Category: aging

aging · camping · canoe · fitness · traveling

Cutting things out with age: Adjusting to the inevitable gracefully or narrowing options unnecessarily?

Sam B9 Comments

I seem to be at the age when friends start making pronouncements related to their age. Like, now I’m sixty I’m not doing that any more! Fill in the blank for “that.”

Some of the things being cut out are beauty regime related and they come with a feeling of PHEW. Like no more shaving one’s legs, or no more lipstick, or no wearing underwire bras. (We all gave up the last one during the pandemic, right?)

Sixty

And okay,  in some cases,  they sound like rich people things to say.  What are some examples? Like, never flying economy on a flight over 3 hours or some such thing. Which is fine, if you’ve got the money and that’s how you want to spend it, you do you. But don’t make it sound like a moral commitment. You’re just wealthy and treating yourself well and that’s fine. It’s not a major life insight to declare that it’s more comfortable having more leg room on a flight.

But some of the proclamations and pronouncements are fitness activity related and they make me just a little uneasy. On the upside,  it’s good to recognize the ways our bodies change with age and adjust our expectations accordingly. On the downside, I wonder if we do that too soon and limit our lives unnecessarily.

The first set that I’ve encountered among friends concern camping. In the last year I’ve heard friends say that they’ve decided they’re too old to sleep in a tent so no more tent camping again. But that rules out any back country camping. Others say now they’ve reached sixty, there’ll be no more portages. That seriously limits your canoe routes.

Others say they’ll ride bikes and run or swim but definitely no more races.

Now I get it if you always hated sleeping in a tent, portaging your canoe, or racing your bike. You shouldn’t do things you don’t like at any age. But if you still like it, why stop? Or maybe you’ve changed your mind, and don’t like it any more, but don’t make it about age. You don’t need an excuse to stop doing a thing you no longer like.

From radicallysunny

My gut feeling is that very little of it is really about age. Other friends say we’re not doing some things because we’re old now. But in many cases they’re things they’ve never done and didn’t want to do in the first place.

It’s kind of like knee replacement surgery.  Some friends who have had knees replaced attribute not doing certain activities to knee replacement.  But they didn’t do these activities before knee replacement. Further, I suspect they never really wanted to do these things.

I worry we shouldn’t stop doing things we love because we think they’re not possible as we age.  The truth is we just don’t know what we’ll be capable of.

When I wrote about aging and activity a few years ago this thought really stuck with me from a New York Times article on a study about aging and exercise, Exercise Can Keep Aging Muscles and Immune Systems ‘Young’.

The piece begins by noting that our understanding of aging might be radically mistaken because so few older adults get any exercise at all.

“Exercise among middle-aged and older adults in the Western world is rare. By most estimates, only about 10 percent of people past the age of 65 work out regularly. So, our expectations about what is normal during aging are based on how growing older affects sedentary people.”

Of course if you don’t like doing a thing– whether it’s wearing lipstick,  sleeping in a tent,  racing your bike,  or whatever– don’t do it. That’s true at 20, 30, 40 etc. But don’t stop doing it just because you don’t like it or don’t like it anymore,  and blame it on age.

I’m hoping to expand my range of activities with age.  I want to try new things,  not shrink my life down. 

Sarah and I met an older woman a couple of years ago paddling and back country canoe camping solo.  She said her husband used to come with her but with age it became too difficult for him.   Now he drives her up there and drops her off. I love that she loves back country camping so much she does it solo now. That’s brave and it’s expanded her options.

I mean,  who knows.  Maybe she didn’t ever like camping with her husband but it didn’t sound that way.

So it does happen, things can become too difficult with age and injury.  I no longer run. But I am hoping to dance,  bike,  and camp my way into my senior years.  It looks as though it might be a struggle to find people to do it with. That’s okay. I like hanging out with younger people. But I am also hoping to lure some friends my own age out onto their bikes for long rides, into the woods and lakes for some camping trips, and out on the dance floor to shake a few moves.

