Movement Connects
It was Canada Day, and for a few weeks, I had been planning a journey along the Trans-Canada Trail to honour the occasion. We started early in the morning with cooler temperatures that promised to climb throughout the day. Travelling from Guelph to Wallenstein in the north, and then on to St. Jacobs for our first planned stop — our second coffee, and a cruise by a mural done by one of Lauryn’s favourite local artists — @stephboutari.
Following the Market Trail through Waterloo and Kitchener, we next arrived at the Grand Trunk Trail. We hit pause on our lap time in Cambridge for lunch, eighty-nine kilometres — so far. After refuelling, and reapplying our sunscreen — necks, noses and the back of hands — we got back on our bikes and continued along gravel roads with rural and hilly scenes of the Grand River. Just outside of the hour, we arrived at the southern most destination of our ride — Paris.
After a quick tour of the town, we bought two books, and enjoyed a delicious double espresso at the Dog Eared Cafe. Within the half hour, we were climbing our way out of town — into the shady and most scenic portions of our journey — also the busiest. It truly is a Great Trail.
Too long, dont want to read? watch the Youtube #short of our ride with the link below
Our timer made laps as we reached for our final destination. We were back in the saddle, and in full sun — aiming for the ultimate milage of one hundred and fifty-six kilometres for the day.
However, we will never know how far we rode. Nor how many calories we burned, or the meters of elevation we climbed on our trip. At our last fuel stop, Lauryn hit stop on her watch — like usual. Then, very unusually — hit delete. So, Iin the middle of the Portuguese Swamp in Cambridge, our analytical record of the day was lost — permanently. It was a sad moment in an otherwise joyous day. The planning, execution and debriefing phases of a big ride like this are all fun parts of the touring experience. However, looking through rose coloured glasses, along with “Its the memories that matter the most” as our mantra — we refocused our bike frames towards our final destination: A backyard in the countryside for a swim, a steak and handstands?
We arrived and were handed each a glass of water — hydration first, and then were served a Coke in a glass bottle that was as nostalgic, as it was nourishing. Out of our cycling shorts and into the pool, we all enjoyed some time in the water. But, you can’t eat in the pool — so, back out on the patio for chips — salt is essential after a long ride, and more libations — for the recovery, of course.
Today, we weren’t the only ones who were to enjoy the pool on this scorching summer afternoon. Friends of our hosts were visiting from Slovakia, and with their three young children, they too couldn’t resist the invitation for an afternoon swim. Lauryn and I chomped on chips, as they did underwater flips, and used their fin like fingers to retrieve items from the bottom of the pool. Their physical abilities in the water amazed Lauryn and I. Then, they started to cartwheel and try their handstands.
In the pool, we had all splish-splashed, but together, we hadn’t yet really broken the ice. With language our barrier, movement was our binding agent. I convinced Lauryn to try our luck upside down. After a full day of going round-and-round — we weren’t sure, it worked. Before long, we were tired of being on our hands and went back to jumping in the pool.
This afternoon by the pool side we communicated to each other in three languages — English, Slovakian and movement. I learned how to say jump — skok and hello — ahoj. After the swim, the children enjoyed an ice cream, a well deserved treat on a special day. As we sat down for dinner, we were happy to be able to finally rest, but very grateful for the exceptional relationships we have with others through movement.
While some things can be retrieved from the bottom of a pool — our data points are lost to the swamp. However, it doesn’t matter because it’s the movement and the memories that matter the most.
Take care and lets connect with movement soon,
Ian and Lauryn
We are in the home stretch for this Semester and invite you to join us for weeks five —followed by a short break before resuming our sixth starting July 25th. One of the benefits of the way we train is that you can take a week off — and (almost) pick right back up where you left off. Start at the beginning, or join in — its simple, strong and easy to follow along. Progress with the bodyweight skills that will help you achieve body control, strength and balance in the ultimate bodyweight skill for fitness and fun— the handstand
