Sand running

So most of you will probably read this title and think that I am talking about the sand of the recent World Cup in Koksijde. Nope not true. I'm talking about the beautiful sand on the coast of Dominican Republic. Punta Cana to be exact. This is where I have been the last week or so. No Internet, no bikes, no training except a little running on the beach here and there. Although I have come back to see that somehow I have written a lot of wall posts on my facebook account with out using the Internet about eating lots of Turkey over the American Thanksgiving weekend. Yeah, that wasn't me, so please ignore any of this junk, although I did eat a lot of food on vacation.

So lets just say this was my first vacation in more than as many years as I've know Derrick (at least 5 years) and it was very over due. Many of you are probably wondering why I decided to cut the season short and end it after winning the NACT series in Southampton. Well, cause I kind of messed up this year. See I thought not focusing on cross would make me a better cyclocross racer and the more I got involved with road and doing stage races during the summer the better I would become at cyclo cross. I burnt the candle on both ends the last few years with no rest between seasons and multiple trips to Europe in two different sports. To top it off I had the worst illness I have had in my life this year in the middle of the road season loosing 8lbs in June and never gaining it back. Instead throwing myself into 4 stage races immediately after and the latter two being in France with the National team. I set myself up for a disaster, who'd did I think I was, Wonder women?? I'm not sure of the destruction that illness did to me, but it most likely cost me the entire year of cycling. Just imagine losing 5 % of your weight and then enduring in the hardest racing of your life and not giving your body chance to ever gain it back or recover. I raced and travelled more than anyone I can think of in the world of cycling this past year to add insult to this illness. This is what happens sometimes when you want things so bad, you become your own worse enemy, pushing and pushing until something gives.

Something did give for sure and even further into the mess I created, I got an chronic injury from what else would you think but chronic over training and not having rest between my seasons. Chronic compartment syndrome.........every cross race this year my left leg has swelled around the calf about 2o minutes into the race and caused my left foot to go numb. Sometimes worse than others and when it starts to happen there is no going back, all I can think of is me going into the barriers jumping off my bike and not feeling my foot and then blowing my ankle out. I think about it every race.

The list goes on and on, and I'll try not to bore you any more with excuses or reasoning's of why to cut the season short. Where are we now, back in C-wall, feeling relaxed, rested and recovered and have a huge plan for next year. Pierre at Louis Garneau Sports (who has kind of been like our manager this year in Cross as we run everything by him first) had a suggestion a few weeks back for me to solely focus on cross next year and go for it. Basically saying if you do cyclo cross, "you might as well win at it", so do everything right and better than the next person doing it. LG is going to support me enough to train all summer for cyclo cross, road race if I feel it fits well with the training, maybe venture into a few mountain bike races as well. But mainly not fry myself out by feeling the need to race or travel during the off season of cyclo-cross (summer months). And from what I have learned this system has seemed to work out for the riders flying in cyclo cross this season (Katerina Nash for example!).

Am I upset about cutting the season short........kind of, but not as much as one would think. Mainly because inside I know that I didn't focus on cross this year and didn't but in all the work I had done 2 years ago before cross. I took a different approach and learnt a whole lot about what not to do. Yep my technical skills improved remarkably this year but I didn't have all juice in the tank to take me through a whole season. So for next year, the plan is to start cross fresh with the two of these together. Knowing this I know that my game will be where it needs to be and anything will be possible. I'll say it here and you can quote me on it next season, but I want to stand on the podium at a World Cup and can see it already.

It is amazing to have this opportunity given to me, and to be honest, I was doing more and more road each year as I thought is was going to make me better at cross. Don't get me wrong, I like the road, but I love cyclo cross! Pierre and everyone at LG Sports obviously see my potential and want me to go for it, give it 110%, and I was thinking the exact same thing in my mind the last few weeks. I knew I came into cross tired but thought that I could pull myself out of it. I don't think the amount of races and travel I did this season helped me at all.

I gave everything I could at Southampton 2 weeks ago just to see if I could salvage anymore of the season. I even drank a full red bull on day 2 and went a 150% off the start giving me a 20 metre lead in the first 2 minutes of the race. "All or nothing" I said to myself that day, as I didn't ride my bike all that week to see if I could get rid of the damage of being burnout. It didn't work out well for me as my heartrate reached a mere 168 bpm at an effort of 150%, that was enough proof for me.

I still accomplished my goals this year....I got to race in Europe with the National team on the road, I won a series in cyclo cross in North America (almost 2). Although I had planned on winning the Verge, but it became the NACT series instead. I think if I didn't miss 6 of the Verge races I probably would of won it too. I wasn't really planning on going to Worlds in the first place this year in Cross as I knew a break was going to be needed this January before road. So I just ended the season a few weeks early than planned and really found out what I want to do in cycling. Where my heart is at and what I want to become the best in the world at.

Live and learn, who'd would of thought not focusing on cross and going with the flow would not make you the best in the World! With every great champion, there are lots of sacrifices that need to be made. All I know is that a lot of important lessons were learnt this year and all I could do was limit the damage and prepare for the season of my life next year in September. Refuel the tank, take it slow as I got lots of time before the season starts. Thanks again to all our supporters, fans, family, sponsors or anyone else I missed.

Oh yeah and one more thing, we get to spend Christmas with everyone this year. First time in 3 years, bad news is with my focus on cross for the next few years it probably won't happen again for awhile!

NCE