links for 2008-07-30
-
Liten to a Danny Michel concert in your web browser.
-
An ode to the now defunct Facebook Scrabulous
Not a morning person
It’s no secret to those who know me that I am not an early riser – not by an stretch of the imagination! However, when I really have to get up early for something important (like a trip to the airport) I usually manage okay. And this summer I’ve been extra good at the early morning thing: I’ve been doing drop in swims with Fast Lane at 5:45am, and I’ve gotten up at 5am for three triathlons and an open water swim. Sadly, though, I am now only 3 for 4 on successully waking up in time for my triathlons.
This morning I was supposed to do the Diva’s Only Sprint Triathlon. I picked up my race package yesterday afternoon, I packed all my gear last night, I went to bed before midnight (which is early, for me) and set my alarm for 5am.
So imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning and looked at my alarm clock, which read 6:30am! The mandatory pre-race meeting started at 6:30am, the swim started at 7:00am, and it would take me at least a half hour to bike over to the race (probably longer) so there was no way I could make it. I briefly entertained the idea of calling a taxi but even if I made it in time for the swim start there was no guarantee they’d let me race when I arrived. After all, I was supposed to be there by 6:30!
I’m pretty bummed about missing this race. These things aren’t free to enter or anything, so I’ve just wasted a fairly significant registration fee. And it was going to be my last tri of the season (unfortunately I’ll be out of town during the annual triathlon in Stanley Park). Now I’ll have to see if I can find another race to enter, so my season doesn’t end on such a downer.
Frugal Fitness
Rebecca just announced a new series on her blog called Fitness Friday, where she’ll talk about her own fitness progress and experiences at Fitness World (and perhaps elsewhere?). Anyhow, it got me thinking about my own fitness activities here in Vancouver.
One of the things I love about this city is that it’s just so easy to stay fit! And you don’t need to buy a gym membership to do so. As a starving grad student I’ve managed to find tons of inexpensive activities.
Here are some of my favourite (and frugal!) ways to stay fit in Vancouver…
1. Kayaking
This summer we’ve really been enjoying two-for-one Tuesdays at Ecomarine Kayaks. A single kayak rental usually costs $34, but on Tuesdays you can rent two for that price, which drops the price to a very reasonable $17 per person for two hours of kayaking. Foursomes can rent two double kayaks for $46 – an even better deal! We usually rent from Ecomarine’s English Bay location since it’s just steps from out apartment, but they also have locations at Jericho Beach and Granville Island.
2. Yoga
Vancouver has undoubtedly got to be the yoga capital of Canada. However, sometimes it seems like the price of a yoga class can run you almost as much as a fancy Lululemon tank top! 
But if you look hard enough there are some options for not-so-flush fans of yoga. Several local studios offer karma classes.
Yaletown Yoga runs two karma classes on Friday nights: hot yoga and power yoga. These classes are both by-donation, and proceeds are donated to local charities.
Unity Yoga currently offers its members a karma class on Monday nights. While this requires you to sign up for an annual membership (only $25), the class itself is free. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable items for the food bank.
During the summer you can enjoy free yoga at Sunset Beach every Saturday morning, weather-permitting.
3. Running
Vancouver is blessed with a plethora of lovely places to go running. Since I live in the west end I tend to spend a lot of time on the seawall. However, there are great multi-use paths all over the place! When I lived in North Burnaby I used to frequent the Burnaby Mountain and Burnaby Lake trails.
Need some running buddies for extra motivation? Many local running stores have free run clubs. The Running Room hosts theirs on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. The Nike Runner’s Lounge in Coal Harbour also hosts a variety of free running clinics.
4. Cycling
It’s certainly no Barcelona, but Vancouver is pretty cycling-friendly for a North American city. And a decent bicycle doesn’t have to cost you a fortune in this town. Check out Our Community Bikes or The Bike Kitchen, both of which offer reasonably priced used bikes. They also offer lessons on how to do your own bike maintenance and repairs.
Once you’ve got a bike, visit Translink’s Cycling Around Greater Vancouver page. It includes maps of cycling routes in Vancouver and the surrounding area, as well as other useful info for local cyclists.
Come up with a fun cycling outing. One of my favourite rides is over the Lions Gate Bridge and around North Van, with a stop at Whole Foods on the way home for some yummy treats. To plan your route, check out the Cycling Route Planner developed by UBC’s Centre for Health and Environment Research. It uses Google Maps along with info about local bike routes to help you plan trips based on various criteria including least traffic pollution, most vegetation, or gentlest slope!
And there you have it! My mini-guide to frugal fitness in Vancouver. What’s your favourite inexpensive way to stay in shape? Let me know in the comments section!
Reminder: Sponsor me for Trek 2008
The end of July is approaching: Only 10 more days until I draw a lucky winner who will receive four hours of free tech support. If you’d like a chance to have access to my mad tech skillz, sponsor me in the Bicycle Trek for Life and Breath. At $265, I’m just over a quarter of the way to my goal of $1000. To find out more about the Trek, check out last month’s blog post about this charity event.
Also, thanks to Tracy Cooper for her very generous donation! Unfortunately I have no contact info for you Tracy, so if you want to be included in the tech support draw please contact me or leave a comment here.
links for 2008-07-22
-
Cycling route / Google Maps mashup that lets you plan cycling routes in and around Vancouver
links for 2008-07-18
-
The Simpsons come to NS: Amazing handmade Simpsons cutouts in a Whycogomah front yard.
links for 2008-07-14
links for 2008-07-12
-
A collection of poorly chosen photos from real estate listings.
links for 2008-07-10
-
Art items based on childrens’ drawings
-
Excellent set of tutorials for bike maintenance novices like myself
Synchro in Bolivia
One of my former Vancouver Masters Synchro teammates has been working in Bolivia for the past few years and in her free time there she started a synchronized swimming club! It’s the first ever synchro club in Bolivia and she’s running it on a completely volunteer basis. And that’s not easy. Check out her blog post about a typical practice.
A duet from the club is hoping to represent Bolivia at the Panamerican Championships taking place in Calgary at the end of August. But the cost of a flight to Canada is prohibitively expensive for the typical Bolivian – the girls in Lisa’s synchro club only pay the equivalent of $3 per month for lessons – so they have decided to try raising the money online.
Donations are being collected at GiveMeaning. If you can spare a couple dollars to help supported organized sports in a developing country, please consider making a donation.
And if you’d like to find out more about the club, check out their blog or some of the impressive media coverage they have been getting: