They have a way about them!

In a continuation of how fabulous my support group is, I wanted to make this email a special thank you to them. But first, there are two people on Team Finn who I most especially want to thank because they have just helped me so much: Doreen and Spencer. I’ve only spent one ride with them but their impact on my determination has been huge!

I start with the trainers because without them I sure wouldn’t be physically capable of doing this ride.

Jaye has been my personal trainer for more than a year now (she didn’t send me a pic). I treated myself to a personal trainer to help with triathlons (I’m still as slow as ever but that has nothing to do with Jaye). It took Jaye no time at all to figure out that I was prepared to work as hard as a person possibly could but don’t make me do things that aren’t fun! And, I had – and still have – a prejudice against weight rooms and having been in one every week for the past year has not lessened that prejudice. I just hate them! Why be inside when you can be outside??? She takes me outside at every opportunity and eliminates the ICK factor of a gym. She can be found at Sungod Rec Centre (604) 952-3075.

Then along came Tonya. I have only been under her “just do it” guidance for a short time but she spends most of it SNICKERING at me. I know that if she and Jaye were to ever train me together I may very well not live to tell the story. BTW – try as hard as both of them will, my body is just not shaping up to look like this! Tonya is great fun to work out with and, like Jaye, takes a personal interest in what her clients are endeavouring to do, sources out information that is valuable to them, and is very encouraging. Tonya can be found at various community centres throughout Vancouver but I see her at Kitsilano: (604) 257-6976.


And Mark! Hands of the gods! He is the physio I have been seeing for the unrelenting pain in my upper back, shoulders and neck as a consequence of being on the bike for waaaaay too many hours at a time. When I asked him to send me his pic this is the email I got in return: Couldn't find the one with the tiger cub crawling over me wearing gold chains. And I must admit, this picture doesn’t do justice to the Soprano-like macaroni pony in him! If you need a really good physio he can be reached at mark@borslein.com.


My lovely niece Whitt (now with a finn-tastic new moniker for me: Auntie Biker-Chick) is putting all of these emails into this blog(a computer-geek related techno thing I will never comprehend) and has honoured Team Finn by mentioning it in her own blog.

Whitney married Dave...but we can forgive her for this:

Then there are the friends and family: too numerous to mention and too supportive to ever be able to thank. Here are just a few of the people that keep me focussed on this endless mile (yes, CW, at my age yet!):
My sister-in-law Karla who has come through breast cancer and who lost her mother to cancer:

My two youngest nieces – just because I love them to squishy bits:

My friend Colleen who lost her sister to cancer:


My Aunt Jan, who recently lost her husband to cancer (the picture doesn’t do her justice):
Power of pink: Pink is not just a colour anymore; it has become a standard of what I can do to help those with cancer.

For Those Interested...

A number of you have expressed an interest in coming to the start line (June 19) or hooking up in Mt. Vernon (June 19) or being at the finish line (June 20). Below is the information for those points, as well as an email from our team captain (Patrick Sullivan) regarding Team Finn family and friends t-shirts (if you’re interested). here are a couple of pics showing the t-shirts.




June 19 – we leave from Guildford Town Centre Mall. Opening ceremonies begin at 7:00 a.m. so I expect we will be out of there by or before 8:00 a.m. I expect the sight of approximately 3,000 cyclists leaving from one point will be quite amazing.

June 19 – mid point – Mt. Vernon at Edgewater Park, 600 Behrens Millet Road, Mount Vernon, WA (don’t expect me to be one of the early finishers)

June 20 – finish – Marymoor Park/McNair Field, 6046 West Lake Sammamish Pkwy N.E., Redmond WA

If you do want to order t-shirts please use my email terri.rockwell@courts.gov.bc.ca and I will pick them up and arrange to get them to you and will collect for them when I deliver.

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Once again we have ordered (and will order again) cotton Team Finn shirts for anyone who loves and supports Team Finn or Finnsters. They are wonderful pink shirts (or white) with big pink polka dots (Uniqua style) and the Team Finn mantra of Run Jump Bounce Dance Sing Love Smile and Ride. The shirts we have in stock have my poem "Why I Ride" on the back.

Family and friends wore their pink shirts as they cheered on Team Finn during the Ride last year. Riders put on their shirts on at camp. Others wear the shirts just to show their love and support any place or time.

We have averaged the cost of the cotton shirts to only $15 each (this covers the cost only, it is not a fundraiser for Team Finn). The DEADLINE TO ORDER THE SHIRTS IS MAY 30.

We have a stash of shirts in already, mostly in larger pink sizes, and intend to put in an order for more shirts if demand requires. The new shirts will look slightly different (we are going with a new supplier) but will be similar. I have attached some photos of the existing pink and white shirts.

