Today I went to the hospital for my bi-weekly iron infusion session. I’ve been doing these infusions since last October and slowly but surely they are helping to get my ferritin level up and in turn helping with my hemoglobin levels. Well normally I have a book to read, as it happens I finished my book during my infusion and became a bit bored.

Without a WiFi connection my iPhone wasn’t really that useful. That is until I remembered the photos I have stored on my iPhone. To pass the time away I started flipping through my photos. I found photos of me racing in my red and white Team Canada skinsuit at the 2010 World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic. I found photos of me racing in my Ottawa.cx skinsuit at the World Cups in Aigle, Switzerland and Plzen, Czech Republic. I found photos I had taken on training rides in and around Nurnberg and Freiburg, Germany. I found a variety of photos from our four winters of living in and racing cyclo-cross in Belgium. I found photos of Marc standing on the podium at Canadian Cyclo-Cross Nationals in Toronto, Ontario.

I found lots of really great memories. Photos of me racing, photos of Marc racing, photos of our friends, photos of the places this bike racing life has taken me and Marc.

As I was sitting there hooked up to the IV I started to smile. Really smile. I realized that it took a lot of hardwork to get to the point where I could realize a goal and race at the World Cyclo-Cross Championships. I also recognized in myself that I’m ready to go for it again. My fighting spirit is back. I’ve got a little chip on my shoulder to remind me to push harder and dig deeper because I have something to prove. Something to prove to myself. I did it once and I’m going to do it again. I was long shot the first time but this time around, I’m no longer a long shot. I’ve got experience. I know what it takes. I’ve had racing and training taken away from me – I now have the perspective on how damn important it is to me.

So if you see me out riding and I look like I’m grimacing or gasping to catch my breath – give me a smile or a wave. This means I’m on top of the world and getting closer to where I want to be.