Victoria's Island

Raspberry Jam

Based on the title perhaps you can guess my latest taste obsession? Yes, it is raspberry jam. I'm slightly addicted to raspberry jam right now. I'm eating it slathered on rice cakes. I'm adding it to my peanut butter topped rice cakes. I spread it a bit too thick onto my gluten-free raisin bread. I even ate a bit straight from the jar. I just can't help myself. Strange since I've never been a "jam" person. But right now I'm fighting the raspberry jam urges.

Moving on to more serious issues.... What is the deal with all this rain? Seems like the calendar rolled over to September and the sunny warm days simply vanished. Not fair. I want my warm dry days back. My cycling tan is fading and I don't want to arrive in Belgium with pale arms and legs. Not to mention without any freckles!

Okay, seriously now... Yes, I'm going to get serious so brace yourselves. (Insert pause here. Think some serious thoughts. Ponder these deep thoughts.) There done. That's it for seriousness. I honestly can't take any serious business right now. Nope, my brain is focused on the light and loose thoughts that make the days oh so much better. I think this might be called escapism - but I'm not sure - never really been that serious about this kind of stuff.

We are off to Gloucester, Mass. tomorrow for a weekend of cyclo-cross racing and spectating. I'll be there working the pits for Marc and cheering him on. Sadly I won't be racing. On the order of my coach and doctor, I'm resting this weekend. I'll still bring my bike but it won't get to see any grass, dirt or sand. Just a couple of easy and short road rides for me. This is a drag. But it is necessary if I want to dig myself out of this physical hole. Turns out that I'm sicker than we thought... Don't worry - it is all fixable. And in a way it is a relief. The test results explain why I've felt so tired, lethargic, depressed and plain old wiped out.

It will be perfect to have a weekend where it is all about Marc and his racing. We don't get this very often so I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be cheering hard and doing all I can to make sure he has the best races possible.

On the horizon, well did I tell you that I'm going to Switzerland and the Czech Republic? Yep, hopping on a plane on Oct. 13 and meeting up with my dad in the Frankfurt airport. We'll be piloting (well my dad will be) our 22 foot RV all over the place as we travel to the first two World Cups of the season and take in the sights on the way. We have a day or so at the end to do what we want. Apart from the racing on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24 our itinerary is footloose and fancy-free. Really looking forward to the trip.

Well, I best be off. I'm sitting here patiently waiting for a call from my gastro doctor about an appointment for an intravenous iron injection tonight.... Somehow I feel that if I'm being "productive" he'll call sooner and I'll know what the scoop is. So I'm off to do something "productive". Any suggestions?

Bumpy week this week. But a good one. We're getting answers and getting closer. I'm confident that soon enough I'll feel like myself again. Keep on doing what you like and liking what you do. I know I am.

Progress?

I woke up this morning feeling slightly overwhelmed... It is Wednesday already and my "to do" list has not shrunk and my email inbox is overflowing... My first thought (after what to have for breakfast...) was - where has this week gone? Well, upon further reflection in the shower - I flashed back to Monday and Tuesday.

These two days were consumed with preparation for and finally medical procedures. Monday was literally swallowed up with getting ready for my "double day" on Tuesday - a colonoscopy and endoscopy. I spent the day drinking copious amounts of liquid, eating jello and swallowing various potions. I didn't get much else done on Monday... As for Tuesday well, my appointment was scheduled for 11 a.m., I was finally rolled into the procedure room at 2:30... I was beyond starving by this point and really just wanted the tests over and down with. I'll spare you the nitty gritty details, but I'll say this - the sedative didn't take.... Yes, I was awake for both procedures. Saw some fascinating pictures.

At the end of it all, I finally made it home at around 5:00 with a very sore throat and ridiculously painful stomach (both common after an endoscopy). Good news is that my ulcerative colitis "looks" better than it did last time. But this does not explain why I've been in a flare since May... Other bit of good news, I'm being weaned off my steroid medication - decision being that it isn't helping. Hopefully by next week we'll know more about what is going on and how to end this flare.

