Sunshine Coast Ride: Great Explorations

Last weekend Andrew and I helped run the Sunshine Coast Mountain Bike Ride with company Great Explorations. This is a fantastic two day point to point ride with an awesome salmon bbq on Saturday night. It is the same weekend every summer and I definitely recommend it to everyone who likes to ride bikes and meet some great people. I was in charge of first aid and yoga.



The trails on the sunshine coast have a fun variety and are welcoming to most level of riders. There is climbing and good descents. We began the ride at Halfmoon Bay and completed and camped Saturday night at Porpoise Bay in Sechelt. The second day we rode all the way to the ferry. We lucked out with the weather.... a little bit of rain, a little bit of sun and a whole lot of goodness.

I was able to lead a little yoga, partner stretching in the mornings to get the guests muscles moving. I set up my slackline and taught some folks the basics of slacklining which always feels so rewarding. The food was delicious and plentifull all weekend, we had fresh fruit, sandwhiches, potatoes, pies, chips, and more....yummy yummy....



My favorite trails are those close to Langdale off of Highway 102 and 103...fun fun fun.....



At the end of the day Andrew and I hit up the little kids park and he taught me how to ride the pump track... I need more practice....haha

this week I am getting things organized for a trip I am guiding: The Best of BC (a little riding, a little hiking, a little rafting and a whole lot of good times and beautiful views).

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

Back to Running, Crossfit, and water sports

This week my leg was beginning to feel much better so I started back into running... Although not much of it really. I'm at 45 minutes of flat running. It's mentally tough to feel like you have taken major set backs due to an injury. I just have to believe in my fitness level and realize this is the right way to get back into running: baby steps and patience.

My squats can not go past 90 yet so crossfit workouts have been mostly focusing on upperbody and I can feel the difference. On my regular Tuesday night kayak racing in Deep Cove I paddled the double surf ski with Johnny and felt great for the entire 10km course. Normally my arms and back and wrists would be killing me... Yay for getting stronger!

This weekend I will be off to the Sunshine Coast riding and first aiding with Great Explorations. It is a two day ride along the amazing single track of the Coast with a yummy bbq salmon dinner.

life is good!

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

Long Weekend on the Islands: Hornby Island

Along with the rest of Vancouver folk, we decided to hit up the Gulf Islands for the weekend. Hornby is a fabulous island full of adventure: in addition to the goodness and richness of most gulf islands it has some sweet mountain bike trails.

7 of us headed to Denman/Hornby for the weekend. Biking, swimming, drinking coffee, and tubing were on the agenda. I am still trying to heal so needed to still take it easy on the bike. The uphills are the biggest problem for the leg so there was some walking up/some pushing help and slow granny gear climbing (it was definitely difficult to not just giver...arg). In the end, lucky for my leg, we didn't end up biking as much as I probably would have liked had I been injury free but still had a good taste of what the Hornby trails are like.



Can't mention enough how much I love ridin' my Giant Trance XO. Steed Cycles in North Vancouver sells lots of sweet Giant bikes so go check them out. The trails on Hornby are smooth and fast. I really enjoy this style of riding. We did find some built up stuff and Andrew showed us how it was done with style...



intermixed with our ridin we stopped and had some delicious iced coffee at Vorizo's in Tribune bay, as well as a refreshing swim in the ocean (along with all the crowds but still amazing). Following our rides we hit up a secret lake on Denman and enjoyed some fresh water fun, dock and all....


Sunday night we headed to Comox and enjoyed a lovely potluck dinner down by the beach. Some poach camping was a great last night to a terrific long weekend.



We finished off the weekend tubing down the Pungeont river in Courtney. Marc did an awesome job of collecting tubes for us all. And so we all floated down the river enjoying the refreshing river and just relaxing.... a fab change to the usual biking....

The leg is feeling better already. I can't wait to be full swing back into biking and running.... woot woot! Trails here I come (soon!)...

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina