Category: Sat with Nat

Sat with Nat

Nat shares a cycling moment that did not feel safe

natalieh (she/her)3 Comments

First, I am ok.

Second, I’m going to share an interaction with a man who spoke to me while I was on a solo ride. End of story. Nothing graphic or physical happened.

So read on if you feel ok about it and please do scroll on by if you don’t feel ok reading my story.

It’s last Saturday, I’m out for a 20 km solo ride in town. The weather is amenable. I was looking to build an easy loop I can repeat during the week.

I leave my home and head up to Cheapside. It’s a great way out of town in my corner of London. Light traffic and a cycling lane makes it feel luxurious. I hang a right onto the road of many names Sanford/Second/Fanshawe College Blvd/Saskatchewan? It really changes names too much.

This road is sinusoidal, gently wandering south with a bike lane. I love it.

As I cruise along I see pylons at Oxford Street. Maybe a detour?

My route was blocked by a fence, equipment and a very large hole. Huh.

I pull over to the sidewalk and assess my options. I’d really just gotten going and didn’t want to turn around. Oxford Street was compressed to one lane with fences and heavy traffic. Neither east nor west were options.

I then see on the east side of the intersection there is a temporary pedestrian crossing that takes you past the construction. I could make this work!

I walked my bike over Oxford, through the fencing following the path and get back onto the original road. VICTORY!

I gave myself a little pep talk as I got back on my bike. As I was about to roll a man called out to me asking if he could talk to me.

He approached me friendly and smiling. He looked about my age. He asked if we could be friends. His accent told me he had lived in other places than London, Ontario so I chalked up the unusual approach as a cultural difference.

I said I was a friendly person and then he asked for my phone number. He stopped an arms length from me and eyed my ring finger, watch and phone mounted on my bike. His hands were behind his back. He smiled reassuringly.

I put my foot on my pedal and declined to give him my number.

He asked if we could go on a date. I said no. He asked if I was married and checked my hand again. I said I was happily married and then pedaled off.

It was weird and off putting. I didn’t feel safe. I was so distracted I missed my turn to catch the bike path and ended up riding west on Wavel.

I was kind of lost but just went with it. I got to Eggerton and remembered if I took it south I could catch the bike path at the bridge.

I eventually ended up in a morass of construction at Wellington St where an older cyclist was shaking his head.

“This may be done in five to ten years!”

I laughed. It did seem like it’s been this way for a long time. I wished him luck as I decided to find my way to Colborne and head home.

I debated sharing this story. I scoff when people ask if I feel safe riding/running/walking on my own. I do. But I’m annoyed that this particular hazard is gendered.

Michel and I spoke about this. We’ve both had moments where people eye our bikes or look like they are angling to cause a ruckus. But he’s never been hit on.

I am kicking myself for being polite and kind. It’s a strategy that can cut both ways. I won’t use it again.

I honestly think I could have handled myself had he gotten closer. I’m 280 lbs of fuck right the fuck off.

He may have been after my phone or my bike. Or me? I remember he told me I was beautiful.

It’s been a rough couple of weeks on the mental health front. I did not need this interaction.

I told Michel about it when I got home. I felt silly not feeling safe. On the surface it was simply an awkward interaction at a moment when I was navigating a cycling route. Michel told me to trust my instincts.

This is the shit that discourages women participating in sport. So my message is not to stay home. And it’s not to expect predators at every turn. It is about recognizing when a situation doesn’t feel right and trusting yourself.

So I will keep riding solo but I won’t be entertaining any conversation from passersby.

I’m a sweaty mess smiling at the camera in my cycling jersey.
fitness · Sat with Nat

Nat checks in on her cycling goals

natalieh (she/her)

Oh dear. It’s the end of June and I definitely have not averaged 30 km per week. I mean. It’s not even close.

It’s just 4 weeks until the MS Bike Tour and I’ve not done more than 20 km in a day.

Ugh. I don’t want a steep ramp up but here I am, AGAIN.

It’s not all bad though. The commuting and using my bike for errands complimented my indoor winter spinning.

Year to date graph compares this year in orange to last year in blue.