So there you have it - two days gone. Really I suppose in the long-term this is a good way to spend two days but in the short-term when I have lots to do, I really could do with those two days back...

We (myself, Marc and my coach) think we've figured out why I'm not riding as well as I have in the past. Basically I'm severely carbohydrate depleted. When I removed gluten from my diet, I eliminated major carbohydrate sources from my diet. So the next few days are going to be spent eating lots of rice, potatoes and beans - best gluten-free carbohydrate sources. I'm also going to start drinking CarboPro - a concentrated does of carbohydrates that is easy on the stomach. My doctor also thinks my iron and B12 are very low. So hopefully these puzzle pieces fit together and I see some progress. The other component is my head and I'm in the process of getting this screwed on tight.

To help with this, I'm wearing my new shirt (thanks Mom!). It is a long-sleeved pinkish t-shirt with a drawing of a girl riding a bike on the front and the words underneath the drawing read: Life is Good. On the side of the shirt there is a tag that reads: Do What You Like. Like What You Do.

A pretty darn good shirt I think. Actually this motto is perfect:

Do What You Like. Like What You Do.

Something to think about on Wednesday.

(Oh Interibke photos are posted on my Facebook page... Also, in case you're wondering, I'm currently reading: A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Incredible.)

Do What You Like. Like What You Do.

What are you doing today?

Catching Up

What a week I had! Burlington, Vermont to San Diego, California to Las Vegas, Nevada to Ottawa, Ontario to Rochester, New York. Phew - finally catching my breath! It was a good week. There were ups and downs but definitely more ups than downs.

The racing at Cross Vegas was so much fun. This was definitely the fastest and strongest field I've raced with this season. I'd say it was on par with a World Cup field. After thinking about the race for a few days, I'm okay with things. Getting lapped is not fun. But this is cyclo-cross racing. The best thing about the race was my solid start - no complaints there! Also great to watch the elite men's race and hang out with so many cool people afterwards.

As for Las Vegas? Well, I definitely want to return. I didn't really see much of Las Vegas since I was getting ready to race on Wednesday and at the Interbike trade show on Thursday. I would like to "experience" the Las Vegas strip and do some more riding in the Red Rock Canyon.

The trip home on Friday was long. But the good news is my bikes made it! I really am impressed that with three flights (one on a super tiny plane) that my bikes made it. Good news is that with Continental I only paid $200 for the bikes (compared to $400 with Delta). Also Continental feeds you (Delta doesn't) but Continental charges for in-flight entertainment (Delta doesn't).

Had Saturday to catch my breath and spend some quality time with my favorite guy and favorite cat. Definitely needed this day to chill out and just "be".

Sunday morning we got up bright and early for the drive to Rochester, N.Y. for a 'cross race. Not  my best performance. But similar to the season so far. Such is life. Many thanks to Marc for giving up his day to be my chauffeur, pit man, cheerleader, and number one fan.

Today? Well, tomorrow I have a colonscopy and an endoscopy.... So today I really haven't done anything except "prepare" for Tuesday... Some of you can probably understand what this entails. Lets just say I'm sick and tired of jello, popsicles, drinking 1 liter of water a day, and the "other stuff". Ah well, all for a good reason - hopefully these tests will give us some insight into what is going on.

Had a great talk with my dad today. He filled me in on all the action in Lakefield and Toronto. Super stoked to hear about Gregory's great news. So proud of this guy. Also very cool to hear that my dad has joined a cycling club (he'll be racing cyclo-cross in no time!). Lots of good stuff happening.

Well, I best be off. Currently thinking about solid food and what I'll eat tomorrow. Also looking forward to a smooth 'cross ride on Wednesday morning and ending the day with a cyclo-cross clinic for a group of young kids. This is where it is at - grassroots and getting kids psyched to be outside riding their bikes.

