CLUB CHAMPS & TAPER WEEK!

Its finally here & I couldn't be more relieved; the week I have been waiting for since I signed up for Ironman a year ago! There's only 6 more sleeps til the big dance that is Ironman Australia & The Fonginator is fired up & ready to race.

Last Friday, I had a photo shoot for the new Olympics marketing campaign for Sportscraft who are sponsoring the Australian Olympic team for London 2012. I was chosen to be a part of it along with 11 others, including Olympic breastroke champion, Christian Sprenger. We had professional hair & make-up, photos & then an interview asking us why we love the Olympics. It was the most amazing experience & I got some fantastic feedback afterwards, so a huge thank you to my gorgeous friends Brooke Smith & Tansin Naylor for encouraging me to apply. Definitely an experience I will never forget. The video will be available online & in stores around June so watch this space.

This weekend was the Triathlon NSW Club Championship in Forster, 3hrs north of Sydney - a weekend of racing against all other triathlon clubs in NSW. The distance was 1km swim, 30km ride, 8km run. The winning club is determined by a points score system, depending on the position each competitor finishes in their age group. The higher you place, the more points you get for your club. You also get points for volunteers. And for the first time in 20 years, BALMORAL TRIATHLON CLUB TOOK THE TITLE! We have come 3rd for the last few years and to be honest, I had only ever been to one Club Champs before (2011) so I wasn't too concerned about winning. But this year, there was a certain buzz in the air & a few people were saying that we might have a chance. Most were skeptical, myself included. It wasn't until they announced the final two clubs (Warringah & BTC) that it started to sink in. Once Matty Harris, MC for the night, called out Balmoral, our team erupted, stood up from their chairs & screamed with excitement! It was an amazing moment! Congratulations to everyone from BTC who made it such a great weekend. I couldn't be more proud to be a part of such an amazing, supportive, welcome & friendly club. I absolutely adore my BTC family & I am just so happy to have been a part of this amazing weekend.

 

  

I had a pretty good race on Saturday & was stoked to have gotten 10th in my age group (out of 41). I was trying not to push too hard as I knew I needed to save some energy for Ironman. The horn went off & I sprinted the first 100m or so in the swim & felt good to get away from all the other arms & legs. Had an ok rest of the swim but decided not to push myself too much. Got out in 18:52, had a pretty quick transition & managed to get on my bike at the mount line without falling off (shoes in the pedals & everything)!

The ride was bumpy but a fast 2 loop course. I got overtaken by a couple of girls in my age group towards the end of the ride (one of them smirked at me everytime she overtook me, which I thought was completely unsportsman-like) & made it my mission to hunt them down on the run, but without killing myself trying. "Save the lungs, save the legs" I had to keep telling myself! Got off the bike in 59:45 & I managed to overtake both girls within the first kilometre. Stoked! There were SO many people from BTC racing & everyone was cheering each other on. It was awesome. I felt really solid on the run & I almost caught my coach, Mel who was suffering badly from illness that day. I wasn't smashing myself but I was going at a decent pace & ended up finishing the 8km leg in 37:32 (7th fastest run in my AG). Huge thank you to all the supporters who cheered for us on the sidelines, including people from other clubs like Balance, Hills & Bondi Fit, just to name a few.

We celebrated hard on Saturday night & I ended up losing my voice from all the singing & screaming, but it was totally worth it. I danced my ass off more than ever before. So much fun!

I am so excited to race this weekend & even more pumped about having so many people come & support the athletes who are racing. So I want to say thank you to my friends, family & BTC members who are taking time out of their weekend to come up & cheer all of us on.  My parents have never seen me race before & my little god-daughter who is only 3 will also be there watching me race with her family. I cannot wait to see all of the familiar faces out on the course. Nothing quite compares to the feeling of people calling out your name & cheering for you when you are really struggling. If you don't see me smiling, you have permission to kick my ass.

You can track me online on Sunday 6th May here: www.ironmanlive.com . My bib# is 1316. The race starts at 6.45am Sydney time. I would love to think I could do it in 13.5 hours but I'll be happy just to finish the race with no flat tyres or cramping. And if I'm not already bawling my eyes out, I will be dancing my way over the finish line!

Thank you to everyone who has shown so much support over the last few months or even taken the slightest interest in this whole journey. I am so overwhelmed by all the kind messages. Its going to be the most awesome day ever!