I’m not certain last year’s data is accurate but it’s close. I was pleasantly surprised that I’ve gotten 437 km in compared to 175 last year. It’s an improvement and my little commutes are adding up.

Like previous years, the month of July will see me getting much more time in the saddle. My goal is to complete the tour with my sense of humour intact.

Sat with Nat

Nat is reminded that walking is serious exercise

natalieh (she/her)2 Comments

It started with an email from Strava:

A congratulatory note telling me I’ve put 400 km on my walking shoes.

The nudge was intentional. I’ve had a few bouts of plantar fasciitis. To try and prevent more rounds I look to replace my footwear before it visibly wears out.

This is hard for me. My gut says “Those shoes look fine.”

The clicking of my calf and heel tendons are telling me that, actually, I need new shoes.

I know a slip on shoe made for walking works for me so back to the Sketchers brand I go.

I try to get them on sale. I am not picky about colour. Although the white always look raggedy so I picked a dark blue from the discount website. $80 CDN plus tax is better than $120!

The shoes arrived with a 32 page booklet from the Mayo Clinic “Walk your way to fitness.”

Huh.

Unexpected!

I gave it a read and could not find one critique of the information inside.

It treated walking with the respect it deserves. It is exercise!

The booklet outlined guidelines on physical activity as well as suggestions on starting a walking routine.

On page 19 it mentioned replacing worn out shoes. It happened to use the exact distance I walk every day. At a minimum I cover 3km a day which means I should replace my shoes every 6 months.

I’m pretty sure those white Sketchers are coming up on a year. My feet have been whispering “replace your shooooooes” for a while now.

So I log my new shoes in Strava in the “My gear” tab. I often record my walks with my watch which is connected to Strava. The gear plus workouts means I will continue to get nudges on replacing my shoes.

My phone tells me I average 4.5 km a day. It’s always watching.

Unlike Strava, there are no buttons needed for my phone to count steps and kilometers. Since it doesn’t get all the distance the Strava nudge is my failsafe. It honestly feels like I just bought the white shoes. Honest!

This confirms I can’t rely on my perception on how long I’ve had shoes or when I should replace them l.

Reading the booklet reminded me of many things I’ve learned about walking and how this movement supports my wellbeing.

Sat with Nat

Nat loves both her bicycles

natalieh (she/her)

I have a ten year old road bike. I named her Ethyl. She has not seen a lot of kilometers this year.

I have been using my commuter bike, Myrna, to go to work and run errands. She has fenders and panniers. She is heavy and easy to ride in traffic.

Myrna is in the foreground with a cooler strapped on the back. Ethyl rests against the wall of the garage waiting for her time to shine.

Since I’m so rarely on my road bike I really notice how compact and light she is. Ethyl wants to go fast!

I’ve only had her out for quick trips to physiotherapy. I can bring her up the stairs easily and they encourage me to bring my bike inside.

My cycling is at once consistent but also not enough to get me ready for the MS Bike Tour.

Between work stuff, injuries and other life shenanigans my cycling has suffered.

I am not loving that, once again, it’s going to be a relatively steep ramp up for distance.

Thank goodness I have a good bike to do it on!

I’m so glad I got a commuter bike. It’s helped me get to work easily in all kinds of weather.

And now I need to get out on Ethyl on evenings and weekends.

I think I can make it happen.

Sat with Nat · technology

Nat on feminism and automation

natalieh (she/her)

In 2022 I asked Can automation give me more time for fitness?

At the end I promised to update you on if getting a robot vacuum led to more time for fitness.

The results are inconclusive. I do appreciate my little vacuum. I especially appreciate the ability to set Romeo to a task while I’m doing something else.

I’ve gotten even more devices to reliably complete tasks. My aquarium now has an LED light I can program on a schedule. I bought an automatic feeder that reliably dispenses just the right amount of food once a day.

Fish care is now just the tank cleaning and I really enjoy watching the dang fish without worrying if I forgot to feed them, or did I accidentally feed them twice?

My youngest moved out and left their cat behind. The cat is used to many dry food meals. My work and social schedule varies and I struggle with repetitive tasks. Automated food dispenser for the win!

