Paisley weekend ~ you can barely call this camping!

We were graciously invited to Joe & Julia's farm in Paisley for the last weekend in August to camp out on their property with our group of athletic friends.  They have hosted "Paisley weekend" for a few years now, but this was the 1st time we had been able to attend.  The rumors about how much fun it was, did not let us down!

You can barely call this camping; besides being in a tent... they really go over the top on putting on a great weekend.  We arrive Friday night, it is just starting to get dark, the BBQ is on for us, friends help us put up the tent (I always used to joke camping tests a relationship, but I quickly could tell, not this time!)  There was a big "wedding" type tent with lots of tables which served as the "mess hall"  Dahlia was quick to discover the bouncy castle and we were quick to learn it was the truth there would be a babysitter :)  We could relax, drink and chat with friends. Friday night was a bit more low key maybe because everyone knew we had a running race the next morning...
Yep a running race!  There was a 10k or 21k.  There were volunteers, aid stations, and even finisher medals.  The course was fields and trails and roads and Joe was out riding a tractor keeping track of us.  And there were still babysitters, so Bill and I could do the 21k.  Crossed the finish line under the two John Deeres with my girls beside me giving me my medal and water, so awesome, that I survived, the beers the night before, the heat, I was feeling that run for a bit after...  I was sitting in the field trying to recover when they started the kids 1k.  Dahlia was up at the start, she starts running, then veers  off over to me, not wanting to do it, so I get up and hobble along with her, making it to the 1st corner, then I manage to get Dahlia to run without me so I can walk, she looks back occasionally, but does do it without me beside her, thankfully.  She gets a medal too, which she proudly took to daycare on Monday.  And after showing her friends she asked if they could come next time and get a medal too...



After all that running I really wanted to try the dunk tank they had... too fun, many people got dunked by their kids, spouses, parents friends...good times!!




The afternoon we went down to the wonderful beach at Port Elgin, played freezbie, built castles and splashed around in the water.
Returning to the farm, there were servers serving appetizers, yummy and everyone brought potluck for dinner and it was incredible!
That night there was a band and lots of drinking!

The next morning we did a good 56k bike ride, then Bill, Mark, Brett and I added a little extra, down to the Lake where Brett, Bill and I all took a little dip before riding back to make it 90k.  And Joe drove around the course stopping periodically to refill our bottles and give us gels...

I really can't get over the hospitality shown this weekend.  This was an event, not camping!  Dahlia is going to be so shocked & disappointed if we ever just go plain old camping!

The youngest person to swim across lake Ontario

Annaleise Carr made history this summer, becoming the youngest person to swim across Lake Ontario in a 27 hour swim.  Annaleise is 14 years old, too young to swim with our LOST group since it is Masters, but it's a big lake so we bumped into her during some of her trainung.  My impression when I saw her training was that she was a strong girl but to tough it out through 27 hours, incredible, at any age, but particularly at 14!


Here's one of the articles about her crossing:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/annaleise-carr-14-youngest-person-to-swim-lake-ontario/article4488859/

Congratulations Annaleise!

my sister gets in on the family racing & playing weekend

If you read this blog, you probably know we are a pretty active family, and often put our activities to the test by participating in races.  Bill and I have done many races together and supported each other when doing some races by ourselves.  The kids also come cheer us on sometimes.  And we have often been at a pool cheering Cadence on...

