What a great day it is! Today I start real training again. Until now I was simply “riding” – no plan and no methodology – really just riding to help me mentally and keep me moving. Well, now I get to start training – I’m pretty darn excited.

In fact I’m really feeling excited about the upcoming road season and of course the cycle-cross season. Normally I don’t do much road racing because I’m building fitness/strength in the summer months after a break from training and racing that typically extends into mid-March.

Well, the silver lining to this injury is that I can be ready and fit for the road season. I’m so keen that I even went through some race calendars and I’ve highlighted some races and events I will be doing… Here is a look at what I’m planning on doing:

April 15 Clarence Rockland Classic
April sometime – Almonte-Roubaix
April 22 – Calabogie Road Race
May 19 – UCI Road Race
May sometime – Ride of the Damned
May 26 – Dandelion Grand Prix – criterium
June 9-10 – Rideau Lakes
June 17 – Preston St.criterium
July 21 – GranFondo

If you know me well then you might be surprised to see the Clarence Rockland Classic, Almonte-Roubaix and Ride of the Damned races on my calendar… Well, I’ve decided this is the season of doing “things I never do” – yes so doing these races that I have adamantly said in the past I didn’t want to do. In addition to this race calendar I’m going to do the local training criteriums and you’ll likely see me out at Camp Fortune bouncing over rocks and roots on my mountain bike trying to keep up with the fast kids during the local mountain bike races.

Training-wise, I had a great talk with coach Steve on Friday. Steve has been coaching me for a few years now and we’ve developed a pretty good relationship. He knows that I’ll always want to do “more” – and he is excellent at keeping me controlled. What really impresses me about Steve is his openness to new ideas – I bounced some ideas off of him yesterday and he was eager to hear all about them – very refreshing and encouraging. (So basically, if you’re looking for a coach – visit Steve’s website!)

Yep, so pretty darn good day here today. I’ll be thinking of my friends traveling to France today to race the World Cup tomorrow and I really hope I can catch the highlights from the women’s race somewhere on the Internet. This is an exciting time to be a cyclocross racer and frankly an exciting time in general. Lots of good stuff happening and it is nice to be back in a very “happy” place.

This has been a week of discoveries. Most of it good news with a little bit of mixed news thrown in for spice.

The good news is that I’m healing ahead of schedule. The good news is that my physiotherapist has identified some dormant muscles in my body – the little muscles around my spine and one of my glute muscles simply are not firing. So now I’m working to get these dormant muscles active and doing their job. The good news in this is that I’ll be stronger than when I started down this road of recovery. The good news is that I met with an excellent sports medicine doctor today and got to see some x-rays of my spine and learn more about my injury.

The mixed news is that I am not able to do any skiing, running, or yoga. The risk of falling is still too high and I need to give the vertebrae the full 12 weeks to heal. The mixed news is that the x-ray has revealed that I’m likely in the early stages of osteoporosis. Apparently given my family history combined with the malabsorption issues associated with ulcerative colitis – this is not surprising. I’ll know more after the bone density scan.

The good news is that I’m talking with my coach tomorrow to discuss training and racing plans for the upcoming road season. The good news is there is going to be lots of great local racing and organized rides on the schedule for us Ottawa folks. The good news is I’ve received some great feedback and advice from a friend who really knows European cyclocross so I’ve got some great advice and suggestions for how I can improve my skills for the upcoming season. The good news is that I’ve discovered an excellent programs to help pass the time on the trainer: modern Sherlock by BBC One.

Yes, things are good. And I’m pretty darn confident they’re only going to get gooder… 🙂

I found this link to Low Pressure Productions thanks to a post on the Tall Trees Cycle blog, I discovered that there is going to be some winter racing in Ottawa…

So bookmark the page and stay tuned. Sounds like lots of fun.

Life is really about what you can do. Seriously – it is pretty simple. Determine what you want to do and figure out how you can do it.

It is too easy to get caught up in what you can’t do and forget about everything you can do. What you can do is what gives you the focus and zest for life that so many people neglect.

Make a list of everything you can do. Make a list of everything you want to do. The trick is figuring out how to do what you want. This is up to you. Look for inspiration. Talk to people who are really doing it. Learn. Listen. Do it.

There will be stumbles and falls along the way. This is life. But don’t lose sight of what you want to do.

This is a big weekend for my cyclocross racing pals. Pretty much everyone I know and have become friends with over the years of racing cyclocross is racing in their respective national championships this weekend. A very big weekend of racing for so many people. The build-up to a national championship is always a bit crazy – with trying to peak for the big day, trying not to think about the race too much, the travel, the hype surrounding the race, speculation about the course and who is fit and who isn’t – well it can turn into quite a challenging day before you even line up to race.

My thoughts are out there with you. You’ll do great. Remember the hard work you’ve put in and take confidence from the training, racing, recovery and lessons you’ve had this season. One race does not define you as a racer. It is a race and more than likely you’ll be racing next weekend. Just go out and race – let your legs do the talking and have some fun out there.

Racing in a national championship is a special thing. The fans seem to cheer more loudly. The announcer talks a little bit louder and faster. There are more photographers and journalists around. But remember the race is about you and your ride. Just like every other race you do.

Enjoy the day and remember that whatever happens – you did your best. Eat the cake and ice cream. Have the beer. You deserve it. You raced a good hard race and you’ve still got a big season ahead of you.