You might know that I’ve started running again. I used to do quite a bit of running – I ran through-out university and then when I was training for taekwon-do I spent a lot of time running. I even ran a marathon a long time ago. I thought that since I’ll be here for the winter and since I’m not uber-focused on cycling training right now, it is the perfect time to start running again.

I went out and bought some shoes. Eagerly went out for my first run. Hobbled around the house and office for a week due to ridiculously tight calf muscles. I started running again one week later but my calf muscles were still sore. So I changed my running gait to land on my heel. I built up to three runs a week. Then I felt the pain. Stabbing pain in my right knee (right where the ITB is)… I and most others assumed it was my new shoes (that are almost minimalist but not quite). So I bought new shoes – but had never worn them until today… and then I returned them….

Thanks to a recommendation from a good friend, I made an appointment with a physiotherapist who specializes in running and running gait. Wow – what an amazing two hours. I learned that I have some severe muscle imbalances. I have become so “quad dominant” that my calf muscles, hamstrings, hip flexors, glutes and even my feet are very weak and for the most part only along for the “ride”. In other words – I use my quads for everything – from balancing on one foot to holding side plank to simply walking around.

These muscle imbalances explain why my calf muscles were so sore after the first run and also the reason for this ITB pain. The good news is that I can fix these imbalances. I’ve got a sheet full of exercises and some hard work ahead of me but this will pay off huge. This way I’ll be able to run, ski, snowshoe and even improve my cyclo-cross racing.

Interesting – I’ve always found it challenging to “float” over the barriers – struggling to lift my feet high enough. Well after watching myself run on the video, it is obvious why… My hamstrings and glutes are so weak and not “firing” that it is hard for me to lift my feet very high off the ground. When I run, my feet barely come off the ground. Very interesting.

I found the session to be amazing. Amazed that I could have such crazy imbalances. But I’m excited to see how I’ll feel and move once we get things sorted. This won’t be an overnight transformation but if I stick to my exercises and do them properly I could be running in two weeks. The other interesting aspect to this is it explains why I have always had such a hard time balancing on my skate skis – I tend to edge all the time and my hamstrings and glutes would ache all the time…. Kind of need these muscles to be working to keep that ski flat on the snow.

Fascinating how the body is connected and how it works to compensate for imbalances.

With all this being said – I best be off to to work on my As, Bs, and Ds with some skipping and calf raises thrown in as well!

The short version: great weekend. Solid and most excellent racing by Marc. Fun times had cheering on friends by me. All in all – a most excellent weekend was had in Northampton/Hadley.

It had been a long time since I’d been lucky to make the trip down to Northampton for the Cycle-Smart cyclo-cross race weekend. These races always feature lots of fun (i.e. challenging) twists, turns, ups and downs. Throw in a few sand pits and a few long power sections punctuated by roots and some super fast barriers and you have some excellent cyclo-cross courses and racing.

Rumor has it that there were over 800 racers registered for the two days of racing! This is very impressive and speaks well to the growth of cyclo-cross in all categories. Since I wasn’t racing, I was able to take in lots of the race action before and after Marc’s races.

Apart from watching Marc race, I really enjoy watching the women’s 3/4/masters race. I’m always impressed with the number of women lining up at 9:30 in the morning to race in often chilly conditions. This combined category brings with it a wide range of skill level, fitness and experience – making it interesting to watch. The front of the race (top 10 or so) are quite quick and often have some pretty strong bike handling skills – no fears of leaning into corners, ripping down descents and hitting the barriers at top speed. The race does get quite strung out but I find that the more competitive it is at the front of the race – the faster the middle and back-of-the-pack races. This all contributes to continued growth and development for all racers – the leaders are pushed from behind and those chasing are digging deep to catch the wheels in front of them.

The other thing I like about this race category is that these women really appreciate the cheering. The elite women’s and men’s categories always have lots of spectators and fans – but the women racing in the 3/4/masters category don’t typically have a deep fan base.

Along with cheering on Marc, Cathy, Mike, Natasha, Derrick, Al, Mike and a whole bunch of other people, I was lucky to catch up with lots of my “cyclocross friends”. It is so refreshing to catch up and find out how things are going on and off the bike. An extra bonus was bumping into my old coach Steve Weller – such a treat to chat with him.

Away from Look Park, I seemed to spend most of my time at Whole Foods Market… After hitting up the hot and cold food bars at Whole Paycheque for two days in a row, I promised Marc that I would not shop at this store if and when it arrives in Ottawa! It is super tasty and high quality food but darn expensive…

Yes, a good weekend was had. In fact it was so good that I started wondering aloud about racing at the 23rd Annual Cycle-Smart International race weekend in 2013…

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Marc warming up

Cathy out of the saddle digging deep

Max the travelling cyclo-cross cat

Lately this blog has been a bit gushy and rather happy. This is a good thing. The thing is, it has taken me a long time but I’m really finally getting it. Appreciate what is in front of you. Don’t wish for something you can’t have. Take what you have with gratitude and make the most of it.

