Get Smart. Get Active. Tour 2008

I think I went around three turns today, maybe four, and they were very gradual bends. At the same time I went up one hill of any consequence. I am so happy that I didn’t have a head wind today because it might have killed me. I was doing sprints, and standing up in the saddle just to give myself something to do!

It was a great day for riding though, and I actually had a great time. A gentle breeze was coming out of the north and the temperature was cold but quite reasonable. All in all if I wanted to be a sprinter I think I would move to Saskatchewan. I could ride to my hearts content and do flat sprint workouts all day, of course the winter would kill me… details.

So I find myself I Regina, capital of Saskatchewan. The city really came out of nowhere, which goes to show how much attention I was paying to my surroundings, considering you can see the high rises coming from about 30 km away. It was with my head down, paying strict attention to nothing in particular, that I blew past the welcome to Regina sign and was shocked to realize were I was. Part of this was, as I said, I had only had to turn about three times so I didn’t really have to pay attention, and I was really enjoying doing sprints and I was right in the middle of one as I came into the city.

Now I have a day off tomorrow, time to do my much needed laundry! Also the Imax here is playing Wired to Win which I have been wanting to see for a while, so I think we will go see that tomorrow. I don’t really need a day off but I need to wait around for my presentation on the 28th. With the weather and organizing presentations around the schools schedules it has been hard to keep a good pace going, but after I leave Regina I am in for some serious riding, so I am not to upset over the extra day off right now.

Activity tip: Don’t get discouraged, results take time, but you will be amazed with how far a little work can go.

Sincerely,

Tyler

I officially never want to see a flag again. Looking at them all day today was painful in a cruel way, a constant reminder that yes the wind is blowing straight in my face, yes it is blowing quite hard, and no I am not accidentally squeezing my breaks. Crossing the flat and at times slightly down hill prairies in the same gear that I was using to climb Roger’s Pass was a rather humbling experience!
Luckily I only had to go 30 km today, my shortest day yet (not counting my driving day), and actually the shortest ride I have done in a long, long time. Even my lazy training rides were 40 or 50 km, but today was the hardest 30 km of my life. With an average speed of 23 km/hr I earned every inch of it.

The campsite we stayed at last night was beautiful. Unfortunately it was closed so we were parked on the side of the road next to it, but we walked around and it was very nice. My mom saw a Snowy owl that has apparently been nesting there for the last four years, and there were all kinds of deer and grouse running about the grounds. Interestingly it is a jointly funding camp between provincial and federal governments. If you find yourself driving by Mortlach I would highly recommend it.

Not much else to say. I am still taking it pretty easy because I have a couple of days before I have to be in Regina. I was pretty excited to arrive in Moose Jaw today, yes they do have a big statue of a Moose. I find the mix of new and old in these towns very interesting. Beautiful old architecture dating back to the first pioneers right next to a brand new strip mall, a very interesting look at the progression of our society. WOW, way to deep.

So if everyone in BC and Alberta can turn on their fans and point them east for me tomorrow that would be great, and if your driving across the parries and you see me fighting against a head wind I would be perfectly alright with you slowing down and letting me draft for a bit!
Activity tip: Easy way to get fit, take the stairs!

Sincerely,

Tyler

Since I have had to drive a bit in order to make one of my presentations and in order to try and out run the weather that has made my life miserable for the last few day, I now find myself slightly ahead of schedule once again. Don’t worry Stef I’m not going to ask you to reschedule everything again, what it means is that I can take it easy to make it to my next presentation in Regina because I don’t have all that much ground to cover and lots of time to get there.

I find myself relishing the relaxed days. The weather is slowly starting to get better, although the one thing that I was happy about, the west wind, left me and I am left with a slightly warmer, but much less helpful easterly. Pushing through a head wind is equivalent to climbing a hill only it never ends! The sun has been putting in an occasional appearance though and the temperature is slowly climbing back into the positives, so I am optimistic for the future.

Passing though the prairies is quite the experience though. They offer a totally different type of beauty to the mountains. They are, in a way, subtler, and looking at them you get a sense of calm. Also I can’t say enough of the small town people I have been meeting! Everyone is very welcoming and quick to offer a kind word or point you in the right direction. Even the local RCMP officer pulled over the RV just because he was curious about how the trip was going! Overall I am thoroughly enjoying the prairies, and I would defiantly recommend them for a visit.

There is one down side though. When you are pushing through the wind on a bike or coming to the end of the day, coming over a rise and seeing the town you are going to doesn’t feel quite as good when you realize it is still a good 30 km away and you can just see that far from where you are! Today I could see the water tower in Mortlach about an hour before I arrive in town. In the mountains if you can see where you are going you’re probably only a couple of minutes away, here it is an entirely different story.