How about you? How are your activities adjusting to aging? How are you feeling about it?

Want the health of a 20 year old at the age of 80? Ride a bike!
Silver hair speedsters and good news on growing older
Aging, Activity, and Myths
Canoe
Julie Lockhart at 73, in her stars and stripes national champion kit, smiling while straddling her cross bike. Remembering feminist cycling celebrity and friend: Julie Lockhart
aging · cycling · fitness

Remembering feminist cycling celebrity and friend: Julie Lockhart

catherine w5 Comments

On Friday, October 11, all of cycling, and especially women’s cycling, and particularly master’s women’s cycling, lost the one-of-a-kind Julie Lockhart. I knew her as a fellow Northeast Bike Club member, teammate, riding buddy and friend.

Julie Lockhart crossing the finish at Cyclocross Nationals (undated photo).

Julie Lockhart was famous in the cycling world. She wasn’t a pro racer. She wasn’t the fastest on the course. She was, however, a multiple cyclocross national champion in her age group (65+), and also a multi-time women’s world champion, the last time in 2019 at age 78. Julie made her mark on cycling, cyclocross racing and women’s racing by showing the world that:

  • It’s never too late to throw yourself into something new and challenging
  • being active and competitive in your 60s and 70s is doable and fun
  • Showing up isn’t half the battle; it’s the whole battle
  • if they don’t have a category for you, keep racing anyway– they’ll make one!

FYI: most amateur bike races (road, mountain and cyclocross) offer master’s categories– age groups like 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+. For men, there are loads of categories, but until recently, there was often only a women’s 40+ category. Julie helped change that. How? By showing up and competing in race after race, and then qualifying for nationals. Take a look at the categories for cross nationals in 2006:

Master’s category starters for women dropped off sharply after age 49. Julie was the one 65+ starter that year.

Let’s compare it to Julie’s last year of racing, 2019:

2019 women’s masters categories included 20 starters for 60-64, 3 for 65-69, 1 for 70-74, and 2 for 75-79 (Julie’s category, and she came in second).

Now, Julie didn’t manage this shift single-handedly, but she did inspire lots of folks to keep racing or come back out of race retirement and rejoin the weekend warriors. Someone has to be willing to be the first in a category of one. That was Julie. In so many ways.

Julie at the start line, in her stars and stripes national champion kit, ready to rock and roll.

If you want to know what Julie was like in a race, check out this 2010 story from Bicycling Magazine about the 2008 Cyclocross Nationals women’s 40+ race, where then 67-year-old Julie and her friend/rival Nancy Brown, 66, went head-to-head in the 65+ category. Even though she got injured during the race, she persisted and went on to win.

Cross racing isn’t easy. You don’t just ride your bike, you run with it, too. Julie’s shouldering hers in this pic.

Julie’s racing stats are prodigious: if you look here at her crossresults.com record, you’ll see that she was active from 2006 through 2019. And by active, I mean VERY active– she averaged 26 cross races a year. That’s a lot. I mean A LOT.

Back in the mid/late 2000s, I raced with Julie on the road, in the woods, and in a couple of cyclocross races. We were two of three women in a first-timer category for a mountain bike race in Brialee CT. I finished first (my one and only time, but hey — a win is a win) and Julie finished third. I must say, off-road riding was not her strongest suit. But Julie rode and raced all the time, and she had fitness for days.

However, what most of us who knew her remember and will miss is her enthusiasm for every part and every member of the cycling community. She cheered on the Cub juniors during their races, and was on a first-name and hugging basis with the elite riders. She was a sought-after interview subject, and happily talked with reporters, cycling newbies, indeed anyone who came her way.

In fact, once when I was with friends spectating at a cross race outside Northampton, MA, she stopped in the middle of her race to say hi to us and chat about the day! We assured her that we’d be there after she finished to catch up, so she resumed pedaling down the course.

