Victoria's Island

Day Out in Westerlo

Westerlo is a nearby town that is bigger than Blauberg and has some good restaurants, shops and cafes. Today also happened to be market day. So Nikoline and I spent the morning wandering around the Westerlo market and then took in the other Westerlo hot spots.

The Westerlo market is where a lot of people do their shopping - you can buy everything there from apples to underwear to mittens to cigarettes to fresh fish to barbecued chicken to coffee. I took a few photos so you can get an idea of the range of items for sale at the market. It makes for a pleasant morning of wandering around looking at the goods for sale. It is also very social with lots of people crowded into the cafes along the streets.

So this gives you a "taste" of the Westerlo market. After wandering around for a while, we hit up the Cafe Libro for some tea and hot choccolate. After this we went to 4 Bikes to look at nice bikes and cool cycling clothing. Next up was the famous second hand book store to see if there were any deals on books. Finally we stopped at Lizzy's for some tasty salads to have with supper tonight.

Yes, a pretty darn good morning. It was very nice to be out and about. I walked slowly and we took our time. 

In other news, I've started knitting again. Nikoline wanted to learn so I decided to get back into the knitting game as well. I'm knitting a cowl (though I only have straight needles - so I'll have to do some sewing at the end). 

 

Angry

So on Friday I was actually able to positive about my injury. After all, it could have been much worse. But really, I think Friday and most of the weekend I was in a bit of shock. Now that I've had some time to think and have things setttle in - I'm really ticked off. Yes, angry would be the appropriate emotion.

Another season has been ended early. This time I only got two races in Belgium before it ended. Very very frustrating. I'm not one to feel sorry for myself but right now, I would really like to know why I keep getting handed the raw deal? Why do I have the bad luck? Why can't I have the luck for once?

I know that part of what makes me a strong person is that I can always dig a bit deeper and push up and over the obstacles. But frankly, I'm a bit tired of this. I'd like to just be able to have things "go my way".

I was having a good year and coming into some good form. The weather is perfect here in Belgium. I have some great friends here. Really, it was shaping up to be a "dream" season.

Now I have to sit here and rest. My hard-earned fitness and strength will disappear. I'm not even able to do yoga or any stretches. Just sit. 

It is hard to be positive (and I know I should be) but I think I need a few days of feeling angry first.

(Just so you know I did see another doctor today - I've fractured the Transverse Process on my L3. I'm lucky to have not damaged my spinal cord.)

So, what does all of this mean? If anything - don't take a damn thing for granted. Don't waste another day "wishing" you could do something. Don't waste another moment watching television shows when you could be out doing something. Life is short and opportunities don't come often. Realize this and make the most of what you do have and can do. 

Koksijde Update

Well, I’m sitting here in the plush villa that Stefan Wyman of team Kona arranged for us in De Panne. We’ve got a good group of us here relaxing the night before the World Cup. But the thing is – I won’t be racing tomorrow. Or for a while for that matter…

I crashed during training today and fractured a vertebrae in my spine.

Now I’m going to be okay. I can walk and move around. I’m just in a lot of pain – my back is in spasm, my right thigh is completely numb, and my back plain old hurts. And I’ve got a nasty scrape on my face – first black eye I’ve had in a long time! But my body will heal. The orthopaedic surgeon said it will be about six weeks until I’ve recovered.

So another cyclocross season is over. I think I’m in shock right now.

As for what I do next – I really don’t know. For now I’ll just relax and maybe just maybe I’ll hit up the bakery across the street for a sweet rice tart!

 

Getting Better

I think I'm on the other side of this flu now. It has been such a long time since I've had a flu that I kind of forgot what it feels like. I'm relieved that these symptoms did not turn into an ulcerative colitis flare (knock on wood).

Off to Koksijde in a few hours to get in some pre-riding before Saturday's World Cup race. Big field this year with 51 starters! Guess this is because it is also the site of the 2012 World Cyclocross Championships. After Saturday's race we're off in the mobile home (RV) for a 4.5 hour drive to Gieten, Holland for race number two on Sunday.

I'll have my laptop so I'll do my best to check in.

