Tag Archives: Vicki Thomas

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 4, 2010

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

1 Comment

Two More Sleeps

It is the Thursday before the Canadian Cyclo-Cross National Championships. In years past I’ve been a bit stressed out at this point. Perhaps even basket case is the appropriate terminology. But not this year. Nope, I’ve grown a lot as a bike racer – both physically and mentally. I’ve got a new approach to racing now. I’ve learned the hard way that the crazy stress, nerves and anxiety doesn’t do anything to help me on race day. If anything, it hurts me.

So instead I’m sitting here looking out into our backyard and feeling a sense of inner calm. This might sound cheesy but it is the truth. I just got in from a great on-road/off-road ride. I hit up some of my new favorite trails by Cedarview Estates. Zipped along some tight and twisty trails, rode around the quarry where I discovered a police car, ambulance and police diving team (I don’t know what was going on), followed the bicycle path through Barrhaven and eventually made it home. A great ride with a light rain and a bit of the fall chill in the air.

I didn’t think about the race or how I wanted the race to play out. I just thought about pedaling, looking ahead and on going faster. This is what I’ll think about on Saturday as well. Pedal. Look up. Go Faster. This is all I can do. I’ve learned that there is no point in worrying about things I can’t control. This is why I try not to look at start lists. I don’t look at long-range weather forecasts. I just deal with it on the day. Train. Rest. Recover. Relax. And everything else will fall into place.

Health-wise I’m still stuck. I’m thankful to be in an ulcerative colitis remission (knock on wood) but now I’m dealing with the side effects of ulcerative colitis. For me, this is a malabsorption issue. My body just can’t absorb vitamins and minerals like someone with a normal digestion system can. This means that my ferritin (iron) and most vitamin/mineral levels are very low. It also means my white blood cell count is high and my red blood cell count is low. Not good for anyone. Really not good for an athlete. All I can do though is work hard at getting better. I’m taking a whole bunch of vitamins and minerals, I’ve had four iron infusions and will get more as soon as I can. I’m focusing on rest and quality training. I’m paying attention to my diet and trying to eat as many high iron foods as possible (whole baby clams are super high in iron). Most of all, I’m not letting this get me down. I could be worse off – I could be in the hospital or also dealing with a full blown ulcerative colitis flare again. So for now, I’ll take what I’ve been handed and make the best of it.

There really is no other choice. I’m not canceling my plans. I’m not stopping training and racing. (Yes, I’ve talked to my coach and doctors – the training and racing is not making it harder for my body to heal.) I’ve got to keep chasing my goals and dreams. Slow and steady just may be the theme for this year.

Alright, enough of this deep talk. For a change of pace, I suggest you click on over to the Race Reports page and read about Timothy Austen’s race experience at the Kanata Ottawa Bicycle Club race on Sunday. Timothy is the future of our sport – fast, young, eager and always full of questions about how to become a better racer. He’s got some great genes to back him up (not to mention some super long legs) and a great support network. Thanks Timothy for the race report.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 2, 2010

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

1 Comment

Expectations vs. Goals

As people we have expectations and we have goals. Things we believe we can do and want to do. Things we really want to accomplish and achieve. But what is the line between expectation and goal. What happens when the expectations take over and the goals get lost. This is when we tend to reframe our expectations as goals. We may even get caught up in the “tyranny of shoulds”.

This happened to me. I didn’t realize this until I had an excellent and challenging conversation with mental coach last night. This guy really just can cut to the meat of what I’m saying and dig out the key statements. There is no hiding behind words. Sometimes, like last night these conversations are darn hard. I literally feel my brain and heart squeezing as I dig deep to really be honest with myself about how I’m feeling and what I’m thinking. The brain is an amazing thing – it allows us to trick ourselves into believing we are doing okay – really it is our ultimate protection mechanism.

But thanks to people like Marvin, I’m able with some prodding to get past this protective barrier and come clean with myself. I’ve struggled with the mental game pretty much every race season. But this year I really want things to be different. And I admit after the race in Plzen I was feeling pretty darn low. I had one of those races where I fought the voices in my head for the entire race. Yes, this really only does make things harder.

Now though, things are going to be different. I’ve got a different perspective on this racing gig and what I want to do. I put expectations ahead of goals. The goals got lost with what I believed “I should” be able to achieve. I forgot that the goals are what got me are. The goals are what have made a stronger person. The expectations really for me, only serve to break me down. So know more “shoulds”. Now it is all about “going and doing”.

I just want to go out and ride my bike. Find the fun in it again. Not get wrapped up in outcomes, results, and consequences. I have season goals that I really want to accomplish. But I’ll never get close to these goals if I don’t accomplish the smaller goals – to go out and be completely in race mode and to have fun doing it. When I do this, I’ll be riding my bike the way I know I can and the way I want to (yes this is an expectation…). This won’t happen over night. Nor will I be able to completely break myself of the crazy brain and the expectation vs. goals pressure that I impose on myself. So I’ll approach this the same way that got me from a back-of-the-packer to where I am now – slow and steady.

