Victoria's Island

On The Road Again

Off to Gloucester, Mass. today for a weekend of cyclocross racing. This is our last weekend of traveling for one week... Looking forward to getting down to Gloucester - great spot on the water and the vibe down there is very smooth.

The week has gone well. Nothing too groundbreaking to tell you about. 

Definitely the top highlight of the week was the most excellent Skype chat I had with Gregory and Henry on Thursday. It was a real treat to see Henry in action - amazing the energy a 19-month old has. He showed me his hockey stick and his tambourine. We exchanged high-fives and he quickly became enamored with Murphy (not sure if Murphy felt the same). Of course, the talk with Gregory was excellent and I think if it hadn't been for my meeting we would have talked all afternoon. Looking forward to seeing these guys and Liz in a few weeks when I'm in Toronto for the Canadian Cyclocross Championships.

Apart from the racing this weekend, the other big news is that it is my dad's birthday! Have a great day on Sunday dad!

Alright, I best sign off. I've got a little bit of work to do before I hop out for a ride and then we hit the open road. Life is darn good. Hard to believe that in a litte over a week I'll be in the Czech Republic. Time flies when you're having fun!

Where Was I?

These days it is hard to keep track of where I've been and where I'm going. This weekend will mark our fourth weekend of travel and overnight stays. We're in a good groove now - essentially we don't really unpack our bags. We wash only what is dirty and the rest gets left in the bags (yes on the floor in the living room - sorry mom!) and then the washed and dryed clothes are packed into said bags again. When you're wearing the same spandex suits, track pants and t-shirts, this really isn't an issue. It also cuts down on the amount of work we have to do to get ready for a race weekend. On top of this we have four bikes, 10 or 12 wheels, food, tools, and computers to pack away with us. Now I'm not complaing, on the contrary I'm thrilled to be able to do this again. 

So, I've been able to wear almost all of my new Lolë clothing. I have to say the travel pants really are the perfect pant for a weekend or longer trip. They look sharp, fit well, don't wrinkle, the spandex is a nice feature, and they can be dressed up or dressed down. Seriously - I might just be able to give up jeans for these pants... (Yes, that is saying a lot!). I'm also partial to my new cords. It has been a very long time since I've owned a pair of cords - probably back when I was still wearing those oddly named rugby pants... Anyway, these particular Lolë cords are very smooth. 

Yes, liking my new clothes a lot. I also really liked the latest Ann Patchett novel: A State of Wonder. A top-notch read. It just might be up there with Bel Canto - yep - saying a lot. Give this book a read. Don't read the description - just trust that it is an Ann Patchett novel...

We were in Rochester on the weekend for racing on Sunday... We took it easy on Saturday and drove down in the afternoon - it was very nice to not be rushed to get in rides, pack up the car and hit the road. We had a very relaxing night in Rochester - a trip to the nearby grocery store was rather eye-opening - forgot how massive the bags of chips are in the U.S. and it was a struggle to find any pre-cut fresh fruit in this particular grocery store. Sunday was race day and what a day it was! Marc finished second in his race - with third place well behind him. It was great to see Marc riding so strongly and to have such a solid result. Sadly I don't have a podium photo for you because the podium presentation happened while I was warming up for my race... My race went not badly - I finished in 9th position. I'm content with this result but not pleased - I was in 8th for quite  a while but a series of mistakes, miscues and lapses resulted in enough slow-downs for me to slide into 9th. We stayed for the elite race so Marc could pit for Conor - this gave me a chance to have a good cool-down ride with Julie (who finished in 8th) and to relax a bit before jumping in the car for the drive home. One thing it definitely was in Rochester was hot - so hot that it took me two days to rehydrate!

So this is where I've been. No rest for the wicked I'm afraid. This weekend we're off to Gloucester, Mass. for the biggest cyclocross race weekend to hit the east coast. There is nothing quite like racing in Gloucester. This is where I think I was first hooked on cyclocross. I was racing in the amateur/masters womens category back then and I would watch the elite women race and wish I could be like them.... Gloucester was also where I won my first cyclocross race - in fact I haven't raced there since... So I'm looking forward to this weekend - I don't have any designs on winning the race outright but I do know what a win is for me this weekend. Stay tuned to find out if it happens....

