I for one, am very happy that is February is gone and behind us. I know that this is likely not an “enlightened” way of thinking – but seriously I didn’t enjoy February all that much. It was simply a month of bad stuff happening.

Now that March is here, I’ve decided to hit the 2015 reset button. The new year starts today: March 2. Good-bye to the crappy stuff that consumed February (losing Murphy, injury, never-ending flu/cough/migraine).

Hello to the greatness and optimism of March.

I’m kicking things off in style with a six-day yoga retreat at Casa Om in Mexico. I’m so looking forward to six days in a new-to-me place – the yoga, the relaxing, the hanging out with my mom, meeting new people, the water – all of it is going to be great.

I might be putting a lot of pressure on March but the thing is that March leads into my favourite month… April. I love April – bike riding outside, birthday cake, sunshine, flowers, birthday cake. Can’t go wrong with April!

I just finished reading an interesting article about Buddhism and lessons we can take from Buddhist wisdom… you don’t need to be a Buddhist (I’m not) to read and appreciate this article. Even if you take one thing from it, I think you’ll feel a bit different.

(I promise to eventually write about bikes and bike stuff – but really there is nothing happening right now. Haven’t touched my bike in over two weeks (damn February), but soon enough it will be time to pedal outside, so expect many long-winded ruminations on balancing on two wheels.)

Oh, and if you’re looking for something to do on Wednesday night… Come on out to Sir Robert Borden High School for the 2015 Waterwalker Film Festival – this event is organized by the Brazil Bound team (five Ottawa-area canoe slalom athletes who will represent Canada at the 2015 Junior/U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships in Brazil). If you can’t come out on Wednesday, check out the fundraising page and help these teens out.

And one more thing… my friend is looking for a cyclo-cross bike. Do you have a size 52 or 50 ‘cross bike that you want to sell? Let me know….

To say the last couple of weeks have been challenging would be an understatement. We miss our guy. We miss him so much. Many thanks to all of you who took the time to phone, email, text, comment and just listen to us talk about our Murphy. Marc and I truly do appreciate it.

Some people don’t understand how we can feel the way we do. Murphy was a cat – yes – but he was also a member of our family. Marc and I have been together for almost 21 years and we had Murphy for 19.5 (and our other cat Minou for 13 years). So there is a big hole in our lives right now. It’s amazing really how quiet and empty our house feels now. I guess an elderly 4.0 kilogram cat did make more noise than we realized!

This weekend we’ve been treated with looking after our neighbour’s cat. Wow – it’s so awesome to pet a cat and to hear good ‘ol Edwin purr away. He and Murphy weren’t the best of friends but together they did a good job of keeping close tabs on the happenings on our street.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit uneventful really. Lots of bike riding in the basement. A good mix of trail and bike path running. Some excellent meals out with friends. And lots of just being thankful for what we have.

One new and pretty awesome thing is my involvement with the Parkdale Food Centre. I started volunteering at this local food centre three weeks ago. I do have to say that Tuesday evenings are very special to me now. There is nothing quite like helping others and really experiencing first-hand what it means to be appreciative and thankful. There is so much good stuff happening at the Parkdale Food Centre and I really feel so lucky to be involved.

Speaking of being lucky, in a few weeks I’ll be in Mexico! This will be my first time going “down south” and somewhere “hot”. I’m going on a six-day yoga retreat at Casa Om – this retreat is organized by two yoga instructors from Mountaingoat Yoga studio here in Barrhaven. I’m really looking forward to this trip. Even more so because my mom is coming as well. It will be a great chance to relax, unwind, do some great yoga, explore, and simply chillax.

Marc and I are also in the midst of planning a summer vacation. We’ve tossed around a lot of destinations but are now thinking of the French Alps. Amazing riding. Great trail running. Good hiking. Awesome food. Spectacular scenery. So, if you’ve been on a similar vacation in the Alps – let me know the scoop! Where did you stay? Any suggestions?

A lot of people have asked me how I “pass” the time on the trainer day-after-day… Well, here’s my secret: Netflix and The Good Wife. Perfect program for riding, regardless of the type of workout – you can get the gist of the story even if you’re staring down at your power meter and can’t focus on the television screen… Interesting story lines. Good actors. (Yes, I know television pollutes the brain – but really – isn’t life about balance?)

Speaking of training – I couldn’t be happier to be back riding under the guidance of coach Steve Weller of Bell Lap Coaching. It’s so refreshing to have a plan and a purpose for each ride. It’s only been a little over a month but I can feel a difference already. I really can’t wait for the spring and getting out there for some road rides. Oh, and of course – I’m looking forward to ‘cross season…

Well, that’s about it. We had a rough and horrible start to 2015 but I’m confident we’ve got the sad stuff out of the way and the rest of year will be a good one.

We miss you so much Murphy. Thanks for the great memories and an amazing 19.5 years. Every day with you made us smile.

I had planned to write about my sore hamstring today and how I’m finally listening to my body and not going for a fun and totally optional ride on the trails at South March Highlands… but now I’m not going to bore you with these mundane details. (Hmm, suppose in a way I still managed to write about what I wasn’t going to write about…)

Instead I just want you to watch this video. I’m not a big video watcher but I knew this one would be worth watching since Marc suggested I watch it. Anyway, watch it. Listen to the kid. Take the road less traveled. Do something awesome today, tomorrow and the next day.

This past cyclocross season I rediscovered why I love racing my bike so much. I thought my racing days were well behind me… but thanks to the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross series and a pretty fantastic group of people who come out every weekend to setup, race, and tear-down the courses – I’m hooked again.

When Marc and I traveled to Winnipeg for the 2014 Canadian Cyclocross National Championships, I watched the masters women’s race – I wanted to be out there. I wished I had a bike with me so I could ride and race the course.

The seed was planted and it kept on growing. I spent many hours ruminating racing again. I realized I was looking forward to racing every Sunday and really hated missing out on a race. I was analyzing my races in the car rides home and finding myself spending more and more time on my bike.

I decided that I wanted to really race again. So I made a deal with Marc – if I committed to riding the trainer three times a week starting in November and through-out the winter – he would give me some cyclocross training guidance. This was just the deal I needed to help me find that extra motivation to get up at 5 a.m and pedal away to nowhere in the basement (thank goodness for Netflix).

Flash forward to late December and a rather snowy and frosty run in the woods… My mind wandered towards racing and training. I made a decision. A big and smart decision. I got home, talked to Marc and fired off an email to my old coach and mentor Steve Weller of Bell Lap Coaching…

A couple more emails, a Skype chat, a visit with my gastro doctor and guess what? I’m a Bell Lap Coaching client again! This week I’ll be starting on a real structured and focused training plan that will see me lining up for the 2015 season fit and ready. I couldn’t be more excited.

I’ve got a few goals for the season that will help me stay focussed and determined when the rough days on the bike show up. I feel super lucky that Steve has agreed to take me on again. With his coaching, advice and encouragement he and I did some pretty fun stuff a few years ago. Looking forward to more fun stuff!