I was born in Northern England, I grew up on the east coast of Canada, and went to grad school in Chicago. But the place I lived the longest was London, Ontario. I lived in London for 24 and a half years, barring years away in Australia and New Zealand for sabbaticals. Over the years I made London my home. It wasn’t a perfect fit but I loved the bike paths and countryside riding.
It was in London that I learned to run, to compete in triathlons, and later to play soccer. I lifted weights at the Y, with several personal trainers, and later at the university gym. I loved the velodrome. I had a great nutritionist and a CrossFit community. It didn’t fit in my schedule the way I hoped but I also found a master’s rowing community in London. I loved my cycling coach and the community of women cyclists around him. I loved my Aikido community.
I moved to Guelph for my new big job two years ago. I’ve been working to make Guelph my new fitness home. Things I have found and love in Guelph: indoor winter cycling at the Bike Shed, hot yoga, lots of good country roads for outdoor riding, outdoor trails for dog walking, a personal trainer, and a massage therapist. Also, I’ve loved racing our Snipe at the Guelph Lake Community Boating Club. I’ve made the campus gym my go-to fitness place. Also, with my son Miles I found an all hours discount gym. So far so good.
I’m still working on a fitness community. That’s the hardest thing to build especially as a midlife injured athlete with a very constrained schedule!
Still need to find outdoor trails for bike riding in the winter. That’s my January plan. See you out there!
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