Yesterday while doing my strength work-out I started thinking about how I was going to get ready for the Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour on June 7/8 and the Ultimate XC trail race (21 km) on June 28…. In typical fashion I let my brain race with ideas of how to get the fitness I need to enjoy these two events (rather than suffer through them).

I’m used to have structured training plans designed by a cycling coach – these training plans basically told me what I would do each and every day. At times I felt “ruled” by the training plan and craved spontaneity but more days than most, I was content to have my work-outs planned out for me. If it was written down I did it. It’s amazing how used to this mode of training I became.

And now here I sit with two big events on the horizon without a plan… the type A in me is starting to get a bit anxious about this. But the other slightly relaxed side of me is really trying to enjoy not being ruled by a plan… and this is where my brain starts to go a bit crazy, trying to determine how I can best get ready for these two events, while still being able to do everything I want (mountain biking, long road rides. and trail running).

In early May I’m planning on doing the MEC trail race at Camp Fortune – this will be a good event to build on towards the Ultimate XC at the end of June. But, typically I had a more (or so I thought) brilliant idea – how about I ride my bike to Camp Fortune (90 minute or so ride), run the 12 km trail race, and then ride home! This would be a great training day – I get to ride my bike and trail run and I get “load” my body with a really big day. I mentioned this idea to my friend last night – she kind of choked – and then I mentioned it to Marc, and he responded with “Are you well?”. So I guess this idea is not one of my better ones.

This is what happens when I don’t have a plan: I go through waves of intense training/activity counterbalanced by too many easy days or complete rest days. I’m starting to realize that I’m not really a “winging it” type  of person but I also know I don’t want to go back to the hard-line training plan. So what to do? What do you do? Are you the type of person who likes to have a training plan or do you do your own thing or do you have a loose training guide? I’m trying to find the happy and successful middle ground.

This happy middle ground will ensure that I don’t get too stressed out about being prepared for these two big events on my summer calendar. There is nothing worse than going into an event and not feeling prepared. I definitely don’t want to do this but I know that if left to my own devices, I can easily do too much and then ironically not be ready either… (Yes, crazy brain is starting to creep back in…)

I realized the other day that I haven’t written in a while. Not sure what caused this – likely the overall general malaise with the current weather situation… I don’t know about you but when I look around, all I see is piles and piles of white. Not what I want to be seeing in almost-the-middle-of-March.

Yes, I know this means we’ve got many more weeks of skiing to look forward to… But really, I’m ready for some two-wheeled fun. I’ve been resisting the trainer in the basement but that June 7/8 Rideau Lakes Cycle Tour weekend is looming and I know for a fact that my riding partners have been sweating it out to the max in their basements…. If the snow doesn’t start melting soon, I’ll have to get on my bike and pedal to nowhere.

So what else has been happening? Well, really not too much. I’ve been slowly increasing my running volume and thanks John Zahab’s expertise I’m working on fixing some of my muscle imbalances and improving my running efficiency and economy… Who knew running was such a technical sport? I’m loving the running – I don’t mind getting out on cold cold days when I’m bundled up in my running gear. I particularly find running at lunch time on the trails at South March Highlands a great way to get in a work-out and enjoy nature for a bit.

Hmm, what else? Well, I’m reading a lot. I don’t know if you know but I set a challenge for myself to read all 40 books on the Canada Reads Top 40 List… This has been a great challenge and motivator – problem is that I’m a slow reader… I just finished book the 12th book – Galore by Michael Crummey (I’ll post a review later today).

I’m going to New York City in a few weeks. This  will be lots of fun. I visited NYC a couple of years ago with my mom and I’ve wanted to return ever since that first visit. So I’m super stoked to go for a few more days. I’ve got a few things on my “to check out” list (maybe this should be renamed to – to eat list)… but if you have any suggestions – shoot them over.

Really, that’s about all the action I’ve got to report. No races coming up for a while – check out my newly redesigned Goings On page to get the scoop…

Oh, one thing that is happening – I’m looking for more freelance writing work… Ideally I’d like a full-time work-from-home/remote/telecommute writing job. This can be technical writing, website content, social media content/management, ghost writing, online marketing collateral – or anything else that needs to be written. You know I’m good with words so if you know someone who needs a writer – feel free to connect us.

Thanks Mike for the hat and the great series!