I've got a new battery in my Timex Ironman digital watch and now it won't beep or make any sounds - any ideas? (Yes, dad, I did Google it!)

This and That

Sorry for not posting yesterday - pretty quiet day around here so I really didn't have anything groundbreaking to write about. And honestly, today is rather quiet as well. 

Just had a recovery ride to do for a short 75 minutes. But I have to say it was a great ride - the sun is brilliant here and the sky is bright blue. We are currently sitting at 13 celsius (no complaints here).

I have had a productive day with my writing work. Got lots of writing done for one client and I'm close to wrapping up one other contract. Lots of people ask me what kind of writing I do - well I do all sorts - website content, professional blogging, technical writing, marketing content, SEO content. Essentially if it needs to be written - I can do it!

Had a great chat with Marc today. Sounds like he and Murphy are doing very well. It is hard to be apart but at least with the power of Skype we can talk easily. 

I've got a big weekend of racing coming up with my first double weekend in a long-time. On Saturday I'm racing in Koksijde and on Sunday in Gieten, the Netherlands. Koksijde is known as resort town since it is located on the Belgian coast. What this means for us is that we're racing our bikes on the very unforgiving sand dunes. Yes, sand dunes - challenging riding - like no other race course out there. I've never raced in Gieten but from watching the race videos it looks like a fun course that requires lots of power (something I have!). 

For some evening activity, Nikoline and I are off to the suburbs of Antwerp to hit up the Decathlon sports store and Saturn (big electronics store). An easy 20 or 30 minutes and we'll be there - can't beat this. It is easy to forget how close we are to the city... In face we already have a trip to Antwerp planned for next Monday - first stop - the Starbucks in the Antwerp train station!

I'm deep into the Steve Jobs book. Wow - what a read. I didn't think I'd be interested in it but after hearing Marc talk about it, I decided to give it a crack. Yes, a very good read - I'd say even if you have absolutely no interest in computers or technology, this book is a good look at what makes someone tick.

For some other inspiration, check out the Do Lectures. Some great videos that will get you thinking and maybe motivate you to make that change you've always wanted to do. 

Cyclocross Photos

Big thanks to Kris Claeye for the photos from today's race in Aspere-Gavere, Belgium:

Here is Marc standing on the top step of the podium at the Ontario Provincial Cyclocross Championships:

(Sorry I don't know how to rotate photos in Typepad...)

Thanks Dad for the photo! Congrats Marc - super proud of you!

A Week And A Bit

Well, I've been here for a week and a bit. I'm pretty much all settled in here now. It is amazing how many little errands there are to do when first arriving. But now all of this "stuff" is done and I feel like I'm in a good groove.

This past week has been pretty good. Lots of good training. Some good downtime with friends. Meeting new people. Exploring new training roads and courses. Yes, pretty darn good.

I do admit that I'm feeling a bit homesick today. I think it is because Nikoline's parents are here this weekend - makes me think even more of Marc and how far apart we are right now. At least I know Marc won't be too lonely for me this weekend since he's got a busy weekend on deck with the Ontario Provincial Cyclocross Championships on Saturday and another local race on Sunday - as well my dad and his team mate Peter will be staying at our house. Not sure how Murphy will handle the company and action but I'm sure he'll be his typical  fat cat self!

I'm racing this Sunday in Aspere-Gavere, so to make the race day travel a bit easier, I'm going to stay at my super mechanic and friend's house on Saturday night. I'm looking forward to hanging out with Ignace and Katie on Saturday evening and then racing on Sunday. Definitely a good weekend ahead.

So really, this is all I've got right now. I am reading the Steve Jobs biography - rivetting and addictive - I urge you to read it. Yes, even if you "don't like computers" - this is not a book about computers - it is a book about a human being and is very inspiring.

Alright, have a good weekend and I'm sure I'll be checking in on Sunday after the race and maybe even tomorrow!

Thursday in Photos

Had a good day today - but I'm at a bit of loss for words so today you get photos....

