Victoria's Island

Frosty

Tad frosty here this morning. Actually we had our first frost of the season. Suppose that is not so bad - December 14 and the first touch of frost. No snow so I'm not complaining.

Two more housemates arrived yesterday. So now we are four. Four Canadians. So last night we took Rachael and Brad out to get some food, bombarded them with information about Belgium, and just generally hung out. This morning the three of us went out for a little spin. My ride was all about easy recovery riding so it gave me a chance to be social on a ride and show Rachael and Brad some of my favorite places to ride. Mid-way through the ride we stopped at a great cafe near the house. Rachael and Brad needed food and I wanted a warm drink. I didn't order food, but still got some! Strangely the waitress brought me the same dish that Rachael ordered - we were told it was a Belgian specialty... Well, it was French Toast! Really good French Toast - but definitely not a Belgian specialty. Anyway it was a nice little warm-up and lunch before heading out for a bit more of a spin. Afternoon has been spent getting groceries and now getting phones sorted out.

All in all, a pretty good Monday. I'm taking it easy with my training for the start of this week as I've had four big weeks of riding and racing and I have another big block of racing coming up. Kind of nice to just be able to go out and lightly press down on the pedals.

The weekend of racing in Holland was good - had its ups and downs. To read all about the racing and extra-curricular post-race action, go check out Ottawa Cross. We did go to the Blauberg Kerstmarkt on Sunday afternoon. So here are some photos of the food action:

This was delicious - egg, potato, meat, onion, and tartar sauce. A great post-race supper:

This is how it is made:

For bacon lovers - bacon marinated overnight in oil, onion, and spices - then barbecued and served between bread...

Someone had to have one...

Pancakes? Pancakes filled with sugar? Guess who had one??

Last week I went to Cafe Libro to enjoy a decaf-cappucino and of course I took a long my Sony eBook Reader... Thought you might be interested to see the size of the Reader:

As for the rest of the day? Well, I have to fill out a bunch of forms for the CCA for the World Championships in Tabor. So I'm off to Jos's place tonight to get those filled out and faxed. Then I think I'll chill out. Do some yoga. Finish reading Alice Munro's latest and maybe watch the Overijse race. Just trying to take things nice and quiet as soon this place will be packed with people and we'll all be running around full of pre and post-race adrenaline and excitement.

Thank-You

Thanks so much for the amazing comments. Thanks for the overwhelming emails. Thanks for the phone calls.

Thanks for the support.

In general, thanks. I appreciate the confidence you have given me. I am overwhelmed by your confidence in me.

Really.

This has been a bit of a whirlwind weekend - from finding out about the selection on Friday to two busy days of racing and trying to get my head around accomplishing my goal.

Looking forward to an awesome rest of the season. Got lots of racing to. Tons of training. Lots of learning. I'm feeling like 2009 - 2010 is going to keep getting better.

Maple Leaf

This just arrived in my email inbox:

Dear Vicki Thomas,
I am pleased to announce that you have been selected to represent Canada at the 2010
UCI Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic.

Happy Birthday Gregory!

Today is my little brother's birthday. He is turning 35 today. Funny, I haven't been around to celebrate his birthday with him for many years now. But this year I'm feeling particularly nostalgic - really missing not being able to be there for his birthday. Maybe it's because I remember turning 35. Or maybe because this year Gregory will also become a dad. Who knows? Whatever the reason, I'm sad that I can't be with him and Liz to celebrate.

Some of you may know may know Gregory. But I'm guessing most of you don't. Over the time I've written here and there about this guy and how his dedication to his career has been a source of true inspiration for me. He is one of those lucky people who found his passion and turned it into a career. There have been some tough times, but through it all, Gregory has come out on top and at the tender age of 35 is a very well-known and respected actor and writer. I couldn't be more proud of him. He took the road less traveled and in turn inspired me to do the same. Thanks Gregory - have a great birthday!

In true sisterly love, I thought it would be fun to post some photos of Gregory over the years... (Don't worry - nothing embarrassing!)

Nap Time

Ah, Thursday. The last day of a big week of training for me. These last three weeks have been pretty heavy with lots of training. This is good. Just what I like. A good solid block of training. But today I really felt the effects. Tired. Did a three hour ride today. Was a great ride. Found a cool new cycling route and then in typical fashion, I got lost. Ended up in the center of Diest... Diest is a big place... Problem was I got Diest and a town called Zichem confused. Zichem is a small town pretty close to where I live. Diest is not that far away, bu it is not Zichem... Ah well, it all worked out and I made my way home.

