Dude & Mini Dude's 2014 Ride-2-Survive

[Dude]

Such is life. The shittiest part of growing up is that, at our age, we are burrying our loved ones all too often.

Thanks.

Eileen started out as a dedication this year for me, now she's an angel.

 

[Rangerforever]

Fcuk you Cancer.

Sorry Dude.

 

[Regs]

Training update please.

 

[Dude]

I’m tired, how’s that for an update?


Truth is, it’s going well. I did something stupid in September and I signed up for the Ironman Triathlon (Whistler, end of July). So, I’ve been following a mapped-out training plan since then. I’ve had mostly good weeks, a couple of bad weeks, and have managed to tick off most of the workouts, save maybe three. Yesterday was one such…the plan called for a lot of swimming…I hit the pool, and could not bring myself to swim more than 4 lengths. This in a planned 80 length workout. Yesterday I was super exhausted after a long week of training, plus we went out on Saturday night for the WFC match and dinner DT. Didn’t help. But, I get a rest day today, and will be back at it tomorrow. Back in the pool…for another…fcuking…swim session.

I tell you what…for anyone planning on completing an Ironman, it sure helps if you don’t mortally hate running and swimming. It also helps if you are actually built like a triathlete, and not some big assed guy who looks like he should be skating up and down the left wing.
I do enjoy riding, though- thank fcuk, and the R2S training works in perfectly, timing and distance wise. All is good, I’m just bitchy today.

Mini Dude’s training is going well. He had this weekend off, one I forced because he’s fallen behind on a couple of courses at school and needed to get some overdue labs and projects handed in. Otherwise, he’s had a spring break full of riding and racing on the road. In fact, his typical BMX season is starting this week, so yesterday I spoke to him about what he wants to prioritise, to which he told me he wanted to prioritise R2S training, everything else is second. So…it’s off to a workout w/ his road racing team tonight, instead of going to the track. So far he’s showing all the piss and vinegar of a 14 year old; it’s up to us to watch for the cracks in his armour. I mean, I’m impressed, and proud…but he’ll be riding a TONNE between now and the end of June. We need to keep a close eye and dial him back, I think, sooner than he’ll dial himself back. We also don’t want to damage him, medically or physically speaking. I’m actually relying a heck of a lot more on his road racing coach to help guide me here. At this point, his enthusiasm is great, I just don’t want it overruling common sense. After all, realistically speaking, I don’t know if I want him doing much more than 200 on ride day…

This week he’s on the bike every day except Friday. I get to ride twice in that span. It’s not fair.

 

[Regs]

You should think about not damaging him emotionally as well and stop posting on the jock sniffers forum

 

[Dude]

Not me. Must be some other 'Dude' with brilliant and spot-on things to say.

 

[Dude]

Saturday we got on w/ our first 100 KM training ride of the year, featuring some good climbing, too.
Fun ride...sun was out, finally, and it was nice to ride w/ out 4 layers, and rain gear. Got some sun on these pale limbs.

It was Mini Dude's first ever 100 KM ride.

Earlier this week I went out on a road ride w/ his U-19 Devo team. Holy smokes, these kids can all hammer. I was not just impressed, but found myself getting dropped from the pack a couple of times when a couple of the "slower" riders dropped off the pace in a couple of the drills. I was supremely impressed by all the young riders. These kids are FAST. But better, all realy great kids.

Anyhow, I wasn't worried about Mini Dude in this one, except to make sure he remembered to eat and drink all day. That is actually the secret in these long rides...eating and drinking enough to sustain oneself.

He did fine, up till about KM 102 of the final 104 KM. He got in a tangle and went down hard on the pavement. Some new raspberries to add to a nice collection from BMX. This time a little damage to the right jaw, just a scrape in the end. This photo was taken as Brown's after.

 

[Dude]

Regs, trying to upload a photo, no worky...

 

[Regs]

I looked at this thread last night from my phone and there was a photo inserted... did you delete it or something?

 

[Dude]

No, I had originally mistakenly put it in the 2013 thread, then realized the mistake, deleted it, then tried to put it here but it wouldn't attach. Just tried from my office, here it is...

 

[Bronco]

No, I had originally mistakenly put it in the 2013 thread, then realized the mistake, deleted it, then tried to put it here but it wouldn't attach. Just tried from my office, here it is...

Solid!!

 

[Dude]

Yeah, he's feeling the effects today. Not so much the face, but the hip.

 

[Rangerforever]

Is that Michael or Nigel Rum & Coker?

 

[Dude]

Is that Michael or Nigel Rum & Coker?

Awesomme! No kidding...I'm sort of worried about the school calling in child services on us!

