Walking with the Conqueror Challenge (Guest Post)

June 7, 2022June 6, 2022 Sam B

By Kirsten

Greetings! Your intrepid, approaching 50, woman is back to share her journey to fitness and hopefully inspire both herself and maybe you too!

The pandemic has been hard – we’ve all suffered mentally, emotionally, physically. The winter(s) were especially brutal if, like me, you dislike having to put on 17 layers to just go outside and don’t have indoor exercise equipment. Alas, I digress. Now, onto why I’m really here…

There’s this “new” exercise fad that all the “exercise gurus” on social media say, especially for middle aged/peri/menopausal women (like me!) is way better than hours at the gym or HIIT, etc. Of course, in reality it’s not new at all. We as a species have been doing this exercise for at least a couple of millenia now. What is this, you wonder? WALKING! Wild, amiright?

In April of this year I was working from home and still had primary possession of Giselle. See her photo at the end of this post.

I happened to come across this advertisement on social media that was called The Conquerer Challenge. I investigated and did some research. The company behind this challenge has put (I’m sure) thousands of hours of work into it.

The concept is simple, Sign up on the website, select your challenge, download the app to your phone, and off you go on your adventure! There’s so much more to it though – it’s an international community of incredibly supportive people, all on a fitness journey who are challenging themselves and others to be more active. And when one warrior falls (walking buddies, such as my Giselle, or an unexpected physical ailment – damn knees!) everyone rallies to support and motivate!

In April I started a 75km trek from Cairo, Egypt to the Great Pyramids in Giza. I paid the company about $30. My google fit app is paired with the Counquerer Challenge app on my phone and every night my km’s are uploaded and my journey is logged. (You can manually log distance as well. For example, I log 1km for every hour of archery I do and the app provides a conversion chart for other movement activities, from rowing to housekeeping) For every 20% you complete, the company plants a tree. Along the route you receive random virtual postcards with details of the part of the journey you’re on.

It took me almost 3 months and I completed my first challenge! What a ride! It was very encouraging to see how much progress I made on a daily basis and to see my completion percentage and the amount of time it took. You choose how long you have to complete the challenge, so it really is a self challenge more than anything. At the end you get an actual medal in the mail with a completion certificate and the distance on the medal. I am onto my second challenge and am climbing Mt. Fuji. It’s another 75km trek because I’m still working up the courage to do a longer walk (Niagara Falls 113km for example, or the Great Wall of China at 259.1km).

The idea of fitness for me is about attaining optimal health. Walking is truly one of the most accessible forms of exercise out there and if done in proper supportive shoes, is so incredibly easy on the body (well, on my round body, yours may be different) and it can be a great social activity. Find a friend and create a team and do a challenge together! It’s amazing how fast the km’s add up and it’s exhilarating to say – I walked 20km this week. Sure, some people will walk 20km in one day but each person’s journey is their own and cannot be compared to anyone else’s. Walking has so many other benefits; fresh air and vitamin D, you can explore new to you places in your city/town, you can spend quality time with your pet, your quality of sleep improves and best of all – IT’S FREE!!!. It takes relatively little energy and you will find in time that you WANT to go out. If for no other reason to see where you are on your journey every day. At the end you can say – look what I accomplished!

I have found that I tire the dog out when we go for more than 2 km at a time (she’s not that big really) and I’m about to start a full time in person office job, so my frequent daily walks will be reduced. It’s your journey, walking will also help your mental health and the movement and sunlight will help decrease/eliminate any depression or anxiety you may be going through. It can be a great meditative time and you will find as you progress that you are walking a bit faster and covering more distance in a shorter period of time. You can catch up on the newest music, listen to your favourite Podcast, listen to a book.

Who knows, one day when you get to the Great Wall of China you can say, I’ve walked this and it only took me x number of days! I’m a Conquerer! I hope you decide to start a walking journey of your own (and I seriously can’t recommend it enough), so far since April and as of writing this, I’ve covered 93.1km (that doesn’t include today’s kms yet). I’m so proud of myself – as a lifelong non active person, this has been such a motivating, enjoyable and rewarding experience! If you’re in the Kingston area and want to start a walking group – hit me up! I’d love to walk with you and share a journey!