The sun was shining. It didn't rain. I had some great podcasts loaded on my iPod. I had some tasty food to eat while riding. I'm now addicted to W-Cup bars. So tasty. Also had a super fig/date bar thing. These two bars kept me going and kept the hunger pangs on hold.

My gut has been a bit sore today. So strange. Yesterday it was fine. Today I had bad stomach cramps this morning. But I feel better this evening. No rhyme or reason to this. I think if this persists, I'll have to switch to a low residue diet and see if this helps.

This afternoon I had a super awesome nap. Nothing like a nap to recharge the batteries. Stretched out on the new leather couch and snoozed off and on. Very relaxing. After a solid two hours I felt super recharged.

Really didn't do much else today. Pretty quiet. The long ride takes up a lot of time. Because there is also the bike cleaning, the laundry, etc to come after the ride. Did watch a couple episodes of Californication. Love this show. It is so good. At times it is a bit over the top. But whatever. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it (though I don't know if the parents and parents-in-law should watch it...).

Tomorrow is the big day. I haven't heard anything yet. Keep your fingers crossed. Believe me, as soon as I know, you will know.

And of course I can't help but mention the other big thing happening tomorrow: it is my little brother's birthday! Gregory will be 35. Wow! Pretty cool. Gregory, we showed off your commercials here the other night while celebrating Marc's birthday. You have some new fans! Sorry, I couldn't help it - you know how proud I am of you.

So on Friday, be sure to send Happy Birthday vibes to my little brother - a true inspiration and role model for me.

Excellent Times

Dudes, these past two days have just been top notch. Two really good days. Great times with family and friends. Great times on the bike. Really can't beat this.

As you know it was Marc's birthday on Tuesday. And if you know me, you know that I love birthdays. I'm one of those people who has to tell everyone that it is my birthday. Marc is not quite like this. He prefers to keep things low-key. This is hard for me. I want to shout from the rooftops and Marc is content to say nothing. So yesterday we compromised with a small get together at the house. It was a fantastic night. We invited over Jos, Nikki, Claire and Duncan. The perfect number of people for a robust but quiet birthday celebration. Well, what a great night. Thanks so much guys for coming over and sharing in Marc's big day. We had a blast. Lots of great stories, debates, laughs, and general hilarity. A truly great time. We sat around this big dining room table for the entire night, chowing down on Blauberg's finest Chinese food, drinking wine (well some people did...), and eating cake. In between we all talked, laughed, and smiled. Before we knew it was close to midnight. A sign of a good night indeed. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures of the Chinese food, but just know that it was very good and I anticipate another Chinese food meal in our future. I did manage to take some photos of the gang and Nikki took a couple photos as well.

Birthday cake, baked to order from the super bakery down the street:

The birthday celebration gang (on the left side - Jos, Duncan, and Claire; on the right side - Nikki and Marc):

Me and the birthday boy (yes, I need a haircut...):

The birthday gang plus me:

Thanks again guys for coming over and helping us celebrate Marc's big day. It was a great night and Marc was very happy to share it with you!

Late night notwithstanding, I was up early this morning to get out for my training. It is Wednesday so this means a double training session. A morning ride on the road and an afternoon ride in the woods. I had two fantastic rides. My interval work-out went really well and I finished the ride feeling tired but satisfied with the numbers I saw on my power meter and with the sensations flowing through my body. Can't ask for much more. A quick sit down and some lunch and then I was off to Kasterlee for a session in the woods. Kasterlee is about a 20 minute drive from here and is the top place for cyclo-cross training. This place has a fully set-up cyclo-cross training course. And Wednesdays are a popular day for people to go ride there. I managed to hook up with some people and ride with them for a bit and then I met up with Bert Vervecken and we rode together. Bert rode behind me and watched how I was riding. He then gave me some super advice on how I can improve. Number one "don't grip the bars to tightly". The tight grip on the bars creates a ricochet effect that results in a stiff upper body, causing the bike to do crazy things underneath me, resulting in my getting a bit nervous, and then I stop pedaling... So this is something I can fix. Can't beat riding with some super experienced people and then getting some great advice and encouragement. So a super day of riding. Two hours in the morning. Two hours in the afternoon.

