All this week I’ve really been thinking about recovery. Recovery while riding to work. Recovery while racing. Recovery while sitting on my backside watching my new obsession: Great British Bake Off.

Recovery is the key to effective training and racing. During training, recovery comes in many shapes – super easy rides when you put it in the small ring and simply roll along, taking days off the bike giving your mind and body a complete rest, active recovery when you do things such as yoga, stretching, walks or cyclocross skill sessions. During a cyclocross race, finding the spots on the course to recover are crucial to a successful race.

Most of us have tried to go “all-out” for the entire lap – this works for only so long. Eventually after a couple of laps it is harder to sprint out of corners, to run quickly, to have smooth barrier technique and to attack with vigour. You can only go all-out for so long during a cyclo-cross race – because the nature of the race requires punchy efforts and you do need to recover from these. Watch a rider who tries to race a cyclocross race like a time trial – it doesn’t really work over the duration of the race.

So when and where do you recover? Well, I subscribe to the Belgian philosophy – go really hard when the course is hard, sprint out of every corner and obstacle, and recover on the easy sections. This typically means that if there is a heavy section (mud, sand, false flat, climb, run-up) you need to give it your all – these are the sections when your competitors will be suffering and will have the tendency to ease off a bit. The recovery comes in on the pavement sections, long straight sections, descents, and coming into the barriers/dismount sections.

Finding these little spots of recovery allows you to dig deep when you need to and to continue to have that punchy power you need during a cyclocross race. When it comes to training the same philosophy holds true – recovery allows you to have more effective and purposeful training sessions which likely during this time of the year involve lots of different types of intervals.

Of course, I haven’t touched on mental recovery. This is highly individual – some of us recovery mentally during recovery rides, others might recovery mentally by not spending any time reading cycling blogs/news articles/etc, and some others might not worry about mental recovery until the end of the season. This type of recovery is a very different domain than physical recovery but in my opinion is as equally (if not more) important than physical recovery. The cyclocross season is a long one and it is important to give yourself a mental and physical break.

Recovery is essential if you want to avoid the “crack”. I’ve experienced the “crack” in almost every season I’ve raced. Typically for me it would come around December – I’d have been racing since September and the weather was likely unpleasant at this time while living in Belgium. The “Belgian crack” is not a lot of fun but after a couple of seasons of experiencing this, I learned what to do to prevent it – sometimes this involved a little bit of chocolate therapy – but in all seriousness this meant taking days completely off from the bike and doing something like a day trip to Leuven or Antwerp or hanging out at Cafe Libro with a good book and tasty latte.

Whatever you do, don’t neglect recovery. While hard training gives you a big feeling of satisfaction, recovery lets your legs and heart have a break and truly benefit from the hard efforts on the bike.

Yesterday was the third race in the Eastern Ontario Cyclo-Cross Series – a large number of hardy and eager cyclists made their way out to Perth, Ontario for a great day of racing and fresh air. While the day started out a tad brisk, the sun soon came out and most racers (myself included) were complaining of being overdressed for their race… Yes, it seems even with lots of experience racing and training in all sorts of conditions, I still can’t get it right – I forget that the body warms up rather quickly when faced with the task of a 50 minute romp through grass, over barriers, up hills, down hills and through numerous twists and turns. Amazing how much warmth that thin spandex suit actually provides!

(Lesson number one: a cycling cap provides a great deal of warmth – more than is needed on a 10 celsius day, especially when all ready wearing leg warmers, a long sleeve skin suit, thickish socks and gloves.)

The race in Perth was a big step forward for me. I’d be racing for a full 50 minutes in an all women’s field. I was a bit nervous. Okay, I take that back – a lot nervous. Each time I saw another fit woman show up and pull on her racing kit, the butterflies in my belly got a bit more active and I started to feel a bit more hesitant. But then I reminded myself that this was for fun – there was no pressure. And hanging out with some long-time racing friends, helped take the edge off.

The course in Perth is a lot of fun. Long power sections where if you have the fitness you can really open up your legs combine with some sand riding, some nifty twists and turns, good use of the hill and two sets of double barriers. Really a course for everyone but one that I think allowed the true cyclo-cross riders separate themselves a bit with smooth brake-free riding through the corners and knowing how to ride some of the more “boggy” sections. (Lesson number two: when you see a long wide section of tall grass and there are tracks that look wet and muddy – look for the dry grass. You don’t have to ride where everyone else is riding.)