This Sunday, The Fonginator WILL be an Ironman!

Focusing on the finish line & the journey ahead

Well, its about 9 days til the big dance, & its all starting to feel a bit surreal. I know I have been talking about this non-stop for the last few months but I still can't believe there's only a few days left before I attempt my first Ironman. I know its going to be an amazing experience that I will never forget, filled with emotions, excitement & pain. Only a triathlete would fork out $750 for that!

I've still been searching for the motivation fairy & don't feel like I have had the greatest preparation in the last four weeks. People have said to me that the long stuff is all done & you have the miles in your legs. But skipping sessions isn't going to help me enjoy race day either. I've trained with friends to try & help me get out of the rut but I just can't seem to push myself & be consistent. I either go too hard & burn out or I just go too slow & can't keep up. Like everyone, I have had really great sessions & really crap sessions where I feel so unfit. But at the end of the day, I'm about to embark on something that most people would never even dream of doing. So at this point, I'm just taking it one day at a time, putting one foot in front of the other & getting out of bed to do SOMETHING. Because something is better than nothing. I'm the queen of HTFU but even that couldn't help me. Its times like these that its really important to have friends & family around to support you. I honestly don't know how people do this year after year. The time, commitment, focus and sacrifice. It truly is amazing.

After having a D&M with my coach this week, there was one statement that stood out in my mind & I wanted to share it because it was the moment I finally started to believe I could do this:

"You have found training tough at times but I know you are going to be the athlete that gets the most out of Ironman on the day. I know you won't be disappointed & you will have a blast & finish this incredible challenge. And that is what its all about. Not time. People will be disappointed & hate the day & therefore just won't get the whole Ironman thing. Not you. And that is why I love being on this journey with you." - My coach, Mel Cockshutt (from Port Macquarie).

After reading that, I felt inspired. Mel seems to always know the right thing to say when I am having one of those sookie-la-la moments. And even though I may have let myself down in a few sessions & not done what she has asked, she still makes me feel like I am capable of achieving my goals. Triathletes - such high bloody achievers! Apparently its not good enough to do just do three disciplines!

I never doubted I could complete an Ironman when I started training but I started doubting my ability to do it well. I know its going to hurt but I still want to soak it all up on the day and if I am mentally tough, then I will have a lot more fun. I don't want to be one of those miserable triathletes you see, hating life by the time they get to the run. For me, its about enjoying the whole experience, appreciating all of the supporters who keep you going & feeling that sense of utter pride when you cross that finish line. And boy, am I going to live that up.

Yesterday, a group of us BTC members hit the waters of Balmoral Beach at 7am on ANZAC Day. It was a ridiculous time to be up on a public holiday but when you're training for an Ironman, public holidays are a god send. A chance to really get some k's in without having to cram in sessions before or after work. As much as I hated getting out of bed (it was about 12*C), the sun was shining by the time I arrived at the beach & I was happy to hit the water (which ended up being warmer than I thought). Thank god for wetsuits though!

I joined Cat, Nate & Kath for a 4km swim. Yep, 4km of swimming non-stop in open water. I kept it easy for the first half & then picked up the pace towards the end. We did 10 laps around the buoys before swimming back to the pier & at the end of the session, I was filled with utter pride. I couldn't believe it. I had never done that before, ever. I actually couldn't believe we had done 4kms! It was such a defining moment & I proved to myself that I was ready for that swim. 

Later that afternoon, I joined Owain, Saxon, Dani & Hannah for a run. The speeding bullets of BTC. I had to do 1.5hrs, varying my pace every half hour.  I was hurting. They were pushing me, which is exactly what I needed, and although I felt slow, it is always motivating to run with other people. I really enjoyed it, even though I was at the back (and after I had a drink, I wanted to dry reach)!

This weekend is the NSW Club Champs in Forster; 1km swim, 30km ride, 8km run against all the other clubs in NSW. Balmoral have finished on the podium in 3rd place for the last few years & this time, we are back to get a little closer to the win. Its one of the most fun races on the calendar & for most triathletes, it will be one of the last races of the season. I can't wait to catch up with everyone & celebrate afterwards. Then its only one more week til Ironman!

My custom-made tri suit still hasn't arrived & I'm not sure that it will get here in time, so I may be racing in my BTC suit for Ironman. I've had some yellow Fonginator supporter shirts made though, so look out for us on the day. I'm not nervous about the race at all yet & hopefully it will stay that way.