Alright, I'm out of here. Time to do a bit more work and then hit the hay. I've got a new book to read: The Cookbook Collector. Oh, you can submit Canada Reads nominations right now - click on over and submit!

Back With the Living

Wow, it is amazing what a wee little head cold can do to me. I guess I forgot what it's like to be sick! I honestly can't remember the last time I had a cold - likely well over a year ago. Lets just say I don't feel like revisiting the head cold feelings any time soon. I went from feeling pretty darn good to completely wiped out in a matter of hours.

Thanks to some serious sleeping and lots of liquids I'm back to myself. Still feeling a bit tired but at least the sore throat, ear aches and stuffed up head are gone. I think Murphy enjoyed the head cold experience - he basically slept and lounged around with me. Fascinating how cats adopt our habits.

So anyway, enough about this head cold chatter. On to the weekend ahead. We're off to Rochester, New York this weekend for a race on Sunday. Yes, I'm healthy enough to race - no I don't have a cough or chest congestion.... I'm looking forward to this race - last year I suffered horribly at this course and I believe I came by the pits the first time crying. (Yes, it was that bad.)

I forgot to tell you about a valuable lesson I learned last weekend... So the weekend before (that's two weekends ago...) I cooked up a big batch of rice and to this rice I added two eggs, soy sauce and black pepper. I brought two servings of this eggy rice mixture with me to the races in Pennyslvania and the rest went in the freezer for last weekend's racing in Vermont. Now, I let the rice cool thoroughly before freezing it and everything appeared normal when I packed it up for the trip to Vermont... But when I sat down to eat my pre-race meal, I was faced with a mess - the rice seemed to have absorbed all sorts of liquid and had the texture of maggots (or what I imagine maggots to feel like in one's mouth)... I quickly spit out the afore mentioned mushy rice and scrambled for something else to eat. So lesson learned - rice does not freeze well. No matter what the Internet tells you - don't believe it - I have first hand experience with this. Don't freeze rice and expect it to taste like rice...

I am taking rice and egg again this weekend but I'm cooking it now and I won't be putting it in the freezer prior to eating it. I learned my lesson! A nice side effect from this lesson was learning that the Udi's Gluten-Free bagels make an excellent pre-race meal - especially when coated liberally with natural peanut butter and a sliced banana...

I'm still reading Ann Patchett's book State of Wonder - what a great read. I must admit that the description on the back of the book didn't grab me but when I listened to Patchett's interview with Shelagh Rogers on the Next Chapter - I was hooked.

Oh and I forgot to tell you about the other tea you need to check out: Gingerbread Spice - so very good - another tea from Celestial Seasonings.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, here are some photos from the weekend of racing in Vermont (thanks to my dad for taking the photos):

Vermont and Other Stuff

Well, guess you could say I'm a bit behind on my blog posts... But since there isn't a fixed schedule to these sorts of things I'd like to think I'm right on schedule. Either way, I'm here now so lets see what happens...

First off, had a great weekend down in Vermont. Got in some cyclocross racing at the Verge New England Series taking place at the Catamount Outdoor Center. If you're into mountain biking, hiking, trail running, skiing, snowshoeing, etc - get yourself to Williston, Vermont. A great spot.

So the racing went well. I'm finally starting to sort of feel like my old self. Slowly but surely my fitness is coming around and I'm able to actually race my bike rather than ride it. It is still going to take more time to get the fine-tuning but I'm feeling better about things. It was a real treat to have my parents down for the weekend. It was nice to race my bike properly and to see them smiling and to hear my mom cheering me on while my dad snapped photos.

To top it off, it was my mom's birthday and my parent's wedding anniversary - so on Friday we kicked off the weekend in style with a nice relaxing meal at a very good Italian restaurant. Great way to ease into what was a rather hectic weekend of bike racing, cheering, bike cleaning, and toing and froing. Marc had some super solid rides - was really really nice to see him so happy with his ride - particularly on Sunday when he finished 5th.

This past week has been spent doing the usual stuff. Working. Riding. And general house stuff. 

(This post was halted last night and I'm restarting now...)

So breaking news is that I have a rotten head cold, sore throat and earaches... Not much else to say except I've been awak for 2 hours and it hasn't been that awesome. Back to bed in hopes of ridding this cold by the weekend. Yes, feeling sorry for myself right now...

