Tune into the Ottawa A Channel morning program on Wednesday at 8:15…. I’ll be on television speaking about my experiences with ulcerative colitis, World IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) Day, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada.

Wednesday May 19 is World IBD Day.

Be sure to click on over and sign the petition showing your support for World IBD Day and raising awareness of crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.

What a feeling it is to roll out onto the trail on the mountain bike. The big squish tires, the riser bars, the beefy bike – all it gives me a feeling of empowerment. I can conquer the rock gardens, flow around corners, drop down descents, and slide through the berms. All the while with a feeling of freedom wrapping around my soul. I feel free out there on the trails. My brain clears. My feet keep pumping the pedals. I notice my surroundings – the trees, the birds, the miniature frogs, the flowers, the quietness of it all.

This was my day on Monday. Out on the mountain bike soaking up nature cruising along the nicest trails I’ve ever ridden on. Each trail designed to connect, challenge, and build confidence. Bone dry and just wide enough for two wheels, these trails really had me loving my bike. Sure there were sections that had me stumbling, braking too much, coming off my bike, or just sighing deeply – but this is all part of the beauty and challenge of mountain biking.

It is me, the bike, and the trail. I determine what I can and can’t ride. I decide if I’m going to attempt a tricky descent. I decide where my front wheel goes. It is up to me to feel the bike and let go so it can do its job.

Yes, I had a pretty darn good day on Monday. Nothing quite like riding in a well-designed mountain bike centre and with one of the most technically experienced mountain bikers in the area. I was out at the Creative Wheel Centre in Val-des-Monts riding with owner Dominique Larocque. We started out on some “easy” trails and gradually worked our way up the mountain traversing twists, turns, bridges, and rock gardens. We ripped down some awesome descents and then turned around and rode back up – practicing techniques and working on accelerations. Lots of lessons learned on my part. My nerves were tested and got the better of me a couple of times. I tried to stay relaxed and become like “jello” – easier said than done for me.

Just a great day on the bike. The time flew by. I could have stayed out all day. Riding and soaking it all in. Can’t wait to get back out there for more riding and learning. Nothing quite like those big squishy tires bouncing over rocks, roots, and bumps – the big bike taking me on a journey of growth and success.

In a way I suppose it isn’t a bad thing that I’ve been absent from this site for a few days. I’ve been busy riding, recovering, and riding some more! Some days it is hard to find time to sit down and write a blog post. I know, not a real excuse but this is where I’ve been for the past few days.

I definitely have got in some great rides these past few days. On Friday I hit up Kanata Lakes on my trusty mountain bike. The rocks and trails were a bit slippery and there were some definite muddy sections – but this is why I’m out there to get used to the more challenging conditions. I had a great ride, rode on some “new-to-me” trails and I think I found some newish trails as well. I did have one crash that sent me off to buy leg armour in the evening. I decided that landing knee first on a rock was not the best…. There is something about riding in the woods that just makes me feel like a kid. Zipping along with the birds chirping and being surrounded by nature – really makes me appreciate the freedom of the bike.

This weekend was all about the road bike. Pretty standard weekend rides. Got out early on Saturday as my parents were coming into the city for lunch and then we were off to a World Cyclo-Cross Championships party. Many thanks to Marc’s parents for hosting the party and bringing everyone together. It was awesome to see everyone and especially to watch the video that Marc’s mom made (looking into getting this video posted online). Today was my longest ride ever. Five hours and 15 minutes of saddle time. I hooked up with Paul and Sally D. and their friends for a great ride. We hit up Pakenham, Arnprior, Carp, and finally back to Barrhaven. A most excellent ride. I must say the peanut butter cookies and date squares at the Pakenham General Store are very very good.

Ah, Shaun just hooked up the laptop to the television and I’m now listening to the sweet sounds of Phil and Paul announcing the Tour of California. Pretty cool to watch this race live.

Well, tomorrow is going to be a big day as well. I’m off to Creative Wheel for some expert mountain bike instruction.

Feeling some forward progress. Feeling the miles I’ve put into my legs starting to pay off. Fitness is coming around. Head is feeling good. With each pedal stroke my confidence is growing. Loving getting out on my mountain bike – I feel I’m further ahead technically now already. Soon enough I’ll get out my ‘cross bike an start doing some drill work with flags and barriers. And yes, the running shoes will be making an appearance soon. Never a dull moment. Life is good and I’m feeling the rewards of another solid training block.