Kirsten (aka Kiki) is a woman approaching 50 who has struggled with exercise her entire life. She lives in Kingston with her 2 cats and occasionally a Shar Pei named Giselle. She is currently taking archery lessons and hopes to start curling again this year. Kirsten is also an active participant in a virtual distance challenge and is currently walking from Cairo to the Pyramids at Giza.

challenge · cycling · fitness · traveling

Five Decisions that Shaped a First Cycling Trip

May 26, 2022May 26, 2022 elan.paulson2 Comments

Early in the year, my friend invited me to cycle a 132-km rail trail in western Ontario known as the “G2G Trail” (Guelph to Goderich, which Sam has blogged about before) over the May long weekend. I said yes, though I hadn’t cycled seriously since summer bike tag with the neighbourhood kids over 30 years ago.

Thus began a series of decisions during a challenging but adventure-filled two-day cycling trip.

Decision 1: Get advice and follow it

Elan’s bike, Zoë, with much cycling gear gifted and borrowed.

From reading online articles about cycle touring I discovered water camelbaks. Where I got my bike tuned up I learned about comfortable saddle heights. I followed advice from fellow FIFI blogger FieldPoppy to spin at the gym in advance. Thanks to suggestions from friends, I purchased my first pair of shammy shorts and found myself unpacking and re-packing my gear 3 days ahead.

Result: Much gear and preparation that reduced my uncertainty somewhat.

Decision 2: Buy into shared optimism

We all knew it was going to rain. The weather report had not shifted all week long. But the sun was shining hopefully when we set out from Guelph. Wearing all my gear, I looked like I knew what I was doing. At every kilometre sign, one friend did a fist pump and whooped with excitement. “Will she do that the whole way?” I asked another in our group. “Yeah, probably,” was the reply.

Result: Sponging up the eager optimism of my more experienced cycling companions, I gained confidence that all would go well on the trip.

Decision 3: Weather the storms

That’s not just a metaphor–there was a real storm. On our first break, while happily dangling our feet over a stream flowing under a bridge, we started getting texts and calls from friends, warning us about the bad storm that had already struck town. Trees down, power out. Yet, high on optimism and snacks, we headed back out on the trail towards the quickly darkening sky.

Half an hour later, the storm hit us fully. The rain and hail that pelted our skin felt like glass. We were thrown off our bikes by the wind, and rushing water drowned the shale path. We had no time to find shelter as we were crossing a long, wide pasture area, so we took as much cover as we could behind a tiny tree. Since we were already soaked, we sat in the grass and had a beverage.

Result: When you can’t change something, go as far as you can go and then stop.

Decision 4: Get past the counting mindset

Do not ask when the buttertarts will come, yet be assured that they will sometime arrive.

Trail signs tell you how far you have gone, apps describe how fast you are going, watches share how long you’ve been going for, and digital maps show how far you still have to go. For me, counting minutes and miles was making the journey feel much, much longer, so I stopped. And when it no longer mattered the time or kms it took to get to where we were going (such as the Mennonite grocery store for fresh butter tarts), our destinations came a lot sooner.

Result: When my brain emptied of countdowns, it filled with good ideas, meditations on my work and my life, and thoughts of gratitude for the trip.

Decision 5: Feeling every moment, with friends

Kind trail stewards make available pay-to-take provisions for trail users.

There were some great-feeling moments: seeing two fuzzy fox kits, discovering coolers of drinks placed by trail stewards, finally catching sight of our Milbank B&B after a long day of riding in the rain. I cheered when a sore pulse in my right quad muscle suddenly went away. On a downward grade I stopped pedalling and, looking up, was thrilled by the trees tops rushing above me.

A relatively dry part of the trail. Not pictured: much wind.

There were also not-great-feeling moments: being cold, wet, and tired; annoyed at the ever-blowing headwind; frustrated by the muddy trail that slowed us down to a crawl. But by being fully present during those moments, and feeling supported by my friends, I stayed aware of what was going for me and those who helped me to get to where I was.

Result I: My group’s present-mindedness led us to appreciate all we had achieved together over two days of hard cycling. And our achievement let us be satisfied with ending our trip a little sooner than planned so that we could celebrate with warm pizza and cold drinks at a local craft brewery.

Result II: Me thinking about when my next cycle tour will happen.

