Month: September 2024

Pain is just French for bread, an IRONMAN race report (Guest post)
competition · cycling · fitness · running · swimming · triathalon

Pain is just French for bread, an IRONMAN race report (Guest post)

Sam B3 Comments

by Cheryl MacLachlan

I went into IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France knowing that the demanding bike ride might make my 5th IRONMAN my slowest, something I found strangely freeing. 🤷🏻‍♀️

While I was nervous, I found myself coming into the day with an approach opposite of what a lot of people would expect at a world championship. Rather than attempt to “leave it all out there”, I went in telling myself that I was just going for a little dip in the ocean and a toodle on my bike in the mountains, followed by an evening jog. 🏊‍♀️🚴‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️

I had fun in the wavy ocean swim in my wetsuit.🤙🏼 I surprised even myself when I was able to hold onto that vibe even as plenty of women passed me on the bike, many huffing and puffing up the mountains on the bike course. I enjoyed passing some of them back on the descents, which were my favourite part of the day. 🔥 Then, I went into the run and did it my way. 🚂

Cheryl on the run leg of the IRONMAN in Nice

At times, I like to experiment and see what happens if I push and dare to blow up. I understand the desire to seek your limits, but in a race as long as an IRONMAN, sometimes that looks like holding yourself back—a skill that takes a lot of self-control and confidence. One of the things I’m most proud of in this sport is the ability to be consistent. This finish at 12:50:21 is in between my other finishing times and perhaps this is the race I feel I did the best job of staying positive and executing the way I wanted to. I strive to stay humble and of course there are things I can improve, but man this one feels good! Don’t worry, though, it still hurt. 🥖

I’m so grateful for how things came together, for everyone who wished me luck and tracked me, for @brent315 nailing his support duties and for the community of @teamtrespinas 💕🍍🫶🏼. Yesterday was about celebrating what my body is capable of, enjoying the scenery and saving something so I could not just finish, but finish joyfully. ✅

Cheryl on her tri bike. Zoom zoom!

Cheryl MacLachlan is an endurance athlete, teacher and coach living in London, ON. She is always looking for another bike and loves her dog Walter, books and writing.

aging · fitness

Fitness thoughts for the year when summer follows fall

Sam B3 Comments

It’s definitely fall now. There’s lots of rain in the forecast,  cooler temperatures,  and getting dark early in the evening.

I see October coming….

But I’ve been trying to think differently about this particular fall season. For me,  it’ll be summer,  not winter,  when I get to January.

Wait.  What’s that? How’s that work,  you say.

University of Otago

In January I’m on a four month research leave and the first two months will be spent in New Zealand. In January,  it’s summer there.

Yes,  I’ll be writing papers and giving talks but I’ll also be riding my bike lots. Sarah and I will be traveling around for a few weeks with bikes before settling into Dunedin where I’ll be visiting at the University of Otago.

We’ve rented a place close to St Clair Beach. I’ll be commuting by bike to work.

St Clair Beach,  photo from https://www.facebook.com/OldDunedin

So this means in terms of cycling,  I’m going to have a very short off season.  I’m going to need to stay in bike shape for January.  Or,  in my case this year,  I’m going to have to get in bike shape.

So what’s the plan exactly?

🚴‍♀️ Zwift social rides, bike commutes, ZRL bike races, and a Zwift training plan.

💪 Personal training twice a week

🐕 Dog walks

⏰️ Physio once a week

I definitely spend enough time exercising but as I’m now 60, I’m thinking about what it takes to stay fit.

Mostly the stuff on the list above are things I enjoy doing.  But I’m going to have to do some hard things,  things that aren’t so much fun. Sprint training isn’t fun. High Intensity Interval Training isn’t fun either.  If I want to stay bike speedy I have to do those things.

Part of why people start to slow down at 60, is that they stop doing the kind of training that makes you speedy.  There’s nothing magic about it.  It’s a simple “use it or lose it” situation. If you don’t train for speed, you don’t get speed.

I started thinking about this at 56! And I’m still thinking about it.  Wish me luck.

On turning 56 and thinking about age and speed

The Cave

An illustration of entropy at work in a closed system with heat transfer. Science Sunday: sense and (possible) nonsense
fitness · Science

Science Sunday: sense and (possible) nonsense

catherine w

In health headlines this week, two studies caught my attention.