This really struck home to me last Sunday in Cornwall. More than one person said this to me, “It is great to see you out on the bike again” and “It must feel so good just to be racing again”. Yes, yes it is. I’m loving the racing this year. I really appreciate every pedal stroke. Every race is like a gift (yes it sounds cheesy – but if you’ve had something you love taken away from you – then you’ll understand).

After the race I was talking to a friend of mine who has also gone through illness and not been able to race and train. She hit it on the head when she said “It must just feel so good just to be out there”. It does. It feels really good.

I thought I’d be on the sidelines watching this season. Instead I’m doing it. Cool. I don’t worry about my race result. I only want to have a good hard ride – go as hard as I can and ride as smartly as I can.

I’m looking forward to the last few races of the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross Series. Once the snow starts flying I’ll be out at the Atlas Mad Trapper Snowshoe Series and I’ll be huffing and puffing up the hills of the Gatineau Park on my skinny skate skis. This will be my first winter in Ottawa in five years – I’m looking forward to it.

Thanks to Steve Morris for the photo.

This past weekend around 200 cyclocross racers arrived in Cornwall for a fun day of racing and hanging out. We were treated to a dry day (stark contrast to the weather in Ottawa) and quite warm temperatures – perfect for the racers, organizers and other volunteers.

I think one of the best aspects I took away from the race this past Sunday in Cornwall is the camaraderie I see developing amongst everyone. Regardless of the category, racers are helping each other out during the pre-rides – looking at good lines, providing advice on how to tackle tricky corners and of course providing a little bit of competitive taunting. During the race, there are so many people watching and cheering us on – friends, family members and folks who either raced earlier or are racing later. Those cheers go a long way when it feels like your lungs are going to come out of your mouth and your legs are screaming at you to ease off on the pedals. After the race, it is so great to hang out with one another and relive the race. This likely only happens after the women’s race but – we are all congratulating one another on our respective races and hugs are even exchanged with those who we have raced with. Once all the races are over, it is very encouraging to see people out taking down the course – making the day so much easier for the volunteer organizers.

Yes, suffice it to say, I think we’ve got something really special here with the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross Series. A real community has developed and I think it will only continue to grow – especially with the number of kids and entire families coming out to race.

As far as my race? Well, I had a blast. I spent the race chasing Jen and trying not to let her get too far ahead of me on the run-ups. (Must remember to work on my uphill running…) It was a really challenging day out there on a course that did not have many opportunities to recover and lots of sections where we could really open up the legs. A sign that it was a good day on the bike – I was in bed by 8:30!

I won’t be out at the race this weekend in Renfrew but I’ll be out the following weekend in Almonte. It has been a very long time since I’ve raced in Almonte. I really hope the hills have flattened out… Best of luck to everyone racing this weekend – remember to keep pedaling (yes, even the corners) and to look ahead – the bike will go where you’re looking. But most of all – have fun and remember to smile!

On Monday I was chilling out on my yoga mat before class when a lady came up to me and asked “Are you the cyclist? How did it go?”. I realized that she thought I hadn’t been around the yoga studio since April because I was away racing… So I told her that I hadn’t been racing – that my race season really started in September but I’ve been sick and can’t race right now. I did my best to sound positive about everything – even while explaining ulcerative colitis. This lady listened closely to everything I said and responded with “Hmm, so I guess you’re very sad. But there are others thing you can do – like inspire others.” I think I instantly blushed and smiled.

Normally, I don’t want to talk to anyone before yoga class – I like to chill out and slow my brain down before the yoga session starts. But on this day, this conversation was spot on.

I realized that I have been sad. And I have been angry. I haven’t been dealing with the emotions very well. I’ve tried to ignore them. I’ve tried to mask them. I’ve taken my anger and sadness out on those (primarily Marc) around me.

It has taken time but I realize that I have nothing to feel sad or angry about. I am still racing – it is simply not the racing I had “planned” on doing. Wishing or obsessing about the races that I “should” be doing takes away from what I’m doing now. This past Sunday during the drive to Logosland for my race, all I could do was think about my friends who had just finished racing at the Tabor World Cup. I was obsessively checking Twitter for results and feeling kind of rotten. Not good.

I’m working hard on appreciating the here and now. I get to race my bike every Sunday with a very friendly and competitive group of women. I get to watch young kids race their bikes and listen to them talk about the races afterwards. I get to watch Marc race and cheer him on (something I don’t normally get to do). I get to hang out and enjoy the cyclocross scene and I don’t need to worry about a recovery ride, protein drinks, and my upcoming race/travel schedule. I’m having fun and enjoying the bike for what it is.

In between all this I’m doing some running (darn ITB pain…), thinking about skate skiing, getting back into a regular yoga practice, reading a lot, relaxing at home and doing things I haven’t been able to do in a long while. There is no time or reason to feel sad or angry – I’ve got a lot of good stuff going on.

I’m still the cyclist. Just not the cyclist I was before. I’m a different cyclist right now. And this is perfectly alright.