 

[Dude]

So, today was a good day. A tough day…this 125 KM training ride is considered one of the tougher rides in the R2S training plan because it features a lot of climbing around 0 ave / Campbell Valley Park. Snake hill and the 4 humps of death feature.

Because of my Ironman training plan, I also had to add a 10 KM run at the end of this ride, so that meant I had to be back at home after the ride, and not somewhere in North delta where we were all supposed to meet. That then meant Michael & I rolled out of the house at 7:00 AM to ride from Langley to North Delta, to meet the rest of the riders at Caps South Shore for a planned 8:15 roll-out.

Michael woke up feeling less than 100%. His throat was hurting a bit. Not a lot, but enough to concern me. He decided on his own to ride out to the store w/ me and re-evaluate. We’d check up on him at various points as well. He rode well, actually, really well, to the store. The ride was windy out to White Rock. The kite surfers were out in full force on the water. Bloody cold. Checked in again on Michael, said he didn’t feel great, now more so from being beaten up by the wind. I suppose that happens when you are 5’9”, and weight 115 lbs. He’s all ribs and balls. I hatched the plan to put his mom on alert that I may leave him at Campbell Valley Store if he takes a turn for the worse. I was mostly worried about him pushing himself too hard if he was sick.

Yes, I know these rides are about pushing limits and hardening the f_ck up, especially for 1st year riders, but this is also my kid, and he is bloody only 14. I am allowed some license here.

Anyways…as the laps went on, Michael seemed to get stronger. He ate and drank a lot, as directed, and genuinely seemed to enjoy the loops. And, honestly, except for all the bloody climbing, they are fun loops. Nothing boring. Lots of fun descending, too! With me being a ride captain, that means I sometimes have to stay back to take care of a rider w/ a mechanical or physical issue that has pulled over, then catch back on. I was riding caboose today due to a bike issue that eventually saw me riding w/ out a fender. No fender on wet days = ride at the back. In one particular instance, Kerry and I stayed back w/ one rider who was having physical problems and pulled over. By the time we were back on our bikes, the group was a small dot on the horizon…maybe ½ a KM or more. That particular laps we busted our asses to catch up, and the effort was both exhilarating, but left us with dead legs by the time we caught on. Fast forward to the point where Michael and I peeled off from the regular route and made our way back to Langley. Michael knew both what I went through with the extra chasing, and that I had that run looming. He got in front and pulled me all the way home. Yes, he climbed away from me on the bloody hills…again. But, he took on the responsibility of riding in front, and taking the wind.

Now, I have way too many reasons to be proud of BOTH my kids, but since this blog is also about Michael’s progression, I will only write about him.

First, I’m amazed at the dedication he’s giving to R2S. He is seriously determined, and focused on this. He didn’t have to ride today, he knows that. At any moment, we had plan B all ready to go, namely, pull over, get to a coffee shop, and enjoy hot chocolate while waiting for Mum. He not only pushed himself, but got stronger as the ride went on. Pulling me from 0 ave to our house at 70th was a long pull, and he again didn’t have to do it. Any cyclist knows, pulling another rider is hard work. The ride in the draft does way less work. I thought about this as I banged off my 10 KM run right after…I was cooked when we peeled off from the group. I burned all my matches. The run turned out pretty damn good…maybe 3 minutes slower than my regular training runs that don’t already include 125 KM of riding in my legs. Very pleased with that.

Michael is doing this for his “Nana”, my Father-in-Law who passed in 2012. They were very close. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but I know he hasn’t taken it well. He still carries a lot of grief, and I wish I could help him. Maybe he thinks about that when he’s riding, to help get him through difficult sections or moments. I don’t know. I do know that somewhere Mohammed is watching his grandson “Baboo” grow into a strong, proud, and emotionally tough young man, and is beaming.

Today was maybe one of the best father-son experiences I’ve ever had. Very proud of my kid.

Visit our R2S donation page here: http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/IndependentFundraisingEvent/IFE_BC_odd_?px=5735705&pg=personal&fr_id=16043

 

[Regs]

Training update please.

 

[Dude]

It continues to go well.

Spent this weekend up at Whistler. Saturday was a somewhat long ride from the Village to Squamish and back, followed by a short run, then Sunday was a long, long, so very long, run.

I hate running.

Two days of post workout ice baths followed by hot tub combo. I thought I left ice baths behind when I retired from footy for the first time. I guess not. They still suck.

This weekend is a nasty one: starting from Marine Drive in Burnaby, we climb up and over the hill, then up and over SFU, then up into Seymour Demonstration Forest, then up Cypress Mountain, then back through Vancouver to Marine drive. It’s a 150+ KM ride, obviously a lot of climbing (the actual climbing exceeds the 12,000’ of climbing we do on the day of the R2S), and for some a real come-to-jesus experience.