But the weekend of Aug 18-19th was not the usual family members together racing:  My sister Ariana, who now lives (way too) far away in Armstrong (a couple hours north of Thunder Bay) and we only see a couple times a year, surprised us in June saying she was going to fit in a trip down to visit us in the summer.  Seeing as how our summer schedule was already pretty booked we were quite lucky to find a good 5 day block that would work for everyone and when Ariana and I could participate in a running race together.  We have done a couple before, in fact my first 1/2 marathon in 2004 I did with her (she had already done some halves) and on New Year's this past year we did a 5k resolution run...Some of us held to our resolutions better than others; my sister has lost about 40lbs since the new year, looks awesome and has realized without the extra weight, she is fast! We signed up for the Iroquois 32k trail run for Aug 18th, before I realized she was getting so fast (lol).  She had made a few posts about her pace in some other runs and I knew that with the way my training had been it would be best for me not to try and keep up with her.  In the end she seriously kicked my butt, but then she kicked a lot of peoples butts, coming 2nd female and 8th overall finisher.  I finished with a smile, in 4 hours and 9 minutes (about 9 minutes over my best marathon (42k) time) that may sound completely awful, going 10k less in about the same time, but this was real trail running.  I must have tripped 2 dozen times on the course, and the funny thing is at least half of the trips were on not so technical parts, when you let your guard down because it isn't so technical, bam that's when it happens a root jumps up right in front of you...

This course was a lot of fun, very technical in some spots, lots of running/skipping/walking on/up/down boulders, great scenery when you could look around.  Most of the trails were out and back (& the 50k runners were on the course too)  And this made for a tight little group, but everyone was super friendly.  It was really incredible!  I can't recall anything quite like it.  Pretty much everyone said a word of encouragement to each other as we passed by, including the 50k winner.  This guy was flying but still nodded his head, smiled and said "great job" to me as he ran past.  My sister cheered extra loud when I finished which was nice too.  And then we had a yummy picnic lunch (supplied by the race) together, collapsed in the grass.  

Actually, the body felt quite good after, even the legs were not too sore.  I believe it's the best I've felt after a running race this year, which I think is testament to me running a smart race, not trying to stay with my sister, doing my own race, respecting the distance and the trails, which are beautiful but can be hard on the body, with the hard climbs and jarring descents, and all the saves from stumbling and rolling ankles etc.  All in all, a great run, and fun that we can put another one in the memory bank as having done together...

Welland canal

The next day the racing with a family member would continue for me.  This time, for the first time, Cadence and I entered an open water race together.  The 1k at the Welland canal races.  Cadence being only 13 was only allowed to do 1k but it was perfect for getting her into an open water race.  Hope she doesn't mind me saying this, but she was nervous about the open water, so I was thrilled she was willing to try it with the caveat that I stay right beside her.  This meant I would have to go top speed, but I told her if she felt confident she could take off on me any time.  She was a bit freaked out by the weeds as we entered the water, but once we started she seemed fine, we stayed side by side and she was smiling.  The course for the race is about as much like pool swimming as open water can get.  We found out there was a rope line about  5 feet below us, connecting the buoys and just followed it to stay online (just like following the line on the bottom of the pool)  And the water was flat!
Then we saw Bill with Dahlia on his shoulders walking along shore beside us.  And Ariana hobbling a bit (she was more sore than me, well deserved for beating me the day before ~ just kidding) and her boyfriend Adam were there too.  We wave to them.  We swim on, hardly look ahead since we have this great line to follow straight, it felt like we were the only 2 swimming sometimes, we seemed to swim well together.  It would have made more sense to take turns drafting off each other, but this was fun, swimming face-to-face.  And eventually we saw the finish, Cadence picked it up a little and did pull a tiny bit ahead, but she didn't realize she had to hit the board above our heads.  So when we both stopped under it I say you've got to hit it and I hit it at the same time, it was an automatic action which put me down as being a 10th of a second faster than her lol.  We both finished top ten, but most important was she had fun!  It was just really wonderful doing this with my girl!
We got out, saw our fans (Bill, Dahlia, Ariana, Adam) and a few other LOSTies were there to say hi to.

And then we headed to Knights Beach for the afternoon for Bill's sister Terri's birthday, where everyone got to enjoy the water for a bit.  We also made sand castles and played at the playgound.

A great weekend...

