A most excellent weekend was had in Toronto. Made it into the big city by the early evening – after a pretty much uneventful drive. The hotel was pretty nice – crazy valet parking situation but other than that definitely one of the nicest places we’ve stayed at this year. Went out for dinner with Steve and Josee. Had a good meal – tasty food and a quick stop at Sbucks for some warm drinks.

Steve loaned us 9 Ball Diaries so Marc and I chilled out and watched the Tim Johnson flic. Pretty good film – really great race footage. Interesting to hear Johnson talk and nice to know that even the top guys have doubts once in a while.

Excellent breakfast in the morning. And then we were out to Riverdale Park East for the day of racing. I raced first at 11:30 so we arrived a little after 9:00 – I got in 3 laps of the course and then had plenty of time to get kitted up and do some more riding on the road. I’ve written a race report.

Suffice it to say – it was a good day on the bike! After my race I hung out with Gregory and Liz as we dashed all over the course cheering on Marc, Steve and all the other Ottawa racers. A great day. I got to relax and watch Marc race and the added bonus of hanging out with Gregory and Liz. These two are awesome cyclo-cross fans – they run all over the course cheering and shouting encouragement. Thanks for coming out to cheer.

We left the city pretty quickly – after a quick stop at a Chinese bakery for some sweet Chinese buns for the drive home. Smooth drive with a stop for supper in Kingston and we were home by 8:00. Marc got to work quickly on cleaning the bikes and I got us unpacked and got the messy race clothes in the wash. By 9:00 we were flaked out on the couch watching Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

An excellent weekend. Easy travel. Great racing. Good race courses. Lots of fans out cheering. Extra bonus of hanging out with my brother and sister-in-law. Good times spent with Marc traveling and chilling out. Doesn’t get much better. So lucky to be living this life.

This is a rare moment for us – Saturday morning at home. That’s right – we’re not in a hotel or on the way to a race venue. Even better was we had a Friday night in our town – we did crazy stuff like going out for dinner, browsing in some shops, and just chilled out at home. The travel is getting to be a lot right now – as I’m sure most of you can attest to.

This being said, we are taking off in a few hours for the Big Smoke. The big city of Toronto is on our travel plans today. Racing at Riverdale East Park tomorrow for the Ontario Cyclo-Cross Provincials. By the sounds of it we’ll be sliding around in the snow. I was going to pack to a short-sleeve skinsuit – but common sense got the better of me – long-sleeve it is.

Just finished an opening work-out on the trainer. Don’t like doing openers on the trainer. Oh well, such is life when I’m not willing to go out and brave the elements like the hardy young guns. I watched an episode of Entourage. Not bad for the trainer. I also watched part of Taxicab Confessions – this is both enlightening and disturbing.

Sorry I didn’t post yesterday – the day kind of got away from me. Work was busy and then I met up with the CEO of Kingsbridge Disaster Recovery. We had a super smooth chat and catch-up – the support from this company has just been awesome this year. The enthusiasm for cycling is contagious – well really the enthusiasm for life and making the most of it, just flows from Skip. One of the best things an athlete can do is surround herself with positive and supportive people. Thanks Skip and Kingsbridge for the support this year.

Well, I best blast. Got a few little errands to do before we can hit the road. Currently debating if we can get all four bikes, plus wheels, bags, and people inside the Matrix. Don’t know – could be tricky. But the effort might be worth it – don’t want the go-fast bikes to get snowed on while we zoom down the 401.

See you in Toronto. Good luck if you’re racing in Southampton this weekend. Some serious start lists there – should be some great racing. Pedal hard! Remember to “Move Yourself”.

It is that time. The time in the season when things are getting a bit routine. You know what I mean. You’ve got more than a few races under your belt now. So the bike is dialed in. You’ve figured out where the seams are on the new skinsuits. The shoes are permanently damp and a bit musty smelling. The helmet has a little bit of mud in it that you just can’t get out. The travel is becoming more simple each weekend – unpack bag, wash, repack bag. The training has moved onto the next phase – probably a race and recover system.

For a lot of Canadians, the season is winding down. There are a few local races left in the respective “local” series, maybe a provincial title race coming up, and maybe just maybe a dash down across the border for that one last “big” race.

For the Americans, well the season is just hitting its mid-point. ‘Cross nationals aren’t until December so there is lots of racing, tweaking, and resting still to be done. Maybe a little more fitness can be gained. Time to get in some extra practice riding on frozen in mud and snow. Maybe a chance to take a weekend off to let the bruises and bumps heal.

I was thinking about the season this morning as I pedaled in place. It is a long one. My ‘cross season started in September and will end in January. We’ve traveled more weekends this fall than we’ve been home. Soon we’re jetting off to Belgium for a packed racing schedule. Then before we know it we’ll be home and thinking of the road season. Pretty all consuming. Not a bad thing. A good thing really. Though in the early morning when there is nothing on television and it is too cold and icy to ride outside – the season sure does seem long. My mind drifted to wondering what I would be doing if I wasn’t chasing my cyclo-cross dreams?