Well I am cautiously optimistic for the next few days and I am very much looking forward to my next presentation in Regina!

Activity tip: Track what you are doing. Keeping an activity journal can be a great way to keep yourself honest, keep yourself motivated, and track your progress.

Sincerely,

Tyler

My presentation in Medicine Hat went very well this morning. Despite the still dismal condition of the roads and cold temperatures, I had a wonderful turnout! Thank you again to the staff and students of Connaught School for having me today. Also thank you very much to Deputy Mayor John Hamill for coming out and showing your city’s support for physical education, and Chat TV for covering the event.

I am getting more and more comfortable with the public speaking side of the tour. I still feel quite nervous standing in front of a couple of hundred people but I am getting the speech down pat. The thing that is still getting me a little is the news camera, I seem to freeze up a bit when I have a camera in my face! Just one more thing to learn on this fabulous journey I am on!

Although the weather is still pretty bad I am happy to report that I managed get back on my bike today! In an effort to try and out run the weather we drove about 70 km towards Swift Current, thinking we were going to have to drive the entire way. My spirits were about as low as they could get, and I was actually considering calling it quits, as I stared out the RV window at a seemingly endless expanse of snow drifts and ice. The temperature was still well below zero and the wind was blowing so strong the RV was having trouble staying on the road.

Everything took a turn in my favor though when 130 km out side of Swift Current the snow drifts cleared and I was finally able to bike again. The temperature hadn’t changed, and the wind was still blowing, but once I got on my bike and started working all that didn’t matter. Plus, the wind was blowing from the west! I had a tail wind all the way to Swift Current.

The ride was not without peril though. I had to deal with everything from blizzard to whiteout and a little bit of both. Then as if Mother Nature needed some help I had to dive for the ditch to avoid the wind gust from a house, that’s right a house. As a wide load chase truck went by I looked over my shoulder to see if I had to get off the road and was a little surprised to see a truck hauling a HOUSE, and not a small house, it took up both lanes of the road and had a whole stream of trucks following behind. The wind they made was so strong it almost knocked me over as I was standing in the ditch!

Despite almost finding myself in someone else’s living room at 120 km/hr the ride today was a lot of fun. Cruising across the parries at 45 km/h is a whole different way of riding then plowing through the mountains in my smallest gears. I must say that I am looking forward to more of the same in the days to come! The one down side is that I did not bike across the Alberta Saskatchewan border.

Activity Tip: You don’t have to run a marathon to be healthy. Small amounts of exercise every day will make all the difference!

Sincerely,

Tyler

Well the weather that has treated me so well has finally turned for the worst. I have officially been snowed in to Calgary since my last update. In total over 35 cm of snow have fallen, and the temperature has dropped to well below zero. Since the city was not expecting any more snow for the year and had actually packed away the plows and gotten out the street sweepers, the roads have turned into an icy mess. The highway department has warnings out for every major road and is recommending that everyone just stay at home, so needless to say the conditions are unfavorable for biking! In the end, I have been forced to bow to mother nature and accept that I will not be able to ride for the next couple of days.

So I find myself imposing on the hospitality of friends and family for a couple of extra days and wondering what to do with myself. On the positive, my knees have been hurting, so this break gives me time to rest and get a bit of treatment. On the negative, I have a presentation in Medicine Hat on the 22nd, which I can’t miss. What to do?

Living in Canada has it’s problems and one of them has always been learning to live with the weather, and I must accept that in order to make my presentation on the 22nd I am going to have to drive from Calgary to Medicine Hat. So, on the morning of the 21st I find myself putting on sweat pants instead of biking pants and climbing into the RV for the 300 km trip across Alberta. The roads are still in horrible condition, but at least drivable, and I will fulfill my next commitment.

One thing I did see while on our way to Medicine Hat was a number of school trips stopping for lunch. What is so noteworthy about that you ask? Well, of the three tours I saw, two stopped at McDonalds and one stopped at a mall food court. COME ON! Teachers please, give us a chance. Here we are trying to promote health and activity in schools and teachers are sending their students to eat some of the worst food money can by. In all fairness, the mall did have a salad bar, but I don’t delude myself. Does it really take all that much effort to stop at a place that is a bit healthier? Even Subway would be better. At least they would be getting real food.

Activity Tip: I can’t remember if I have done this one, but it seems fitting for the day. What goes in is what comes out. If you eat awful food than you’re not going to be healthy. Good food and exercise is the best way to feel good about yourself.