Belgian architecture - this is an example of the new:

Signs to keep you on track or point you in a new direction:

Made it to Flipperland - I think it looks better in the summer:

The forest in Blauberg is named for Willem Elsschot:

Jos modeling some Canadian boots and enjoying a cappuccino at Cafe Libro:

And that's the kind of day it has been!

 

 

 

Luck On My Side

Today was definitely a lucky day for me! It started off very innocently with an early (okay 8:30) morning run. I managed to find a good route through the Blauberg forest and had a very peaceful run through the woods. I admtit the gun shots were a bit disturbing (it is hunting season) - but luckily I wasn't dressed like a deer!

After a bit of chill out here and some errands I hopped in my car and drove to Zolder for a cyclocross training session. My friend René arranged for me to train with a group in Zolder and I had been looking forward to it for a while now. I admit I was a bit nervous but after meeting the coach I felt completely at ease. I arrived  a bit early so decided to take my bike out for a spin on some of the training areas before the official training started.

This is where the real luck comes in. I was riding along when all of a sudden the ground literally disappeared under my front wheel. Turns out I should have gone left... So I had a bit of crash. Okay kind of a big crash. Banged my shoulder pretty hard and smacked the side of my head on the ground. I lay on the ground for a bit catching my breath and doing an inventory of my body parts. Luckily my shoulder and collarbone were fine and I did have a slight headache. But within 2o minutes the headache was gone. Here is a picture of how my bike landed when I flew over the drop:

After this incident I met up with the large group and we rode over to nearby Hasselt to train on this Saturday's race course. It was quite the feeling to be zooming along the canal in a group of 30 or so racers. The session on the track was excellent and it was great to meet some new people and to get out. 

When I got back to the house, Nikoline and I decided to go out for a "coffee" - so we went to the nearby Mie Maan for some hot chocolate. I had mine made with water (still off of dairy). It was great to hang out and chat for a bit. Sometimes it helps to get out even if it is just for an hour - staying in the house all day and evening can be a bit suffocating. Here are a couple photos from the Mie Maan:

Just relaxing this evening. Realized I haven't done any writing work today! Guess tomorrow will be a busy day. I'm crossing my fingers that my body won't be stiff tomorrow - you never know when your bones are as old as mine!

Good Day

Today has been an excellent day. Nothing really remarkable - just one of those all-round good days. I think I'm finally getting close to getting over my jet lag as well.

I kicked off the day with a bit of writing work and then it was onto my bike for a good solid two hours of training. The day started off a bit cool with some frost on the ground but by the time I was back from my ride at around 2:30 it was 10 celsius. One thing I can't get over here is how brilliant the blue sky is and how green everything is.

Had one interesting experience during my ride. To keep ourselves warm in cool conditions, a lot of cyclocross racers use a special warming cream (commonly called hot sauce or embrocation) that gives your legs, arms, whatever a warm and toasty feeling. The danger with this warming cream is getting it in sensitive areas (think shorts, eyes, and any other sensitive areas)...

So I usually only apply hot sauce to my legs but since my feet were so cold in Sunday's race, the suggestion was to apply it to my feet. Sounded like a good idea so I test it out today. Well, I learned that I should not apply the hot sauce to my ankles - my boney ankles got rather hot and actually they felt like they were on fire for the two hour ride. As for my feet? Well, they were fine during the ride but then when it came time to showering this is when things went wrong. The thing is hot/warm water activates the hot sauce - so I used some Sport Wash to remove the hot sauce before showering... Learned that the Sport Wash also activates the hot sauce. So I was forced to step into the shower with feet on fire and grit out the shower. Lets just say it was a rather fast and unpleasant shower.

It took about six hours after the original application of hot sauce for my feet to stop burning... So I think I'll stick to the legs when it comes to hot sauce. What I might do is look for some of those shoe inserts that I can use during warm-up to keep my shoes and feet warm. It seems that since I was sick last year, my circulation isn't that great - I'm also struggling with keeping my hands warm.

So this was the "excitement" for the day. The other highlight was having an entire conversation in Flemish with one of the ladies who works at the grocery store next door. Though the conversation did end with "Marc is better"....

That's the kind of day it has been here in Belgium! Just read that Regis Phillbin is stepping down - end of an era...