In other news, definitely do read Ann Patchett's latest novel State of Wonder - excellent reading. Do buy yourself some Candy Cane Lane tea by Celestial Seasonings (this is not mint tea - it is a notch above). Oh and do send me your healing vibes - I hate colds...

Weekend Recap

Sorry for leaving you hanging on Saturday and not posting again until today. 

Well, the rest of Saturday night was pretty chilled out. It is a really good thing we no longer have television channels - I quickly and rather disturbingly became absorbed with the Food Network... 

Sunday came fast and furious (as it often seems to) and with impressive teamwork and timing we were out the door ten minutes ahead of schedule! The racing on Sunday once again involved some serious mud. In particular the mud bog run which I highly disliked. I actually felt as if my shoes were going to be sucked right off my feet (way stickier than the mud Gregory and I used muck around in at the bottom of the "big hill" in Uranium City... luckily I didn't lose any rubber boots...). I had soem goals for Sunday and for the most part, I did accomplish these. I rode smarter and my technical skills were better - it is amazing what one race can teach you. Marc had a good race as well but an early collision did push him back further than he would have liked (he finished in 11th).

After racing, showering (at a muddy race like this we wear our racing skin suit and shoes right into the shower to get cleaned off), and chatting with racing pals we were back in the mini-van and on our way home. We made good time and for once I didn't fall asleep - thanks to the power of Starbucks and Mountain Dew! Quick stop at an American classic: Cracker Barrel for some supper and we were back on the road. Luckily the 81 North was wide open so we didn't have to worry about any traffic slow downs.

So all in all, an excellent weekend of racing, learning and hanging out with friends. Looking forward to doing it again this weekend. This time we'll be in Vermont - and my parents are coming down as well. It is my mom's birthday on Friday (I can't remember how old she is turning but I think it is somewhere close to 45?). Looking forward to racing and hanging out with my parents.

The Monday after a racing weekend is so very very full - laundry and more laundry, groceries, Murphy cuddling, bike cleaning, training, and work - so it was a a busy one yesterday. But heck - no complaints here - I'm just happy to be racing my bike again.

Thanks for the kind emails and comments about the article in the Ottawa Citizen. Oh - I got my Lolë clothes. Oh wow - they are awesome. Everything fits perfectly. In fact I'm wearing the Comfy Cardigan right now. Alright, I best be off. Happy Tuesday!

(Wow - wicked rainstorm in Ottawa right now. Sky went from brilliant blue to black in an instant! - Still better than snow though!)

Quick One

Finally catching my breath after a long day of bike racing and cleaning up! Muddy day out there today - lets just say the white on my skinsuit quickly became brown and I was covered in head to toe mud! But this is what makes cyclocross so darn fun!

The racing today was challenging - just as I expected it to be. I came away with some good lessons - some positives and some "to do betters". My result wasn't groundbreaking (19th) but I did have some good moments: better than normal start, good mud riding, decent acceleration at times (until I gassed myself). The outcome isn't top-notch but the performance was good for a first race in a very very long time.

Marc had a great race today - he finished 9th in a very competitive and large Masters field. Unfortunately I didn't get to watch his race since I raced right after him. Big thanks to Marc for skipping a cool down and shower so he could be in the pits for me - I did two pit changes today...

After a good recovery spin with Gabby Day, Marc and I hit up the car wash to really give the bikes and clothes a good clean. It felt like the clean-up was just as exhausting as the racing (I forgot how much clean-up there is after a race!). Luckily we didn't have to sit in a restaurant for our supper - leftovers from home for supper tonight supplemented with some salads from the stellar Wegman's (can't beat the hot and cold salad bar).

Now we're just chilling out and recovering. We both race again tomorrow and then it will be the long drive home (thinking I will need a full on caffeinated Starbucks tomorrow!).

Thanks for all the great emails and comments on the article in the Ottawa Citizen. I hope it really shows that people with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's can live active and full lives. If you didn't see the newspaper today, here is the link: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/health/chase/5377975/story.html

Long Time No Talk!

So it looks like I've become a sporadic blogger. I start each day with good intentions but truth be told - I'm busy these days and something has to give. Truly sorry about this.