The easiest way for us to keep track of any orders is for you to log on to the Doodle sheet below and fill in your name (and email address) and check off the shirts you would like to order. The glitch in the program is that if you want to order more than one shirt of the exact same size and type, you have to enter your name again and order the same shirt again. Call Sam (778-388-8087) if you need help once you see the set up on Doodle. The link to Doodle is http://doodle.com/esehqp2nsde92tm6.

Again, the deadline is MAY 30. We will try our best to fill all orders but unfortunately we have learned from experience that we cannot guarantee that we will receive what we ordered. Payment for the shirts will be upon delivery.

Generally, the adult shirts fit big (think USA sizing) but do shrink a bit.


Run Jump Bounce Dance Sing Love Smile and Ride.

Another Weekend and lots more Kilometres

I know that 101.5 kilometres is not lots compared with some riders on our team, nor other riders in general, but for me – HUGE! I finally overcame that hurdle on Sunday and because I couldn’t sit on my laurels with just 100 kilometres I scooted down the road to MacDonald Beach and back again and got the extra little bit. If any of you ride along the Iona/MacDonald beach road you will know how tough that can be on windy day BUT, a miracle, it was not windy when I returned back to the starting point on Sunday (and at the point of total exhaustion)! And what a beautiful weekend for my rides!

I was at the Starbucks in Steveston on Sunday and one cyclist and I started chatting and he had done 95K already and still had to get back to the North Shore. At that point I was only halfway and my shoulders just slumped – sheesh, what a wimp I am.

Got out again on Monday and managed to do 60K – okay, I’m older so I’m permitted a bit of grace. Stopped in at Judy’s and saw my Pickle – what a pick-me-up dawg kisses and love can provide. Picture of the Pickle (who couldn’t love that face!):



Having my bike properly fit to me made a big difference in the speed I was able to go, without even trying (YAY! and thank you so very much to Nathan at Lynn Valley Physiotherapy). I still have to get the handle bars right but I just discovered my neighbour builds his own bikes so he’s offered whatever help he can.

One thing about this kind of training – the support you receive from the people closest to you is indescribable. I simply could not be doing this without my Squeeze’s support. Between training and working out I hardly ever see him! But he’s always waiting for me to come home with a big cheery smile on his face asking me how it went (probably because he’s not stupid enough to put himself through this kind of pain!). So, big thanks to my Squeeze (who couldn’t love that face!):

Below are just some pics that I took this weekend. It’s amazing what you can pay attention to when you’re on a bike. I can only assume this little creature (I’m going to call it a duck even though I’m sure there is a more proper name for it) was cheering Nancy, Marina and I on as we left for our training ride. And the lambs had a lot to say to us as I stopped and took their pic:


Power of pink: today’s picture is about a great view. Pink just cheers my soul – and it is so easy to see from long distances. Pink cherry blossoms are to be found everywhere in the Lower Mainland and they are beautiful, but my fave has always been (because my grandparent’s had their driveway lined with them) English Hawthorne. And just because ... my lovely mode of transport - note the pink accents!





Below is the link (CORRECT ONE) that I should have been sending for those of you who have requested to donate. I am not a computer whiz so I apologize for the former incorrect information.

Click HERE to donate!

It's Beckoning Me...

And this time I am not talking about the open road with bugs that fly in my mouth! Look at this picture of Kits Pool! 137m of uninterrupted lap swimming – opening May 22 if any of you feel like joining me. I can stop in on my walk home from work, have a good swim and then saunter back to the flat. I tell you, life as a city-kitty is pretty darn lovely. If you look at the dock in the distance (picture attached, not shown) those boats are actually on the dock and not in the water.

My rides this past weekend – well, the weather says it all. Two rides on Saturday: one in the morning and one in the afternoon and both of them involved hill work (mmmm – I won’t mention the coffee and donuts with the girls after the morning session). But between the hill work is a session with my trainer Jaye – she has no compassion. Her attitude is basically “talk to the hand ‘cuz the ear’s not listening”. HAH! Except now she’s started to train for triathlon and I just keep saying to her “Let me introduce you to my trainer Jaye”.

Found out after much ongoing pain and then severe muscle cramping on Sunday that my bike has not been fitted properly for me. Imagine! My 120K ride on Sunday got cut to 80 because of leg cramps and I only managed to do 66 on Monday. Ah well, there is always next week. Did a team ride on Sunday and it was really fun. Because it was mother’s day we all met up for a break at the park in Steveston and the dads were there with the kids. There were a lot of us riding on Sunday and it was easy to spot the PACK OF PINK anywhere along the road. Monday was just me and the sunshine.

iPod tunes update: Lots of suggetions coming in – sorry but this has been a really busy week and just haven’t had time to listen to them all yet. One of my fabulous judges gave me a memory stick of tunes and it had BELINDA CARLISLE songs! YAY! I really, really do sound like her when no one is listening.

Cool picture that someone sent me – carved on a watermelon (not actually a picture of me! I can only wish I even looked that fast)

The power of pink: check out the socks! The new “must have” pair to own and many of us wear them on riding days.