Details:
Friday, March 18, 2011
6pm - 9pm
Mountain Shadow Pub
7174 Barnet Road, Burnaby
$15 gets your a burger and a beer
Since I had so much success with my first pub night, I thought I would host a second. This time in Burnaby at the bottom of SFU in hopes of getting more students out. This pub is place where students usually frequent on a Tuesday or Wednesday night for cheap beer and 25 cent wings.
On this particular Friday, the Canucks will be playing the Coyotes which helps draw in a crowd. There will also be a live band after the game and with the help of a few friends I will hopefully be organizing a few games/raffles with prizes.
So, March 18, tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the door, and you can contact me for tickets.
Hope to see you all there!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Road Blocks and Detours
Last week was "Reading Break", the university equivalent of high school spring break. This is the first year SFU has had such a break. I am still on the fence about how I feel about this entire week off, because let's be honest, how many students actually spend their week catching up on readings and assignments. Plus, it just extends the semester a week longer shortening the break between semesters. So to no surprise I didn't actually get a chance to hit the books until the end of the week. Of course, I had reading and studying to catch up on but the lack of scheduled class gives you a false sense of freedom to do things out of the regular schedule.
For instance, on Monday after I got off work I headed home to get a haircut. Not just a trim, I chopped off enough hair to meet the 12 inch requirement to donate my hair to Angel Hair for Kids so a wig could be made for children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions or treatment. http://www.acvf.ca/index.php/our-programs/angel-hair-for-kids/ I am now sporting a very chilling, low maintenance buzz cut. Toques have become a very important part of my wardrobe, who knew how much hair insulated you noggin. My friend Caitlin at work is also sporting the buzz cut and she is the reason I got involved with this organization.
On Tuesday I headed up to Whistler Village post 2010 Winter Olympics for the day to take in the sights and do a little shopping.My favorite part of the day by far would have to be the delicious whale tale I consumed. Mmmm deep fried cinnamon sugary goodness with a little bit of lemon.
As you can see the week for me was not designed to get a lot off school work done. Just because class was not in session, did not mean my work schedule changed either. The early mornings to make sure I caught the bus on time continued and were one off my least favorite parts of the week.
With all my adventures of the week and a few sleepless nights, this left little time to get my training in. I made it to soccer practice Wednesday night, but the 4 days I should have spent on the bike got reduced to 2. I made sure when I did get on the bike, the duration of the sessions were long enough to improve my endurance which will be key when I get to Europe and need to travel upwards of 80 km a day. At least now with my new fluid trainer I can put in hours on the bike without even leaving my apartment and it is quiet enough that I can watch TV while riding. Makes the hour ride a little less boring while avoiding the treacherous wintery conditions a top Burnaby Mountain.
I did get the chance to do a little bike maintenance. I cleaned, adjusted and lubed my chain. It now runs smoothly and there is no more clicking noise.
As always there are little road blocks in detours in life, but it is all about how you adjust and react to them. Sometimes a set schedule (ie training schedule) is more of a guideline that should be followed as closely as possible but there is always room for flexibility.
For instance, on Monday after I got off work I headed home to get a haircut. Not just a trim, I chopped off enough hair to meet the 12 inch requirement to donate my hair to Angel Hair for Kids so a wig could be made for children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions or treatment. http://www.acvf.ca/index.php/our-programs/angel-hair-for-kids/ I am now sporting a very chilling, low maintenance buzz cut. Toques have become a very important part of my wardrobe, who knew how much hair insulated you noggin. My friend Caitlin at work is also sporting the buzz cut and she is the reason I got involved with this organization.
On Tuesday I headed up to Whistler Village post 2010 Winter Olympics for the day to take in the sights and do a little shopping.My favorite part of the day by far would have to be the delicious whale tale I consumed. Mmmm deep fried cinnamon sugary goodness with a little bit of lemon.
With all my adventures of the week and a few sleepless nights, this left little time to get my training in. I made it to soccer practice Wednesday night, but the 4 days I should have spent on the bike got reduced to 2. I made sure when I did get on the bike, the duration of the sessions were long enough to improve my endurance which will be key when I get to Europe and need to travel upwards of 80 km a day. At least now with my new fluid trainer I can put in hours on the bike without even leaving my apartment and it is quiet enough that I can watch TV while riding. Makes the hour ride a little less boring while avoiding the treacherous wintery conditions a top Burnaby Mountain.
I did get the chance to do a little bike maintenance. I cleaned, adjusted and lubed my chain. It now runs smoothly and there is no more clicking noise.
As always there are little road blocks in detours in life, but it is all about how you adjust and react to them. Sometimes a set schedule (ie training schedule) is more of a guideline that should be followed as closely as possible but there is always room for flexibility.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
It's T-Shirt Tiiimmmeeeee!