This time next week, I will be carbo loading. Hello food!!!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. Cannot believe the journey is really about to begin! 

Recovery week, Sydney ITU wrap up & counting down to Ironman

Thank god for recovery week! I still couldn't find my training mojo last week & luckily for me, it was time to taper before the Sydney ITU race on Sunday. My program consisted of two swims, two cycles & one run; an easy week. The highlight would definitely have been the spa/sauna after a 1.5km swim in the freezing outdoor pool at North Sydney on a very cold winter's night.

For those of you that aren't aware, the Sydney ITU race is an Olympic distance triathlon, consisting of a 1.5km swim, 40km cycle & 10km run. Last year, the race was opened up to age groupers for the first time & proved to be one of the most popular races on the calendar. Its not everyday you get to race in the heart of the city & for most of us triathletes, we have to travel quite far if we want to race. It was yet another amazing way to explore the best city in the world.

My friends LJ & Sarah came down from Newcastle for the race & we spent most of Saturday watching the pro women & men race. Man, these guys are fast! Olympic qualification was on the line so there were some very determined athletes out there. Watching their transitions was amazing. I love this sport so much because you always learn something new. I bumped into heaps of people that I don't usually get to catch up with, unless its at a race, so that was really fun & it was great to be amongst the triathlon buzz again. A guy I had never met before even came up to me at the Opera House & asked if I was "The Fonginator." Too funny!

We went to have a look at the expo & managed to catch up with Olympic gold medallist triathlete, Emma Snowsill who was getting interviewed after the pro women's race. That woman is a machine. Here she is showing a bit of Fonginator love:

Sunday turned out to be an amazing day. Sydney turned on the sunshine & I was absolutely pumped to race. We headed down to the water at 6.30am to watch the other waves go off. I wasn't swimming until 7.40am so by the time it came round to my wave, I was itching to get in the water. The guy at the start line reminded us not to swallow water in the first 100m. It took me a few seconds to realise what he was talking about. Haha!

As I stood on the pontoon, waiting for the wave before me to go, I looked around & saw spectators lining the wall around Mrs Macquaries Chair. It was absolutely amazing. I had ear plugs in my ears so I couldn't hear much but I faintly heard someone yelling so I turned around, and out of the corner of my eye were The Strumanator & Bel B. It totally picked me up so I started waving & getting all excited! When I got in the water, I remembered an episode of IMTalk (www.imtalk.me) that I had listened to a few months before about how to save time in racing & Coach John Newsom was saying you should try & be horizontal in the water before the gun goes off, that way you just start swimming, rather than trying to go from being vertical to then being horizontal. So I did & it made a huge difference trying to get away from people. There were about 85 or so girls in my wave & we were all chatting amongst each other when someone said, 'are they going to give us a 30 second warning?' And literally, 2 secs later, the horn went off!

I felt really good in the swim. I kept a rhythm the whole time & I usually never feel great in the swim; I just can't seem to push myself & I just don't enjoy it. But looking up at the Opera House at every breath made a big difference. It was pretty spectacular. That and not seeing any sharks. At the last buoy coming in, I felt a huge gush of water come over the top of me & it was the men in the wave after us, speeding past. I got whacked in the head a couple of times, and swore under water, but just kept swimming. I got to the stairs & everyone was rushing to try & get out (idiots). It was so narrow & could only fit about two people at a time. As I stood to run up, the top of my foot kicked the stair & I took a massive chunk of skin off my foot. I made the long run into transition (the longest transition of my life; my rack was right at the back too) & looked down to see blood all over my foot. I put my helmet, sunnies & race number on & got out of there as fast as I could.

I hadn't practiced my transitions since the Husky Sprint race in February so I was very nervous about trying to hop on my bike with the shoes clipped in. It took me a couple of goes to try & get momentum & one lady was telling me to hurry up. I politely agreed & asked if she could make me a cup of tea while I was there. Then, off I went, trying to fasten my shoe without taking any more skin off my foot.

The ride was tough. But it was amazing riding over the Harbour Bridge. My heart rate was pumping for the whole ride. I made the most of the descents by getting into my aero's in the big chain & just kept pedalling. By the third & final lap, my legs were stuffed & I was in granny gear going up the hills. Although in saying that, I was flying past a lot of men with ridiculously expensive bikes & sperm helmets. They were all so slow around the turning points. Made me feel pretty good!
There weren't many spectators as we rode down towards the North Sydney turn off, so I think I will be emailing USM events this week & request there be music or entertainment on the bridge next year!