Have a good one. I feel I may have promised you photos from Interbike... If so, I'll try to get these up tomorrow.

Las Vegas Photos

Here are some photos that I took during my morning ride. I rolled along an amazing road and then pedaled around for a bit in the Red Rock Canyon park. Amazing blue sky. Incredible mountains. Beautiful!

Off to the Interbike trade show today. I'll do my best to take photos of the cool bikes and accessories. Heading out to the Las Vegas strip after that.... I'm sure I'll take some photos of this craziness as well.

The race last night went okay. I gave it all I had. Raced my legs and lungs off. I had a really good start. I stayed positive and just soaked up the experience. Thanks for the cheering and encouragement. I've written more about the race and post-race action over at Ottawa Cross. Go read about it. Many thanks to KingsBridge, Stevens Bikes, and Marc for making this entire trip possible.

I'm actually sitting here a little overwhelmed with how lucky I am. Not everyone can do what I do. Feeling pretty lucky. And I really can't wait for the day when everything comes together for me and I'm 100 per cent healthy. I just know I'll be flying then.

Coming home on Friday. Looking forward to seeing Marc and relaxing at home for a bit. This place is crazy - the city really never sleeps! Alright. I best be off - time for some breakfast and then off to the Interbike trade show. Have a good Thursday.

Las Vegas!

Made it here safe and sound last night. I had a comfy ride in the mini-van with the KingsBridge guys yesterday afternoon. We were on the road from San Diego by 3:30 and by 8:15 we were cruising down the Las Vegas strip.

Have to say this place is like nothing I've ever seen before... Loud. Bright. Brash. Crazy. Extreme. All of these apply. Luckily we're not staying on the strip. Thanks to some amazing support we are staying at the Element Hotel. This is perhaps one of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in. The rooms are very very slick, the staff is amazing and the service is top-notch. Many thanks to the Element Hotel for their support during this trip to Las Vegas. 

Just about to head down for some breakfast and then I'm off to ride in the desert. I have to get a little opening work-out in before tonight's big race so it makes sense to do it early in the mor

Quick Weekend Recap

I've got a few minutes here I have to leave for the airport so thought I'd just update you on the weekend. Well, lets just say it had its pluses and minuses.... But in the end the pluses far outweighed the minuses.

Lets start with the bad and get it out of the way.... Racing is not going well for me right now. I'm racing against my body and there is just not much that I can do. I'm digging deep and pushing as hard as I can and coming up with poor results. There is nothing I can do. I wish there was something I could do. But there is nothing. I simply have to wait. Wait for my body to heal and catch up to where I want to be. Ulcerative colitis sucks and some days it really feels like it is sucking the life right out of me. This is how I felt on Saturday while racing in Catamount. But I just had to keep going and pushing on those pedals. So darn frustrating. But this is my reality right now. I've written more about this over at Ottawa Cross....

Okay so now on to the pluses... First off it was great to have my parents down for the weekend. Hadn't seen them in a long time so it was awesome to hang out and just have them around. Other major highlight of the weekend was seeing Marc race so well. He had a decent day on Saturday but really rebounded on Sunday to have a great ride. So proud of him! The extra bonus of this weekend was catching up with all of our cyclo-cross friends. It was great to say hello, chat about racing, the summer, and life in general. Nothing like friendly faces to lift your spirits.

Many many thanks to Jen and Shane for hosting us this weekend. Also major thanks to Shane for getting up before the crack of dawn to drive to the airport. I'm off to San Diego today and then Las Vegas on Tuesday. To say I'm a little bit worried about Cross Vegas would be an understatement... But I can only do what my body will allow me to do. Those who know me will know what is going on and I'm working really hard to not worry about those who don't know me and determine to make their own opinions think...

I'm looking forward to being in San Diego and Las Vegas - two new cities for me. I'll try to post here this week and maybe even some photos... (Ah promises!)

