I kind of thought my racing days were over… but it turns out they aren’t…

These last few weeks I’ve been spending time riding the trainer and watching many programs on Netflix – and this has resulted in lots of time to think. All of this riding in place has made me realize how much I miss structured training, setting goals, and challenging myself.

I’ve decided that I’m not ready to stop racing. I had so much fun racing in the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross Series this year and I want to experience these sensations again next year. The difference being I want to be racing with fitness and strength.

It has been a long time since I’ve “trained”. Since April all I’ve been doing is riding my bike to and from work and then racing cyclocross on Sundays. I know from these last few weeks of trainer time that I have a lot of work to do.

But this is okay. I’m mentally and physically ready for this. I want to race again so I’m willing to do the work to get me ready for it.

My racing plans are pretty simple for the upcoming season: race the occasional road race, race the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross Series, and do some cyclocross races in New England. Amongst this I plan to spend lots of time on my new mountain bike (maybe do some four or six hour mountain bike races), participate in Rideau Lakes and do the Tuesday night trail runs in the Gatineau Park.

I thought I was done with racing but I’ve realized that I need to finish racing on my terms – not because I’m sick or injured.

(Now I’d like some real snow to fall so I can get out and ski and make use of my brand new snowshoes.)

I’ll admit it – I miss racing my cyclocross bike. I guess I looked forward to the Sunday morning races more than I realized. Now instead of thinking about the upcoming race, I find myself thinking about the past races (what went well and where I could have improved). Yes, it turns out, I’ve still got that competitive spirit inside of me. (Phew!)

This time of the year is a trick time. It is too cold to ride outside comfortably – not to mention the ice and ridiculous winds. There is currently no snow so skiing and snowshoeing are on hold. So what to do? Well for me this has allowed me to get back to one of my favourite activities – running.

I know many of you cyclists are shaking your heads and thinking “Running? Yuck – I hate running”. I admit that running is not for everyone. But I do enjoy it. I’m not a fast runner. Nor am I graceful. But I thoroughly enjoy it. There is something about the freedom that running affords. Pull on some tights, a base layer, tie up the shoes and you’re out the door. In 30 minutes a good hard work-out can be had – anywhere.

Of course this recent excursion into running hasn’t been without its problems. First very weak calf muscles resulted in some severe hobbling around. Then I made the silly decision of changing my running gait from a forefoot strike to a heel strike – this resulted in some injuries. And now that I’m back-on-track and following the advice of a top-notch physiotherapist, I’ve got a new problem – one that even surprised my physiotherapist… My right heel is locked. Apparently our heels are supposed to move around – allowing us to pronate and supinate. Well my right heel is locked, causing some serious pain. No idea how this happened. I’m guessing it is because I “run like an elephant” (my words). Anyway, I’m now able to start running again…

This running is not the same as cyclocross racing or a long road rid in the summer – but it is still pretty darn good. My mind is free to wander and roam – to dream up new challenges while my legs are burning and my breathe is coming sharp and loudly. Soon enough I’ll be juggling running on the bicycle paths with skate skiing and snowshoe running.

Meanwhile through all of this I’m thinking of that moment in Perth when I dropped my chain and how in Almonte I had too much pressure in my tires and in Morrisburg when young Lois dropped me on the run-ups and in Logosland when I found my groove on the long false flats and how my barrier technique finally came together by the end of the season.

(To help keep the cyclocross vibes running through you, check out these awesome videos of women racing in Europe: Petitesreine’s Videos. If you watch the videos from 2011 you might even catch a glimpse of someone racing around in an Ottawa CX skin suit…)

Today Marc hops on a jet plane destination Belgium. I’m going to miss him. I can’t wait to hear about his races. I’m super happy that he has this opportunity.

Pedal hard Marc!

Keep smiling!

Dig deep!

Have fun!

We’ll miss you!

The biking season is over in these parts. After a fun day on the cyclo-cross bikes in Almonte, racing in the last race of the Eastern Ontario Cyclo-Cross Series – the snow arrived on Monday morning. I would like to thank Mother Nature for her impeccable timing – I for one was not enthusiastic about racing in the snow…

The last day of racing in this outstanding series was another in a series of most excellent Sundays. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I had so much fun on my cyclo-cross bike this year. I had some decent rides. I had some not-so-decent rides. But through them all, I was smiling and enjoying myself. Each race really was an experiment – how would my body respond to the race intensity, would my technical skills show up and help me out, and what could I learn from each race. I think one of the best aspects to this race season were my fellow competitors – I got to know some women who I wouldn’t have otherwise had a chance to get to know and I got to see some outstanding young teenagers out racing their bikes. As an extra bonus I got to hang out with lots of great people during Marc’s race – chatting and cheering away. Really, some very good Sundays were had (and I’m looking forward to doing it all again next season). A very good sign is when the season ends and you’re already looking forward to the next one.