Currently relaxing in Trexlertown, PA getting ready for the first cyclocross race of the season. Looking forward to racing and having some fun on my bike. Also will be good to connect with my pals from Belgium and England who have come over for some North American racing.

This week I had a blast shopping! Yes, I ordered and received my new Lole clothes. Many thanks to Lole for the amazing support this cyclocross season. My package of clothes arrived just as we were leaving so I didn't even have a chance to open the package - but let me tell you - as soon as I get home I'll be opening up that yellow package of goodies!

We had a pretty relaxed evening and easy drive down. We're not so sure about the drive home though since the Binghamton, NY area is flooded and we fear the 81 North will still be closed on Sunday... But we'll deal with this on Sunday.

I've been chilling out with the television - Food Network to be specific! What strikes me the most now that we don't have television (apart from downloaded programs) are the commercials. I'm shocked by some of the new products out there and just the obtrusive nature of the commercials.

I bought something very cool at the Wegman's: Powdered Peanut Butter. I've read about this amazing product on many food blogs - basically peanut flower that you mix with water to make your own peanut butter. You can also bake with it and add it to smoothies. It is lower fat than regular peanut butter and more cost-effective. (I think we might need to return to Wegman's tomorrow so I can buy another jar...)

Alright, I'm going to sign off. Check out my other site http://ottawa.cx tomorrow for a race report. (Oh and if you're in Ottawa, be sure to buy the Ottawa Citizen and look for an article and photo of me on the Active Living page...)

Happy Long Weekend!

Ah, the long weekend. Really can't beat these free Mondays that we get. An excuse to take it a little bit slower on Sunday since you have Monday to "get stuff done". Or maybe it is just another day for you. For me long weekends are a bit different now since I work full-time from home.

In fact likely I'll be doing some work on Labour Day Monday. No complaints here - I'm happy to have lots of work on my plate and besides I'm traveling on Friday so it all balances out. This Friday we're off to our first cyclo-cross race of the season - good stuff. We'll be traveling for the next three weekends so this weeekend is  a real chance to relax and chill out.

So far so good. Some good riding has happened and more is on deck for today and Monday. We got together with friends last night for a night of UFC watching and some good laughs. Tonight we're connecting with some other long-time friends for another good night of chatting and story telling. 

Everything else is pretty much rolling along. I do have to admit that I'm starting to get a bit freaked out by the start of the cyclo-cross season. But this is just me and I'll get it sorted. Because I don't blog nearly enough... I'm now also blogging over at the Ottawa Citizen cycling blog: Citizen Cycle.

Well, have a good long weekend - enjoy it and please don't put up your Halloween decorations too early - just because they're out in the stores doesn't mean it is time to put them up now! (Of course the Halloween candy is avaialable as well - heck do whatever you want - I like those toffees that come in the orange wrappers....)

The New Year

I don't know about you but this time of the year really feels like the start of a new year for me. As opposed to the calendar date of January 1, it seems that Sept. 1 really signals the start of a new year for me. I suppose that this can be traced back to years of school - September signaled the start of a new "grade" or year at university and along with it lots of hopes, dreams, and fears.

And now even though it has been years since I've been in school, I still get this "new" feeling at this time of year. Along with it being it Sept. 1 there is also a new crispness in the year along with an early darkness in the evening. Yes, all things pointing to a time of change and renewal.

For a cyclo-cross racer like me, this time of the year is the start of the racing season. Our first race of the season kicks off on Sept. 10 and it will be full steam ahead until the end of January with hopefully a race in the red and white skinsuit of Team Canada in Koksijde, Belgium.

I'm looking forward to the last weekend at home for a while. I've got some good rides planned, quality time with friends and I'm confident I'll find time to chill out and relax with some tea and the newspaper. I'm currently reading The Cure For Death By Lightning - this is an excellent read - not a new book but one worth picking up if you haven't read it yet.

We received some sad news yesterday about one of the best cats I have ever been honored to know. I feel for his owners right now. The days will get better, it just really is horrible right now. I've been giving Murphy some extra hugs and a few more treats - he seems to be enjoying  this extra attention - who wouldn't?

Well, make the most of this start to the "new year" - now is the chance to think back to those resolutions you made in January and really make some moves forward to do what you want with your life. Change is good.