Friends celebrating the end of a great cycling trip.

challenge · cycling

Let’s get started! ##30daysofbiking

April 1, 2022 Sam B

Join me in taking the 30 days of Biking pledge. Let’s ride everyday in April.

Spring riding isn’t always pretty. Sometimes it involves getting wet and muddy. But I like that it’s not yet about speed or even about distance. Spring riding feels adventurous to me. I just feel happy to be out there.

Unlike later in the summer, I find the people driving cars are happy to see me. I’m a sign of warm weather to come. Mostly they wave and smile.

These days there’s more and more of us out there on bikes. Through the pandemic, more people than ever started to ride. It’s safer than the gym and public transit. It’s good for the environment. Given rising fuel prices there’s yet another reason to ride.

My reason for riding is usually convenience with bonus smiles. That’s my daily commute. Recreational ride is all about the miles and smiles.

See you out there!

challenge · fitness

So many challenges, so little time…

January 4, 2022January 3, 2022 catherine w1 Comment

Is it me, or are there even more January 1 challenges than ever before? Or maybe it’s just that I’ve reversed myself my views on challenges. I wrote here a while back that I found challenges, well, challenging. In that post I also laid out a beyond-challenging challenge for myself to readjust my eating/movement/sleeping/hair part, all for the better. Did it happen?

Later on, though, I found the challenging nature of challenges more intriguing, and decided to dip a toe in. My gateway challenge was the 218 workouts in 2018. Seemed simple enough, and of course in January there seemed to be oodles of time to do all those workouts. I did finish– on Dec. 31. Just in time!

These panels are supposed to explain just-in-time delivery. All I'm getting is that one guy has a headache, but then another guy gives him a box. Maybe just in time? — This supposedly explains just-in-time delivery. One guy has a headache, but then another guy gives him a box. Maybe just in time?

In 2021 I completed several Ten Percent Happier meditation challenges: work life, anxiety, and anti-diet (it was all about intuitive eating and was fine; I’ll blog about this sometime). I’m now coming up on day 2 of their 14-day Getting Unstuck challenge, which is all about changing habits. Good luck to me…

I’m guessing that getting unstuck from super glue is easier than getting unstuck from entrenched habits. But we’ll see.

For this year, I also signed up for the New York Times Eat Well Challenge, mainly for professional and blogging purposes. I’m wary of being preached to about “good” and “bad” foods, which, as we all know, are not things. Tracy and Sam and I and others have blogged about this fairly extensively, and our work is still not done. I’ll be reporting back on this challenge when it’s done (or when I give up, whichever comes first).

And then of course there’s the Yoga with Adriene annual January challenge. This one is called Move. I like the name: short, to the point, no attempt to dress things up. I love Adriene. I love Benji the yoga dog. I love yoga. I own multiple internet-enabled devices. Therefore, I’m all set.

Don't Adriene and Benji just make you want to do downward dog right now? — Don’t Adriene and Benji just make you want to do downward dog right now?

I think that covers it for my currently-running challenges. Hey readers, what challenges are you doing? What challenges are looking tempting? What challenges are just too absurd? Tell us– we want to hear everything.

challenge · cycling · holidays · Zwift

I did it!

December 30, 2021December 30, 2021 Sam B1 Comment

I successfully met my challenge of riding 5500 km in a year. I did the final 20 km this evening to make it to 5500 km for the year. I wish I could say I finished up doing a race or some significant challenge but instead season 2 of Witcher was involved.

I originally thought that 5000 km was a reasonable goal and I’ve been trying to get there for years. Usually, most years, I top out at 4000 or so even in years when I’m doing the Friends for Life Bike Rally and riding in the southern US for a week or two in the winter.

It’s also arbitrary in a bunch of ways. For example, I’ve not been counting casual errand running or bike commutes. There’s no good reason why not except that I don’t use my Garmin for casual rides and so those rides aren’t tracked automatically.

Then along came Zwift and the pandemic. That made a huge difference to how far I ride in a given year. Last year I made it to 5000 km for the first time ever since I’ve been tracking these things. This year same thing. At some point in the middle of November I hit 4600 km and knew I’d easily make the 5000 goal. Instead, I decided to increase my goal to 5500 to make it a goal I’d actually have to work for rather than one I would just casually and easily float past.

