It is raining. Drat. I had planned to do my ‘cross work-out this morning. Now I’m waiting until this afternoon. Yes, I know that I’ll be racing in the rain. But I don’t find the need to train in the rain if there is a chance it will be dry later. I really don’t mind the rain once I get out there. But today, I’d like it to not be dark and raining when I’m out ripping it up.

So, this afternoon it is. Got a solid ‘cross ride planned – going to work on taking corners and obstacles at race speed and work on the all important starts. Got to work on my starts. I’ve figured out the problem (okay Marc and Steve figured out the problem) – slow leg speed – I don’t turn my legs over quickly and I pause after clipping in. So this is what I’ll focus on today. I’ve actually been paying attention to the leg speed on my road bike. Yesterday I noticed that when I have to stop (light, stop sign, whatever) – I’m slow to get my legs turning over – like a slow-motion sprint. So yesterday I focused on turning the legs over fast – amazing how quickly the wattage numbers jump!

Kingston Photos are up. I’ve also put a link on the Photos page.

Remember that the Ride with Rendall ‘cross training is still on for Wednesday night. Don’t be shy – come on out. All skill levels and club affiliations are welcome. It is a good fun time. I’ve learned a lot from these sessions. Great way to wind down after the work day as well – zooming around flags, jumping over barriers, and sharing some laughs.

Yeesh, it is 7:33 a.m. and still rather dark out there. More later.

Just in from a great ride on the road. Monday for me is all about recovery. I don’t really have much to recover from, since I didn’t race yesterday. But, I’m anticipating a heavy week of intervals so I did the recovery anyway. Smooth little 90 minute spin on some of my favorite roads in the south end of the city.

My mood definitely perked up once I was on my bike and getting away from it all. No computer. No deadlines. Just me, my bike, some tunes and the crisp air. Pretty lucky. Typically when I’m out riding, I write. That’s correct. I write. In my head. I write blog posts. I write magazine articles. I write emails. I write technical documentation. Guess this is what writers do. I presume that if I was a song writer, I’d be writing songs in my head.

But sadly, by the time I’m in the door, had some glutamine, hopped in the shower and sat down in front of the computer, I’ve forgotten it all. Sigh. This is endemic I suppose of a busy brain. But, today is different. Today I’ve remembered a few things I wanted to write about on this here web site.

Kalmthout, Belgium – World Cup. The first world cup of the season was yesterday. Canada only had one rider in the race. Wendy Simms. And she rode super well – to finish 8th. Pretty darn impressive. I’ve got to say that Wendy is one of the most approachable and friendly racers out there. She is always smiling and has time for everyone. I’m sure there are times when she’d just like to crank up the tunes and pretend that people aren’t staring at her while she is spinning out her legs after a race. Definitely an excellent role model for all us racers out there. What I find most impressive is that she always wants to know how “your race went”. Smooth. Classy. Also have to send a shout out to Sue Butler. I met Sue briefly last year in Belgium. She is super inspiring to me. She is doing it. Pro. Living the dream. Setting big goals and chasing them. Sue wrote about her race in Kalmthout on her blog. She had a solid ride to finish 14th.

To read a report from Kalmthout, filed by Christine Vardaros (who was the victim of some bad luck but rallied to finish 30th), check out CX Magazine.

So, that’s what I wanted to write about. Glad I remembered it.

As soon as photos are available from the Kingston race, I’ll be sure to post them on the Photos page.

Not much else to report on right now. Sorry – just a quiet Monday here at the Ottawa Cross headquarters. November will be busy – lots of travel. Lots of great racing. I’m enjoying this little travel break. Gives me time to hang out at home, re-connect with friends, chase Murphy (grey cat) around the house, and just chill. Though, this being said – I can’t wait to get on the plane on Dec. 9 and fly to Belgium. Sweet!

What a day! A beautiful day to be outside ripping around in the grass and leaves on a cyclo-cross bike. Today was the meeting of the Southern and Eastern Ontario cyclo-cross series of races. Two large fields raced all over Lake Ontario Park. There were also lots of fans out there cheering on the racers.

I didn’t race today. Had planned to but an innocent knock of my knee (yes, that knee) on my handlebar and I opened up the cut on my knee. I’m just getting over the infection and decided that it would not be wise to race with a now open and bleeding knee. Bit of a drag. I must admit I felt a bit “wimpy” deciding not to race but I have to consider the road ahead and the decisions I need to make to ensure I’m ready for the next phase of my cyclo-cross season.