Ariana & Dahlia

But wait, Bill and I booked Monday off, so the fun wasn't over... we all went to Canada's Wonderland the next day.  More good times!  Those who went on the Leviathan rated it the best ride of the day.  (I hung with Dahlia while the others went and the lines were too long to wait again)  I liked the pirate ship, because we all rode it side-by-side and Dahlia was so excited!  Actually she loved all the rides she was big enough to go on, which included some of the bigger ones, so we are all good (well I think Adam was good, he looked a little freaked on a couple rides lol) and we broke-off in to groups sometimes, so everyone got turns doing the big ones Dahlia couldn't do yet.

no I don't think she's having fun

Unfortunately all good things come to an end,  Ariana was going home early the next day and we had a car full of teary eyes after we dropped them off... 

We miss you already Ariana!  Come back home soon!    

LOST founder swims home

Less than 48 hours after the LOST race we were on to our next adventure on the lake.  Here's the story of friend Rob Kent's Lake Ontario crossing, in his words: http://lostswimming.com/?p=4980

some of the crew & support before Rob's start

I don't want to add too much, except to say that being on Rob's crew was a great honor.  It sounds sappy, but it was a tad emotional seeing the guy who got Bill and I to start pushing our limits, do and complete one of his big goals.  He had a team of strong pacers, in fact all but the 3 crew for the sailboat and Rob's kids (since they aren't old enough) have done Ironman.  And I hadn't found the time to get my boat licence (on the to do list) to even be able to relieve Bill on the zodiac, so I was not a necessity to be included on the crew.  And when I said this to him with my thanks for being a part of his team, he cracked up and said I was at the top of the list for being on his adventure!  And he went on to say "I really couldn't have done it without you and Bill, and not just because of the zodiac! This is where this whole thing spirals out of control... I inspired you... your swim last summer inspired me to swim this year... enough already... no more inspiration... this is starting to get way out of hand!  Besides, I don't think I could take anything bigger than that!"

So its all kind of cool how things have come about and how having adventurous friends can lead you into fun times, that just keep building off each other. 

crewing includes texting with other crew

and crew can even look this beautiful

Bill and the zodiac on their 3rd successful crossing

Bill and I got to crew on our first crossing together.  And this crossing made Bill and the zodiac 3 for 3 on successful crossings (me, Madhu and Rob) and it is also my 3rd time in a successful crossing (Miguel, me swimming, and Rob)  We are really learning alot!






One final comment to congratulate Rob!  Way to go, my friend!  It took much longer than expected and although that is physically tiring to endure, mentally this puts Rob up with the toughest, going more than a quarter longer then he thought, got to be hard for the psyche! Holding it together and not throwing in the towel ~ that is fortitude!  Really amazing accomplishment! 

P.S. something tells me there will be more trouble to get into in the future, despite Rob's plea...

Parking wars

I got a parking ticket the other day that I didn't think I deserved and then I avoided one I did deserve, I guess it balances out:

I had some days booked off work for Rob's Crossing and my sister visiting so I needed to get a job done at work in advance of the deadline which meant I actually went into work in the middle of the night.  I work at an office in downtown Hamilton, so I wanted to park closer than usual to avoid walking around in the dark, so I parked on a main street in front of a parking meter; didn't pay since it was outside of the "metered" times and went into work.  A few hours later, I come out to a surprise ticket for "parking on a through highway at 2:45am"  What?  I look around for a no parking sign, nothing; that day, during normal work hours, I ask my co-workers if they understand the ticket, first they question my sanity for being at work at 2:45am, but they also don't understand the ticket.  So I inquire of my friend Mike, a retired cop, if he thinks I can fight the ticket, giving him all the details.  He told me to pay the ticket because I had in fact broken the law.  Here is the law, in case you didn't know about it either:

Add caption

No Parking Through Street 2am-7am
The designation of Through Streets is a practice which most North American cities use to provide services during the evening hours when traffic volume is relatively light. This practice allows the City to sweep, plough snow, etc. more efficiently, safely and with less inconvenience to the public. Vehicles parking on a Through Street may be issued a Parking Infraction Notice.

All major entrances to the City of Hamilton are posted with signs, advising motorists of the Through Street parking restriction. 