Sincerely,

Tyler

Well, three days off and I am ready to get back on the road!

Calgary has been wonderful though. We arrived the night of the 15th to a wonderful welcoming at our friends house. One of our friends just happens to be a very talented chef and cooked us a wonderful dinner to revive us after our long day! After dinner we spent the evening relaxing and catching up.
The next day was a full day off, but not with out its errands. Of great importance was the cleaning of the RV in preparation for my mom’s arrival. Two men living in enclosed space make a bit of a mess despite best intentions. I know what you are thinking, but it wasn’t to bad, just a quick sweep, a few dishes, and some repacking.

My brother took care of most of the cleaning while I went in search of a bike store that could check out my bike. I have been experiencing a bit of knee pain and I am worried that it is due to how I am situated on the bike, so I wanted a second opinion. Now I won’t mention any names, but I was a little disappointed with the bike store I found. First off, all the employees were on commission and since I wasn’t looking to buy anything they didn’t want anything to do with me, even after I explained what I was doing. Then when I finally got someone to look at me, he didn’t seem to know what he was going on about. Needless to say I was less than happy about my Calgary bike shop experience. In the end I sat down with one of the people I am staying with, who is also an avid biker and we figured out what was going on.

My presentations started the next morning with and wonderful group of K-4’s. We had a little mix up in the morning and ended up going to the schools administrative office which was about a 20 minute drive away from the actual school, but every thing worked out in the end and I was only five minutes late! The really exciting part was that a few of my friends from the CAHPERD leadership camp, as well as two of our leaders and past presidents of CAHPERD came out to support me and help me out with the presentation. Not only that, but we had a wonderful reunion later that night with most of the Calgary contingent of the camp! I was a little out numbered due to the fact that the reunion just happened to correspond with a Flames game and I was the BC representative in the room.

It was absolutely wonderful seeing those friends again, and it really fills me with hope knowing that there are such wonderful leaders out there, who really care about physical education and active living. If it wasn’t me I am sure anyone of them could be doing this trip in my place!
My final two presentations in Calgary were at two of the Catholic schools and having no previous experience with Catholic schools, they were a wonderful experience. I had a great reception at both schools and the students were two of the best-behaved groups I have seen yet! One of the most interesting things about the tour is seeing how all the different schools are run and meeting all the different students. I never know what to expect when I go into a school, and I have to be prepared for everything.

On the other side of the coin, the weather has taken a turn for the worst! It started snowing Friday morning and hasn’t let up. So far there is about 15 cm of fresh snow on the ground and they are calling for more snow and colder temperatures over the next five days. I am very worried about the conditions I will be facing tomorrow; as of now the ride is going ahead as scheduled. Wish me luck!
Activity tip: Don’t be afraid to learn something new, push your boundaries!

Sincerely,

Tyler

Wow the weather changes fast in Alberta! We went to bed commenting about how warm it was outside, thinking we wouldn’t have to turn on the heat, and then we woke up to ten cm of new snow. The weather didn’t get much better for the rest of the day with a mix of snow, followed by torrential rain. Good thing it was a day off! We spent the day walking around Banff taking in the sights and catching up on all our correspondence. Not the most exciting way to spend a day in Banff, but all together not that bad.

We followed that whirlwind of a day with another pretty exciting one, only actually this time not just sarcasm. The morning started of with a presentation at the Banff Community High School and my first time talking to older students. I was giving the opportunity to talk to a wonderful group of grade ten students about the need for phys ed and how they can live a more active life style. I must say if there was ever a group of students that have every opportunity to be active it is those in Banff, what a great place! You literally have access to every sports and activity you can imagine and it is all in your backyard!

After the presentation is reluctantly got on my bike for a rather cold ride to Calgary. The ride was one of the better ones so far purely for the fact that I had a sweet tail wind the entire morning and I was doing about 70 km/hr across the flats, and yes it was blissfully flat. The afternoon was accompanied by a bit of a head wind but still went by quickly, and before I knew it I was in the land of oil drillers and beef eaters (just kidding!).

We are staying with friends for the next couple of days and I have presentations booked up until the 19th, so it should be a nice visit. My brother and I are looking forward to real showers and roomy bathrooms!

Just a quick hello to Adam at James Douglas, I hope everyone is enjoying the updates! I’m on to the next poster in the gym now!

Activity tip: Try to walk for your errands as much as possible, but when you have to drive don’t worry about finding the closest parking space you can. Save the five or ten minutes you’d have spent looking and walk a little. Save time and get exercise all at the same time!

Sincerely,

Tyler

I don’t have all that much to say about today, mostly because it was pretty short.