I had a blast watching the race and cheering on the riders. It was also nice to chat with people and catch up. Thanks for the kind words about my ride at nationals and about my knee – definitely appreciated.

Marc rode super well today. He fought back hard after a late race crash. Dug even deeper after dropping his chain. He finished first in the Masters A race. Congrats Marc! Inspiring to see you fight back after a couple of setbacks. Shout out to Steve for a supreme ride and a fourth place finish in the elite race. Super hero of the day award goes to Glen for his spectacular crash and even more impressive recovery.

So goals for the rest of the 2008 – 2009 cyclo-cross season:

– to double the number of UCI points I have now before leaving for Belgium on Dec. 9. I currently have seven points. I want a minimum of 14 before I get on the plane. I have a chance to get points at Northampton, Toronto, New Jersey, and Rhode Island.
– to finish on the lead lap in every race I enter in Belgium. This includes World Cups, elite women’s races, junior races, and the odd masters’ men’s race. I was not able to do this last year.

So there you have it. Two new goals. Two big goals. Challenging, but I think attainable. These goals are two-fold – to keep me motivated through the rest of the domestic ‘cross season and to give me something to aim for while in Europe. Not to mention that more UCI points will help me gain a better start position in Europe. If I can finish on the lead lap in every race I enter in Europe, then I know I have a realistic chance of making the team for 2010.

That’s right – the team for 2010. (My fire has been re-ignited. Thanks to a great conversation with Marc in the car on the way home from Kingston.)

I don’t want any should haves or could haves in my life.

For the 2008 – 2009 season, I’m really fortunate to have Clif Bar on board as a sponsor. Basically, Clif Bar is helping me take care of my nutritional training and racing needs. Thanks to Clif Bar, I’ve got a my pre-race nutrition, race, and post-race nutrition covered. Shot Bloks, Clif Bars, and Shots are always in my race bag. And for a little treat, I’ve been known to munch on chocolate raspberry Nectar bar.

Check out the Clif Bar web site to learn more about the company, its products, the company’s efforts to fight global warming, and most importantly Cliff Bar’s community involvement projects.

Big thanks to Clif Bar for helping me out this year. Very much appreciated.

So it is that time. Time to iron out my new season goals for the 2008 – 2009 cyclo-cross season. As most of you know, my goal for this season was to represent Canada at the 2009 World Cyclo-Cross Championships on Feb. 1, 2009.

I set myself a big goal. Perhaps the biggest I could set (apart from wanting to win the World Champs). This is the thing about goals – sometimes they aren’t attainable. I think this is the sign of a worthy goal – one that is hard to reach, one that takes a lot of focus, one that does not come easy.

So now what? What are my goals for the rest of the season? Good questions. It is tempting to take the easy way out and say something like: three top ten finishes in elite women’s races (but I’ve already done this). Lets just say, I don’t know yet. I’ve got some ideas ruminating in my brain. These goals have to be strong. When I’ve had such a massive goal, the subsequent ones have to be just as worthy.

Challenging. Attainable only with continued hard work and dedication. You see, I’m a goal-oriented person. I need to shoot for the moon. I also need a lot on my plate. So this means I need to have goals that force me to stay busy and focused.

I’m still going to Europe! Yay! Leaving Dec. 9. But now instead of doing four World Cups, I’ll most likely only do one World Cup. I’ll have more room in my schedule to pick and choose races (heck, I can even take a weekend off if I want).

I’ll admit, this has been a tough week. I was tired from the racing on the weekend combined with the travel. Then my knee became infected. I’ve just been feeling tired. But today, I’m feeling better. Stoked to get out and spin the legs again. I think I’m missing my goal a bit – it was something I could hang onto – when I didn’t feel like getting out in the cold and pounding out intervals – I had the goal to get me out there. It really helped me.

Now what? Tough to know what to do. I’ll get it sorted though. It just might take me a while to get myself sorted out.

As for upcoming racing, well decided not to go to Delaware and Pennsylvania for the races this weekend. I’m no longer on a UCI points chase (lets face it – 125 UCI points is pretty much impossible for me to get by December – I think I have 7 points right now…). So I’ll be racing in Kingston this weekend – haven’t raced there in a while. Should be fun. I’ll still be hitting up the New England Verge series and the New Jersey USGP races. Then it is on the plane for approximately 18 races in Belgium and Holland (I still haven’t updated the race calendar…).

So this is where I’m at.