Ticket was paid.  

Then I had another parking war, where the wound weren't as deep:

Again I was working a little extra, past 5, and all of the sudden noticed I needed to pick-up Dahlia from daycare that instant.  There was no time to go to the parking lot and drive to the daycare, instead I ran to the daycare, just in the nick of time.  It was raining outside, so instead of the haul over to the parking lot with Dahlia in the downpour, we caught a bus home, saving us a bit of time and some sogginess too.  The car was legally parked until 6am the next morning, Bill and I had swimming scheduled that night, so I could just be dropped off on way home from practice and grab the car then, except that swimming ended up being cancelled due to the rain and we never ventured out to go get the car.  Plan B, make getting the car a workout, I would wake up early and run and get the car.  But I slept in, all the extra work I'd been doing likely, & when I woke and looked at my watch it was already 10 to 6.  No way I'd get there in time, but I threw on my sneakers and ran out the door.  I ran like a girl on a mission (maybe I should use this scenario for all my training)  It was 20 minutes past the 6am cut-off when I got there, but I didn't get a ticket.  Oh my, it really felt like I won the race!  Beat the parking ticket person!  What joy I was feeling!  I hopped in the car with a big smiling.  Driving, it starts to rain.  I beat the rain too!  

You win some, you lose some.  When you lose, maybe you can learn something (like a law you never knew) and when you win, you can even smile about the rain.

LOST swimming races

Saturday Aug 11th we held the 5th annual 3.8k Lake Ontario Swim Team (LOST) race and the 1st 10k open water Canadian Masters Swimming Championships.  As the registrar for LOST and trying to do even more regarding the race than usual so Rob could relax abit more before his Lake Ontario Crossing attempt happening 2 days after the races, I've been quite busy: registering, emailing, meetings oh my!

193 people to date are on this year's swimmers list, that's people either doing one of this years races or this year's Saturday regular swims (or both).  151 are LOST swim members ($5 to be a member of a great group, it's a no brainer, but to have that many signed up to swim with us in the Lake on Saturdays is totally awesome!).  I've registered 124 people with MSO.  104 people registered for the 3.8k race (10 were no shows) this year, our largest race yet and 19 people registered for the 10k.  Okay I'm a number geek, but after entering all this, I at least get a bit of a thrill seeing how the numbers have added up!  I feel like I'm always saying it but I love to see the increase in the number of people swimming in the Lake!

registration fun

But can you imagine the terror race morning, showing up in the dark with the lightning and eventually the downpour ~ all the planning and it looked like we may have to cancel.
Thankfully we borrowed an open sided tent to put over us for the registrations, but it meant cramped quarters and soggy swimmers.  Thanks to some great helpers I think we were fairly efficient at getting everyone registered and set for their race.  The 10k had a slight delay for the weather to be acceptable and then were able to set off while we got the 3.8k swimmers prepared.  And the rain did cease for, I believe, all the 3.8k swimmers to finish. (Although we weren't so lucky waiting for the final 10kers to come in)

the 10k is off

And for me, this would be my 1st swim race in over a year!  I didn't really know if with my duties I'd be able to jump in and participate, but Jenn had timing under control and Joanne had everything else.  So once my main responsibility of registering and ensure all the race day registrants got to Jenn to put in the timing system, ensuring we had the same head count and getting all the wetsuit wearers categorized, I strip down (my swimsuit was underneath, but I would go "naked" (which means without a wetsuit)), grab my goggles and head to the start.  They are waiting for me as I run, putting my cap on, Rob asks "are your goggles broken?"  I look, yep, "start the race without me" Back up I go to grab another pair of goggles as the blast goes off.  Getting down to the start is not a quick process, especially with slippery rocks due to the rain, so by the time I actually get going I figure I'm approximately 5 minutes behind, but I'm giddy!  This was going to be a fun one!  A good rocky and wavy swim.  This is real open water and I enjoy it.  Although in my head as part of the organization for the race, this is far from ideal, in fact it is a worry.  I know swimmers will take a beating from this, not to mention the stress on the on water safety volunteers.  I didn't even see the buoys or kayakers while swimming, pretty much all you could see was waves.  Swimming straight was not going to happen, it was pretty darn impossible to site.  I have heard stories from the 10kers not seeing the feed boat on any of their laps (I didn't see it either, but I wasn't looking for it) Unfortunately some people got pulled from the race (but hopefully they understand our need to err on the side of safety) and some knew to pull themselves.  This was a hard swim!  And about as bad as conditions can be without calling the race off!  So everyone out there, swimmers and volunteers alike, really deserve a pat on the back!