Would I still be riding the trainer at 6 a.m.? Would I still be keeping close tabs on my diet, recovery, stretching etc.? What if I was in an off-season right now? I started to dream wistfully of not riding and enjoying some kind of rest period. Ha ha – funny and foolish brain. This would never happen. Not my style.

I’m sure that if I wasn’t messing around in the mud and muck on my ‘cross bike, I’d still be training. Probably even a bit harder than I am now. I’d be thinking of the road season and on getting ready for the early spring races. Maybe even planning a trip to somewhere warm to get in some training and early racing.

So what’s my point here? Well, I just wanted to remind you and myself that there is method to our madness. That even though you might not feel like getting up and training right now, that you might be a bit tired of cleaning your ‘cross bike and you might think you need a break – you probably wouldn’t be doing much differently if you weren’t racing ‘cross. When you’re a bike racer, you are on your bike – training, racing, recovering, thinking about racing – living it and breathing it. Garmin started their camp this week – need I say more?

It is tough to train right now. It is cold and dark. The racing is tough – it is probably cold and wet where you are racing. But remember why you do it. You are a cyclo-cross racer. A true hard man/woman of the bike racing game. Besides, think of the cool stories you can tell your co-workers on Monday after another epic weekend of racing in the mud. Appreciate what you’re doing right now.

Had a solid interval work-out yesterday. My legs were screaming. But my brain was saying – bring it on. I needed to feel those legs and to see the wattage numbers. I’m getting stronger each week. The legs, heart and brain are back. Fully onboard and stoked. Today was a hard endurance ride – another solid ride to keep my blood pumping fast and a silly grin plastered on my face. I tell you, life is good. After watching the morning news program (Canada AM), I can tell you I really don’t have much to complain about.

Simple travel this weekend. Off to Toronto for the Ontario Cyclo-Cross Provincials. Cool. It has been a while since I’ve raced the Ontario provincials. Looking forward to it. This time the schedule is a bit different for me and the boys. I race first. Nice. I’ll race and then get to yell at my training partners from the pit. My little bro is coming out to catch the racing action as well. He is one of the best cheerers out there. If he knows your name – he’ll cheer for you. Many moons ago I ran a marathon and in the last kilometer, Gregory jumped on the course to run with me – he started yelling at the silent crowd – he yelled “Hey – her name is Vicki and she is finishing her first marathon – cheer for her!” Yeesh, gotta love having this kind of support.

Okay, I’m out. Have a good one. Best of luck in your races this weekend. Some of you are in Southampton this weekend – good luck and safe travel. For those of you racing in Toronto – get ready for some snow action and take care on the 401.

Yoga – I can’t live with out it. I’m a firm believer that yoga has helped me in all aspects physically and mentally. I started going to MountainGoat Yoga Centre in Barrhaven four years ago. I was looking for an “athletic” style of yoga that would give my strengthening and stretching. At the time I wasn’t too interested in the “spiritual” aspects of yoga. But now after four years of fairly steady practice – I’ve come to appreciate the full-body benefits of yoga. My body is leaner, stronger, more flexible and my crazy brain has learned how to relax and live in the moment. I fully believe that yoga has helped me rebound from injury more quickly, prevented injuries, and has definitely strengthened my upper body and core.

There are a lot of yoga studios in the Ottawa-area. I’ve tried quite a few. But MountainGoat is it for me. The environment is very welcoming, the teachers are top-notch, the other students are super friendly. Just what I want – a healthy and friendly environment where I can take some time to develop my body and brain. MountainGoat Yoga Centre has helped me out so much this year – promoting my sponsorship package and providing me with free yoga classes.

Top Ten Reasons to Start Yoga

As yoga grows ever more popular, athletes of all types are incorporating the practice of yoga into their training. Athletes know that flexibility is a key aspect of healthy muscle and therefore better overall performance within their sport.

Athletes of all sorts tend to over develop certain muscle groups, while at the same time within other muscle groups there is an underdevelopment. Ultimately muscles that are continuously overdeveloped become tight and inflexible causing an imbalance in the body that will eventually lead to injury.
Runners tend to have tight hamstrings; cyclists often have tight quadriceps. Those engaged in throwing sports or swimming may complain of tired or aching shoulders; golfers and tennis players may have more freedom of rotation in one direction than the other.

Yoga is one way to manage the demands on an athletes body and bring back a sense of limberness to an already strong body!