Pssst, hey Ottawa/Gatineau outdoor enthusiasts/runners/snowshoers – where were you this morning? We missed you out at The Ark in Denholm, Quebec… It was a fine morning for a snowshoe romp through the woods with a great gang of folks. Oh well, this only meant more pasta, potato chips, world-famous brownies, beer and hot chocolate for the rest of us!

Yes, this morning saw a return to the famous Ark for the last in the Atlas Mad Trapper snowshoe race series. With the crazy rain yesterday, I really didn’t know what to expect with the drive and the course conditions. The drive was largely uneventful, save for the two deer who I caught by surprise on the gravel ice road – luckily they scampered away… The snow conditions could be called – soft, granular, coarse, and darned hard. The atmosphere at the Ark was very positive with lots of great chatter, smiles and laughs. Throw in the tasty brownies and the hearty pasta and the event/morning was a huge pile of fun.

As for the race itself? Well, there weren’t large numbers today. Maybe folks were stuck in their basements riding their bikes or simply decided to leave the fun to the rest of us? Regardless, the group that was out was an excellent one. As always happens at these Mad Trapper events, there are lots of opportunities to chat with friends, meet new people and to tell stories about the events that happened during the race.

So, back to the race… Well, initially I wasn’t that happy with my effort. I felt sluggish and was missing that extra gear. You know that feeling when you can’t seem to go deep enough to get the satisfying burring lungs and legs? That’s how I felt today. Ah well, in the end my run time was similar to my previous two races and after downloading my data from my Garmin 220, I see that my heart rate was pretty high and steady for the duration.

But really, the race itself is such a small part of the entire event. Yes, the personal challenge and the event itself are a big part of it, but an equally big part of the event is the people. I find everyone to be super friendly and supportive. Post-race, is all about hanging out with cool dudes and playing the “finger game” in an attempt to win one of the generously donated draw prizes.

To sum it up – it was fun. I’m really glad I did all three snowshoe races this season. Next year, I’ve committed to Dave and Laco that I’ll step up and do the 10 km races (this year I did 5 km)… Huge thanks to Mike and Monique for organizing the races, for cooking up some awesome food and for letting us come on over and play in the snow.

(P.S. if you’re new to snowshoe running and this was your first or second time out – you definitely have to come on out on Wednesday evening with the Natural Fitness Lab gang. We run every week in the Gatineau Park, chasing down our fearless leader… You can’t beat running under the stars with a headlamp to guide you along the way.)

(P.P.S I took a post-race epsom salt bath (TMI?) and during this hot and steamy bath I read the latest issue of Trail Runner magazine and now I know what I want to do in 2016… XTERRA Trail Run World Championships in Hawaii. Who is in? Note – anyone can do this race and who doesn’t want to go to Hawaii…)

2012 Koppenberg Cyclocross Race photo by The Chainstay

For those of you familiar with cyclo-cross, you will have heard of the Koppenbergcross – a storied and extremely challenging cyclo-cross race. This race brings the crowds and the top cyclo-cross racers out to duke it out on an historic course. For all accounts, it is a cyclo-cross race – a damn hard one – but still a cyclo-cross race… but now something is changing for Koppenbergcross in 2014…

The women’s race has been renamed to GP Twenty20 Cycling and this race will now offer equal prize money for the women racing. Yes – this means that elite women professional cyclo-cross racers will be paid the same amount of money for their results as the men. This is a big deal. A really big deal. (I’m guessing that some of you thought this was already happening – nope – women’s prize money lags far behind the men…)

It is a tremendous step forward for women’s cycling and cyclo-cross in particular that this change has happened. One of the people instrumental in building and creating this forward momentum in women’s cyclo-cross and in cyclo-cross in general is European and British champion Helen Wyman (also bronze medalist at the 2014 World Cyclo-Cross Championships). Helen is a member of the UCI cyclo-cross commission and has been working hard to bring about changes in the sport.

“In my eyes, this is a huge step. It is a very significant moment for women’s cycling. This allows women to make one step up the ladder towards equality. I spend a lot of my free time trying to advance women’s cyclocross and I hope this will lead to a chain reaction of races who do the same, as I know the support is there from sponsors, supporters and riders. To be a part of this development for the sport is fantastic for me,” says Helen.