Jillian lent me her jacket

The late start, the rough water, poor siting, I knew it wouldn't be a fast swim, so I just plodded along.  I finally start catching some people, although being close by other swimmers was scarce.  At one point I remember that I didn't put clothes in a bag to send to the finish line.  It's a 3.8k point to point race, nothing like realizing you'll have nothing to cover up with after swimming "naked" lol...  My shoulders do start to feel the effect of the rough water, but it's bearable and I try to roll more and think technique...Finally I reach the finishing buoy and get a great LOST medal!

the finish

There are many people to thank for making it another successful race especially considering the conditions:

My daughter Cadence helped me number 120 bathing caps and baked over 200 cookies for the swimmers
Joe and Alex made/got the buoys and set up the course

Bill (husband), the zodiac man & Joe the kayaker-organizing man were supporting from the zodiac (& over came a slight glitch race morning when they found the zodiac boxed in and had to carry the boat across the dock, resulting in Joe slipping off the dock and badly injuring his leg)

Paul Crone stepped up as referee for the race, making it "official"

All the kayakers who toughed it out on the water for over 4 hours! & all the people who provided their kayaks for the kayakers.

friendly feed boat volunteers

Our feed station volunteers: Olga, Maria and Alex

Jenn came on board with the timing and that was a major help (although very difficult for her to sort the 1st few finishers, since the 10k 1st turn around buoy didn't get moved closer to shore for the finish, she managed to get it sorted out and get the race winner Dylan (Rob's son) to move the buoy for the rest of us)

My registration helpers: Elizabeth, Joanne, Susan, Annette

The volunteers for body markers, finish bag transporters, medal & snacks distributors...

Maisey made the LOST rock awards

The core organization team: Rob, Joanne, Joe, Alex, Bill, Jenn and I really put our hearts into this race, so we sure hope you enjoyed yourselves!  and take pride in taking part in one tough open water event.

Results: 2012 LOST 3.8k results & 2012 10k National Masters Championship

get past the fear...

You can still do it even if it's scary!

Check out this article about are Olympic open water swimmers and their fears:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/canadas-olympic-open-water-swimmers-confess-their-fear-of-the-deep/article4470855/

and Canadian's Richard Weinberger won bronze in the Olympic 10k open water swim!
http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/aquatics/story/2012/08/10/sp-olympics-swimming-marathon-open-water-weinberger.html

Yay! another swimming medal for Canada!  Congrats for overcoming those fears, big time!

Athletes across the sea & right here in our lake

The Olympics are starting!! And usually I watch as much of it as possible... I love the displays of athleticism but really gluing me down to the tube are those stories about heart!  Of course there are the expected winners, but you have to love the come from behind winners, the underdogs, the ones battling the odds, not just there but to get there.  Then there are also the stories of medal hopefuls missing the finals or crashing or getting DQed or coming dead last, not meeting expectations happens to many Olympians, but the way these heartbreaks are handled can show real personality.  Some Canadian athletes had disappointments, but still presented themselves in a way that made them winners in my mind (think Jared Connaughton in the 4x100 track relay).