What was the upside of the stretch goal? Well, it kept me riding regularly through the holidays. I rode my bike on the trainer Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Yes, I might have preferred walking outside with Cheddar but we had rain over the holidays and my knee wasn’t quite up for for very much walking.

Thanks for everyone who rode with me at the end. Hi Jenny! Hi Sarah! Thanks TFC teammates!

challenge · fitness

Books and bikes: On the home stretch of 2021 challenges

December 13, 2021December 13, 2021 Sam B1 Comment

“My two favorite things in life and libraries and bicycles. They move people forward without wasting anything.” Drawing of a girl on a bike climbing a hill.

There’s a lot of stress going on in the world right now. The pandemic and climate change related weather disasters to name the big two. But I’m focusing some of my attention–because it helps me stay on an even keel and get the work I need to get done done, while being a caring, engaged family member–on book and bike related personal challenges.

One of the ways my life changed with the pandemic is that absent all the activities in the world that involved other people–conference travel, holiday travel, theatre, concerts, and so–I’ve had more time to read books and ride my bike. They’re also both things that make me happy and given the state of the world, I’ve been lucky to have room for both in my life.

This year I set my GoodReads reading challenge to 24 books and my riding challenge to 5500 km. The books challenge doesn’t include things read for work and the bike challenge doesn’t count everyday commuting (for no good reason except I don’t track it using my Garmin and I can’t be bothered manually adding those rides, it’s all arbitrary anyway.)

With 19 days to go, will I make it?

Books

On the reading front, the answer is clearly ‘yes.’

My daughter has booked a yurt for a few days away in one of the National Parks. We’ll walk and bike, cook food, play cards, but also, read books.

Here’s the next two on my list:

Two books: “Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness” and “Fight Night”

I just finished My Brilliant Friend, which I loved.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Samantha Brennan (@samjanebrennan)

What are you reading over the holiday season? What do you recommend from 2021?

Bikes

On the riding front, I’ve got some work to do but I think it’s an attainable goal. I have 358 km to ride in 19 days, which works out to just under 20 km a day.

I’ve been doing some more group rides and badge hunting to get the kilometers in. December is #daily20km for me.

Wish me luck!

challenge · motivation · new year's resolutions · WOTY

It’s WOTY-Challenge Time!

December 8, 2021December 8, 2021 Mina3 Comments

In this last month of the year, two thoughts bubble up: What’s my word of the year (WOTY) and what’s my challenge? Many of my fellow bloggers here are thinking about their words. Nicole, for example, says she is looking for a word that expresses the opposite of existential dread. I look forward to what she comes up with. We will have more WOTY posts, to be sure.

Last year my word was enough. For the early part of the year, I reminded myself with some regularity what my word was. I needed the specific boost. Just now, when I sat down to write this, I realized I’d forgotten what my word was. Yet, when I looked back and found my word, it was like a carillon. Oh yes, now I remember my word and I didn’t need the reminder after a certain point in the year, because I had installed an enough-ness fuel gauge in my bodymind dashboard and was taking conscious note of the fuel level on a more regular basis. That realization, in and of itself, topped up the fuel in my enough-ness tank. My word did its job. Pause for mini-celebratory dance.

In a recent Peloton class one of my favourite instructors, Christine D’Ercole, said that we should give ourselves user names that, when we say them out loud, have the same effect as an encouraging hand on our back. That’s the effect I’m looking for in my WOTY. A word that encourages me. A carrot word. Not a stick word.

Colourful assortment of letter tiles
Surendran MP on Unsplash

This year’s word builds on enough. I’m not going to give it to you straight out. There’s some stage décor to put in place first. It turns out that enough is a pretty damn bold word. Enough gives me the courage to plunge into learning new modalities (including two separate yearlong trainings, one in Non-Violent Communication and one in Internal Family Systems). Enough inoculates me against being overwhelmed by the voices in my head and in society, who say that I’m past due on expanding into new disciplines. Enough grants me the audacity to incorporate these new techniques into my work now with the simultaneous confidence of a seasoned practitioner and the caution of a novitiate. I am integrating my existing skills base with the fresh skills I am learning and honing to offer more holistic coaching and workshops.

