Another day is close to being in the books here. And as usual, it ranks up there as a good one. A very good one.

Great morning hanging out with the Canadian gang here. So nice to have such familiar faces here as I get ready for these next two races. We’ve got a good mix of racers and supporters here so it keeps everything pretty balanced. Chilled out a bit appreciating my new Illy medium roast espresso coffee – makes a very smooth cappuccino.

Then it was off for a fun recovery ride. Tossed the Michelin Jets on my bike and went off in search of a bit of dirt and a bit of road. It all came together perfectly. Zipped around Averbode on the trails for a bit. Then some time on the bike path took me to the Wandelpark by Tessenderlo. Zipped around on the trails there. Out onto the road. Bit of pedaling on some twisty country roads. Popped back into the Wandelpark and then back to Averbode. Took the long route home and checked out some of my favorite neighbourhoods. A great ride. Amazing what you can pack into 90 minutes!

I’m feeling good. The thumb is pretty good. Gets a bit tired. But I don’t pedal with my thumbs! Head is on straight. Perspective is in check. Smile is on my face. Looking forward to fun on bikes. And I’m serious. Just going to soak up these last two races. Enjoy being a bike racer.

Looks like we’ll be taking off on Monday morning for the drive to Tabor, Czech Republic. I’ll have my computer but I’m not sure about the Internet access at our hotel… I’ll do my best. But if you don’t see anything from me – don’t worry – it is only because there is no WWW access. Just send me your positive vibes on Jan. 31!

Off to pre-ride Hoogerheide tomorrow. I’ll let you know what I think.

Thanks again for the support. I can feel you helping the pedals turn.

Do you ever have a couple of days where everything just seems to click. You feel good. Legs are solid. You’re getting some good sleep so recovery is spot on. Downtime from the bike is fun and relaxing. The head is on straight. Really you feel like a million bucks. The pedals seem to turn a little more easily and you’re flying along the road/trails.

This is what this week has been like for me. Can’t put my finger on one thing that has contributed to this feeling. Really it is a feeling of euphoria. I really do believe it is because I’m in the best mental space I’ve ever been in. I’m feeling so damn good about myself. I just want to go out and race. I know I’m not going to pull some “miracle” result out of the bag. Most likely, I’ll probably finish where I normally do. But this is okay. This is not the end of the journey for me.

I’m only getting started. This will not be my last World Championships or my last European cyclo-cross season. Nope. This is the year where I came, I learned, I tried, I fell down, I picked myself up, put the smile back on my face and lined up again. Can’t buy this kind of experience.

I know the next two races are going to be hard. The last World Cup and then the World Championships. Cool. Lucky me. I’m doing something that not just anyone can do. I’ve earned it. So I’m going to go out and enjoy it. I predict that I’ll be racing with a big smile on my face this weekend and next.

Had a super training ride today. Close to three hours with a steady two hours of endurance followed by 30 minutes of tempo and then some recovery time. I rolled all over the place. Bicycle paths. Small twisting country roads. Busier roads. You name the town in this area, I probably road by it! An excellent ride.

And now here at the house we’re at maximum capacity. Four more Canadians/Ottawans arrived today. It is great to have some familiar faces from home here. Looking forward to a relaxing trail ride tomorrow and then off to Hoogerheide for pre-ride on Saturday.

You might have read that title: Reality Check, and thought “uh oh – something not good is up..”. Well, dear reader, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact this reality check is all about the good stuff. Really good stuff. The last two days have been break-through days. Mentally.

I’ve just started working with a mental training coach and I wasn’t expecting much this early in the process. But was I wrong. This guy is super good. He really gets to the core of what is going on in my head, asks the right questions, waits for me to answer and then prods and digs some more. Before I know I’m letting it all out and telling him about some of the crazy thoughts that rattle around in my thick skull. Then he sets me straight and we work on ways to help keep me in a positive frame of mind.

My most recent call with him was pretty World Championships focused. It was an awesome call. We laid down my goals for the race. Created a coping strategy/mechanism for when things leading up to the race or during the race “don’t go according to plan”. He gave me some homework focused on building my self-confidence. All super good stuff. When the call ended I was on such a high. I just wanted to jump on my bike and go race.

I’m not sure how he does it, but this guy just knows the right questions to ask and how to get me pumped up about myself. My only regret is that I didn’t start working with him sooner. But I’m doing it now, so this is much better than nothing.

Suffice it to say, I’m stoked to be racing this weekend and next weekend. I’ve got some awesome goals to focus on. I’ve got some practical and purposeful coping strategies in place.

I’m feeling good. I’m finally feeling confident in myself. I’ve finally clued in that I deserve this. That I worked hard to earn my spot on the World Championships team. This is something that no one can take away from me.