When I got into transition, there was a volunteer who was yelling & screaming, cheering so loud, jumping up & down & so excited. I told her she should win volunteer of the day. Now, it was time for the run. I racked my bike, looked down & my foot was utterly gross. The top of my cleats were stained with blood & I wasn't planning to wear socks on the run so I spent a bit of time trying to make sure the flap of skin that was hanging off my foot stayed on (you can thank me for that visual later). I don't think I would've been able to tolerate exposed skin rubbing against my shoe for 10kms. Thankfully, that was the least of my problems. The stitch I had in the last half of the bike did not want to leave & I ended up running the whole 10kms with a blinding pain in my right side.

I was so happy to be on the run though as I felt so slow on the bike & couldn't wait to get off. There were SO many people on the run course cheering. The atmosphere was truly electric. I didn't appreciate it at the time as I was too busy trying to get rid of my stupid stitch, but it was really quite amazing. There were loads of people cheering for Balmoral who I didn't even know. I felt like a bit of a rockstar.

I have to mention Joe, Mary, Tamara & Saxon and everyone from BTC who did a great job at yelling at me every time I saw them; as well Tarnia Luck from Balance & UTS, Karen Tallis from The Hills, The Boycenators who surprised me in the grandstands and Laura Sidall & the Bondi Fit crew who were going crazy at the finish line. Nothing compares to the feeling you get when people yell out your name during a race. Its pretty special.

My run felt really slow & I just couldn't pick up enough speed so at the end of the race, I was disappointed when I found out I had gone 4 mins slower overall than the year before. Bloody triathletes, such high achievers & never seem to be happy with their results! But when I took into account the course changes, and the fact that I was training for an Ironman (not an Olympic distance race), it wasn't so bad. Ended up with a 30 min swim, 1.51 T1, 81 min cycle, 1.50 T2, 48 min run, for a total time of 2h43m. I thought for sure I ran over 50 mins but somehow, I managed to pull off 48. Absolutely shocked but very, very happy!

I crashed & burned early last night after the race. Last season, I think I competed in a race every 2nd or 3rd week so my body was used to the pounding. This year, I've only done about 3 races so it took a lot out of me. Training & racing are completely different! I think I have one more week of building up a bit more, then another easy week, before a nice little taper. The 6th May is creeping closer & closer & I think if I can get through this Ironman, I can pretty much do anything!

Congratulations to everyone who competed this weekend, to everyone I caught up with & very special mention to my coach Mel who came second in her age group in a stunning time of 2h23m. Amazing.

3 weeks til the big day! Holy s!#%@

Training, tantrums, and trying to find my mojo

They say that training for an Ironman is tougher than doing an Ironman. And even though I am yet to attempt my first one, at this point in time, I could not agree more. I am now heading into Week 15 of an 18 week journey to my first ever Ironman. Having begun the slow ascent into craziness on 1st January 2012, I cannot believe I have made it this far. The descent is now coming & I have never wanted time to pass more quickly than now!

Last week (leading into Easter), I felt completely unmotivated to train. Perhaps it was due to exhaustion but I didn't think I was THAT tired (considering the amount of sessions I cut short). It may have also been due to the fact that a very good friend of mine had been involved in a serious bike accident, resulting in her having to pull out of her first Ironman. She is so lucky to be alive & I really wanted to get out & train hard because I knew she couldn't. But instead, I let my mind give up. I really didn't want to get in a pool, get on my bike or go for a run unless I had people to train with. I know we can't always have great weeks where we nail every session but I was disappointed in myself for not doing what was required. And I was hesitant to train outdoors without people after seeing my friend recovering in hospital. All of these feelings I was having made me realise that I have no desire to attempt this ever again! I really don't enjoy training by myself. Training for an Ironman can be lonely & you cannot always expect that there will be people who can train with you all the time. I thrive on company & it makes me train harder. I was supposed to do 4 swim sessions but instead I did 2; one lasted 20 mins & the other was 1.5km! Pitiful. And on Saturday, I had to do 10 x 1km run efforts so I chose to do them down by the water in Kirribilli as it was fast, flat & relatively quiet at 7am. I got half way through, was going pretty well & finishing them on 4.20-4.30 but on the 5th one, I tripped on an uneven plank of wood along the path by Luna Park & fell smack onto the ground. Ended up with a bloody knee, bruised elbow, & grazed hip/leg. I got really upset for no particular reason, chucked a little tantrum & limped home before having to go to work. Boo hoo! Talk about your sookie-la-la moment of the year. I've put it all behind me now & am now ready to refocus, Fonginator style!