The first (actually published in 2016, but the Washington Post just got around to writing about it) shows that sparkling water is just as hydrating as regular water. As a big seltzer fan, all I have to say is yay!

This woman is celebrating as much as I did when I heard the news. She's wearing a teal-colored velvet jacket and there is confetti in the air.
This woman is celebrating as much as I did when I heard the news. Thanks, Clay Banks for Unsplash.

To be more specific, the researchers found that, upon testing participants by giving them various beverages,

Cumulative urine output at 4 h after ingestion of cola, diet cola, hot tea, iced tea, coffee, lager, orange juice, sparkling water, and a sports drink were not different from the response to water ingestion. 

Well, okay then.

This news isn’t going to prompt me to put seltzer or coca cola in my bike bottles, but hey, knowledge is a good thing, right?

The other study provoked a bit of skepticism on my part.

A tabby cat frowning and narrowing its eyes. I feel exactly the same way: not buying it. By Jennifer Uppendahl for Unsplash.
I feel exactly the same way: not buying it. By Jennifer Uppendahl for Unsplash.

Okay, here goes: The Post reported here that some Australian researchers suggest that travel can help you live longer. And exactly how is that achieved? One word: entropy.

The letters "what" in a pile of ? letters.
Seriously? What could that mean? Pic by Vadim B for Unsplash.

The Post wrote that “the experts wanted to find out how positive travel experiences help maintain the human body’s “low entropy,” or gradual decline.”

Wait a sec– I think I recall from physics that “entropy” refers to the state of order or disorder within a closed system, and that the second law of thermodynamics states that such systems are always headed in the direction of disorder (unless acted upon by other forces). Yes, I reminded myself using Wikipedia. But hey, I studied this a long time ago… 🙂

But human bodies in nature are not closed systems. So entropy and laws of thermodynamics don’t describe their processes of change over time.

However, that doesn’t bother these researchers or the Washington Post. Here’s what the Post said:

“Environments, especially beautiful landscapes like forests or beaches, can help us reduce stress and boost our mental well-being and promote physical activity,” Hu said. “Exposure to other tourists, locals or even animals can improve our mood and enhance cognitive function.”

From the study abstract:

From an entropy point of view, positive travel experiences could help maintain a low-entropy state (i.e., bodily health) by influencing four key systems. Conversely, negative travel experiences could increase entropy and lead to health issues.

Yeah, no. Yeah, travel can have positive or negative effects on bodies traveling. But no, bodily health isn’t properly described as an entropy state other than in the most metaphorical way. And yeah, science benefits from using powerful metaphors to promote novel hypotheses and study designs. But no, this isn’t one of them.

By all means, travel if you will. Enjoy novel experiences and hopefully avoid averse ones. That’s my plan. But don’t bet on living longer through the entropy-protective effects of a two-week trip to Europe. When it comes to human experience, my view is that a little disorder can’t really hurt you.

Have a nice day.

competition · cycling · fitness · Guest Post · running · swimming · triathalon

Does comparison have to be the thief of joy? (Guest post)

Sam B

by Cheryl MacLachlan

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” You might have heard it before, but does it have to be the case? 💡

As I load up on my final carbs and tuck in for bed before taking on the challenge of the IRONMAN World Championship in Nice, France tomorrow, I can’t help but reflect. 🍝💭

It takes bravery to show up to any race, let alone a World Championship. I’m humbled by the women I’ve met here—the one who podiumed at Kona last year, the one who qualified in her first race, the one who’s on her 18th IRONMAN. I’m surrounded by some of the most dedicated and accomplished athletes in the world! 🤩

With that—not to mention some of the bikes and shoes and bodies on these women—it’s easy to slip into comparison, wondering if I really belong here. But instead, I’ve been working on using comparison as a source of inspiration, seeing those amazing women I’ll share the course with as examples of what’s possible. 🥹

With that, I’ve had practice. I’m so grateful for the impressive female athletes in my life who I call my friends. Their success doesn’t diminish mine, and mine doesn’t diminish theirs. I’ve met some women who can’t train with others who are about the same or “better” than them and my heart breaks for them. There’s a lot of power in celebrating each other and in finding a wolfpack! 💃🏽