Here’s 10 reasons to begin your yoga practice today:

FLEXIBILITY: Yoga helps to improve flexibility and mobility, increasing range of movement. With an increase in ROM muscles move faster and further giving the athlete an extra edge. Many people can’t touch their toes during their first yoga class. Over time, the muscles lengthen, increasing elasticity, making more poses possible and enjoyable. Yoga also helps to improve body alignment resulting in better posture.

DECREASES RISK OF INJURY: A flexible muscle is a healthy muscle. A muscle that can respond to the lightning fast demands of quick movement within sports is essential. Athletes require that muscles lengthen when required without putting undue stress on the joints to decrease any risk of injury…..this is where a flexible muscle becomes an indispensable requirement.

PAIN RELIEF: Yoga can ease pain. Studies have demonstrated that practicing yoga asanas (postures), combined with deeper breathing, reduced pain for people with conditions such as muscles spasns/cramping, arthritis, back and neck pain and other chronic conditions. Some practitioners report that even emotional pain can be eased through the practice of yoga.

INCREASED STRENGTH: Yoga asanas (postures) use every muscle in the body, helping to increase strength literally from head to toe. Holding your own body weight for the duration of the yoga posture sculpts strong muscles but also builds stamina.

STRESS RELIEF: Yoga reduces the physical effects of stress on the body. By encouraging relaxation, yoga helps to lower the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Related benefits include lowering blood pressure and heart rate, improving digestion and boosting the immune system as well as easing symptoms of conditions such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, asthma and insomnia.

BETTER BREATHING: Yoga teaches people to take slower, deeper breaths. This helps to improve lung function, trigger the body’s relaxation response and increase the amount of oxygen available to the body. The more oxygen available to the muscles the better overall performance.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: Yoga (even less vigorous styles) can aid weight control efforts by reducing the cortisol levels as well as by burning excess calories and reducing stress. Yoga also encourages healthy eating habits and provides a heightened sense of well being and self esteem.

IMPROVED CIRCULATION: Yoga helps to improve circulation and, as a result of various poses, more efficiently moves oxygenated blood to the body’s cells.

CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITIONING: Even gentle yoga practice can provide cardio-vascular benefits by lowering resting heart rate, increasing endurance and improving oxygen uptake during exercise.

FOCUS ON THE PRESENT: Yoga helps us to focus on the present, to become more aware and to help create mind body health. It opens the way to improved concentration, coordination, reaction time and memory. Yoga gives you time to get to know your body better.

Convinced? Check out the schedules and class details for MountainGoat Yoga Centre. Your body and brain will thank you.

Massive thanks to Heather and all the other great teachers at MountainGoat. Your support this year has helped me so much – on and off the bike. I look forward to my yoga classes every week – a chance to recharge and refresh my body and mind.

Wow – for some reason the fatigue that hits on Monday after a weekend of racing is always a shocker. You’d think that by now, I’d be used to it. Nope. I’m good until about 3:00 – then I become pretty useless. Guess this is what a recovery day is for!

Not much happening really. Training wise, I’ve got a 90 minute recovery ride on deck. Me, the trainer, and the television. Don’t think I want to ride outside it is -3. But then again, it is better than riding the trainer. Ah, I don’t know….

I’ve posted some links to some photo pages from the Mercer Cup. Check out the photos page. Thanks to all the photographers who were out for the weekend. Not only does the cheering help, but the photos to look at after the race help as well.

Making a trip down the 401 again this weekend to Toronto. Racing in the Ontario Provincial Cyclo-Cross champs on Sunday. Looking forward to a short travel weekend and only one night away from home.

Can you believe that in three weeks we’ll be packed up and getting on a plane heading to Belgium? Talk about time flies. We are fairly organized. As organized as can be – considering the travel to Rhode Island beforehand.

So, the World Cups. I’ve made a decision. Thanks to some sage advice from Adam Myerson, Steve Weller, Marc, and Glen Rendall – I’ve decided to race in Nommay, Zolder, and Roubaix. Best to get the experience now this year, so that next year when I’ll be really ready to race with these girls, I’ll know what to expect and have the “first-time World Cup” jitters out of my system. Kind of like racing elite here – now it is routine and I know what to expect – this greatly reduces the stress and anxiety.

Speaking of races and World Cups – I’ve finally updated my race calendar. Lots of racing action going on. You’ll notice that there are quite a few “smaller” races on my schedule. My belief is that when I’m in Belgium I should race as much as possible. I don’t care what the race is. I’ll race with junior boys, master’s men, elite women – whoever. The more racing, the more experience, the more learning – equals more progress. Sure, a lot of these races are not “prestigious” and don’t get covered on the big cycling web sites. No problem with me. I’m not racing in Belgium for the glory or attention – I just want to get better.

One big day that is not on the race calendar – Jan. 24 – Masters World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Mol, Belgium. This day I’ll be in Mol, cheering on and supporting Marc. Really looking forward to this.