Colin Gilliam, co-founder of Origami Ghost, helped me with the t-shirt design and printing. I started on my own in December with a fairly simple bicycle drawing and a few ideas about design. Then I passed it off to Colin. He digitalized it, added color, and sent me a few variations of design with my ideas incorporated in. Some of the major decisions included what color design, how many colors, what type of ink, what style of shirt, and how many shirts in each size.
Colin was super helpful throughout the entire process, helping with decisions, providing his opinion, adding some pretty cool design ideas, and taking care of the printing. I am very grateful for all his help, the t-shirts would definitely not have turned out so amazing if I did not have is help in this entire process.
On the back side of the shirt there are some company logos that have supported me along my journey:
The Peak Center for Human Performance
The Right Shoe
SportMed
Paris Orthotics
Origami Ghost
And of course Global Agents is also there as they are the reason behind the making of these shirts.
The design on the back is of tire treads with the company logos within.
I am selling the shirts for $15 and all proceeds are going towards reaching my fund raising goal of $2500.
If you would like a shirt, you can reach me at globalagentnicole@gmail.com
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Thursday, February 3, 2011
Saddle Success
Picture this:
You are riding a bicycle 2000km through a gorgeous countryside Europe and suddenly your body starts to feel pain. No, it's not your knees or back, things you would originally suspect when riding a bicycle. The pain originates from your derriere.
I, myself, never considered the pain caused by my bicycle saddle. But it is a very serious issue, even with bike shorts that have the extra padding, the pain puts pretty definitive limit to the duration of my ride. Last week I rode every other day to try and build up some endurance. However, it ended up to be a ride to break in my saddle. I guess one more part step in "breaking the cycle". After a few days of zero progress on the manufacturers standard saddle, I decided to spend some dough on a more comfortable saddle to improve my ability to stay on my bicycle pain-free. To no surprise I ended up at MEC to get a bicycle seat. Without breaking the pattern I purchased more things at MEC than I originally planned. I walked out with a new saddle, a set of lights, a multi-tool, and sadly a smaller bank account. I am now the proud owner of a anatomic relief saddle and I have felt the relief. Now the pain in the butt is no longer the limiting factor. Now its the burning in my legs.
And the training continues...
You are riding a bicycle 2000km through a gorgeous countryside Europe and suddenly your body starts to feel pain. No, it's not your knees or back, things you would originally suspect when riding a bicycle. The pain originates from your derriere.
I, myself, never considered the pain caused by my bicycle saddle. But it is a very serious issue, even with bike shorts that have the extra padding, the pain puts pretty definitive limit to the duration of my ride. Last week I rode every other day to try and build up some endurance. However, it ended up to be a ride to break in my saddle. I guess one more part step in "breaking the cycle". After a few days of zero progress on the manufacturers standard saddle, I decided to spend some dough on a more comfortable saddle to improve my ability to stay on my bicycle pain-free. To no surprise I ended up at MEC to get a bicycle seat. Without breaking the pattern I purchased more things at MEC than I originally planned. I walked out with a new saddle, a set of lights, a multi-tool, and sadly a smaller bank account. I am now the proud owner of a anatomic relief saddle and I have felt the relief. Now the pain in the butt is no longer the limiting factor. Now its the burning in my legs.
And the training continues...
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Training Baselines
As with any test, I always feel a little anxiety about how well I will perform. Once I arrived at the center a little of the anxiety was eased as I realized that this test is just to be used to set a baseline building a training program on. Rob immediately greeted me upon my arrival even as he was busy setting up other clients for a training race. Once he finished up with the set-up, he guided my into the lab where he began to set-up my bike on a trainer. After my bike was set up he took my height and weight measurements and then I was on the bike warming up. My warm-up lasted 10 minutes and included the calibration of my bike.
The most nerve wrecking part of the test was probably the thought of having my nose plugged and having to breathe through a tube. It wasn't getting pricked to draw blood to measure my blood lactate threshold, which I have to admit stung a little but that kind of stuff doesn't bother me as much as the tube. It took me a couple minutes to get used to the tubes but after that I didn't really think of them and then I was fine. Each level of the test lasted 3 minutes and then my blood lactate levels were measured right before increasing the workload. Workload was measured in watts and increased in increments of 30 at each level.
The last, I'd say 2 minutes, were very painful. I definitely felt the burning in my legs more so than my lungs. I kept going as long as I could to make sure I had reached exhaustion. Rob printed off the VO2 max results for me knowing as a Kines Major I would be able to interpret some of the numbers. After my cool down, we talked bikes, mostly about types of saddles, and then I was on my way home to shower and get class.
Rob is going to crunch the numbers and then we are going to meet up for a consultation to go over my training program for the next month or so and then build from there.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Roadie Scholar Article
Jeffrey Hansen-Carlson AKA the Roadie Scholar was introduced to me through my dad as they ride together in a bike club run out of Bicycle Sports Pacific in Langley. The same place I bought my bike.