Alright, I better motor. Have a great Monday. It is the start of another excellent week.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Amazing that one year ago, my parents were living in northern Saskatchewan thinking about and talking about moving to Ontario. And now here they are! Pretty darn impressive, to pack up and move yourself away from your friends and home for the last 27 years!

But this really is a testament to my parents and their free spirits. After all they moved to Canada in 1968 without really knowing what they were getting themselves into. (No Internet back then...) So considering this big move, I suppose moving across the country is not such a big deal....

Okay, scratch that - it is a big deal. Lots of uncertainty and questions about such a big move. But they did it and now on my mom's birthday (and parent's anniversary) they have made Lakefield their home and it as if they've been living there for years.

I'm lucky to have such daring people as parents. There really is no "can't" or "I wish" in their vocabulary. Rather it is is - "let's do it" and "why wouldn't I do it".

Since it is my mom's birthday today and I did the same thing for my brother on his birthday, I thought I'd post a few pictures of my mom on this site. (Don't worry mom - nothing embarrassing here....)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Busy Times

Well so much for my pledge to post here more regularly.... I could use the excuse that I wanted you to read about my brother and his success at TIFF. This is true, but I also did have good intentions to post here more regularly.

So what has been going on? Well, cyclo-cross season has started. The first weekend of racing is now in the books. Not much to say about that first weekend of racing, except it was less than impressive on my part. I could have and should have done better. No excuses. Just plain and simple did not race my bike like I know how. Good thing is this under-performance is now out of my system... Up next are two races in Williston, Vermont at the Catamount Outdoor Center. This is a great race venue - perfect for racers and spectators. Looking forward to racing here this weekend. Extra special is that my parents are coming down to take in the racing and to hang out for the weekend.

Funny, I thought that since my parents are a mere three hours up the road that I'd see them more often than when it was five hour plane ride followed by a three hour drive to get to their place... But just like me, my parents are pretty darn busy. This is a good thing. In my opinion, being busy is a sign of a full life. It leaves very little time to be bored or to have regrets. Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to hanging out with my parents this weekend.

Next week is a bit crazy with a flight to San Diego on Monday morning for a trade show with KingsBridge. Then on Tuesday myself and the KingsBridge crew are driving to Las Vegas. On Wednesday I'm racing at Cross Vegas and then on Thursday I'll hang out at Interbike (biggest bicycle trade show in North America). Then Friday, back on a plane and home. Saturday and Sunday sees me racing in New York... Phew - tired yet? Ah well, no time for boredom or regrets.

This past month I've been holding cyclo-cross practice sessions around the city. I really enjoy holding these sessions. Typically I have five people out and we work on cyclo-cross skills. It really is an incredible feeling to see people learn new skills. I see myself in the people that I'm teaching - I know what it is like to what to improve but not really knowing what I don't "know".

I don't have any new recipes to tell you about. Been keeping things pretty simple here. I've removed gluten and dairy for my diet. So with no gluten, no dairy, no raw fruits or vegetables, things do get a bit boring... Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll know more about my ulcerative colitis and I'll find out if I do have celiac disease. One thing I can say is: I don't understand why people would willingly remove gluten from their diets if they don't have an allergy to it.... Gluten is in everything. It is hard to eat and to eat enough - especially as an athlete. As for the dairy? I really miss cottage cheese and yogurt. Don't even get me started on the fruits and vegetables... It seems very strange to tell a waiter at a restaurant that I can't eat salad...

As for books? Well, I'm in between books. I didn't like A Week In December or Brooklyn - both big disappointments. So I'm rereading The Rider by Tim Krabbe. This is a classic cycling novel. We did see the Expandables.... Well not much to say, other than "don't".

Okay, well I best blast. If I don't post before or on Thursday Sept. 16, be sure to drop my mom an email and wish her a happy birthday. I won't tell you her age, for two reasons: I can't remember what it is and my mom told me once that it is not polite to tell people how old your mom is... (I think this was after I blurted out to pretty much every person we saw on the street one day "My mom is 40!")