Focus. Determination. Heart. Soul. Drive. Dedication. This is the stuff of dreams and goals.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

November 1, 2010

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

1 Comment

On Cyclo-Cross

As you know I recently returned from a 12 day trip to Europe to race in the Aigle and Plzen World Cup races. I was fortunate to have my dad along with me to do the driving, race day support and just to generally take in this life experience. Well, this was my dad’s first introduction to the European cyclo-cross scene – so I thought it would be interesting for you to read about his experience. Thanks dad – the trip and the racing wouldn’t have been the same without you there:

A Novice in a New World

My cyclo-cross experience is limited to two visits to the Canadian Nationals in Edmonton, Alberta, and to Burlington, Vermont, earlier this year, so I can’t even claim to be an experienced spectator. I am, of course, a fan. Who wouldn’t be with a daughter and son-in-law so heavily involved? Thus, when the opportunity arose to be Vicki’s driver and general factotum for races in Aigle and Plzen, I jumped at it. No second bidding required.

I knew enough, thanks to Vicki, to expect a very different experience in Europe, but even so, I must confess to being genuinely amazed by what I saw and learned, and by the many very friendly people whom I met.

My job, if I may call it that, was to drive and to be in the pits. The driving was easy; the thought of being in the pits was, well, the pits! Why? I can ride a bike. But could I work a bike change? Could I fix anything that may need fixing during the race? It’s an over-statement to say that I was racked with misgivings, but I was certainly nervous. The fear of not being up to the task.

All of which provides a neat segue back to those friendly people I met. It became obvious quite quickly that should I need specialized help, there were many to call on. There were those who collected warm-up clothing at the start; there were those who explained how to clean the tires without getting myself soaking wet. (It didn’t work, by the way!); there were those who explained the expectations in the pits. Suddenly, my life became easier.

Vicki’s friends were many; the number of fans was huge. What a difference from the North American fan base. Cyclo-cross in Europe must be close to being as all consuming as ice hockey and football are in Canada. That fans drove happily from all over the continent to support their favourite riders stands in stark contrast to the few hundred family members and friends in Edmonton. It was heart-warming to realize that although most had their own special favourites, they would also shout encouragement to the other riders. Isn’t this what sport is supposed to be about?

On a more mundane level, the national and international television coverage blew my mind. Even parking those huge trucks in the narrow streets of Plzen was an accomplishment. Let’s not forget the race commentators who switched effortlessly from French to German to Czech to English. We North Americans can learn a lot from this. If you are a European reader of these thoughts, please remember that what is “normal” to you, is quite abnormal to me.

We traveled in an RV/camper van. Quite splendid, I thought, but then I saw the fleets of vehicles that some teams used. You know what I mean, the ones with images of the riders on the outside, the ones with the amazing paintjobs. They reminded me of the way pop stars travel. And then there were those who arrived alone, in a small, rented car barely big enough to change in. To my eyes, they were seen as no less important.
And the actual course and races: I hesitate to comment because my real knowledge is so slight, but I will say that the skill of the riders, their strength, their determination, and their support for each other did impress me, and my impression of both the Aigle and the Plzen circuits is that they were a good deal more demanding than those I’ve seen here in N.A.

I came home with the feeling that if I were lucky enough to return next year, there would be friends to greet me. Good people whom I would look forward to seeing again. No names are mentioned here because I don’t want to risk missing somebody out, but if we met, I mean you! And thanks to you, my knowledge has increased dramatically.

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 31, 2010

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

1 Comment

Weekend Training

Well, this is my last weekend here at home for quite a while, so my aim was to make the most of it. I’m happy to say that I did this on all accounts. Great training rides and runs were done. Hanging out with friends was enjoyed. Relaxation at home with Marc and Murphy was greatly appreciated. All in all, a most excellent weekend of bikes, friends, people and cats!

On Friday I had a nice chill recovery ride. Boy did I need it. My legs were tight and sore after the interval work-out on Thursday. (Perfect just what we wanted.) Great ride in the woods on the singletrack and a bit of bicycle path riding as well. This set me up to be well rested for a double training day on Saturday (well, triple if you include the yoga…).

Kicked Saturday off with the infamous “light jog”. Funny I actually really enjoyed my 20 minute run. I felt like a running rockstar out there…. Also I think I got my run in during the nicest part of the day. It wasn’t raining, sleeting or snowing at that time. By the time we kitted up and drove out to the Kanata Rec Center to meet up with the EMD Serono boys the rain was coming fast and hard. Ah well, perfect cyclo-cross training weather right?

Karl, Evan and Conor took Marc and I around and showed us the course they had worked out with Ian for the OBC race on Sunday (today). A really fun and challenging course. Lots of twists and turns and just a good course overall. We rode the course once and then we got down to business – working on specific skills. I have to say that session was some of the most fun I’ve had on a bike. These guys are super good at helping me learn skills and in helping me identify my stumbling blocks. But they do this by keeping things light and fun. There was as much laughing as there was hard pedaling. I can see why these three young guys have progressed so much – they know how to train hard, how to help one another improve and most of all – to keep things fun. So thanks Karl, Evan, Conor, and Marc for being some super training partners. I’ll miss you guys when I’m in Belgium (well Karl and I will still get to train together but I’m sure he’ll be too fast for me pretty quickly!).