Now, I'm going to sit... Oh today I shook things up a bit. At the start of my morning ride, I stopped at a cafe for a double espresso. Yes a double. This was my first time drinking espresso. I like it. No sugar. No nothing. Just straight up black nectar. Very tasty. Reason for this - wanted to see if ingesting caffeine would have an affect on how I feel on the bike. A few people recommended caffeine as a way to help with my starts. Well, I was able to tolerate the espresso quite well. I was a bit concerned how it would impact my UC. But so far so good. Did it help? Hard to know. I felt really good on the bike. Was this me? Was this the espresso? Was it a a bit of both? Don't know.

On the UC front, I've had two excellent days with no stomach pains. Yay! I have no idea what the difference is. The only thing I've changed is my oatmeal. I typically eat a bowl of hot oatmeal in the morning - I wondered if the hot food in my stomach was causing the cramps. So today and on Tuesday, I mixed things up and ate a cold breakfast. On Tuesday I had Greek yogurt with slice banana and apple. Today I had cold overnight oats with yogurt and banana. So far so good. So this could be it. I have to say, I do miss the hot oatmeal. But it is a small price to pay to prevent the cramps.

Alright, I've got a USB key with some episodes of the Amazing Race. Time to chill out and get caught up! Thanks for the birthday wishes for Marc and the "feel better" messages and emails. Hope your days have been as good as mine.

Big Day Today

Today is an extra-special day. It is Marc's birthday! Happy Birthday Marc! Today Marc turns the big 40. Wow!

It is pretty extra special to be here in Belgium to celebrate this big milestone birthday. Only downside is we don't have our Mr. Murphy and friends and family here! Ah well, we're making the best of it with a small get together here at the house. Having some people over tonight for some Chinese take-out and birthday cake. Should be a good night I'm sure of lots of laughs and stories.

To top it off, it is an amazing day outside. Perfect for a birthday ride. Can't get much better than wearing leg warmers on December 8.

Sorry I have been missing from this space for the past few days. The weekend was busy with lots of racing and recovering from the racing. I've written all about the weekend and the races over at Ottawa Cross. Two very different and challenging race courses. Saturday featured ridiculous mud and a BMX-like course. Sunday was all about twisting and turning through the woods and trees. Two excellent racing experiences.

I had intended to post yesterday but I just couldn't do it. I was fighting my body yesterday. The strange and wicked ulcerative colitis stomach cramps made a vicious come back yesterday. These pains are like nothing I've ever experienced. Strange thing is they come and go through-out the day. But by the end of the day, I'm pretty much wiped out from the pain... I ended up crashing on the couch at 5 p.m. and not moving until I went to bed at 10... The strange thing is that today I feel totally fine. There is no rhyme or reason to these attacks. Frustrating.

This being said I did get out for a couple of good rides. Went to Kasterlee to ride in the woods and on the cyclo-cross course and then went out in the afternoon for an exploratory road ride of some new-to-me roads. At the end of the ride I bumped into Jos so we rolled along chatting and taking in the beautiful day. There were so many people out yesterday taking in the blue sky and warm weather. Nice to see people out walking, cycling and just being active.

Today will be pretty busy with some errands, a long ride, and then getting things sorted here for tonight's festivities. A good day indeed.

Happy Birthday Marc!

Quiet Busy

Does that make sense to you? Quiet Busy. That's how today has been. Quiet Busy. You know what I mean?

It has been quiet with no concrete plans or things to do but still busy enough that it is now almost 10 p.m. and I'm only just getting to this web site. Nothing really in particular took up the day. Rather just a slow accumulation of activities and the time passed. The way it should be.

Nice leisurely start to the day with some hip opening flow yoga and then out for a super fun ride in the woods. Today was a recovery day so I made sure not to push and to just go out and enjoy nature. Considering the coolish (3 celsius) and damp conditions, in the woods was the best place to be. Rolled on down to Averbode and rode the trails there then hopped on this fantastic bicycle path that took me to another amazing park. There are designated trails for riding, running, and horseback riding. I had a blast riding around in there. Got myself thoroughly lost (could have done with a GPS...) but had fun doing it. Discovered some fast twisty singletrack. Rode for a long while on the bicycle path/horesback riding path - it is a double path - half paved and half dirt. Very cool. This path seems to go on forever. I plan on going back on Monday to check it out. So awesome ride. Got thoroughly dirty and muddy and had fun doing it.

