PlayMYList - HappinessProject

Here is what we are spinning to this week. Enjoy and ride on...



Vote Cleveland as Bcycle's next city!

I just read about Bcycle with Chicago being the most recent city to add this awesome bike-sharing system. Bcycle has a variety of membership levels all for purchase on the website. To use the bikeshare you just sign in to any kiosk, choose an available bike from the kiosk, ride to your destination and return to any kiosk in the city when you are done. Easy, right? Lets get this in Cleveland!!

Current Chicago Membership Rates:

24 hours: $5.00
30 days: $30.00
7 days: $20.00
Annual: $65.00
Student Annual: $45
Senior (65+) Annual: $45

Go Vote HERE: WHO WANTS IT MORE?

45 Schedule: Weekend Events

This weekend's weather is looking pretty good!

CLEVELAND AREA EVENTS:

Saturday, April 3, 2010
5K Run & Walk for the kids at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo!
Time: Walk Up Registration begins at 7:30am (5K Run: 8:45am & 5K Walk: 9:15am)
Price: $25 Run / $20 Walk - Includes all-day admission to Zoo and Rainforest, T-shirt, light breakfast and admission to the Family Fun Fair!

Spin Bike Shop's Saturday Ride
Sweet Water Landing, Rocky River Reservation, OH
Time: 10am - 12pm
*note: pace is 20mph, ride is self supported

Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010
Couldnt find any local races...find an easter egg hunt and get competitive with some little kids?

45 Schedule: Weekend Events

Could it be? SPRING IS HERE? Here is this weekends forecast:

Saturday: 55°F / 37°F - cloudy
Sunday: 55°F/44°F - rain
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CLEVELAND AREA EVENTS:
Girls With Sole Fundraiser ($10/class): Saturday, March 20th, 2010


Take your pick from six heart pumping, motivating and soul satisfying workouts to benefit Girls With Sole! Choose Spin and/or Muscle Conditioning. Take one, two or three classes! Each Spin and Muscle Conditioning class will take place simultaneously, and will be conducted back to back.


Class times are as follows and each class is one hour in length:
9:00 - 10:00 am Spin or Muscle Conditioning
10:15 -11:15 am Spin or Muscle Conditioning
11:30 am - 12:30 pm Spin or Muscle Conditioning

Call Fitworks in Rocky River at (440) 333-4141 to register for any of the above classes.
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OHIO EVENTS:

Sat 20th Melt The Ice 5K Fremont, OH
Sat 20th March Madness 5K and Fun Run Loveland, OH
Sat 20th Spring Madness Marion, OH
Sat 20th Tour of Hueston Woods - Oxford, OH

Biking directions on Google Maps

The long awaited Google Maps for bikes is here! http://maps.google.com/biking

According to the Google Product Manager's Post (here), Google wanted to include as much bike trail data as possible, provide efficient routes, allow riders to customize their trip, make use of bike lanes, and calculate rider-friendly routes that avoid big hills.... The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy played a large role in helping to roll out this service to Google maps users. At the time of Beta release Google maps had 12,000 miles of trails and bike lanes recommended for 150 cities across the US.

Sounds great to me!

To find biking directions, select "Bicycling" from the drop-down menu when you do a directions search:

 

Another feature of the map is detailed information about bike trails, lanes and recommended roads. This can help you get a better sense of your route, or let you find trails nearby for a recreational ride. When you're zoomed into a city, click on the "More" button at the top of the map to turn on the "Bicycling” layer. You'll see three types of lines appear on the map:

• Dark green indicates a dedicated bike-only trail;
• Light green indicates a dedicated bike lane along a road;
• Dashed green indicates roads that are designated as preferred for bicycling, but without dedicated lanes

 

Just as with standard Google Maps, there is a “Report a Problem” tool for end users to help the system improve. 

Share Your Ride: Tweet to win a new bike using the hashtag #bikewithgoogle.  

  

2010 Winter Olympics Series: Cross Country Ski

In honor of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games I am going to attempt to incorporate some of the events in my "45".

PART ONE: Cross Country Skiing

I mentioned in an earlier post regarding Snowshoeing that complaining about the winter is just not acceptable when there is so much to embrace in the season. I'll admit, I get quite grumpy on the grey, wet, soggy winter days. However, there is no excuse those days when we get the beautiful falling white snow with a blue sky backdrop. This mentality comes natural to those that live in Alpine Ski Regions (Colorado, Colorado, Colorado...) BUT we can enjoy the snow too in our flat as a pancake region! Enter Cross Country Skiing...

While XCSkiing is not quite as badass as its counterpart - The Biathlon - which incorporates a rifle into the mix - it is still quite a challenge! My first experience with the sport was last Saturday at Allegany State Park in Western New York. The 65,000 acres are covered with beautifully groomed XCSki Trails by Winter and Mountain Bike Trails by Spring/Summer. 

The trails we ventured out on were in the Art Roscoe Ski Touring Area. There is a warming hut directly located next to the parking lot which rents XCSki equipment for just $18 a day. The trails are clearly marked - and to my surprise - are even graded similar to Alpine Trails. Art Roscoe area even has some Black Diamond trails. Clearly, these are not as treacherous as Downhill Ski Black Diamond hills but at least you can say you've skied a Black Diamond, right?

We did not take lessons so getting going was awkward to say the least. Our legs and arms were flailing all over the place. After a few minutes of struggle it became a little more natural and quite easy to pick up speed. The internal heat I quickly built was amazing given the low impact my body felt. I am always the one heading into the ski lodge every few runs to warm up when down-hill skiing. There is no chance of catching a chill during this activity. In fact, I was wishing I had worn less layers.

Once I was into a groove of skiing along I was able to mentally check out and enjoy the beautiful winter scenery around me. The sport is a whole-body cardio experience which is extremely low-impact. To those looking for a cross training for running or walking this is for you. For those of you that hate running and walking - I honestly think this is for you too! I unfortunately did not have a heart rate monitor to give an overall rating, but I will rate given all other factors:

REVIEW:


RATING: ♥♥♥♥ - fun winter activity, terrific aerobic, low-impact, whole-body, fun, & OUTSIDE!

There are XCSki Areas all over the country. If you do choose to head to the Allegany State Park area, I highly recommend the cabins available on the land. Pack some chili, beer, and firewood and make a weekend of it! Make a reservation here: ASP Cabin Rental

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU SNOW, MAKE A SNOWBALL!

Get your 45 AND drink beers? Awesome!! http://britewintercleveland.wordpress.com/