Bragging Rights

It is not often that I brag about my brother... (Okay that is a lie but this is my website so I'll lie if I want to...)

Nonetheless, here is some exciting news... A short film my brother shot with Brandon Cronenberg will be playing at the Toronto International Film Festival next Sunday, Sept. 12. The short film is called Camera and Chrisopher Merk. The film will be part of a package of short films airing at noon on the Sunday at the Jackman Hall - AGO.

So, if you're going to TIFF, go see this film. Then tell me all about it. Unfortunately I can't get to Toronto to watch my brother do his thing. But be guaranteed that I'll be smiling as if I was sitting in the audience watching him. Okay, make that grinning ear-to-ear. Yep, pretty proud of my brother.

He is a constant inspiration to me. Chasing his dreams and doing it all with his heart on his sleeve.

Fall?

So it is Sept. 2... Does this mean it is Fall now? I'm not sure when the line is crossed and we move from summer to fall. All I know is that it is still kind of hot out. Hot for summer and definitely too hot for fall. Well, whatever it is, it sure beats winter...

Things here are getting pretty busy and exciting. Next week we start cyclo-cross racing. And now instead of flying to Frankfurt/Switzerland on Oct. 14, I'm leaving earlier. I'll be landing in Geneva, Switzerland on Oct. 3 now. I'm attending a UCI Cyclo-Cross Training Camp in Aigle, Switzerland for two weeks before the World Cup on Oct. 17. The rest of the trip stays the same with me flying out of  Frankfurt on Oct. 26. Yes, so I'll basically be gone for the month of October... I get home on Oct. 26 and then get back on a plane to move to Belgium for the winter on Nov. 8. I know - crazy, insane, awesome. The only bad part about all of this is that I really won't see Marc at all....

I think I mentioned in my last post that I have started holding cyclo-cross practice sessions for groups and individuals. Well this morning I gave my first private cyclo-cross lesson. It was a great time teaching John the basics of the dismount and mount. But I'll let him tell you all about it here. Definitely check out John's site - he is a true inspiration.

Rest of the day was rather hectic. Had an appointment with my gastro doctor to discuss my uclerative colitis situation... Well, now I'm scheduled for an endoscopy and colonoscopy on Sept. 28. The endoscopy is being done to find out if I have celiac disease and the colonoscopy is being done because my doctor thinks my ulcerative colitis has changed (i.e. more of my colon is now affected). I'm also starting on a new "medicine" - thanks to a fellow professional cyclist who has Crohn's disease, I learned about VSL#3. This is a probiotic that is supposed to help people with inflammatory bowel disease. So I'll be starting on this treatment tomorrow.... Only problem is this is not available by prescription and a one month supply costs $201... It can also only be purchased/ordered at Costco. I'm trying to not think about the cost - at this point I need to try whatever I can. I have to say the pharmacist at Costco was super helpful in ordering the VSL#3 for me. The last part of my new treatment is a new set of blood tests to see which medicines I will respond best to - these are apparently rather "complicated" blood tests and my blood samples will actually be sent to Montreal for analysis. All this to say, I had a very good appointment with my doctor today. He is super responsive to what is happening and wants to get me out of this flare sooner than later.

Looking forward to a relaxing and bike-filled weekend since it is my last at home for a very long time. Lots of good stuff happening. Picked up a new book to read "Discovering the Buddha Within" - I've been curious about Buddhism and how it can affect athletic performance and performance in life in general. This books is written from a "Western" perspective and I'm looking forward to reading it (have to finish Brooklyn first).

Alright, I'm out. Have a great long weekend. I'll do my best to post during the weekend. Oh, and thanks to the adventures of our neighbours, I've definitely put New York City on my list for 2011. Porter flies there at a reasonable price....