The snow on Monday also signalled the end of bicycle commuting days. I know there are many hardy folks in Ottawa who cycle year round – I am not one of them. My route takes me on a range of bicycle paths and busy roads and I find that the ice build-up, snow, dark mornings and evenings combined with some rotten windchill doesn’t make cycling that enjoyable.

So what to do to get fit, blow off stress, and enjoy being outdoors? Well this winter is all about embracing snow. I used to be a rather keen skate skier so I’ve dusted off my skate skis and thanks to Graham at The Cyclery, my skis are ready to go. I’ve also acquired a pair of Atlas Run snowshoes – this winter I’ll participate in the Atlas Mad Trapper Snowshoe Series. I had a pair of running snowshoes when they first came out but once I started going to Belgium for the cyclo-cross season, I gave them to my mom. I’ve never snowshoe raced but I hear it is a lot of fun – so why not? Along with this huffing and puffing up hills on skis and snowshoes, I’ll also be out running around in running shoes. I’ve always had a “thing” for running and I’m excited to get back into it again. I don’t plan on breaking any records, rather just getting out for some lunchtime and evening runs during the week. (Of course Dawn did plant a seed that is growing rather fervently – The Ultimate XC 23 km trail run…

So in other words, the winter looks like it will be very good. I’m looking forward to the skiing, the snowshoeing and the running. But even more so, I’m simply looking forward to being active and slowly rebuilding some fitness and overall body strength. In between all this outdoor activity, I’ll be doing lots of yoga and spending a couple hours on the Computrainer.

Yes, this all sounds like a lot but I assure you that it only appears this way on your computer monitor. In reality I’ve figured out how to squeeze an extra four hours of daylight into each day so I’ve got plenty of time to do all this activity along with working and general house stuff. (Yes, I could be high on endorphins right now…)

It was around this time last year that things kind of fell apart… I was pre-riding the World Cup course at Koksijde (a course I was familiar with and had raced two times previous) and I made a mistake. I put my front wheel in a hole and I crashed. This crash was different, I hurt and the hurt did not go away after a few minutes. Something was wrong when I could no longer lift my right leg. A quick call to Marc in Ottawa and I was off to the hospital. Turns out I had fractured the transverse process on my L3 vertebrae… Yes, not very good. The season was over – this injury needs a full 12 weeks to heal. Damn it. That day is etched clearly in my mind – it is amazing how quickly things can change.

And now here I am sitting in Ottawa thinking about the World Cup in Koksijde today. My friends are going through their warm-ups, trying to decide what to wear and likely attempting to dig some sand out of their eyes and ears. Ah, Koksijde – this is a magical race course – so darn hard but so awesome at the same time. It was at this race in 2009 that I earned the last chunk of UCI points that I would need to make the selection pool for the 2010 World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic.

This race has a special place in my heart. Dreams are made and broken in that sand.

Last year I didn’t think I’d be sitting in Ottawa wondering about the course conditions and thinking about my racing pals. I believed I’d be there racing again. But life has a funny way of working out. A few months ago I would have been devastated to not be in Koksijde, but I’ve learned a lot over the course of this cyclo-cross season. Sure I’m not in Belgium this year (this has nothing to do with my back injury – it is fully healed – instead the culprit is ulcerative colitis) – but this is okay.

Yesterday I received some fabulous news from my gastro doctor. Things are good. Really good. My bloodwork came back and my body is doing well – I’m in a remission. My hematocrit is slowly on the way up, my hemoglobin is good, my CRP (measure of inflammation in the body) is on its way down (was 12 in October and was 3 at the beginning of November – aiming for below 1), my iron is good – my body is back. The ulcerative colitis flare that showed up in April is finally behind me.

It is reassuring to hear my doctor tell me that there is no need to schedule a follow-up appointment – things are that good right now. Of course with ulcerative colitis there is always the knowledge that today I can be in a remission and tomorrow I can be sick again. But so what? I’m not going to let this linger and stop me from doing things. Last year when I crashed and injured my back I thought maybe I wouldn’t want to race again for fear of crashing. Well, guess what – I crashed last week and nothing bad happened!

If I’ve learned one thing over this year, it is this (and yes this will be cliche): life is short and it is up to each and everyone of us to grab it by the horns and make the most of it. I don’t have time for “wishing” and “hoping” there is only doing – and the same holds true for you. Today is a brilliant day – make the most of it. Whatever this is to you – it could be riding your bike, reading a book to your kid, watching a movie with friends – whatever it is – just make sure you darn well do it because really we don’t know what tomorrow will be like.