We met up a few weeks back to chat about my Ride to Break the Cycle. Meeting Jeffrey is one of the reasons I am doing this ride, to meet new people and hear about their life experiences. A lot of people have such amazing stories but before signing up to do this ride I have had no reason to reach out and meet new people.
His website is:
http://www.theroadiescholar.com/
This is the link to the article that he wrote about me and has been published in a few local papers.
http://www.thenownewspaper.com/news/Ride+Break+Cycle/4128152/story.html
We met up a few weeks back to chat about my Ride to Break the Cycle. Meeting Jeffrey is one of the reasons I am doing this ride, to meet new people and hear about their life experiences. A lot of people have such amazing stories but before signing up to do this ride I have had no reason to reach out and meet new people.
His website is:
http://www.theroadiescholar.com/
This is the link to the article that he wrote about me and has been published in a few local papers.
http://www.thenownewspaper.com/news/Ride+Break+Cycle/4128152/story.html
A Pub Night in Review
Sorry about such a delayed post regarding my first pub night as I know everyone who was unable to attend is dying to hear how well it went. It was a very tightly scheduled last couple of days that have caused a slight decline in amount of sleep, but never the less here I am at my computer with the latest update.
Tuesday, January 18 was the night of my first fundraising event. I hosted an evening of food, hockey, and raffle ticket selling at the Dublin Crossing in Surrey. My event took over the entire upper level. There was a minor setback at the beginning of the night as they apparently had lost the remotes to change the input on the TV's to get the game on. We are able to rectify the problem by using the buttons on the TV itself to change the input. Once 6pm hit people started to arrive and of course the tables closest to the TV's were filled first as most in attendance were Canucks fans.
I sold raffle tickets throughout the night raising over $300 just from the raffle alone. I had 9 prizes, all donated, meaning all the money I raised goes directly to Global Agents instead of paying off costs.
Prizes included:
Two pairs of Vancouver Giants - Donated by the Vancouver Giants
60 Minute Tanning Package for Island Tanning - Donated by Island Tanning
Set of Six Glass Starbucks Mugs - Donated by Starbucks
Gift Basket of Kitchen/Food Items - Donated by Marion Chow
Two $50.00 Gift Certificates to Aaron's Restaurant - Donated by SBAA Ajax Selects
Gift Bag of Beauty Supplies - Donated by Shoppers Drug Mart
Quilted Micro Mink Throw - Donated by my parents
It was a very busy night for me, selling tickets, catching up with friends, explaining ride and how I got involved. I didn't get a chance to eat my burger until around 9 pm, but it was worth the wait. The burger was delicous and had a unique spice to give a wondrous flavor.
Once the game ended, sadly the Canucks lost, I drew tickets for the raffle prizes. I had my good friend Jenny pull tickets and announce the numbers as I knew her voice would be able to project a lot farther than mine. I must admit she had some pretty entertaining commentary when announcing what each prize was.
Combining raffle ticket sales and pub ticket sales I raised over $700. Not bad for one night.
Thank you to all the people that attended and to all the people who have supported me so far in my journey to raise $2500.
I look forward to seeing you all at my next event.
Tuesday, January 18 was the night of my first fundraising event. I hosted an evening of food, hockey, and raffle ticket selling at the Dublin Crossing in Surrey. My event took over the entire upper level. There was a minor setback at the beginning of the night as they apparently had lost the remotes to change the input on the TV's to get the game on. We are able to rectify the problem by using the buttons on the TV itself to change the input. Once 6pm hit people started to arrive and of course the tables closest to the TV's were filled first as most in attendance were Canucks fans.
I sold raffle tickets throughout the night raising over $300 just from the raffle alone. I had 9 prizes, all donated, meaning all the money I raised goes directly to Global Agents instead of paying off costs.
Prizes included:
Two pairs of Vancouver Giants - Donated by the Vancouver Giants
60 Minute Tanning Package for Island Tanning - Donated by Island Tanning
Set of Six Glass Starbucks Mugs - Donated by Starbucks
Gift Basket of Kitchen/Food Items - Donated by Marion Chow
Two $50.00 Gift Certificates to Aaron's Restaurant - Donated by SBAA Ajax Selects
Gift Bag of Beauty Supplies - Donated by Shoppers Drug Mart
Quilted Micro Mink Throw - Donated by my parents
It was a very busy night for me, selling tickets, catching up with friends, explaining ride and how I got involved. I didn't get a chance to eat my burger until around 9 pm, but it was worth the wait. The burger was delicous and had a unique spice to give a wondrous flavor.
Once the game ended, sadly the Canucks lost, I drew tickets for the raffle prizes. I had my good friend Jenny pull tickets and announce the numbers as I knew her voice would be able to project a lot farther than mine. I must admit she had some pretty entertaining commentary when announcing what each prize was.
Combining raffle ticket sales and pub ticket sales I raised over $700. Not bad for one night.
Thank you to all the people that attended and to all the people who have supported me so far in my journey to raise $2500.
I look forward to seeing you all at my next event.
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