Julie in mid-race, looking like she’s having fun. Because she is.

If Julie were here to tell me how to end this dedication to her, she’d say something like “just get out there and do it!” Pondering complexity, second-guessing oneself, waiting for conditions to be just right: none of these were spaces Julie inhabited as a cyclist. She embraced all the experiences (injuries and illnesses included) living and riding as her inimitable self. We will miss you, Julie. Godspeed, and keep the rubber side down.

Julie’s daughter Deirdre just posted this shot. Yes– let’s embrace moments of triumph whenever and however we find them.

aging · Dancing · fitness

Dancer Problems – Wishing I Had Both Courage and Opportunities

Diane Harper1 Comment

I have finally figured out why I’m finding ballet so hard. I take the classes like I’m a 17 year-old in my final year of the professional program, rather than like the arthritic 63 year-old in an elementary leisure class for adults.

I started dancing 20 years ago, and most years I do only one or two classes a week, instead of the 20+ hours per that the senior kids in the professional program do. So it’s not like being a professional dancer was ever a possibility. So why do I work myself so hard?

I suspect it is my refusal to give in to the inevitable. Over the years, I had worked myself up to being in the advanced class. But then I got injured. When I returned to class I started to find that doing certain movements took too much out of me, so I started registering myself for lower level classes each year.

The downside of doing easier classes is that you lose out on learning more complicated steps and routines. My brain loves those, even if my body does not. I have settled into a class that gives me a reasonable balance, if I’m careful.

I hate the creaking and grinding of my knees in plié, and I’m nervous about exacerbating my bunion (jumping is what led to surgery on the bunion on my other foot). But I love demanding the core and strength work of myself to be able to feel, just for a moment now and then, like a “real dancer”.

I’m scratching the brain/choreography itch by doing a jazz class. It’s a completely new skill and vocabulary for me, but the movements are easier on my body.

But I think I really want the opportunity to perform, even though I’m also horrified at the prospect of having people watching me and mocking because it’s ridiculous. Or not showing up to watch at all. Or smiling sweetly and being kind about our efforts being cute. It’s the same fear about aging I have whenever I see “human interest” stories about older athletes. They usually try to be inspirational and mostly they are, but when I imagine myself being that athlete I cringe.

I want to have the courage of these women, and the dance company to make it happen. They are members of Prime, a professional company for dancers over 60 in Scotland. Here they are performing a piece called Ageless at at the Edinburgh Festival in 2023.

Four women dance in white tops and long full tulle skirts. Photo: Murdo MacLeod/the Guardian

aging · fitness · race report · racing · running · training

The joys (and challenges) of fall trail running

Tracy I
Image description: three-photo collage with the heading “Howing Ghost Trail Run, Aylmer ON, September 28, 2024,” from left to right: left is a group shot of five smiling runners pre-race (Julie, Ed, Pat, Anita, Tracy), with trees in the background; middle is a selfie of a smiling older woman (Tracy) in a pink tank, black ballcap, and trail in the background; right is a post race selfie of four smiling runners (Tracy, Ed, and Pat in back, Julie in front) all wearing t-shirts that say Howling Ghost Trail Race on them.

My favourite month is September, and it’s not just because it’s my birthday month. I love it for the perfect weather and the changing palette of nature. Cool mornings, less intense sun even in the middle of the day, hints of red and orange starting to show among the greenery. What better time of year for trail running than the early fall!

So that’s how I let peer pressure push me into an 8K trail race after I said I was done with official running events. I call it a race, but with my current 8K time being slower than my 10K used to be, it’s just an outing, on a trail, with 140 other people, followed by lunch. Here’s how it went.

First of all, though the title of my post refers to “joy,” there was little of that for me during the run. I mean, it’s always enjoyable to be with my running crew, and five of us made it out that day. It’s fun to get out of town, even if it’s just a little bit out of town. The Howling Ghost Trail Race was in Aylmer, at the Springwater Conservation Area.

