Well, I’m back into the full swing of training. Three days in and so far so good. Admittedly I’m not doing the mega-hours on the trainer or rollers that most of you are at this time of the year. No two or three hour rides for me yet. I’m taking things slow and steady.

At first when I saw my training schedule for the next few weeks I thought it seemed a bit light and I was confident it would be “too” easy. Uhm, yah, there is a reason I have a coach… In my case, my coach really does know best. So slow and steady it is.

On Friday I got out for a really fun trail run. It was only 20 minutes long but it was long enough. It was so refreshing to be out in the crisp winter air surrounded by white snow and simply enjoying nature. I ran in my familiar cyclo-cross training grounds so it was also nice to see this terrain under a cloak of snow.

Today was when the man with the hammer showed up… I did a steady 45 minutes on the trainer and then got myself to a hot power yoga class at MountainGoat Yoga in Barrhaven. So in the past, this Saturday morning class would be a breeze for me. The warm-up wasn’t a challenge and the abs exercises – well I barely broke a sweat. 15 minutes into the warm-up I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to finish the class. My arms felt like wet noodles and as for the abs, well I dripped sweat.

It was hard. Really hard. But I told myself that three weeks ago I couldn’t even do one push-up so to get through this class would be a massive accomplishment. The good thing about yoga is that no one is paying any attention to you. It was just me, my mat and the sound of my teacher’s voice. So I got through it. Boy did it feel good at the end.

I know like everything, my strength and endurance will come back with time and patience. This class was good – it reminded me of where I once was and how desperately I want to get back to that place.

On Sunday I’m off for a two hour winter hike. Not sure where yet, but I know it will be another excellent training session with I’m sure many more lessons.

(Stay tuned to this site because in the next week, a big project that I’ve been working on for a while will be revealed. I’m pretty stoked to share this with you. Also, a little bit nervous….)

Made it home to Ottawa on Monday with no incidents. Flight was pretty smooth – having an entire row to myself helped as did watching movies/television for the entire duration… Best news was that all of our luggage arrived and the bikes made it through fine. You just never know what is going to happen to the bike once it is taken away and placed in the belly of the plane.

Tuesday was a bit of a blur. Unpacking. Staring at piles of stuff considering what to do next. Catching up with the gang at The Cyclery was a major positive in the day. We talked cyclo-cross and road racing. Good stuff happening all around.

So this is my last day of the off-season. I’m not really sure if what I’m in right now is an off-season but I don’t have another word for it… I guess it is the last day of my recovery-season. I had a great talk with coach Steve on Tuesday and he’s already put together a solid plan for the next few weeks. Lots of fun stuff in the plan to keep things challenging – riding (of course) the trainer/rollers and then for some extra spice, I’m doing some trail running and “winter endurance training”. Winter endurance training basically is translated to: get outside, move your body, have fun, challenge yourself and just enjoy it.

I think I’m going to really be looking forward to my winter endurance training Sundays. (Assuming the temperatures don’t dip any lower…). Thursday it all starts again. I’m looking forward to it. It would be nice to be riding outside like my Belgian friends but I know it would be impossible to limit myself right now. As much as I’d like to believe I’m “good to go”, I’m still not. So it is a bit easier to follow this ease into/ramp up plan when the riding involves the basement and not moving, rather than getting out on the open roads. Suppose there are some benefits to being a bike racer who lives in snowy Ottawa.

Off the bike I’m starting something new tonight – Dutch lessons. For two hours a week for seven weeks I’ll be doing my best to learn Dutch. I do have some basics thanks to four winters in Belgium, but I’ve got a long way to go. I’ll let you know how things turn out.

You might be wondering how I spend my days now that I’m back in Ottawa… Well, you may know that I’m a writer. I spent 15 years as a technical writer and I have a Bachelor of Journalism. I’ve transitioned myself to a telecommute/work-from-home freelance technical writer and editor and freelance marketing/SEO/web site copy writer. Yes, so basically I have the skills and knowledge to write whatever it is that needs to be written. For example, user guides, training material, blog posts, web site content, installation guides, etc. So this is what I spend my days doing. Though the thing is, I’m short on contracts right now – so if you’re looking for a whiz-bang writer – I’m ready willing and able.

Okay, that’s enough of a sales job. Sorry to have to do that but such is the reality of life. Alright, I best be off – we’re in the midst of a snowstorm here in Ottawa so the drive will be slow and I don’t want to be late for my first class! If you’re in Belgium – please no more posts/comments/Tweets about riding without gloves… (For the record I’ll be riding in shorts and bare legs tomorrow…)

It is my last day in Belgium. Sitting here surrounded by bags, packed bikes and a little bit of chaos! Just about to sit down and watch the cyclo-cross in Hoogstraten and then on to packing up the last little bits. We’re out the door at 6:30 a.m. on Monday so we have to be done tonight!

So the big question: is this the end or the beginning? I think there are two answers to this question. Today marks the end of my 2010-2011 season. I’m closing the door on it and moving on to the new year. So today is also the beginning of my 2011-2010 season. A good place to be (I think).

Next week I’ll start back with structured training. I’ll look at race calendars with my coach and figure out when I’m racing. I’ll get back to a regular yoga routine as well to work on overall body strength and stretching. I’m hoping to mix in some fun off-the-bike training as well this year to take advantage of the last month or so of winter – winter trail running, snowshoeing, and winter mountain bike riding.

Yesterday I forced Marc to take a “holiday” day – so this meant no bike racing or training. We went to Oudenarde to visit the Flanders Cycling Museum. I’ve been wanting to take Marc to this museum for the past four years, so I was really happy that we could visit on Saturday. Wow – what a cool museum. Even though most of the supporting text for the displays is in Flemish, I still found it fascinating. The old bikes, jerseys, skinsuits, photos, etc. are a bike racer’s dream. From Oudenarde we hopped in the car and drove the short distance to Ghent. We had a great day in Ghent wandering around and spending time at the Gravensteen (a 12th century) castle. We ended the day with some tasty treats at Le Pain Quotidien. All in all, a great way to end our trip.

Most importantly are my thank-yous for making this season possible:

• KingsBridge Disaster Recovery
• Stevens Bikes and Stevens Bikes Canada
• The Cyclery
• Clif Bar
• Bell Lap Coaching
• Outdoor Gear Canada
• Oakley
• Champion Systems Canada
• Vince Caceres
• Peter Metuzals
• Luc Van Der Meiren
• Igance Clarysse
• Rene and Anne Swinnen
• Ludwig Gladines
• Joscelin Ryan and Tim Harris
• Denise, Ken and Karl Hoppner
• Alex Sanna
• Conor O’Brien
• Evan McNeely
• 4 Bikes
• Danny Verhestraeten
• Dirk Maertens
• Leo de Busser
• Daniel Van Oosterwyck
• Nancy Bober
• Nicole de Bie
• Nikki Harris
• Gabriella Day
• Simon Burney
• Rudy de Bie
• Ian and Timothy Austen
• Bob and Cheryl Woods
• Ottawa Bicycle Club
• Nurses and doctors at the A.Z. St. Elizabeth Hospital in Herentals

Of course, a massive thank-you to you my readers and supporters for sticking with me through this trying cyclo-cross season. I’m looking forward to a bigger and better upcoming season. See you on the bike!