South Carolina and xc skiing

Hey, don't have a lot of time to write, Mark just got home from BC and we are about to sit down to a good old fashion family dinner.
South Carolina was great, lots of good riding and decent weather, it was a little cold on the last day but not too bad.
Today I did my first XC ski of the year, the conditions were better then I thought they would be, they had just got a few cm of snow last night and was snowing throughout the ski. I think I am going to go back on Friday so conditions should be great by then.
Lastly today I went with my mom and Jackie and cut down a xmas tree from our farm, it was really cool not to have to buy one, just walked to the back cut it down carried it back and set it up!!
Cool, so here are some pics from SC
hope you have a great holiday season.

Getting excited

First off I would like to congratulate Gears Bike Shop on their amazingly successful evening Friday night. Simon Whitfield was there with his new book signing autographs and doing what Simon does best. Simons Gold in Sydney was the reason I made the switch to triathlon and I remember my first ever time racing him I actually beat him out of the water then rode with him for the bike. He did out run me by 10min lapping me part way through his last lap. After that race I knew I had a future in the sport because I knew I could compete against the Olympic gold medalist. I am sure every pro triathlete in Canada has a story as to how Simon has motivated and helped them reach a level of the sport they never thought possible.

As for myself, I have been getting back into training, doing a few trainer rides and running a fair amount. Just getting back into it slowly. I have been feeling pretty good and I am very excited about the new year. I have bene back swimming for the last 2 weeks and it is coming back quick although the 6000m workout Monday took a lot out of me and I think today is 40x100!!

To help kick off the new season a few friends and I are heading down to South Carolina for a mini camp of mostly riding. If you have never been it is a cyclists dream. There are endless mountain roads amazingly paved and courteous drivers. There is a national forest there as well that has miles and miles of gravel access road to run on and the town of Pickens has a 25m indoor pool which is only 20min away. We leave in about a week but it can not come quick enough for me!!!!

Enjoying the Nice Weather

Of course while I am training for Austin we get a cold spell that forces me indoors or to ride and run with countless layers on now that it is time relax and recover we get close to record temps and have not seem rain in a long time. This last weekend I was able to ride in shorts and jersey and was still sweating where this time last year we were digging out from the first snowfall of the year.

With my knee feeling a lot better I decided to head out for a mountain bike ride with Tyler Lord, Andrew Woegerer and Brian. We went to the Pines close to Belfountain and had a great ride, the trails were dry an were in great shape. It was the most fun I have had on a ride in a long time and it was great to get back out on the mountain bike. I did end up getting a flat about 200m from the end of the ride which was actually the first flat of the year, I kept on meaning to say that but I did not want to jinx myself but now that the streak is over I thought I would mention it. I would have to attribute it to the tuffy's I keep in my tires year round and changing tires when they become damaged. thanks to the guys at Gears Bike Shop for keeping me going.
This is not from this weekend the pic is from a few years ago but was the only one of me mountain biking I have!!! (notice the front wheel!!!)

Going to run tomorrow at York and test out the knee again, I think it will be fine but I will still take it easy. I am really looking forward to getting back into the grove.

Chill Time

Sitting at home doing some work on the computer looking out the window watching snow flurries drift by, glad I do not have to go out training in it for awhile. I thought I would be able to handle training in the cold and I thought I did a pretty good job leading into Austin, but after the race it was ovouse that I was lacking that last gear that would have allowed me to have a great race. I was just a little behind in everything and in such a tight race that little difference can make a huge difference in the end.

I am now taking a few days off to let some little issues get better then I will start doing the local run and trainer workouts to keep some fitness throughout the winter. I am especially looking forward to some xc skiing I will have an extra month at home this winter so there is a better chance for some good snow. The last few years we have been skiing mid to late November so not much more waiting. Maybe somebody with some skiing knowledge can gie me some technique pointers