Monday kicks off a rest week and Friday I’ve got another “power wattage zone test”. Will be interesting to see how things have changed – in the legs, lungs, heart, brain and soul.

I’m pretty darn stoked to tell you about my new sponsor…. I’ll give you a few hints: Flak Jacket, Jawbone, styling caps, super durable bags and polarized lenses. That’s right – you guessed correctly!

Oakley

Pretty happy about this sponsorship for the 2010 – 2011 season. I’m fortunate to have Oakley on board providing me with stylish and functional sunglasses, lenses, and some sharp swag to wear off the bike.

Last night when I hooked up with Skip of KingsBridge Disaster Recovery – who used his connections to bring Oakley on board, I received some new product to test out. Oakley Flak Jackets. I quickly put them on to see how they would fit – I struggle with glasses since I have a small face, small head, and my cheekbones seem to stick out a bit… These glasses fit perfectly – nice fit on my head, the arms don’t get in the way of my helmet, and the lenses have a perfect cut to them that lets them sit on my face.

The sparkly red frame looks super sharp with my red, white, and black kit as well! Last night on our mountain bike ride, I wore the Oakley Flak Jackets with the hydrophobic XLJ lens. The iridium lens tint made every blade of grass, pine needle, and rock pop out so I could clearly see them. One of the best parts was that the glasses stayed in place – no slip sliding up and down my nose!

Today during my recovery ride, I slid on the Flak Jackets again to see how they’d be in the bright light. In a word – perfect. The road surface was much more clear, the glasses didn’t fog up and quite honestly, I really didn’t notice them – they fit snugly and did a great job of preventing my eyes from drying out.

All in all, I’m pretty darn happy with these glasses. Many thanks to Oakley for the glasses and the smooth caps. No more helmet head for this bike racer – the tough decision will be choosing which hat to wear after training rides and races.

Thanks again to Skip of KingsBridge for arranging this sponsorship.

Well, this is what I hope this post will be. It has to be quick since I’m a bit tight for time right now. And it should be good, otherwise you might not come back to read more! So here goes nothing…

Three excellent days of riding are in the books. Long ride on Monday. Tempo and sprint work-out on Tuesday. Long ride today with an hour of tempo tossed in for fun. Tonight I’m out for a mountain bike ride with Skip from KingsBridge. Should be a good one. Great way to spend the evening. The wind seems to have dropped a bit and it is just the perfect temperature from some evening riding.

Tomorrow is a sweet recovery day. 90 minutes of just easy riding. Think I’ll need it for sure. And then Friday things ramp up again and close off perfectly on Sunday with a five hour ride. Lots of riding.

And if there is one thing that all this riding requires, it is fuel. I haven’t been doing a very good job lately of fueling my body. I got caught up in the same trap I found myself in last year. Afraid of carbohydrates… I know it doesn’t make sense – I’m an endurance athlete – I need carbohydrates. But call me a victim of popular culture I suppose – I read women’s fitness and food magazines and websites. And I got a bit silly. Convinced that I should be eating like these women who aren’t spending four hours a day on their bikes. So I severely reduced my carbohydrates. It was okay for a while. But then I started to get tired. Sleepy. I bonked that one fateful day. You’d think that would have been a wake-up call… So now after some stern words from Marc, I’m working on adding more carbohydrates into my diet. But it is so hard. I have an inclination to eat some vegetables or some cottage cheese rather than have rice or bread. So today, knowing that I’m riding twice and that I’d just finished a three hour ride, I added two pieces of cinnamon raisin bread to my lunch. Small steps. It is fascinating how even though I know that I need carbohydrates to fuel my sport and my body, I became brain-washed and a bit disordered with my eating. Problem is when I look in the mirror I see my abs popping out and my lean muscles – I like this, so I kind of got caught up in it. This is a hard thing to fight. But I’m doing it. I want to get the best out of my body so to do this I need to give it what it needs. Fat. Protein. Carbohydrates. Peanut butter…

All this to say – eat. Female bike racers especially – eat the food. We all want to be skinny bike racers but not all of us are meant to weigh 110 lbs and we’re not climbing mountains so we don’t need to be super skinny. It is so easy to get caught up in the cyclist trap of trying to be as lean as possible, forgetting that our bodies need fuel to keep us doing the sport we love.