Helen adds, “For the Koppenbergcross to be the first race in Europe to do this is very special.  I love the Koppenbergcross, to me it is the biggest race outside of the World Championships.  It is legendary.  To have an American sponsor back the race shows how significant it is around the world.  I can’t thank Twenty20 Cycling enough on behalf of all of the racers that take part next season.  I’m certainly already looking forward to the GP Twenty20 Cycling and hope to collect another cobble stone in 2014.”

Kristopher Auer, manager of Twenty20 Cycling, is proud to connect the name of his company to the women’s race of the Koppenbergcross. “Twenty20 Cycling Co. is a small two-store bicycle shop located in Baltimore and Savage, Maryland in the United States. One of the things that makes our business unique is how it developed from a cyclocross background. Since before we opened our business I have been supporting the growth of cyclocross in America. I was promoting UCI cyclocross races in Baltimore nearly a decade ago when I met my future business partners. Growing the sport has always been on our agenda and I’ve always looked to ensure both women and men can race with equal opportunity.”

“There have been a lot of discussion recently about the globalisation of the sport, and women’s racing is high on the agenda for change. Following discussion with Helen Wyman, a six-time winner in our UCI races in Baltimore, we looked for an opportunity to do our part to help advance these two key areas of change. As a company we are excited to be part of such a prestigious event as the Koppenbergcross. It is an amazing race with its own rich history, tough conditions and a fantastic venue. We are proud to be part of what I believe to be an important, if not historic, moment for women’s CX and women’s cycling in general. The growth of women’s sport is not to be ignored and we are hopeful that support of the Koppenbergcross will send a powerful message in Europe and the United States that the time is now.”

To read more about this exciting news, visit the following websites:

Koppenbergcross

Twenty20 Cycling Company

Helen Wyman’s thoughts on the announcement

Podium Cafe interview with Helen Wyman

So book your calendars for November 1, 2014 and get ready to watch history in the making.

Helen Wyman on Koppenberg – By Peloton Photos

Well, Feb. 16 has come and gone… a date I marked on my calendar way back in October 2013. I had originally registered for the 51 km skate ski race at the Gatineau Loppet (what was I thinking) but luckily I was able to switch my registration to the 27 km event.

The 27 km skate ski race was the perfect distance for me. One that didn’t require hours and hours spent out skiing but challenging enough to motivate me to get out and ski. I’ll come out and say it – I’m not a skier. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with it. I thoroughly enjoy the hard work-out but I also dread it, I enjoy the feeling of having gone for a longish ski but I also fear the ski as well. (So exactly what was I thinking when I signed up for the 51 km in October…)

Over the course of 27 kilometres on Sunday, I managed to hit every emotion possible: fear, elation, despair, relief, pure joy and a bit of anger. I suppose this is normal for a long endurance event and it’s a sign that I was pushing myself hard enough for my brain to get angry and to suggest that I should pack it in. Luckily I didn’t listen and instead I just kept on focusing on the kilometre markers along the trail.

Really the entire event is so well organized that it just went off perfectly. Many thanks to my pals from the Natural Fitness Lab group for their advice and tips on the day of (and all the help in advance with lessons and encouragement) and of course to Marc who got me out skiing and kept me motivated. And a huge thank-you to Josée – without those long weekend skis I wouldn’t have been able to do this – thanks for pushing my hard Josée!

As for the race itself – there isn’t much to say. I really just skied at my own pace. I was conscious of not “blowing up” so I might have been a bit slow at the beginning but I think this strategy worked out because I was able to catch and pass a number of people on trail 7 and on the parkway back to the finish line. I do think it would have helped to have skied the 15 and the 7 beforehand but since these are classic-only trails it wasn’t possible to do so.

Immediately afterwards I wasn’t sure I’d like to do the event again. But today (and even last night) I’m feeling as though I’d like to give it another go. If anything, registering for such an event helped me get out the door and get skiing. I know that for next year I need to practice my climbing technique and really try to work on getting a flatter ski. But as with anything, all in due time and ultimately the most important thing is to enjoy the process.

Skiing for me is all about getting outside in the winter s0 on days when I don’t feel like going or when it is crazy cold – I simply don’t go. This balance works perfectly for me – I don’t feel “forced” to ski and can do it for pleasure. I can continue to enjoy it and use events like the Gatineau Loppet and the great folks I’ve met through Natural Fitness Labs, Marc and Josée to motivate me to get out and soak up the brilliant winter sun and have some laughs along the way.

Up next is the Mad Trapper snowshoe race on Feb. 22 (considering doing the 10 km….).