At first, my word for next year wanted to be something like mastery. But two reasons held me back from that choice. First, the word is outmoded and even ugly, in a world that is waking up to all the hidden and subtle ways we perpetuate inequities. Mastery comes with a heavy burden of colonialism and racism.

This first reason would have been more than enough to keep the word out of contention. But there’s more. The word feels static. As if we can master something and then that’s it. One and done. Thank you very much. You may now come to me with questions. I’ve moved on to answers. No. That’s not how I feel about the skills I already have facility with, nor how I feel about the new tools I’m adding. There’s dynamism in the process. Learning is cyclical, not linear, building and looping back on itself to collect new gleanings.

I wanted a word to express my desire to keep learning, integrating, experimenting and refining. In that spirit, my word itself is freshly coined, by me.

Skillflow.

That’s my word. Say it out loud. Feel it on your tongue. Listen to it come out of your mouth. Do you feel how open the word is? Versus, for example, the word skillful, which closes in on itself with that final letter L.

Skillflow: (noun) the continuous, regenerative cycle of learning and applying our skills; the flow of fresh skills mixing with honed skills in a reciprocal renewal of energy.

I am already enough AND I’m going to learn so much this year. I’ve got my word.

So … I wrote all those words above yesterday and I felt plugged in and buzzing with possibility. Excited for the year to come. Up to the task. Empowered. Then I woke up this morning with a possibility hangover. That’s when the part of me who is fearful of failure gets very loud. I was down in the dumps. Questioning everything from my right to even propose a WOTY to my very existence. Apparently, my word is threatening to some part of me that fears that a hand on my back will push me right over a cliff into a humiliating failure; that I’ll choke on my carrot word. Sigh. Thank you, fearful voice. Breathe. Notice that I am learning new skills around befriending that scared voice. Allow her words to flow through me, instead of getting stuck inside like a brick in an impenetrable wall of the-truth-of-who-I-am.

My word for 2022 is skillflow.

How about that challenge I mentioned? Challenges are my version of resolutions (but not). A friend calls them my annual devotional tasks. They are ways of being I want to try on for size, with no commitment to extend after the year is over.

Last year my challenge was twofold—to continue not to shop for anything from Amazon.com except books and movies (an extension of my 2020 challenge) and to commit to a poetry exchange with my friend (and fellow blogger here), Kim. We agreed to send each other new poems we’d written every second Sunday. We have two poem cycles left and the whole process has been fresh and bracing, plus liberating and connecting. Excellent. Last year, I wanted a challenge that wasn’t all about self-discipline and denial, which has characterized quite a number of my challenges (like not shopping for clothes for a year). This year I want a challenge … well … I have no clue what to do this year.

I’d love to hear your WOTYs and any ideas for a challenge.

challenge · cycling · fitness

Who decides what’s a challenge?

November 8, 2021November 8, 2021 Sam B

Mary Anderson set herself a challenge, to cycle through her home state of Vermont on her ebike. Her goal: to visit all 251 towns in one go. Since hitting the road on October 6, she has logged 205 towns and 1,317 miles. You can read all about it here.

Here’s Mary:

I found out about her challenge when she shared it with the Cycling Past 50 group we’re both part of on Facebook.

But I was sad to see that immediately someone declared it wasn’t much of a challenge since she’s riding an e-bike. “You’re riding along with a motor? How can that that be a challenge?”

Grrr.

Mary replied telling him she was 64 and recovering from numerous breaks and tears and injuries. But that’s not the point.

Luckily before I could even start typing a Fit is a Feminist Issue regular commentator Kimberly Van Orman was typing, “Where is it written that only “challenging” rides are worthwhile anyway? Who decides what’s sufficiently challenging? Challenging for whom?”

Later in a messenger exchange with me, she continued. “I have an ebike. Vermont is the GREEN MOUNTAIN state. I can assure you that it was still a physical challenge, too.”

Thank you KVO.

We’ve been defending e-bikes on the blog for awhile now. Recently Joy Cameron has been blogging here about her e-bike and bike packing adventures.

But the point is bigger than e-bikes. It’s about you getting to decide what’s a challenge for you!

In local (for me) news, Guelph, Ont., woman to celebrate special birthday with 100 walks for 100 years. I hope no one chirps up in the comments to say it isn’t a challenge because she’s walking rather than running!

challenge · fitness

No-vember?