Should be fun.

 

[Regs]

Excellent, thanks!

 

[Dude]

So, this is what our laundry room drying rack looks like after yesterday’s R2S training ride.

This was the annual “Triple Crown” ride. We start from marine drive in Burnaby, go up and over the hump to the base of Burnaby Mountain, up and over, over the bridge and into Deep Cove, up to the base of Seymour, back down to Sea Level, up into the Seymour Demonstration Forest, over to Lynn Valley, up Mountain Highway, over to Cypress, up to where the road ends on Cypress, and back home to Marine Drive. There are a ton of hills on this ride. In all, about 150 KM (depending on who’s compute was consulted). I’ve done this ride a few times w/ the R2S team now, but it is the first time w/ my son. It’s a long day because it takes a while to get 80 or so riders through the city…but tough day physically, too. Definitely a belt buckle notch kind of day, a day where you see where you are at w/ your training. The R2S team is fantastic…three SAG vehicles for support…food at four of the stops…and dragging along all our kit bags. I love being able to peel off my soaking wet kit at Cypress and get into a fresh one! What other all day training ride has that? Michael did great…had no issue physically, ate and drank a lot to stay hydrated and fuelled…listened to those around him giving him friendly advice…rode strong. I’m very proud of my son for not only taking on this task, but following through with his own training, to make sure he’s up to snuff. It’s a lot to ask of a 14 year old, and I haven’t had to “motivate” him to do it.

As for me…I am often asked why I keep coming back to this ride. It’s a massive training effort, and I’m not going to lie, would rather be skiing or mountain biking instead of on a road bike. Road riding is OK, but not something I’d choose over being in the mountain.

This is a blog from a new R2S teammate of mine. http://www.ride2survive.ca/other-info/blog/465-1st-time-in-r2s . Read this last night, after getting home with Mini Dude and eating everything in the fridge. I haven’t met Steve yet (now I need to seek him out), but I rode alongside Mathew in the final 1 KM up the Cypress climb. Mathew is a big dude…gotta be 230 lbs. Maybe 250. You could tell that this type of ride was outside his normal comfort zone. Maybe his first up Cypress, dunno. All I know is that this man was determined, while in a great deal of discomfort, to finish this climb. It’s this drive that some of these other folks have that motivates me. That, and the fear. This is Steve’s blog post:

“This is my first year riding in R2S. I am 60 years old and I do not have the body of an athlete.
I lost my father to cancer when I was 25. His brother passed away 3 years later from cancer. I lost my 17 year old son to cancer 11 years ago.

4 years ago a friend of mine (Mathew Acheson) did the Ride to Conquer Cancer by himself. After he completed the ride I went for coffee and told him that I wanted to ride with him the following year. We formed a team of 5 of us and we raised $16,000 that year. We named the team after my son, Taylor.

Last year we grew our team to 10 people and we raised $33,000.

This year Mathew who is celebrating 20 years since he was diagnosed with cancer and I are riding in both the Ride to Conquer and the Ride 2 Survive.

I am out to shift the conversation around cancer in the future. I am doing this so that families do not have to face what my family has had to face. Sometime in the near future when a doctor mentions the "C" word, it will have as much impact as having the flu. That is my why.

I have been doing all of the training and I think I might just survive this ride. When I am riding I will have my dad on one side of me and my son on the other.

It will be a very special day for me.”

I don’t even want to contemplate losing either of my kids…to Cancer, or anything else. Cancer, though…what a ruthless bitch of a disease. Even when it takes a victim fast, it is gruesome and grueling for the person suffering. And it seems like you can’t talk to anyone who has not had a personal connection w/ the disease, or had it themselves. I live in fear of this, and the lion’s share of that fear goes towards my wife or kids contracting it. If I do, so be it, and I’d trade spots w/ my loved ones in a heartbeat given the opportunity and situation. I read this blog, and meet others who’ve lost their kids, and it is hard. I can’t express how lucky / relieved / blessed I am that my son is healthy, strong, and able to ride alongside me in this journey. There are more people than not who don’t have what I do, and I’m grateful.

Read why Mini Dude and I are doing this, here: http://convio.cancer.ca/site/TR/IndependentFundraisingEvent/IFE_BC_odd_?px=5735705&pg=personal&fr_id=16043#.U2A8MJETHJs

 

[Regs]

I was not aware that there were any mountains near Amsterdam, did you move there or just on another Meade worldly adventure?

All the same, magic view from the laundry room!