There are so many ups and downs, tears of sadness and joy!  I can sort of relate to putting in a huge amount of time and work for one day (Ironman) but I can only try and imagine what participating at the Olympics must be like, it must be such a jumble of emotions, excitement, pressure, how to put all those years into one performance of your life?!?!
I also enjoy (even though I cry through it) Rick Hansen's difference makers segments; hearing about the people/supporters behind the athletes is really touching and inspiring.  I know I'm never going to the Olympics, but maybe I can help someone realize/build their dreams still...

So what could tear me away from the television the weekend the Olympics began?  Well, there were other great displays of athleticism, stories of heart, ups and downs happening right here on our Lake, and I would bear witness to them, live.

Francois at the 2011 LOST race

I was part of the crew on Francois' Lake Ontario crossing attempt which began on the evening of July 28th.  Almost a year prior Francois asked us to be on his crew.  He wanted me to pace with him, but with my shoulder injury I had to hold off committing.  Thankfully sometime in February I told him things were looking promising and I was getting excited for him.  Then he asked me to fill in as coach for him during his trial swim (pre-requiste for doing a crossing) since his coach couldn't make it; so on July 2nd, I coached him through a great 16k/6 hour trial swim.  This was fun, sitting in a zodiac & suntan! jk ~ I was timing feedings, getting him his food, making notes on his intake, doing his stroke rate, etc and really pushing him near the end to get it done in good time and I was getting sunburnt, this was a hot hot day and with water all around it was a real tease!... Anyways the last bit of his trial swim, I was waving my arms & cheering him on (Christine commented she could tell I coach little kids, but it worked!) and he got the job done!

At the same time I was out on Francois' trial swim, husband Bill was out helping on Rob's trial swim, also with success.  And the 1st weekend of the Olympics Bill and I found ourselves again on different crews for crossings.  I was on Francois' and Bill was on Madhu's.  Planning to be on a crossing isn't the easiest and here we were on 2 different ones from different locations and everything, but we figured it out with a little help from some friends :)

the zodiac beside Francois

I had a very bouncy ride across the Lake with Thomas on his boat in the afternoon.  It was so wavy that we could not go very fast and were late getting to Niagara on the Lake, but thankfully the conditions were ones that suggested Francois' leave a little later, which he did.

In the end due to Francois' changing his crossing date, I ended up being his coach for the crossing too.  This means I'm in the zodiac for basically the whole crossing, timing and administrating feedings, doing stroke count, keeping a watchful eye and communicating with him, seeing how he is feeling etc.  Francois decided to wear earplugs for the 1st time during the crossing, this proved to be difficult as he couldn't hear us during feed breaks, he was taking the plugs out to listen and then putting them back in each feeding, it sounds small but it is lost time and eventually I suggested forgetting the earplugs, and communication was made much easier.

sunset feeding

I also really saw the huge task the zodiac driver beside the swimmer has.  This job is not easy.  To try and go at the swimmers pace, close to the swimmer, to try and keep them in a straight line.  Things were particularly challenging during feeds, stopping, drifting/turning and starting again & then and doing it in the dark and waves!  In truth my appreciation for my crew, and particular my husband who did this for me on my crossing, just doubled by being in this boat during Francois' swim and seeing what was involved from a different perspective.  Francois' wanted us on his left side as his predominant breathing side, but he kept swimming slightly to the right, but as his sighting boat we can't just follow him because then we are off the line, we had to keep calling him back.  I have to say the night swimming is stressful for the beside the swimmer crew, every stop for a feed, it is hard to see the swimmer, the light on their head which is easy for seeing them while swimming disappears as they treadwater upright (I would suggest glow bracelets to avoid this) the boat drifts and turns as you are trying to administer feedings and then when you look up to see which way to go you've become disoriented.  I had trouble distinguishing the sailboat light from the city lights, so tricky to tell which direction to go. 

