This week is a long picture-heavy post about an exciting event my brother and I participated in (plus the weekly exercise log and stats at the bottom!) This past weekend we did the Tour de Greenbelt – a 30km bike ride through trail systems and along country roads in the Ontario Greenbelt. It was the perfect activity to get up and enjoy the nice weather on a Saturday morning.
There were plenty of people joining us, including this adorable family with their bike built for three.
They were even cuter in action.
The beginning of the ride took us through the Nokiidaa Trail system that connects the communities of Newmarket, Aurora and East Gwillumbury, Ontario. Nokiidaa means “walk together” in Ojibwa, which is perfect for describing this great trail system. The canal that we are crossing here is actually part of the ghost canals built in 1912 to make it easier to take goods up to Lake Simcoe. Unfortunately it was never used and has now become part of the park system.
There are many cool old buildings along the trail, including this old co-op mill.
There was plenty of wildlife to watch to, along the East Holland River.
Now we started entering the Greenbelt and taking it easy on country roads.
The leaves have just started to really change, so it was a beautiful sight to see all the rolling hills in full colour.
Fields as far as the eye can see.
This sign was inaccurate.
It should say “VERY STEEP HILL AHEAD”. My legs were burning by the end.
There were so many great farms along the way. It made me feel like I was back at home.
My little brother always has to be in front, as the leader of our bike rides. So you’re going to see many pictures of his back in this post (unless he has sped off ahead of me).
Our first real rest stop was at Trapper Bob’s Farm.
Nothing beats getting produce from a real farm stand.
We helped ourselves to some delicious local apples and pears.
Perfectly crisp and delicious.
It wouldn’t be a Fall farm stand without some pumpkins and acorn squash.
The last of the corn was avaliable to buy too. I didn’t buy any, but I did have a nice cob at the BBQ at the end of the bike ride. So good!
My brother was happy to take a rest while I took photos.
Did I wake you up, buddy?
Sorry, but its time to saddle up. We need to get back on the bike ride.
Even though it took about 3 hours, the bike ride was never boring.
There was always something new to look at.
As we biked by we scared a few horses frollicking. Sorry guys.
Beautiful trees turning into Fall colours.
An old schoolhouse converted into a home.
A gated entrance that reminded me on a toned down version of Twelve Oaks in Gone with the Wind.
The beautiful and expansive Millar Farms.
It really does seem to go on forever.
Railroad tracks leading to the East.
A beautiful boardwalk on the McKenzie Marsh in Aurora, Ontario.
Tour de Greenbelt from Small Home Big Start on Vimeo.
And finally the last leg of our trip, back up through the bottom of the Nokiidaa Trail system. Here is a little video of my brother leading the way.
It was a great workout (that killed my legs and behind!), but it felt good to get out in the fresh Autumn air and keep moving. I couldn’t imagine doing it with anybody other than my biking buddy, who generously offered to drive home so that I could put on the seat heater and fall asleep before we even got out of the parking lot.
Exercise Log:
While watching This Week in Sports on CBC, I saw a segment on how rowers increased their upper body strength by adding doing just 10 pushups a night to their routine. I decided to add Bedroom Pushups to the nights when I do Bedtime Yoga. As it stands right now I can only do girlie ones, so I’m interested to see how quickly I can go up to 10 regular ones.
It was a busy week and the weather fluctuated a lot, so I didn’t find time to sneak in a run. My goal is to make sure I do at least two a week from now until October 16th when I do the ZooRun.
Wed, Sept 22: Day Off
Thurs, Sept 23: Bedtime Yoga + Bedtime Pushups (5 girlie)
Fri, Sept 24: Walked for hours shopping in the US. May not count, but man did it feel like a marathon.
Sat, Sept 25: Tour de Greenbelt (29 km Bike Ride, about 3 hours)
Sun, Sept 26: Leisurely Paddleboat Ride (30 minutes)
Mon, Sept 27: Pilates + Bedtime Pushups
Tues, Sept 28: Bedtime Yoga + Pushups (5 girlie)
Body Mass Index: 24.1
Waist-to-Height ratio: 0.44
Percent Body Fat: 27.8
Lean Body Mass: 113.1
Nothing changed much this week, but I also didn’t so as much I would have like to have done. And the healthy eating has been slacking a bit with birthday parties and eating out with friends. Next week I want to make a point of going to the grocery store to get more fresh veggies, instead of just making do with what leftover food I can find in the freezer.