So the race. Well, I had a decent start – should have gone harder at the start as I wished I was on Sophie’s wheel as she was able to get free of the bottle neck and traffic that clogged up the first two turns. I was sitting comfortably in the back of the “chase” group, looking for spots to pass and trying to figure out how to get up to Alyssa who I was hoping would take me up to Sophie… Then came the steepish hill and I made a big mistake – I dropped my chain at the bottom of the hill. Drat! I had to stop and put the the chain back on and then I had to run up the hill… Sigh, I lost many spots – oh well, I put my head down and executed my typical race strategy – chase, catch and pass. This actually turned out to be a lot of fun. I ended up riding in a group for a while and simply tried to ride each section as cleanly as possible. (The cheering squad by the sand was fantastic!) With one lap to go though, I kind of ran out of steam – I could no longer accelerate out of the corners and my barrier technique had become rather poor. So I let go – and simply rode. All in all, I’m satisfied with the race. Having a better start and not making the mistake with my chain would have made a difference. But really, this only would have made a difference on paper…

The real outcome was still the same. I got to be outside racing my bike and having a good time. Until yesterday when people have asked me if I’m racing again, I would answer with something along the lines of “well, I’m not really racing. I’m just going out and riding around”. But this is not true. I am racing. I am lining up and giving it my all. It doesn’t matter that I’m not as fit as I normally am or that my technical skills are not as sharp as they normally are. I’m out there and I’m doing it. So yes, I’m racing again. And it is fun. Darn fun.

Big lesson learned: racing is what you make it. It doesn’t require that I be in tip-top shape. It doesn’t require that I have flawless barrier technique and that I sprint out of every corner. Racing requires that I’m out there, digging when I can, huffing and puffing and at the end of it smiling.

I suppose it is fitting that this big lesson sunk in on Thanksgiving weekend. On August 21 there was no way that I would have dreamed of lining up for a cyclo-cross race. But I did it. I couldn’t be more thankful for this.

A big thank you to the person who yelled this out during the race “It is great to see you out here again Vicki”. Wow – that really hit me hard – I think I grinned when I heard it. Because you know what – it is great to be out again. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

Next race is in Renfrew, Ontario. Another fantastic town that has welcomed the Eastern Ontario Cyclo-Cross Series. See you out there!

(Oh, check out the new website that Marc and I launched today: Guide To Racing Cyclocross In Belgium. Our goal with this website is to help anyone out who is interested/curious about racing cyclocross in Belgium. We’ve spent the last five years there racing, training and living – we’ve learned a lot along the way – some of it the hard way… and we want to enable others to go to Belgium and have the same experiences we’ve had.)

Sunday was the big day – my first race since mid-November when I crashed and fractured a vertabrae in my spine. I was a bit nervous in the morning but by the time I arrived at the most excellent park in North Gower, my nerves had settled. I have to say that seeing so many friendly faces and talking to so many cool people before the race really helped to settle me down.

The extra special factor about Sunday’s race in North Gower was that it was the annual madison race. This is a partner race – your partner does a lap – tags you – you go out for your lap – tag your partner – etc. This lends itself to a relaxed racing atmosphere with some teams focused on the “win” and most others simply out there to have fun. Due to the popularity of the Eastern Ontario Cyclo-Cross Series, the organizers held two races – the first race featured mainly kids, masters riders, women and occasional racers and the second race was primarily elite riders with a few women as well.

I’m not sure how many times I’ve raced the madison race but this year goes down in the history books: I was able to partner with Marc! I think this contributed to my nerves – I really didn’t want to let Marc down. But Marc was in it for fun and did everything he could to encourage me and cheer me on.

The race course was a lot of fun with a tricky sand pit, some fun little bumps, some twists and turns, a steep climb up the hill and a few well-placed barriers. The perfect course for my first race back. So how did it go? Well I went out way too hard for my first lap – had that horrible burning feeling in the back of my throat and some tightness in my chest. Needless to say my next three laps were ridden at a slower pace!

I have to say – I had a blast. The cheering from those watching, the banter during the race as we waited for our partners to roll in, the cheering of others in the race – it all just made for a great experience. After the race it was very nice to see so many people help take down the course.

All in all, a great day on the bike. I’ll be out at the next race this Sunday in Perth (I heard the hill is a bit steeper there!).