Nothing like the Monday ride. For me, Monday typically is all about recovery. 90 minutes of relaxed sightseeing riding. I had a fantastic ride. Got out on my favorite Belgian roads and simply took in the scenery. (I’ve posted a bunch of photos over on Victoria’s Island).

So good smooth ride. Not only recovery for the legs but for the brain and soul as well. I really wanted to go out and hit up the trails. I even verbalized this. Mistake! Two people sitting at the table responded instantly: “what about your thumb?”. So that was that. I stuck to the road. No trails for me. I stared at the trails as I pedaled by.

After riding, I have to admit, my thumb is still sore. The bumping and jostling is not friendly to my sprained thumb. And now I’ve developed a rash to the tape… So I’m no longer taping my thumb. Ah yes, woe is me :). Really it is not that bad. It could always be worse (as I always say!).

Looking forward to some racing this weekend and of course next weekend!

Marc and I had a great night last night. We hooked up with our pals Renee and Anne for a great night. We saw their house and the amazing work they’re doing and then went out for a fine meal. I had the best salad I’ve ever had. Yes – salad can be that good! We had a great night talking, telling stories, chatting, etc. A great night. We could have talked all night. Thanks Renee and Anne for the fabulous hospitality and for dinner! We plan to do the same for you when you come to Canada!

Alright, time to sign off now. I’ve got a call in a little bit to work on some mental training. I’m in the early stages of this process but I can say that already I’m seeing some small steps forward. Like anything, small steps and it will take time to see the real benefits.

2 left. That is it. During a cyclo-cross race, see the 2 brings some definite relief to this racer. (Not as much as seeing the 1 and hearing the bell though…) When I see the 2, I tell myself, “okay you can do it. keep digging. it is only 2 more laps.” Funny what seeing a number on a stick can do to a ‘cross racer’s brain. I can’t imagine racing for an hour and seeing 8 on the stick. Heck, for me seeing 5 sends a bit of panic through my body. 5? Uh oh – find another gear, this is a fast one, head down and pedal.

As it applies today, 2 to go means only one thing: 2 more races and my 2009 – 2010 cyclo-cross season is over. Kind of sad to see the season ending but on the other hand, it has been a long one. One thing is definite, this has been my most successful ‘cross season ever. I’m riding and racing better than I ever have. My confidence is on the rise. I’ve made some good strides with my technical skills. I’ve started to honestly assess and appreciate where I am as a racer and what I need to do to move forward. I had some really great rides in North America and some amazing rides here in Europe.

Yes, there have been some tough races. But there have been many more highs than lows. And it only make sense that I’ll have had some rough experiences, the majority of my season has been spent in Europe racing World Cup races and with the top women cyclo-cross racers. But this has also made this the best season ever – each and every race I know that I’m up against the best. It is not often that an athlete can measure herself against the best in the sport each time she lines up. For this I am very fortunate.

I sit here today in Belgium. I’d much rather be in Roubaix, France. This is the one disappointment that I had to miss the Roubaix World Cup. Well, it will be there next year. Good news is that my thumb seems to be healing quite well. The range of motion is coming back so this is encouraging. Still a bit swollen and the thumb joint is looking a bit ugly but this will come with time.

Had a fantastic ride today. Okay, not sure if you count an hour of tempo intervals as fantastic but… What made it so great was that I rode outside. I wore shorts and leg warmers! Yep shorts and leg warmers on Jan. 17! Pretty smooth. So great to be outside. The paths were a bit gritty due to the heavy rains but I didn’t get rained on. Pretty much all of the snow is gone now. Extra bonus is that the awesome little country roads are clear of snow and ice. So my favorite riding routes are back. To add some extra spice and kick to my work-out, I wore my new racing kit. My Team Canada kit. I couldn’t not do it. It felt so cool to be out riding with the words Team Canada on my back. The sharp kit turned a few heads as well. Can’t wait to put on that skinsuit on Jan. 31. What a feeling.

Looking ahead to another solid week of training. I have the Hoogerheide World Cup on Sunday and then the World Championships the following Sunday. This might sound lame, but just writing about the World Champs brings tears to my eyes. I just find it so overwhelming that I achieved this goal and that I get to race in the top race that our sport has. So amazing. I feel so lucky to be doing this. And you can be sure this won’t be my last World Championships. I’m pretty confident I’ve got a couple more in my legs.

What a season this has been. Many many thanks to my sponsors – without whom this would not have been possible. Deep heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Marc for all the sacrifices he has made so that I can do this. Thanks so much to you for hopping on for this journey – your comments, emails, messages, smiles, and cheers do so much for me. On Jan. 31, we’ll all be toeing the line for one last time this season. I have a feeling it is going to be a good one. See you out there.