I had not planned to race today. My coach and I discussed my putting together some solid training blocks. So today was all about VO2Max and sprint efforts. Perfect. Some might say I could have done this in the race. Yes and no. I wanted to have a quality work-out so I chose training over racing. I had planned to do this on the road and then end up at the race but the weather dictated that I ride the trainer instead. I had a couple of good films queued up and away I went. Have to say I had a really good hard work-out. One of those work-outs that gives you confidence in your fitness, your training and in your racing. Just what I needed. I also had “Big George” along for company – I watched A Ride With George Hincapie while riding. Then it was off to the race to cheer on people and just chill out.

What a great time! I got to chat with lots of people. Cheer on lots of people. And just really enjoy what it is that makes cyclo-cross so awesome. The positive energy was overflowing. And even though people were cold, muddy, and wet – they were still smiling. All thanks to cyclo-cross.

Capped the race experience with a great afternoon with some super people. Lots of laughs, some excellent food, some stories and just generally a very welcoming experience. Thanks so much for the t-shirt! I don’t know if I should wear Karl’s shirt and he should wear mine or if we should each wear our own? Maybe I’ll rent the shirt out to “superfans” in Belgium. (I received a red t-shirt that reads on the back in white letters: Supporter Vicki Thomas. And Karl has one that reads: Supporter Karl Hoppner.) Very very cool. Made my weekend. Thank-you.

After a quick stop at the Spray N’ Wash, Marc’s bikes are sparkly clean and his clothing got a good hosing as well. Note to self, when using the High Pressure Rinse, do not pull the trigger on the water gun – this is too much pressure for a flimsy spandex skinsuit….

And now it is time to head out again. Off for dinner with some friends. I’m sure there will be more laughs, some stories and just generally a great time.

A most excellent weekend. It is weekend’s like this that make it hard to leave. But they also make it so nice to come home – knowing that we’ve got some great friends here and we’ll always feel welcomed. (Gee, kind of like a cyclo-cross race….)

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

October 30, 2010

Posted under

Uncategorized

Comments

Leave a comment

One Week

Really hard to believe that in one week I’ll be sitting in a hotel room in Toronto, ON getting ready for the Canadian National Cyclo-Cross Championships. Amazing how quickly the season comes. It seems as though we wait all spring and summer for cyclo-cross season and now that it’s here, it literally feels as though it is slipping through my fingers. This is a good thing.

I must admit it is nice to be racing Nationals in November rather than the traditional October Thanksgiving dates. But on the otherhand, if Nationals has been in October, I’d more than likely be writing this post from Belgium thinking about racing in Zondhoven and the Koppenberg Cross. Nonetheless in a week from Monday, I’ll be on a plane bound for Belgium. Gee I think I’ve been writing about this plane ride in pretty much every post this week – can you tell I’m excited?

So training is coming around again. I’m starting to get more energy so I’m now able to do some harder and longer work-outs. This is a refreshing change. On Thursday I had a long and rather torturish date with the trainer, the power meter, and my stop watch. Luckily I had Dragon’s Den (a CBC program) and the Ultimate Fighter reality show for company. Nothing quite like watching entrepreneurs sweat it out in front of deep pockets and watching guys step into the ring and literally get punched in the head – for some motivation. Push biking seems pretty easy after this!

To end the training day, I spent the majority of evening at the Queensway Carleton Hospital getting my third iron infusion. It was a long night (5 hours) but worth it. I have to say the staff at this hospital (particularly the nurses) are just excellent and are very patient with the interesting people that come into the emergency ward. Looks like I’ll have one more infusion before I leave. Hoping that these last two infusions do the trick and dig me out of this anemia hole. I am feeling better every day but now that I’ve started training hard again, I have to be careful to monitor my energy levels.

Bundled up for the coolish air and strong winds today for an excellent recovery ride. I hit up the trails I recently discovered for some fun and relaxing riding. These trails aren’t overly technical but the trail is very narrow and has a lot of twists and turns in it – so it is perfect for working on keeping the feet turning over and always looking ahead. Have to say it was nice to be in the woods out of the wind as well.

This weekend is looking good. Kicking off Saturday with a run and then ending it with some cyclo-cross riding with the EMD Serono young guns and Marc out in Kanata. Should be a good time – hopefully the guys take it easy on me! Sunday is race day. Well, not for me – I’m doing a rather intense training session on the bike instead. Two different sets of intervals and a long ride. But I’ll be out at the race on Sunday as well – plan is to end my ride at the Kanata Rec Center in time to catch the end of the first race, hop on the course for a lap or two and then watch the last race.

Since this is my last weekend at home for quite a while, I’m looking forward to getting some things done around the house, to relaxing a bit, catching up with some friends, spending quality time with Mr. Murphy and my favorite guy, and just generally enjoying life.

I’m wearing my Life is Good shirt right now and I’m pretty pleased that I can smile and say “yes I am Doing What I Like and Liking What I Do”. (The Life is Good slogan is: Do What You Like. Like What You Do.)