I had a nice sleep in to start the day and relaxed in the RV before heading out for the days ride. Banff and Lake Louise are not to far away from each other so my ride was easy. What I guess I am saying is that today sort of counts as a day off. Not only was the ride really short, but it was flat. It was more than flat it was pretty much down hill for most of the way. I covered the 60 km in under two hours, barely even breaking a sweat!

Now we have a day and a half to wait for my next presentation, but I can’t really complain. Banff is a beautiful place to spend a couple of days and we will be able to get a lot done. For instance, as I write this I’m getting a much-needed load of laundry done. I know, multi-tasking; I’m not just another pretty face!

Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying these updates. Today is the two-week mark of the trip, so I hope your not getting bored yet!

Activity tip: Activity is cumulative; so don’t make the excuse that you don’t have time to do your entire workout so it’s not worth going. Do what you can and it all counts towards the results.

Sincerely,

Tyler

I have done it! I have conquered BC, thirteen days and around 1000 km and I am through the mountains!

They didn’t let me go with out a fight though. My day started off with a climb to, what is aptly named, the ten-mile hill rest stop, and rest I did. Although not as bad as the climbs I have already done I was not too happy with this one; mostly because I literally got on my bike and started climbing, not the best way to warm up.

After that it was fairly down hill to Field and it was one of the more scenic rides so far, passing through Yoho National park. I set a leisurely pace through the park and enjoyed the ride. The sun was shining, it was about 20 degrees out and the Rocky Mountains soared above me; all in all not a bad way to spend your day.

I covered the 60 km to Field in pretty good time considering I was going about it in a very relaxed way, and as I have so much time to get to Banff I am taking it easy and not working to hard. When I arrived in Field though, we were faced with a couple of problems. The first being that all the campsites are still closed and there was nowhere to park overnight. Now, that wouldn’t have been a huge deal because we can always camp out on the side of the road. The second problem was the real kicker: we had run out of water the night before and closed parks equals no water. Now I don’t know about you, but I need water to survive so this posed a major issue and we made the decision to press on to Lake Louise.

What’s the big deal you ask? That is only another 30 km. Well… In discussing the situation with the parks officer in field, the option of pressing on and riding to Lake Louise was brought up and he assured me that I was in for 30 km of straight up hill, a vertical slog comparable to the Duffy. This was a prospect that I was not looking forward to. In the end the desire for water outweighed my dread for another big climb and I pressed on.

I had put a lot of faith in what the Warden had said, because he was a twenty-year veteran of the parks and from Lake Louise, so you would think he knew the roads pretty well. As it turned out, I don’t think he knew what he was talking about. In all fairness the road did start out with quite the hill, but after about five km I was over the crest and it was down hill for the next 25 km. It was actually quite a pleasant ride and I ended up waiting at the turn off to Lake Louise for my brother to catch up in the van.

We now find ourselves, safe and sound in a government campsite complete with power, water, hot showers, and most exciting of all…Thats right, BC and the big mountains of Canada are behind me!
Activity tip of the day: Getting into a regular routine can help you stick to your program. If you don’t want to take classes then treat going to the gym as if it is a class you can’t be late for. Make a time and stick to it!

Sincerely,
Tyler

Well once again being ahead of schedule has its perks. Because I was not able to reschedule my presentation in Banff, we have been blessed with a couple of extra days off. As luck would have it we find ourselves in Golden for one of these days, home to a wonderful little resort called Kicking horse, which just happened to stay open for an extra weekend (don’t worry Sandy I stayed off the snow)!

A couple of my brothers friends also happened to be there for the day, so my brother got a nice day of skiing in and I got an extra day of rest before the final push through the final leg of mountains!
The day went off with out a hitch, except being woken up in the wee hours of the morning because we were parked in the wrong lot! A very nice man in a pickup truck escorted us to the right place though, and we were non-the worst for wear.

The day could not have been better for skiing; with blazing sun and warm spring weather, and being the “bonus” weekend, there was hardly anyone on the hill! Reports on the snow conditions were ice and spring corn but that makes for a nice day of relaxed turns, so my brother and friends had a pretty nice day.

Since our friends had nowhere to stay that night, we had our first guests in the RV, so I spent the day cleaning and getting it reasonably presentable. Two guys living in a little box can make for a bit of a mess despite our best intentions.

So after a very relaxing day I head off to bed, ready for the final push through the mountains tomorrow!

Activity tip of the day: Team sports aren’t for everyone. If you don’t like the classics, soccer, football, hockey, ect… than explore your options. There is something out there you will enjoy; you just have to look for it!

Sincerely,

Tyler