I’m not going to lie – this not racing is not so easy. Honestly, it is damn hard. Going to the cyclo-cross races these last few weekends has been fun – I get to connect with lots of my friends, cheer on Marc and everyone else racing, listen to the post-race stories and hang out with like-minded people.

When I watched the elite women race in Vermont, I really didn’t miss the racing. What I did miss was the “feeling” of racing – lining up and going for it. I didn’t miss the before and after the race: the pre-race stress, the thoughts after the race about what I could have done differently, the crunching of UCI points.

I missed being part of something. Right now I feel like I’m not part of anything. For so long my identity has been wrapped up in being a cyclo-cross racer. Usually at this time of the year I’ve got plane tickets booked, hotels arranged, race entries sorted, and the next few months planned out.

Instead I’ve got an open calendar. No training rides to do. No planes to get on. No races to get ready for.

This is a strange space to be in. I have the time to do other things but thanks to the ulcerative colitis I can’t do these things yet. Instead I have to take each day as it comes and try to maximize that day (while observing a fine line in the sand that ensures I don’t do too much). Yes, I’m lucky – I’m not in the hospital anymore, I can ride my bike to work, I can return to yoga, I can start running, I can even do some easy racing – but I guess I just want to be normal again.

It is hard getting used to my new “normal”. I can only be optimistic that my new “normal” will eventually evolve to allow me to do longer runs, to do lots of nordic skiing and snowshoeing this winter, and to do lots of long road and mountain bike rides in the spring/summer/fall. Right now I have to be patient and appreciate what I have.

But it is hard. I feel like I’m living vicariously through you – listening to your race re-caps, asking detailed questions about your training plans, offering to help with skills clinics – anything I can do to be part of the cyclo-cross community. I guess the real message here is to really appreciate the moment/the day/the experience. Yes, cliché but true.

This weekend my thoughts will be in Gloucester, MA at the Grand Prix of Gloucester – cheering on the women racing in the 3/4/Masters and elite race and with the guys duking it out in the men’s masters and elite races. Have fun – pedal hard – look up – anticipate – easy on the brakes – sprint out of the corners – smile. And if you see me slogging around the race course in North Gower this weekend – feel free to yell a few words of encouragement at me – and make sure I’m smiling at all times.

Wow – what a day it was out at the Calabogies Peaks Resort. An easy hour and a bit drive from our place in Ottawa and we found ourselves in the just the perfect spot to enjoy the fresh air and watch some cyclo-cross racing. (It helps that there is a fantastic coffee shop in Burnstown – Neat Coffee Shop – to stop at before and after the race!)

The three of us (myself, my dad and Marc) arrived at around 10:30 to lots of action – the women were warming up, the kids were getting psyched and the Masters men were discussing their race. To say there was a lot going on would be an understatement. Soon enough the women and kids were off racing (amazing that 52 women are registered for the Eastern Ontario Cyclo-Cross Series) and I got busy cheering and chatting.

With a prime location next to the barriers and a view of a good chunk of the course, my dad and I were able to take in the action and get some shelter from the rather bitter wind. It was so great to see so many women of all ages and abilities out there racing and to see the kids heaving their big bikes over their special barriers – all the while smiling with a bit of huffing and puffing.

Marc’s race started with a flurry and it was full on gas for an hour or so. This last race is where the elite men come out to race around and it was refreshing to see that even these guys make some mistakes at the barriers and on the steep climbs and descents. (Rumor has it the barriers were very fast – hence the missteps and collisions…)

I think the best part of the day was seeing so many friendly faces. I got to catch up with lots of folks, meet new people and just feel part of the tremendous cyclo-cross community we have in here in Ottawa. Even better was taking in how supportive all the racers are of one another – chatting after the race, encouraging one another, staying to cheer on the next category and really appreciating being out on the bike on a beautiful sunny day.

Of course none of this would be possible without the dedicated volunteers – Bob, Cheryl, Ian and all the others who manage the courses and are there long before and after most of us doing set-up and tear down. Thanks to these people, we have a very affordable race series that gives so many a chance to come out and play on their bikes on Sundays.

Up next is the madison race in North Gower. I heard that there are already 240 people registered for this two-person team race. This is incredible. Who needs the NHL when we’ve got cyclo-cross? I’ll be out at North Gower racing on Sunday – looking forward to some fast pedaling and more cheering!

(A big thanks to my dad for letting us travel to the race in style in his car and for coming out to the races for the day. One day I’ll get him on a cyclo-cross bike and in a race…)