As I was getting in, Marc was heading out for his ride - off to the same place. Chilled out relaxing lunch - one of my favorites - I call it a scrambled salad. Throw all the veggies in a pan, let them saute, toss in some smoked salmon, let this saute, crack an egg in the pan, scramble it all up, toss in some cheese, meanwhile take two pieces of wonderful Belgian bread - spread either humus, dijon mustard or as in today - pesto - on said bread, put one piece of bread face-up in a bowl, dump scrambled salad on the bread, place other piece on top, slice into two pieces. Eat and enjoy. This lunch gives you everything you need - vegetables, protein, carbohydrate, omegas, and it is tasty so you aren't craving something else afterwards.

Puttered around this afternoon - usual stuff - grocery shopping, laundry, etc. Getting into the Christmas season here so the grocery stores are full of specialty foods right now. In particular the Lidl (discount grocery store) has some fascinating food items - wild boar, champagne sorbet, butter shaped into trees, fancy truffles, pate, etc. Lots of it is quite tempting, but I'll wait until closer to the actual holiday. This Sunday is a big day for the kiddos living in Belgium. On December 6, Santa Claus makes his appearance - just for kids. This is a special day when only the children receive gifts. Then on the 25th, more gift giving is done - for children and adults.

We ended up going out to eat tonight. I wasn't feeling much like cooking. I haven't been feeling that great this past week. Strange and horrible stomach cramps. The type of cramps that take your breathe away and leave you doubled over. Very strange. Had them on Monday and Tuesday and again today. Can't figure out what brings them on. The odd thing is eating or not eating does not make a difference. I'm presuming it is some strange symptom of the ulcerative colitis. After a while I get used to the stomach pain, but it would be nice to not have these pains. Feels almost like extreme hunger pains - like the stomach is in spasm. Oh well, could be worse. I'm still able to train and go about my daily activity, just that at times, I'm in pretty much constant pain. But, it could always be worse so I won't gripe about a few stomach cramps and be glad it is not worse.

Did have a super power nap on the new couch today. It is the perfect couch for the mid-afternoon nap!

Hmm, speaking of nap, looks like I should go to bed. Racing tomorrow. Will be fun to get to watch Marc race and cheer him on and then have him watch me race. It has been a long time since we've been to one another's races. The plan is after the race to hit up the Decathlon in Antwerp.

Have  great weekend. This time next week, I hope to have some massively exciting news to share with you! Keep your fingers crossed.

Writer's Block

Hmm, I've been hit with a bit of writer's block. Been staring at this page for a bit now, not sure where to start or how to start. So I did the only reasonable thing. Got up and made myself some super soothing lemon tea. Then I read other people's blog posts. And now I'm back. Waiting for it to hit me. For the words to start pouring out of my fingers.

Not sure why I can't come up with anything today. It is not like today has been particularly taxing or boring. Just don't have much to say. Did have a couple of great days of training. Did the double yesterday - with the afternoon session at Kasterlee being super rock solid. There is a dedicated 'cross training course at Kasterlee - I had a blast. Learned lots. Improved. Met some more people. Got adopted by two old guys who told me to come back next week at 2:00... A good day on the bike. We had a pretty chill day really. Marc was busy working. I puttered around. Today has been pretty similar. I headed out for my ride first thing this morning and then it was off to the bike shop for some bike pits and some eyeing of fancy bike kit and gear.

Marc rode this afternoon, so I rested. Stretched out on the couch and read my book. Totally enjoying Alice Munro's latest collection. Funny, I will only read short stories by Alice Munro. I've tried other authors, but they just don't cut it. It is Munro or nothing.

Tm and Jos stopped by for a visit and brought with them a swank new-to-us couch. Full-size leather couch. Yep, it is a good one. Can't wait to stretch out on it and have a nap...

Really not much else happening. Pretty quiet around these parts. Might make it to the cafe tomorrow or on the weekend. Racing action this weekend is with the junior boys. Nice. I'm gonna catch them this time! My latest article is up on Cyclocross Magazine.