We’ve been having brilliant weather lately, but of course leading up to race day the forecast probability of precipitation increased from 40% to 60% and finally settled at 80% for the time that we were scheduled to run. I fully expected to be running at least part of the trail in the pouring rain, which would have also meant navigating mud. To my great surprise, the rain held off. The prospect of it hung heavily in the air throughout, making it a muggy outing through the woods. Thank you Julie for remembering bug spray.

I had no race strategy other than, ridiculously, I had planned to do 10-1 run-walk intervals. I say “ridiculously” because I have been working my way up to 10-1 run-walk intervals gradually for the past months and I have not trained consistently enough for any length of time to actually get there. Throwing, “don’t change anything on game day” out the window, I set myself up to fail. Other than an unrealistic race strategy, which I gave up on before the first 10 minutes was up, I have one rule and one rule only that I apply when training, out for a leisure run, or doing an event: run, don’t walk, up the hills. At every hill I reminded myself of that, a rule that I cling to when everything else feels like it’s falling apart. I stuck to it almost entirely, except for one part towards the end where there was a hill, a slight levelling, and the MORE HILL. At the MORE HILL, I said “nope.”

The poorly chosen unreasonable 10-1 strategy was a mistake because it created a mental battle. It is a very bad idea to have a goal that is not realistic because, for me, it puts me in a “falling short” mindset instead of a “killing it!” mindset. If I had stuck with 6-1 intervals I would likely have had a better race. What made it so miserable? I simply could not keep my heart rate in a reasonable range. I was in the red zone every time I checked my heart rate. That meant that I had to pull back to a walk in order to try to recover. And since it was an event, I didn’t give myself enough time to properly recover. The result: an uncomfortable 8K where I felt out of my element, old (I had just turned 60 a few days before), and out of shape.

I came in 61/68 running the 8K, with a time of 1:08:59. I have run much faster 10Ks. Overall, the race was hard and I felt discouraged by it. Still and all, I covered the ground, so that’s something. On a positive note, the event had a great vibe and the folks at Persistence Racing plotted out a well-marked course on a relatively easy wooded trail, nicely groomed, with few hills. I would love to go back some time this fall when the leaves are changing.

Last week Sam referenced a 2020 post she wrote about aging and keeping up your speed. Even though I commented on Sam’s older post that my objective these days is just to get out there, I would be lying if I said my time didn’t sting a bit. I’ve never been fast, but I’ve also never been slower than I am now. Resounding in my head are the words from Sam’s 2020 post: “Older athletes get slower and less strong, not because they’re older, but rather because they train less than younger athletes.”

I am definitely training less than I did when I was 50. That’s why I couldn’t keep my heart rate under control. It has nothing to do with my age and everything to do with how I prepared (or did not adequately prepare) for the 8K trail event.

As a result of all of this, I have embarked on a plan to actually recapture some joy in my fall running, whether on trails or not. That plan includes some coached runs using the (free) Nike Run Club app. So far, the two runs I’ve done from the app (“First Run” and “Next Run”) have helped me connect with how good it feels to run with ease. I like the approach of setting out to run with a purpose, even if that purpose is a slow recovery run where you are not pushing too hard.

I’ll report back about the NRC experience in a month or so. Meanwhile, if you get a chance to enjoy some autumn weather out on the trails, go for it!

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

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.

aging · athletes · feminism · fitness · kids and exercise · stereotypes

My Changing Status as an Athlete

Diane Harper1 Comment

Back in May, Sam and I both wrote about grandmothers as athletes in the context of an amazing marathon swim by Amy Appelhans Gubser. At the time, Sam’s son Miles told her “All your athletic achievements could be so much more impressive if I had a kid.” 

I struggle to think of myself as an athlete, despite all the positive self-talk. It is getting harder now that I’m retired and we are living through a miserable wet summer that has me unmotivated to go outside. And now I am about to be a grandmother.