In our living room we have put in smart lights. They brighten in the morning with blue tones to cue us to wake up. As the evening approaches the light shifts to warmer tones. At 9 pm they start to dim. The changing light has helped my sleep hygiene and sticking to a steady bedtime. “Oh it’s getting dark, must be bedtime!”

But what does all of this have to do with feminism and fitness?

Household tasks are often gendered and the bulk of those tasks still fall to women. By automating tasks I have less cognitive load and more choice over when I do housework as the basics are covered by automation.

I don’t have to use up my daily dose of self discipline on feeding the cat. I can apply that to getting out the door for a walk or bike ride.

I can rest when I need to or write quippy blog posts instead of berating myself for not vacuuming while staring at a dusting of dog hair on the floor.

By spending less of my cognition on house hold tasks I have more available for planning my nutrition, hobbies and other activities that replenish me.

So while automations haven’t revolutionized my life, they have certainly made getting tasks done a lot easier.

A phone screen shot of a collection of apps labeled ‘Smart home’ There are apps for lights, recycling and vacuuming.
Sat with Nat

Nat is delighted to be photographed

natalieh (she/her)

I’m sitting at work and get a Teams message from my buddy Brian.

“Are you at the office today? Would you mind being photographed? It’s commuter challenge week. Did you bike in?”

You bet I biked in! I found out that many people who bike to work did not want their photo taken.

I met up with three other cycling commuters and we had some photos taken. It took ten minutes.

The photographer admitted she was surprised how hard it is to get folks to agree to be photographed.

We chatted a bit about how to overcome objections and the importance of having lots of people in published materials.

I was glad someone thought of me and I hope the photos get used to show that there are lots of bodies that bicycle.

Biking to work has helped me mentally and physically. I’m well on my way to exceeding 1,300 km I biked last year. A lot of little trips add up fast!

A snapshot of my mileage to date this year, 914 km. I’m likely not hitting my goal of 2,500 before the end of July though.
Sat with Nat

Nat is over the crappy smart watch coaching

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

My Apple Watch lobs bits of wisdom to me on the regular.

“Yesterday you didn’t hit your workout goal.”

Yes. I know. I was in a car all day!

“Your VO2 max is low.”

Uh. I didn’t ask you to guess this. You also ignore cycling data sooooooo

And on and on it goes. Sometimes it tells me things I already know, like how little sleep I got.

The more confusing ones are prompts aimed at evaluating metrics I don’t care about or find meaningful.

My friends with Garmins fair no better. It’s a constant onslaught of being told you are doing garbage miles, overtraining or “detraining”?

The promise of smart watches is beautiful data transformed into coaching insights that help you achieve your fitness goals.

The reality is, even with sleep mode/do not disturb, my watch will buzz to prompt me to stand in the middle of the night. WHY???

A series of bar graphs proclaims I have averaged 17 stand hours a day. But I’d rather sleep more than a couple hours at a time.

I do take great comfort in the heart rate monitoring. It’s why I got the Apple Watch in the first place. Now I just need to figure out how to kill the annoying notifications.

Sat with Nat

Nat is chasing one petty injury after another

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

These are not big life altering injuries friends but they are enough to keep me out of the gym. Frustrating.

My right knee had responded to physiotherapy last fall but started acting up again recently.

There is a muscle that runs down my thigh and attaches at the knee. It just decides it’s not firing anymore. Then my knee drifts. I’m back to wall sits with a small ball between my knees to cajole it back into action. Again. This is just an exercise I get to do…forever.

My left elbow tendinitis is responding well to weight training, ultrasound and massage. I’m avoiding knitting but also realized that gardening is not helping. To take pressure off my right knee I’ve been leaning on my left hand. Uh. Owie. The elbow tendons are quite cross with me. GAH!

I’ve a crick in my neck and right shoulder blade from sleeping funny in the car last weekend. Not serious! VERY ANNOYING.

Oh and my Achilles tendons are snap, crackle and popping. Time to replace my walking shoes and dial in my commuter bike fit. And stretch. And do calf raises. And roll my feet.

I’m stretching. I’m doing light dumbbell exercises. I’m waking 5km a day. I’m doing little bicycle jaunts. But. Ow. It’s a bit annoying that there are these moments of sometimes quite intense pain. Mostly it’s dull, nagging aches. I’m working on being patient. It’s not my forte.