On that note, it’s not that I’m not competitive. I want to do my best, and I love a good PR or ranking well just as much as anyone. I really believe that, if we let it, competition brings out the best in us. Isn’t that the whole point? But at the end of the day, only one person gets to win (or one per age group, I suppose). Since the vast majority of the time, we won’t get to be that person, it’s worth considering some alternative ways of relating to competition. I think this would help more of us to step up to that oh-so-intimidating start line. 💪🏼

A student asked me recently, “Are you going to win?” No way, kiddo. But that’s not why I came. I came to see what I can get out of myself, and something tells me tomorrow will provide no shortage of opportunities to find out. 🫶🏼

#ironman#ironmanwc

@teamtrespinas @trespinas

Black and white photo of Tracy, short-hair, wearing wide jeans, sneakers, a black jacket and sunglasses, with a camera and a bag slung across her body, walking along a walled pier with a cargo ship in the background. Photo credit: Roben Bellamo Coming soon: Tracy’s big 6-0
aging · fitness · functional fitness · mobility · yoga

Coming soon: Tracy’s big 6-0

Tracy I3 Comments
Black and white photo of Tracy, short-hair, wearing wide jeans, sneakers, a black jacket and sunglasses, with a camera and a bag slung across her body, walking along a walled pier with a cargo ship in the background. Photo credit: Roben Bellamo
Image description: Black and white photo of Tracy, short-hair, wearing wide jeans, sneakers, a black jacket and sunglasses, with a camera and a bag slung across her body, walking along a walled pier with a cargo ship in the background. Photo credit: Roben Bellamo

Back in January I wrote a post about how approaching 60 feels different from approaching 50. I breezed into 50 feeling strong, energetic, and at peace. On my 50th birthday, I wrote about beautiful September days where everything felt perfect and effortless. I had pushed myself into my 50s, with what, in retrospect, seems like a punishing training schedule to prepare me for two Olympic distance triathlons that season. But at the time it didn’t feel punishing. It felt invigorating and exhilarating. At that time of life, training hard clearly agreed with me.

Things have changed since then. Today it’s more about sustainable routines that can take me through the next decade(s) without injuries. I’m back to yoga, resistance training, walking, and some very light (read: slow) running. These are all things I still enjoy and that make me feel energized and strong. I almost never sign up for events anymore, though I do succumb to peer pressure once in awhile, especially if I like the t-shirt. Hence an 8K trail race next weekend (The Howling Ghost Trail Run) with my running group.

I’m not really in the mood to have a big decade birthday this year. It’s not that I object to turning 60. I just don’t feel like having a great big party to mark the occasion. And it’s not that I’m doing nothing at all — I have a couple of upcoming celebratory meals at my favourite restaurant. Today it’s lunch with Samantha and our friend Rob, for our annual get-together in honour of our birthdays, all in 1964 within the same 25-day span. Then on my actual birthday early next week I’m going back there to have dinner with a few friends. That day will include cake. Sometime this fall there will probably be a spa getaway to St. Anne’s with another longtime friend whose birthday falls within two weeks of mine.

We don’t get to plan when we’ll be in a mood for a big party and when we won’t. And if I’ve landed anywhere at almost-60, it’s at a place where I do what I want, not necessarily what’s expected. I’m feeling more confident about my choices these days, and deciding not to have a party despite this being a “special” birthday reflects that confidence.

When we first started blogging back in 2012, Sam started a thing where she would post “Six things” about whatever. I revived that on her recent 60th, and I’m going to end my own “60 is coming” post with six things I feel good about as I get really close to 60:

  1. No longer experiencing the need to explain myself or my choices to people.
  2. Physically, I can still push myself but I don’t push terribly hard anymore. I’m happy with my chosen activities and I take lots of rest that I don’t feel guilty about taking.
  3. Instead of acquiring more stuff, I’ve turned my attention to getting rid of stuff.
  4. Great relationships with family, partner, and friends. I’ve got excellent, supportive, loving people in my life and I feel incredibly fortunate about that.
  5. My cats, daily meditation, photography, and my vegan blog.
  6. The future looks bright as I look ahead to retiring in the not-too distant future and building a life in a new city with my partner. We are poised for the next adventure!

All this to say that though I’m not in a party mood, I’m quite chill about the upcoming BIG birthday.

feminism · fitness

I’m a Militant Crone

Diane Harper

One of the best conversations of the summer came about with a group of women I met for a quick coffee, that stretched into a four hour intensive collective rant about the state of the world.