A young couple standing on a dock at a lake. The man has one hand around his partner, and the other on her belly. Both are smiling.

I’m thrilled, but also wondering what that will do to my self-image and the preconceptions of people around me.

Will I continue wanting to do my own fitness things or will I turn to a pile of granny goo who just wants to play with the baby whenever I can? How can I adapt what I enjoy doing to incorporate the little one? When I do those activities with a baby (or toddler or child, eventually) will I still be seen as an independent person or just an extension/caregiver playing along? Will it matter what other people think, or can I be comfortable in my own skin?

In other words, can I be a little bit like Amy Appelhans Gubser, even if I never do an amazing marathon swim?

aging · Book Reviews · fitness

Sam’s speed book review: The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly

Sam B3 Comments

It’s a short, easy read, getting a short, easy-to-read review.

The author is Margareta Magnusson, she’s between 80 and 100 years old, and she says she’ll likely die before you.  You probably know her as the author of the very popular book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.

While the Swedish Death Cleaning book focused on a very specific aspect of getting older,  this book is a more general book about approaches to aging.  It includes chapters on some of my favorite things: chocolate,  open minds, multigenerational connections, and keeping moving.

Here is the author on aging well: “..the secrets of aging well and happily are in finding ways to make your routines dear to you.  I may not have a choice in how long they will take me to do or whether I will even be alive a few weeks from now,  but I do have a choice to decide how to approach my daily life.” p. 126

While the book is aimed at those of us getting older– since I’m turning 60 this summer I think I’m in that group– but most of it is valuable life advice for all ages.  The author doesn’t believe in an afterlife and so as approaches death in very practical terms.

It’s worth noting she’s led a privileged life, raising five children around the world and I sometimes found myself wondering how this book would read to someone who is working in old age for reasons of financial necessity and who can’t make the same choices as Magnusson.

For me, the bit that hit home was the call for minimalism and preparing our homes so that we die, others can easily sort through our belongings.  Living lightly appeals even though I’m terrible at it. I’ve loved my sabbatical years where I’ve traveled with a laptop,  a bike,  cycling gear,  and a couple of suitcases and didn’t miss a thing.

Here’s Magnusson: “If we have done our death cleaning, we will know that our kids and our loved ones have a few nice things from us and can spend nice evenings in the park  instead of spending them sorting through my cupboards and closets.”

It’s a light and easy book to read. I recommend it for the beach or an airplane flight. Enjoy!

aging · challenge · fitness

Sam is back on the buy-no-more-clothes wagon

Sam B4 Comments

On June 1,  today,  I’m starting a 90 day buy no new clothes challenge.

“By challenging yourself to buy ‘no new clothes’ – whether that’s not buying anything at all, or prioritizing re-use and secondhand, you decide! – you will reduce your carbon footprint, build healthy psychological habits, limit the waste you send to landfill, and keep your hard-earned dollars from companies that don’t provide their garment workers living wages or safe working conditions.”

That last one I try not to do anyway. I almost exclusively buy made in Canada clothes from slow fashion companies. But even with that commitment, I still own enough clothes for a lifetime.

Don’t get me started on bike jerseys. Lol.

Also, I’m trying to organize my house and make it less stressful. For me, that means owning less stuff.

I’m feeling inspired by the Swedish Death Cleaning author whose book on aging exuberantly I just finished. There’s a great intro to the ideas here.

Wish me luck!

aging · challenge · cycling · fitness

A challenge for my 60th

lona556f4de12e02 Comments
Lona in 2014 with her new Cannondale Quick commuter bike.

I was born in 1964 which means this year I have turned 60 years old. I have long been a believer in marking the important milestones of your life. So I knew this needed to be something of significance. In two days (June 2nd) I will be riding my bike from Lands End to John O’Groats in the United Kingdom. LEJOG (as it is know) is a route from the farthest south of England to the north tip of Scotland. Total distance is approximately 1600 km with over 17,000 m of climbing. This will be the most physically, psychologically, and emotionally challenge endeavour I have attempted.