Lucy, my red Texas Heeler, stares out our window watching and being patient.

It’s very common to have injuries when using your body. All my active friends have some kind of injury they are recovering from. We are middle aged. We are doing things and our bodies have some feedback to share.

I am committed to staying active and look forward to a summer of cycling, walking and living generally pain free.

Let’s do this!

Sat with Nat

It’s Flêche time baby! Nat supports a team a second year in a row.

natalieh (she/her)3 Comments

It’s 8am. As you read this I’m sitting and waiting for the five cyclists to arrive at the breakfast control. They have been riding for 14 hours. Just 10 more to go!

You can read up on what a Flêche is here

https://randonneursontario.ca/Fleche/Fleche.html

There are strict rules about when support can be provided. Only at controls!

You can follow the team’s spot tracker here, Buds on Bikes is my team!

https://spotwalla.com/lp/363c-c5eb689-c2b1/view

Supporting a ride is a great way to pay forward all the coaching and support I’ve received over the years to get and keep me cycling.

It does mean not getting my own miles in so I need to be deliberate about the rest of my long weekend.

I have goals to meet and that includes getting out on my road bike.

Nat takes a selfie. Her back is to the setting sun. The SAG wagon has all doors open as folks replenish fluids at the 58km mark.

In short, if you benefit from sport I do think it’s a good idea to help ensure that sport endures. You can give your time, talent or treasure.

Have a great weekend!

Sat with Nat · Tendinitis, recovery from injury

Nat trusts that silly little physio exercises will make a big difference

natalieh (she/her)

A couple weeks ago I shared how I gave myself tennis elbow by knitting.

It still hurts. And if I’m not warmed up I have trouble lifting my arm by hinging at the elbow.

I was talking to my friend Jess and she gently teased me.

“Have you told Emily?”

Me: “noooooo”

Jess: “You know she will give you a silly little exercise and it will get better.”

I did know. The brilliance of a skilled physiotherapist is dialing in to exactly what is wrong. More than that, they then find the precise movement that will address the root cause of the injury.

I’m in the maintenance phase of addressing my wobbliness on the bike so already had an appointment coming up.

At my appointment yesterday, I mentioned that I had tendinitis on my right elbow before. It took about 9 months to heal. I knew that this bout on the left side was definitely a result of knitting more than 30 hours in one weekend.

I’m super stressed these days. Knitting serves as a focus for nervous energy. The rhythmic movements are soothing. Understanding how to execute the pattern is cognitively absorbing. There’s no opportunities for my worries to find me.

A knitting book lays open across my thighs showing ankle socks with a fold down cable cuff. On top of the book is an in progress sock with the cable cuff done in a goldenrod yellow yarn.

Did I just describe a kind of dissociation? Absolutely.

Am I happy I that I hurt myself?

Nope. Kind of embarrassed, actually.

So I recounted all of this to Emily, who reassured me that they had helped many a knitter with this exact problem. Even better, it will be resolved in a couple weeks!

So after exploring the extent of my injury, Emily broke out the ultrasound.

I then got treated to a series of whole arm manipulations and some intense forearm, uh, let’s call it “massage”. Lots of adhesions and bumps in there. Owie!

My homework is 3 sets of 12 of palm down wrist curls… with a twist.

On my injured side I’m using my other hand to help raise the weight. I then let my injured arm do the downward movement under control on its’ own.

It’s a silly little exercise but I was surprised how weak both arms were.

Emily laughed. “You get to do the gym bro pose!”

As a desk jockey, cyclist, gardener, knitter, crocheter, bead worker and bread maker I had assumed my forearms were getting enough variety of movement to be strong and resilient. Nope!

So 5lb assisted wrist curls it is. All hail the gym bro move!

Oh and I need to stay off the knitting until I build up my strength.

I’m so thankful for Jess nudging me.

I’m thankful for access to Emily’s expertise.

It’s easy for me to fall into thinking each injury is the one that signals an inevitable spiral of decrepitude. The slow moves of death stealing ability away from me. Ya. My mind goes to dark places. It’s why I knit so much!