Puff, Pant, and Work Your Heart Out!

In case you didn't guess from the title of this post, it's about... (drum roll please)... EXERCISE!

(Oh, come on, stop groaning)

I've had a pretty intense two days exercise wise so far, and I've found a new, slightly longer training route for the Ride to Conquer Cancer.

While I'm on holiday, and have a lot of free time up my sleeve, I've started planning out my days. Sometimes, I find that time slips away on me when I've got too much of it, and I waste it doing frivolous things. My timetable is flexible, for if something unexpected pops up and I have to reschedule, but I try to stick to it as best I can.

Yesterday I got back into regular exercise, and I hit the gym for an intense forty-five minute cardio workout, courtesy of Les Mills SH'BAM. I've wanted to try out a SH'BAM class for ages, but haven't had the time, so yesterday seemed like too good an opportunity to miss to try it.

For those who don't know, SH'BAM is a dance-based cardio workout, and it's the most fun I've ever had doing exercise. The warm-up, the cool-down, and everything in between is dance. We do everything from hip-hop, to contemporary, to jazz ballet, and it's one hell of a workout. 

Now, I confess, I'm not a good dancer, I don't have much of a sense of rhythm. The class yesterday was small (only about six or seven people, because it's school holidays), and I took a spot up the front so I could see the instructor. For the few few tracks I felt like an elephant in a ballet studio, trying to get into the swing of things. The instructor kept saying 'less aerobics, more dance!', and I found it hard to get 'dancing' when I was supposed to be exercising. By the third or fourth track, though, I was starting to get into it and enjoy the class. I still had trouble with some of the moves, but I was less worried about that. It's not often I really get to let my hair down, and yesterday was definitely one of those times where I just let loose.

I would recommend SH'BAM to anyone wanting a fun, cardio-based workout. Don't worry if you can't dance, just go with it and, as the instructor said yesterday, 'feel the beat!'

I got home from SH'BAM and had some lunch, before having a shower and a nap. When I woke up, do you think I decided to sit down a relax? Of course not! I got on my cycling gear and headed out on a new, longer training ride for the Ride to Conquer Cancer. 

My original ride was only just 4.0kms, and it was flat most of the way, with only one hill. This new route is 5.2kms, and has a mixture of flat and hills. Some of them are really subtle slopes too, which you don't realize you're riding up until you're half-way up and you have to change gears to keep going. I suspect I'll be dealing with a fair few of those when I do the Ride in October. Also, my new route goes in a circle  it starts and ends at my house, where I actually had to turn around with my old route and go back the way I came to get back home again.

My new training route; 5.2kms

There's footpath the whole way, which is good, although parts of it are in very poor repair. It's not really a problem for me on my bike, but runners and power-walkers had better beware. Someone I know recently tripped on uneven footpath and ended up with nasty cuts and bruises to their face. They had  horrible scab on their chin for weeks, and a scar is still visible on their nose where their glasses cut into it.

I went for another bike ride this morning, going the same route. I forgot to lower my gear from yesterday, and accidentally did the ride in third, rather than fourth, gear. This is interesting, as I found today's ride, along the same route in a lower gear, harder than yesterday. Perhaps simply because I'm more tired after my intense day yesterday.

As always, donations for my ride are much appreciated. Chip in here, and your contribution will immediately benefit Peter Mac. 

Well, I'm off to have some lunch, and then I'm off to try on costumes for my fairytale and fantasy themed birthday party coming up soon.

~ Australian Kiwi

My Early Training Route

My first training route for The Ride; Distance = 4.1km

I went for another bike ride today, training for The Ride to Conquer Cancer in October. I took the same route as I did on my first bike ride, but, today, I measured the distance and took note of my speed. 

The route is about 4.1km long, according to the odometer on my bike, so it's not a very long ride, but it's a start. I ride from my house to the closest local shopping centre and back again, and round trip between between ten and fifteen minutes. I'm starting to get into practice using my gears again, as I haven't really touched my gears for a long time. When October rolls around, I will need to be proficient at changing gears quickly and easily, and preferably without looking at the gears themselves. Of course, the gears on my road bike will be different to the gears I have on my mountain bike, which is the bike I'm currently riding. I don't have a road bike yet, but my parents are going to get me one for The Ride.

I tried to keep my speed at around 13-15km/ph. On the Port2Port, a 400k bike ride, riders tried to keep at around 15-20km/ph, so I'm guessing it will be similar on The Ride. Again, I'm just building up at the moment, but I managed to keep between 11-13km/ph on this ride, including up the hill. I think that's a good achievement. 