I have always cycled. As a small child I distinctly remember the moment my dad took off my training wheels. I was ecstatic and felt like I was flying. It was a time of “free range” parenting where there was little supervision. I spent a lot of time roaming around my Edmonton neighborhood. As a teenager I was the proud owner of an orange Norco 10 speed. This bike allowed me to go even further afield. No helmet, toe straps on the pedals, and no fancy saddle or padded shorts. Just old school adventures.

As life and adulthood took over my biking days seemed behind me. I did occasionally ride but this was few and far between moments. This changed in 2014 when my partner was getting into triathlons and needed a new road bike. She got a new proper road bike and I decided to get a Cannondale Quick for puttering around. I envisioned myself maybe doing a lap of Stanley Park occasionally on it. I quickly fell in love with the freedom and physical nature of cycling again.

I began commuting to the hospital I worked at. Vancouver is a great place to cycle and the hospital had a large bike parking area. I felt refreshed and energized when arriving at work and when I rode back home. It wasn’t easy as there were hills to conquer on the way home. But I enjoyed it and began tracking my rides on Strava. I could see myself getting faster and stronger by tracking the data. My partner and I did some group rides to further test ourselves. I remember being so nervous at the start of a 50km group ride. When I successfully completed it I felt triumphant!

I outgrew the first bike and bought a Cannondale CAAD 10 road bike. New challenges ensued with clipless pedals, different gearing, and shorts with a chamois. The first ride was terrifying and I remember thinking I had made a mistake buying that bike. But I persisted and it got easier and then even comfortable. I started buying cycling specific kit and learned more about the sport by watching GCN on YouTube.

In 2018 I signed up for the RBC Whistler Gran Fondo. This encompasses a ride from Vancouver to Whistler. I was intimidated but also inspired by other women I knew who had done it. I took a “learn to fondo” clinic to help me prepare. I wasn’t the slowest in the clinic but I wasn’t the fastest either. The leaders were great and very encouraging. They kept telling me that I could actually do the ride, even when I was sceptical. They were right and I successfully completed the course. I knew I could improve my performance and the following year took 40 minutes off my previous time.

I upgraded my bike again and took on more adventures. Cycling allowed me to travel to France for a self guided holiday in the Dordogne. We also went to Italy for a biking holiday at Lake Garda. So when I thought about a real challenge to mark my 60th year I remembered a friend telling me about LEJOG. My partner and I have booked in with Peak Adventures for a supported tour. This is 14 days of cycling an average of 115km per day. Breakfast, lunch and accommodations are provided. All I have to do is pedal!

I wanted to share my story because women remain underrepresented within cycling. It is still a generally older, white male activity. Women are well suited for long distance activities as we have the mental fitness to endure. The beauty about cycling is that most people can do it. You can build your stamina by cycling incrementally longer distances. A decade ago I was thrilled to be able to ride 10 km and now I can ride that distance in less than 30 minutes. Cycling also opens you up to a whole world of people who are adventurous and passionate about the sport.

I’m very nervous about my ability to ride LEJOG but know that I have done other hard things. I want to be able to look back on my life and know that I didn’t just take the easy path. If I am successful I will write another post in 2 weeks time to share with you my thoughts.

Lona lives with her partner Emma and their 2 dogs in North Vancouver, British Columbia.  Originally trained as a social worker she transitioned to nursing, graduating when she was 40 years old from UBC. She worked in health care for 20 years in a variety of roles and areas including palliative, surgical services, and urban health.  She now works as the executive director for Resident Doctors of BC, the union supporting resident physicians.  She lives by the motto that life is short and therefore it is good to challenge yourself. 

 Lona in 2024 with her Cannondale carbon Synapse during a training ride for LEJOG.