On Good Friday, Tracy & I rode out to Palm Beach & back for an 83km ride. It was hot & hilly, and I had to run 10kms off the bike straight after. But I felt ok going onto the run & was excited to have the whole day off to do nothing. I love Easter!

On Easter Sunday, I had to do 100km cycle/5km run so Toni, Mark & I drove down to Brighton Le Sands & rode out to Kurnell & did a couple of loops. It was SO nice to ride somewhere completely flat; a very rare thing when you live in Kirribilli, unless you want to do laps of Centennial Park. I felt fast & powerful for the first time in a long time! I came home absolutely smashed & ready to sleep for the rest of the day!

This Sunday (15th April) is the Sydney ITU (Olympic Distance) Triathlon (www.sydney.triathlon.org). I am SO pumped to race as I haven't competed since Husky Sprint in February, which seems like forever ago. My goal is to try & beat last year's time (2 hours 39 minutes;  just made the top 30 females in 30-34 AG). It will be interesting to see how my body responds to a more faster-paced race than Ironman, considering all of the long training sessions I have been doing. This is such a fun event & I hope those of you who aren't racing will come down & watch (for the route map, click here: http://sydney.triathlon.org/event_information/age_group_information/course_maps/). The highlights for me last year were definitely swimming in the Harbour & getting to look at the Opera House every time I came up for air; riding over the Harbour Bridge that was closed to cars, and running through the city before sprinting to the finish line past hundreds of cheering spectators. Such an amazing experience. Look out for me in my Balmoral Triathlon Club gear:

To all those coming up to Port Macquarie to watch Ironman Australia, after-party tickets go on sale next Monday so get in quick if you're going to stick around the night after the race: http://ironmanaustralia.com/2011/07/port-70-3-information/. Bib numbers for the event are also out: http://ironmanaustralia.com/athlete-information/participant-list/. You can follow The Fonginator on race day on www.ironmanlive.com. Bib #1316. This is what I plan to wear for Ironman:

 

Looking forward to recovery week this week. Then the countdown begins! Yeow!

Massive mileage, exhaustion & finding motivation

Well, its been a couple of weeks since my last post; a mixture of feelings at the moment but I think I am finally learning how to deal with the mental side of training for an Ironman. And when I say deal with, I mean learning how to HTFU & know that other people are also going through the same thing. I knew I would hit that dreaded motivation wall at some point, and if I think about the volume & intensity of training I've been doing (more than I have probably ever done in my life), I'm surprised it hasn't hit me sooner. I'm 12 weeks into my 16 week program & whilst I can't say I have enjoyed the feeling of fatigue & questioning myself as to what the hell I signed up for, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by very supportive people, some of who know exactly how it feels. Its hard to comprehend the mental strength & focus it takes to train 6 days a week, sometimes 2-3 times a day, plus hours & hours on the weekends. Most people think its just plain crazy. I guess it is but I also know that the personal challenge will be worth it when I run down that finishing chute & Mike Reilly says, 'Belinda Fong - YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!' I hope he calls me The Fonginator. And that they play Johnny Farnham's Your The Voice or LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem. I figure if this is going to be my one & only Ironman, may as well make it the best experience ever, right?

Last week (week beginning 19/03/12) involved 9.5kms of swimming, 10.5hrs of riding and 4hrs of running. I fell short in distance on one of the swims, one of the rides & one of the runs. I was getting stressed about not having enough time to learn the latest releases for the new Body Attack & Body Pump (which I unfortunately couldn't delay as it was International Fitness Week & they were promoting the new music at the gym). I was also not getting enough sleep (my own fault) & was generally feeling tired & sore from all the training. I just felt like I had nothing left to give & it made me question whether or not I wanted to do Ironman, whether I would actually survive it & if I still had it in me to keep training. Sometimes, its so easy to beat yourself up about not giving 100% in training or just falling short of what you wanted to get out of it. But now I know I have been consistent & the distances I missed would be far outweighed by all the other training I have been doing. And we can't be on top of it all the time. Its just not possible.