The training route has one quite large hill, which is quite good for helping me learn to use my gears again. It's nice, not having to strain as hard to get uphill as I have in the past when I haven't used my gears. As this route gets too easy, I'll look for a longer route, although I don't want to bite off more than I can chew yet, I'll build up slowly.

As always, if you want to donate to my Ride, you can do so here.

~ Australian Kiwi

Training: Day One

No stalling, no waiting, no 'let's do it later', I started training for The Ride to Conquer Cancer today!

My dad decided to train with me, even though he's not going to ride. He is coming, however, as part of the support crew for The Ride. Both of us were support crew for the WHK Team on the Port-2-Port last year, so he's a seasoned professional when it comes to cycling support.

I haven't found out about the bike paths close to home yet, as I've been quite busy with other preparation, so dad and I hit the gym this afternoon and did half-an-hour each on an exercise bike.

I know that riding on an exercise bike is very different to riding on a push bike, but it's cardio training, which is a good start. I think I had a bit of an easy workout today, so I'll push myself harder when I go back tomorrow. I did a manual workout, which is fine if you just want some cardio on a bike, but I'm training for a road bike event, so I needed intervals, which I didn't think about until later. I rode at level five, when I probably should have been riding anywhere between eight and ten, and after my half hour, I certainly felt like I could have done more. I'll be interested to see how my legs feel tomorrow, as they're not too tired at the moment, nor do they feel particularly rubbery, which is a sure sign that I didn't push myself hard enough.

Training Stats

Date: 24/02/13

Time taken: 30mins

Workout type: Manual

Distance: 14.05km

Level: 5

Goal: To be able to cycle 30kms without stopping. 

~ Australian Kiwi

P.S. Your donations will keep me riding, and help Peter Mac continue their life-saving research and treatment of cancer. Click here to help out.

Riding today for a cancer free tomorrow

Lately, everyone I know seems to be going on an adventure.

My friend over at Crazy Catastrophes is in Sweden (yeah, I know!), and my sister over here is studying and working out hard for her Certs III & IV in Fitness. My dad's busier than ever with his new job, and loving every minute of it, and another friend turned 21 this year.

Ok, so, maybe everyone is a bit of an exaggeration, but enough people I love are off doing amazing things and having an amazing time, that I've started to feel a bit dull and boring. I mean, I have started my Cert III in Children's Services, and I am enjoying it immensely, but it's not really an exciting adventure like travelling to Sweden or turning 21 would be.

But I am dull and boring no more.

Today, I signed up to take part in the Ride to Conquer Cancer, which is a 200km bike ride over two days, from Melbourne to the Mornington Peninsula and back again. I will be riding in a group of hundreds of riders, all doing their bit for a cancer free future.

To say I'm pumped, excited, nervous and proud of myself would be an understatement.

Me, my bike, and my Ride to Conquer Cancer t-shirt

So, what will I need to do for the ride?

First of all, a lot of training. I'm only an occasional rider, so I'll need to build myself up to the point where I can ride the 200km required of me. The best part about that is I'll be able to get help from my trainer at the gym, and The Ride staff organize volunteer-led training rides all around Melbourne for all different levels of fitness and experience. The ride's not until October, so I have around eight months to prepare for the task ahead of me. Hopefully, not a day will go to waste.

The second thing I'll need to do is buy a road bike. Most people don't know the difference between a mountain bike and a road bike, but, when you're riding long distance on the road, having the right type of bike is crucial. A road bike has a much lighter frame than a mountain bike, with thinner tube tyres. It's designed to be no heavier than it absolutely has to be to carry a person, so minimize wind drag and extra weight on a long distance ride. A mountain bike is like the bike I'm pictured with above, with a sturdy frame and heavy grip tyres. It needs to be tough to handle the kind of terrain mountain bikers like to tackle. 

I'll be getting my new bike second hand, as a brand new road bike could cost anywhere between $1200 - $1600 depending on the make, and I don't have that kind of money to throw around. There will also be the added cost of buying proper cycling eyewear and cycling shorts; The Ride provides cycling jumpers, so that's one thing I don't need to worry about.

The third thing I have to do is fund raise. The Ride to Conquer Cancer raises money for cancer research and treatment at Peter Mac Hospital, and all riders are required to raise a minimum of $2500 if they want to ride. This is where you can help me go on my adventure, by heading over to my personal fundraising page and making a tax deductible donation.

The amount doesn't matter, just getting behind me and supporting me on my ride means a lot to me. Not only will you be helping me achieve my target fundraising goal, your money goes directly into the bank accounts of Peter Mac. That's right, there's no waiting time, your donations go directly to the Hospital the moment you make them, and are put to use right away.

Or, if you want to join The Ride to Conquer Cancer, click here to register online.

I'm riding today for a cancer free tomorrow, what about you?

~ Australian Kiwi