They aren’t activists or philosophers, just women working in the arts or running their own small businesses. But they have “views”. Oh my goodness they have views! Body autonomy, discrimination, the environment, workplace health and safety…. It was so refreshing to have one of those wild discussions about everything and anything, as everyone contributed more ideas.

At some point one of them joked about our “crone rage”, the fury we have at the state of the world and our determination to do something about it. The phrase “militant crone” popped out and it has stuck.

I have been using it ever since to channel my energy into making change.

Militant Crone: it would make a great tattoo. Or a band name.

Image of an older woman with a gentle smiled taken from https://boundariesarebeautiful.com/welo/
fitness

It’s almost time here to switch to fall clothes

Sam B

Sometimes,  things that used to fit might not fit so well anymore.  Bodies change. Sometimes for small reasons and sometimes for big scary life-altering reasons.

Also,  Andrea Zanin is on a book tour right now with her co-author Eve Rickert, and their book More than Two: Celebrating Nonmonogamous Relationships with Kindness and Integrity.

What’s the connection between bodies changing,  clothes not fitting right,  and Andrea’s book tour?

Andrea’s guest post here Once Upon a Time There was a Leather Jacket is in our stats again. It’s a story of a leather jacket, bodies changing, and dealing with decades of serious disease.

I take it it’s being read because people are searching for Andrea and her new book. It’s a beautiful piece of personal writing.

Here it is.

Once upon a time there was a leather jacket (Guest post)

beauty · tbt

On Sharon Stone and inner and outer beauty #tbt

Sam B

Sharon Stone is in the celebrity news again (I write “celebrity news” to distinguish it from the “real news” but I’m not sure that distinction has any relevance these days.)

Why?

Did she do something remarkable?

Well, she went did a pool workout in a bikini with ankle weights and posted video of her 66 year old self on Instragram.

She looks great, obviously, since looking great is pretty much her job. The workout was her last workout before she goes off to film the action film “Nobody 2” a sequel to “Nobody.”

Anyway, all of this explains why an older post of Tracy’s is getting lots of views this week. Here’s Tracy on Sharon Stone and her claims about “inner beauty.”

Why Sharon Stone can’t credibly claim that “it’s all about inner beauty”
Three sets of legs wearing black leggings and tap shoes, in a dance studio. On being an adult beginner
Dancing · fitness

On being an adult beginner

catherine w1 Comment

I don’t know who’s responsible for originating one of the great wrong ideas of all time: that if you don’t learn some skill or hobby or sport or language or discipline as a child, you might as well hang it up; it’s not going to happen.

This came to mind recently when I read an anecdote on Facebook from one of my favorite rhythm tap dancers (and my former teacher), Josh Hilberman. He posted this:

The average adult who contacts us for tap classes leads with ‘I have no sense of rhythm, one of my legs doesn’t work, I have no memory or hope’ and it constantly depresses me to think how many horrible messages we all internalise growing up.

I want to know who’s responsible for this piece of supreme misinformation because they need to be issued a cease-and-desist order now.

One of the most fun things I’ve done in my life has been tap dancing. Yes, it’s true. I used to study and teach and perform rhythm tap, occasionally to live music, and always with a healthy dose of jazz improvisation. It was joyful, creative, intellectually satisfying and a very serious workout. And I started tapping at age 26 at the famous Leon Collins dance studio in Brookline, MA, where I could take a variety of courses and learn classic numbers and also how to jam to live music. Did I say how fun it was?

It just so happened that I picked up tap pretty quickly and advanced (with a lot of work and enthusiasm and a little talent). But there were loads of students I took classes with (and taught classes for) who did it for their own enjoyment, not for dance advancement. On Josh’s FB page, one friend of his responded to his post, saying:

I have 1 adult student who is so happy to remain in Tap I forever. She brags about it with a big smile and a boisterous laugh.

I am that person in yoga classes. It feels A-OK to do poses in elementary or modified/easier ways. I have no ambition whatsoever. As they say, I’m just happy to be there.

To be clear: there are all kinds of things we can decide to start learning at just about any point in the life trajectory. Naturally, prudence and risk analysis perhaps should play a modest role in such decision-making (I’m not going to start downhill mountain biking at this point; although to be honest I was just as chicken about this when I was 25). But otherwise, have at it!