I had two favourite sessions last week. One was with Tracy doing some fast loops on the bike along Military Rd-Ourimbah Rd-Ben Boyd Rd & back. It was like having my own personal trainer next to me! She pushed me more than I have ever pushed myself on the bike. It felt amazing! Then my good friend Jo (amazing massage therapist who works out of Fitness First Walker St) joined me for some 400m sprint efforts around North Sydney Oval. I thought I would hate doing repeats & my legs were pretty fatigued from the 25km run a couple of days before, but the body is a wonderful thing & just pushed through, Because of her, I managed to do all of them under 1.30, and my best time was 1.27. Nothing like a good sprint session to kickstart the endorphins for the day,

This week (week beginning 26/03/12) I was still feeling a bit flat but determined to get through it, so the intensity wasn't as high as I have been doing, but I made it through most of the sessions ok. In the last 6 days, I had to do 8kms of swimming, 240km of cycling & 50km of running - my biggest week of the whole program. I did my longest run ever on Wednesday - 25km. Prior to this, I had only ever run a half marathon. My coach's husband Todd (freak runner) was in Sydney so he ran with me for the first 12km. The last 13km was very slow, with a few stops too. I came home feeling exhausted & wondering how I was ever going to get through 42kms. Thank you to all of those who sent me messages of support & encouragement that day. It was not one of my finest moments but its amazing how someone's comments can lift you up when you really need it (thanks Laura Siddall).

The mega session was today though (Sunday); a 140km ride with a 12km run off the bike. I rode with BTC members Joe, Mary, Kate, Tracy & Toni. We started towards Epping to the M2 but because of all the road works, we had to cross some very dodgy freeways & lift our bikes over sandbags & concrete walls to get to the cycleway which ended quite abruptly along a stretch of road where cars were zooming down at 80km/hr. Death Road I liked to call it. I have to admit, although it was a bit dangerous, I was laughing quite a bit, mainly due to our poor sense of direction as to where the M2 actually was (cyclists have to go a different way to cars). My first off-road adventure on a road bike! Instead of going along the M7 as we had originally planned, we turned off & headed towards Berowra to do Pie in the Sky. My cleats were also playing up & there was lots of swearing when I couldn't get any momentum after the traffic lights went green. Just embarrassing. On the way back up from Pie, Mary got two flats & Toni's chain dropped! More fun times!  By that stage, the sun was extremely hot. Toni & I rode back via Pacific Hwy from Hornsby to North Sydney (another death trap) but by the time we got back, I still had to do another 13km! Damn! So I ended up going out to Mosman on my own & around Kirrbilli until my Garmin said 140kms!

Following the 140km ride, I downed some electrolyte & the remainder of my vegemite sandwich & headed out with Toni's husband Peter who volunteered to run the 12kms with me. We ran out to Darling Harbour & I stupidly didn't take any water or gels. So there were a few water stops along the way. Lesson learnt! I really need to invest in one of those fuel belts before race day. Peter had to stop because he had done something to his leg so I went off on my own with his permission & managed to make it back home in 65 mins. Stoked. It was so hot & my legs were tired but I felt pretty good. As soon as I got home, I sat on the floor with bags of ice on my legs, then had a massive lunch, bath & a power nap. I still cannot believe I left home at 6am, got home at 2.45pm & trained the ENTIRE time. That's pretty mental.

One more week of intensity (thankfully not as crazy as this week has been), where I will proceed to eat my weight in Easter eggs before Sydney ITU on 15th April. Cannot wait to race again then another 3 weeks til I become an Ironman!

A huge thank you to everyone who has been so supportive this week in helping me train. And apologies to my family & friends who I have neglected over the past 4 months. I promise I will be back to normal after 6th May!

On a more serious note, there were a couple of serious bike accidents this weekend, so I encourage all you riders to stay safe & try to go out with others when you can. And if you're a motorist, please be aware of us on the road. Waiting a few extra seconds isn't going to kill you, but your impatience may hurt us. Its a lot easier for a car to stop than a bike. Please be kind to those of us who obey the rules & just need to train.

Until next week, thanks for reading my blog. Feel free to share the Fonginator love.

Bel