good weather and great friends, it really doesn’t feel all that bad. And luckily, we had both those ingredients with us on the weekend. I’ve done the tour once before, but this time, we were a different group, and took a different route. Read on for the whole story, and don’t forget to check out the pictures that I snapped along the way!

Race Reports

Slaying the Beast for a 6th Time

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42.2km. 28,133 strides. 2,400+ calories burned, 12 small cups of gatorade consumed. 2 gel packs consumed. Several pounds of sweat. 3hrs 16mins and 30seconds. 1 giant smile, and a cool medal. That, in a nutshell, summarizes my efforts on Sunday, May 29th at the Ottawa Race Weekend where I ran the marathon. It was my 6th time running a standalone marathon, and I can still honestly say the running a marathon is one of the toughest events I do. The effort required to run nearly flat-out for 42,200m can not be understated. We all know people who glibly say “I could run a marathon”. I just smile and agree with them. But those words generally haunt anyone who has taken it upon themselves to prove it. Particularly in those who attempt to prove it with any sort of respectable finishing time. Now don’t jump on me, every single person who crosses the line has accomplished something few have, but there is ‘participating’, and then there is ‘running’ or ‘competing’. Me, I run, I don’t compete. I am my only competition in this event. If you are so inclined, I invite you to read the rest of my thoughts on this race following the link. Also, you can check out just a few snaps I have post-race of the event. As you’ll see, I wasn’t the only one to toe the line at the ORW!

Race Reports Race Review Videos

Pick Me to Be a Race Reviewer

The Video

The [brief] Pitch

So, you’re looking for dynamic, energetic, race reviewers to give you two-minute video reviews of races they do this year in exchange for paying entry fees? Well, I’d say I’m your reviewer! I’ve got a full slate already this year, but if you’re willing to foot the bill, I’m more than happy to add more races. Curious about me and my race career?

The Proposed Races

Although I’ve already registered for a lot of my races this season, there are a few more that I’d love to do, and with your support, I can actually enter them! Here are the races in question:

Race Reports Race Review Videos

Team Hyper-Active Gets Physical

Time for another race report for all my faithful followers! This time, I’ll be filling you all in on the Raid Pulse spring adventure race. This was a 6-8 hour adventure race being held in an area I’ve not previously raced at, Notre Dame du Laus, which is about an hour and a half from my place in Quebec. I’ve been attending Thierry and Annick’s races for many years now, both in teams, as well as solo. For this particular race, Deanna and I were actually racing together as a team! So far, we’ve raced together as two solos traveling together, and as solos on our own. This would be our first race as actual, bona fide team-mates! We were both looking forward to it. For a glimpse into the race through pictures, have a look at my folder on flickr. There are both pictures that I took, as well as pictures the race photographers grabbed. I was shooting a bit of video as well for another reason, which I’ll get to after the break.

Technical Two-Wheel Training

Hello adventure-loving friends. I have a really short and sweet blog post for you all. Between training, racing, and general fun-having with Deanna, it’s a wonder I ever find any time to try new things around here. However, much like trying my hand at snowboarding this winter, I have also decided it was high time to pick up a new summer activity as well. Any guesses? Well, I suppose the picture sort of spoils the surprise, doesn’t it? Yup! Motorcycle riding! The idea has been percolating in my noggin for some years now, but upon learning Deanna was also keen on the idea, we went ahead and pulled the trigger on this new pursuit. And as with all my activities, I don’t just dip my toe in the water, I dive right in. Before the snow had even fully melted, I had a helmet, jacket, gloves, and even secured my first motorcycle! All without even knowing how to ride a motorbike. For some pictures of my new ride, as well as some shots of me in training, head over to my flickr folder. Then, read on for a very brief summary of the process of getting my licence in Quebec, and where I’m at.