Also, different avocations have different learning curves, so it’s good to consider our goals for whatever we’ve decided to study or learn. At this point in my life, it’s unlikely I’ll set my sights on playing cello in a major (or minor) symphony orchestra. But hey, who am I to rain on your parade?

By the way, if you happen to find yourself in Liege, Belgium and want to take a beginner tap class, Josh and his wife Stephanie will be happy to get you started.

Beginning Adult tap– Tuesday evenings, 6L15–7:30pm. Love the Fred and Ginger pics with Josh’s and Stephanie’s heads placed for maximium goofy effect.

So to sum up: go out there and take classes or instruction in whatever pleases you or grabs your fancy. If it’s fun for you, yay!

Readers, do you have a yearning to get out there to learn something new? I’d love to know.

a yellow flower and some greenery in a pot on a patio. Bits and Pieces (or get your algorithms away from my body)
fitness

Bits and Pieces (or get your algorithms away from my body)

Christine Hennebury2 Comments

I’m a whole person. 

You know it, and I know it, but I wish the damn algorithm would learn it.

It’s clear to me that I am a complex system of interrelated parts – mind and body – but the algorithm on IG and Facebook is working hard to convince me that I am actually a collection of bits and pieces that they are all somehow substandard. 

If Instagram is to be believed, I should currently be spending my exercise time trying to deal with these ‘troublespots’:

  • ‘Meno belly’ (or to use a different but equally annoying phrase ‘Mom pooch’) 
  • ‘Bingo wings’ (or bat wings,if you want to get fancy.)
  • Double chin (the marketing department for this one needs to put in more effort – this barely implies inadequacy on my part)

I get that the health and fitness industry thrives on trying to make us feel bad about our bodies but this specific piecemeal approach is really giving my eyeballs a workout lately. 

In fact, if spot training actually worked, my eyes and eyebrows would display some of the most finely sculpted musculature in all the land. 

Sure, my body changed once I had kids and it continues to change as I age and some of these changes have been more welcome than others. 

Some I barely notice, some are a bit frustrating, and a few are puzzling, but I’m not going to spend time demonizing the various bits and pieces of my body. 

I’m especially annoyed about the idea that I am supposed to be judging how each part looks  and then ‘blasting’ it accordingly.

I’m not a decoration, I’m a person trying to live a life here. 

And yeah, just like everyone else, I am always navigating the various pressures of how I am ‘supposed’ to be looking, feeling, and acting. 

I’m not unaware of social expectations and I am not immune to the pressures involved but I am determined to push back against them whenever I can. 

And the idea of reducing my body to a checklist of troublespots makes me feel sick and sad. 

Look, I’ve been operating this body for over 50 years now so it would be weird if it hadn’t changed. 

If my body was any other type of machine, I’d be advised to take gentle care of its systems and to celebrate its perseverance through 50 years of service. 

I want to be paying attention to how my body works and feels and then move in ways that support that function or that feeling. 

 And I just want to keep being stubbornly obtuse when an industry starts telling me what’s wrong with me. 

*****

Now, I get that everyone’s relationships with their bodies can be very complicated.

If you are self-conscious about certain parts of your body and exercises help you have a better relationship with those parts then forge ahead – it’s your body and your brain and you have the most experience navigating them both.

And I understand that I have a lot of privilege involved in how I relate to my body – I haven’t received a lot of specific attention for it – negatively or positively – so I’m not carrying that mental burden.

But, even if your relationship with your body is very complicated and laden, I really hope you can give yourself a bit of space sometimes.

In fact, I’m wondering if you can open a small window for yourself, just a little ways.

As in, perhaps the next time you see a post that is pressuring you to feel bad about a perfectly normal part of the aging process, could you spend just a few seconds being mad at the industry that is trying to reduce you to a collection of substandard pieces before you start to judge yourself?

Sure, this won’t be an instant process – judging our bodies is something we’ve been taught our whole lives and it can be pretty automatic – but it’s worth trying to find some breathing room in there. 

And just like every other fitness or wellness habit, I bet it will get easier and more natural over time. 

PS – I was joking about this topic with my 22 year old son the other day and he said that all of those ‘troublespots’ sound like crafting tools a magic user would combine in a role-playing game. “I bring together the bingo wings and meno belly under the double chin and recite the incantation…”  I’ve been laughing about it ever since.