I mention the sailboat, it is the navigator, the lead boat in the diamond flotilla, the zodiac follows it in formation, unless of course it breaks down.  Engine problems, diesel fumes not good!  The sailboat was out, the zodiac was now trying to navigate as well from the hand held gps... And then the zodiac has a leak.  Francois floats while they cut the line and clamp it back together or something, I wasn't involved in the repair I was just eyes on Francois.  Then we are back moving but Francois is already having problems, his shoulder is hurting.  He has reverted to breathing almost solely to the left I suggest changing back to bi-lateral.  In fact everyone is suggesting everything we can think of, off-stroke, one arm, kicking, rolling... But he keeps suggesting he thinks he should call it quits, that his shoulder is injured, not just discomfort.  I want him to go to morning, to hopefully see things in a different light, to get a pacer in the water with him to pump him up and get him back in the game.  But in the end it is his decision and his body.  I tried not to think of my own injured shoulder, to not put my own experience into his, but couldn't help but wonder if he looked at me and knew what my shoulders went through.  Despite encouragement from the crew, he pulled out at approx 20k after 8 hours in the water.  On a 52k swim and with the conditions we saw in the next few hours, it was, in my opinion the right decision to pull out.  It was far to early to push through an injury especially when the conditions would become rougher before they would calm. 

It is sad to not be able to complete something one has worked so hard for, but Francois' handled it well, thanked crew for the support and he was mostly concerned with letting people down.  He raised over $10,000 for juvenile diabetes as well.  Francois' swim for Juvenile Diabetes
Regardless of the outcome he did a great job!and we all hope his shoulder injury isn't too serious.

Bill ready for a night in a zodiac too

So we head back to land, it has been a long night... and on the positive side of an early end to Francois' swim is getting updates on how Madhu is doing on his crossing and knowing I'll be able to see him finish.  On the way back to shore I manage to contact Madhu's crew and pass on a message that I'm sending him positive thoughts across the water.



I get home around 11am, take a one hour nap and then go get the kids.  I was extremely tired, but missed the kids and couldn't really sleep with trying to continually find out how Madhu was fairing out there.  So the kids and I have a lazy day, pressing refresh on the laptop lots and wait.  The updates are starting to indicate it is going to be a long swim, over 20 hours.  After some debate trying to decide when to go to the lake, we leave to ensure we are plenty ahead of the most recent ETA of 9-9:30pm.  I grab some glow sticks, the head lamp and the bell.  We see lots of friends out there as well to welcome Madhu to his home town local Lake Ontario beach.  When we finally see the lights of Bill's zodiac, I have Dahlia flash the head lamp and it looks like the boat lights flash back, I tell her dad sees her and she is helping bring Madhu in.  She enthusiastically rings the bell too.    It was really exciting to see Madhu finish!   And after 24 hours in the water, he comes out smiling!  Incredible!  Big congrats to Madhu!

Dahlia helping bring Madhu to shore

What a wild weekend!  It was a thrill to be part of these adventures!
Bill and I had lots of stories to share with each other from our busy weekend on the lake over the next couple days, during ads in the Olympic coverage, of course.

not a holiday leisure ride with these guys!

So occasionally on holiday Mondays in the summer, the ride group changes it up abit and rides from Oakville to St Catherines and then rides the train back.  I had quasi taken part once before, joining the ride in Burlington rode part way and then ridden back home, so had never gone the full way or taken the train back.  That time had been a very large group who took part, and the last one we missed (July), there were pictures posted of another large group of folks, including other girls and smiling faces and what seemed to be a leisurely holiday ride.  So the August long weekend this year, Bill and I were able to par-take, we drove to Burlington GO then rode to Oakville (to get a little extra riding in) to meet the rest of the group, and then rode to St Catherines... BUT the numbers joining us were small, I was the only girl (I'm used to riding with the guys) but these 5 guys must of have had there game on or something, because this was no leisure ride.  They were racing each other and I was dying!!  It's also probably easier when you have a larger group to not feel so out skilled, after Bill convinced me not to turn around, and Al graciously dropped back to ride with me I made it to the train station...
And although the ride was tough on me, it was fun to down some pints on the patio before the train left (and by the way I could more than keep up with the beer drinking, hey everyone has their talents!)