So I see the new list of Canada Reads books is out. What do you think? Time will tell I suppose. Interesting panel. Interesting collection of books. I find the Canada Reads idea interesting but it doesn't make me want to go out and buy the books. Nothing really influences my decision when it comes to buying books. I am a browser - I like to read the description and go from there. Awards. Recommendations by "experts". Reviews. They don't really do much for me. Perhaps the only recommendations I take any stock in are those of my friends and family. How about you?

Remember, it is Christmas in 22 days. But don't let this send you into a frenzy of shopping, stressing, trips to the mall, and the myriad of other Christmas stressors. Instead how about you put all of that aside this year. No gifts. No craziness. Just a nice quiet restful day at home - appreciating what it is you have and if you must buy something - buy something for a little kid who doesn't have a toy box full of legos, mini-cars, Xbox, etc. Or buy a turkey and donate it to the food bank. Try it - I bet you'll like it and you'll find this to be much less stressful than trying to find the "perfect gift". I bet if you look closely enough, you'll discover you already have the "perfect gift".

Tuesday on Wednesday

Day late on this post. Sorry about that. Guess it is just a sign of the fast and busy times around these parts. I had well intentions of posting last night, but we ended up going out and got home rather late.

Tuesday was another busy day. Really didn't do much but it ended up being busy nonetheless. Nice bit of a sleep in followed by a solid 20 minute yoga routine. I so love doing yoga first thing in the morning - a chance to loosen up my limbs and bones and most importantly start the day with a clear head. Lazed around a bit playing with my new Sony eBook Reader (yes, I love it. Can't imagine how I ever lived without it!).

We decided to zip off to Ikea to pick up a few things. Our goal was a "quick" trip in and out of Ikea.... Well, this is pretty much impossible. Especially at the Ikea in Zaventem - this place is massive! Got what we wanted including a little Christmas tree. We haven't had a tree for three years so decided to get one. Not sure how we'll decorate it yet - maybe the classic popcorn strings?

Quick spot of lunch and then off on our respective rides. Another recovery day for me. Hey, no complaints from me. So I just went all over the place. Hooked up a bunch of different roads, discovered some new routes and enjoyed the fresh blue sky. Can't complain when riding in leg warmers on Dec. 1! I even saw a guy mowing his lawn.

Chilled for a while. Great talk with Skip of KingsBridge about some possibilities for next season. Marc was busy working away so I just relaxed for a bit. Spot of supper and then we went out. Off to visit with Tim and Jos. What a great night. The gang was there - Duncan and Claire and new Lotto professional rider Adam Blythe also arrived fresh from the plane. It was a great night. Lots of stories. Lots of catching up. Heard all about Tim and Jos's trip to the Turks and the Caicos. We all were hoping to hear that they had finally tied the knot. Alas, no such luck. Hmm, maybe they're planning a Christmas wedding? All kidding aside, it was a great night. So much fun to get together with a diverse and fun gang and just really talk and laugh. We could have stayed all night but this bike racer needed to get to her bed. Thanks for a great night!

As for today? Well, today is Wednesday. And this means two things: a road ride in the morning and a 'cross ride in the afternoon. Yep the favorite double day. I love these days. Intervals of all types this morning. Then into the woods to rip around, push my limits and enjoy nature. Off to Kasterlee this afternoon for some fun training.

I'm well into the Sony eBook Reader now. Love it. It is very easy to read with. I don't miss the "idea" of holding a book at all. The eBook Reader is very light and the perfect size to pop into a bag/purse thingamajig. Now I just need to get me one of those thingamajigs so I can carry my eBook Reader around with me wherever I go. I've read the first short story in Alice Munro's latest book: Too Much Happiness. Go buy this book. Perfect gift for the book lover on your gift list. Better yet, buy the Sony eBook Reader and load this book onto it for that someone special. Trust me, you can't go wrong!

Okay, I'm out. Sun is coming up and I need to get caught up with some stuff before heading out. Marc brought me a pile of newspapers that I still need to get through. So nice to have the Saturday editions of the Globe and Mail, National Post, and Ottawa Citizen in my hands.

Oh, looks like we're going to have a bit of a party here next week for Marc's big day. If you're in the area, give me an email and you're more than welcome to come by. The more the merrier!

Next week will be a big week. 40th birthday on Dec. 8. My little brother's birthday on Dec. 11. And hopefully some big news on Dec. 11.  A week that for all these reasons is tops in my heart.