November 3, 2021November 3, 2021 Sam B1 Comment

I made it through October and now I’m arriving at my office in the dark, biking home in the dark, and there’s white stuff falling from the sky as I type.

November is a month of many things, including cold and here in Canada, the start of snow.

November is also a month of challenges.

It’s Mo-vember.

It’s also Gratitude Month. I’ve blogged about that here.

It’s No Spend November.

For many of my writer friends it’s also NaNoWriMo.

Lots of different challenges are going on, but another friend says that for her, it’s NO!-vember. She makes November not a month of taking on new challenges. Instead she makes it a month of saying NO to things.

Me, I’m all in on the Month of Gratitude. It makes me feel good, even while I know it’s somewhat forced and artificial, it also works. But I can also see the appeal of a month of “no.” Of course it’s more complicated than a simple across the board NO. Some things you want to say YES to. Instead, it’s a month of permission to decline things.

For me, I don’t think I need that permission. That’s too close to my pre-existing grumpy November mood.

But for you, maybe it works for you. Is there anything you’re saying NO to these days, as a conscious effort? Or is there another November challenge you’re taking on that I haven’t mentioned? Let us know in the comments!

Photo by Gemma Evans on Unsplash. Painting of the word “No” in yellow on a red background.

challenge · cycling · fitness · Zwift

8 days to finish Zwift Academy 2021! Here’s my plan

October 17, 2021October 17, 2021 Sam B

I have eight days left to finish Zwift Academy 2021. It’s been both easier and harder than in past years. Past years were a mad dash to the finish. It’s been easier to complete and schedule the workouts but I’ve also been finding the workouts themselves tougher. I feel more than a bit out of bike shape after a summer of more low key outdoor pursuits.

I did the last workout, #6, this afternoon. It was supposed to be the afternoon of the Guelph Fall Colours Ride organized by the Guelph Coalition for Active Transit but that was rained out. Instead I hopped on the trainer and slogged through the last of the formal structured workouts.

Zwift Me. Sam’s Avatar doing the workout on her pink Tron bike

Here is Zwift’s description of the workout: “When you attack in a race or surge over a short hill, an intense burn always follows. This workout ensures you’ll hit these types of efforts stronger, pushing through the burn and helping maintain a high pace without fading after each effort. The anaerobic capacity (AC) effort at the start of this workout helps build up high lactate concentrations, essential for building FTP. The 1min rest that follows is enough to help recover adequately so you can complete the workout strong, but it doesn’t leave so much time that lactate concentrations will decrease. The workout is key when it comes to boosting your FTP and tackling longer segments with a higher level of fitness.”

GCAT Fall Colours Ride postponed to the 23rd due to rain

Here’s my riding plan for the next week:

Monday: Casse Pattes course ride over with TFC Dynamite team mates

Tuesday: Race Casse Pattes with TFC Dynamite in the Zwift Racing League

Wednesday: Zwift Academy Recovery Ride

” A Zwift Academy Recovery Ride is a social ride and an essential part of any training plan. Recovering from hard work allows you to adapt and develop. To do this you need to learn how to go easy and that is exactly how you should pace yourself on this ride. You will need to complete at least two recovery rides in order to graduate from Zwift Academy. These rides will be available exclusively in the event calendar so make sure you plan accordingly for these events. One recovery ride will need to be completed during the 1st block and one will need to be completed during the 2nd block to graduate. Recovery rides for block 2 are available from October 3 – October 25 . If you missed completing a recovery ride, recovery rides will also be available during makeups from October 11 – October 25. Recovery Rides must be done with the group, and cannot be completed alone.”

Thursday race: Team Time Trial with TFC Phantom

Friday rest day

Saturday: Rescheduled Fall Colours Ride

Sunday: Finish Ride

“A Zwift Academy Finish Line ride is specifically designed to capture your gains over the duration of the Academy. It is set up identically to the Baseline Ride and will measure the exact same segments you started the Academy with. Riders are challenged to get PR’s on the segments and ride easy between the segments. There is no drafting and no leader. “

I’ll report back and let you know if I improved!

Category: challenge

Walking with the Conqueror Challenge (Guest Post)

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