Some eating info and research

This is an interesting study on whether convenivence foods actually saves time. The researches found that pr-packaged foods did not actually save on time, and many of these foods are high in salts, additives and sugar, so they aren't actually healthier either!

Today's race...

One thing I have been enjoying with my racing the Quebec Cup series - they certainly keep me on my toes! Usually we do 3 laps of a 6.5 km course, or in the case of Mont Ste Anne, 4 laps of a 5 km course...so if you do the math, expect a 20 km race...not so today...Camp Fortune Q-cup, definitely over 20 km of racing and 4 laps of a very challenging course...which happens to include a 1 km climb to the top of a ski hill (via a gravel road). Those who know CBC road, either love it or hate it - it definitely brings out your true character...

My first three laps were hard, bu the expected hard kind of effort for racing. then came lap 4. this was the one that was just slightly beyond my fitness level, the one that hurt, the one that made my body yell ever so slightly.

...but it was all good...i felt all the goddesses watching over me today, helping me find my inner power. I was agressive when the boys came by to pass, letting them know when I was ready and held my line. They respected my space.

I had a great warm up- brought in the old trainer and the road bike. I was able to warm up very efficiently and noticed the difference during my first lap.

My goal was to keep my laps about 35 minutes. My race time was 2:24, so a little slower, but i am very happy with my race. I also came in 3rd - so I even got my moment on the podium.

I brought myself to a place I hadn't been before, met goals and tonight I celebrate!

What i did on my summer...eh...vacation??

Summer time is not a time off for me. I continue to work throughout most of the summer while running my own business. This year, as I have mentioned I am working at the mountain bike camp, and I am continuing to see my clients as much as I can. I haven't been teaching the group fitness classes. I decided to take a break from that this summer, plus scheduling has made it pretty tight.

For my own enjoyment (although i am sure some people might beg to differ), I have been continuing through my journey of mountain bike racing. I have down 3 Quebec Cups this summer: Bromont, Tremblant and Mont Ste Anne. I have raced the Ontario Cups in previous years. I have to say Chico does a much better job at race organizing, but I have enjoyed the racing on the Quebec side because the trails are more technical. I am racing in a different category this year, Master Expert instead of Master Sport. This has been a very big eye opener for me, a third (or fourth lap depending on the course) and the loss of two months training at the beginning of the year. I was hoping to be more "competitive" this summer, but as it turns out I am looking more to "Complete" my races rather than "Compete". The women in my category are much faster than I am, and since I am still working on a great deal of fitness, well, i have a great deal to work on.

I am not worried though. I keep my long term goal in mind - Racing Elite by Forty. So this is some adventure in my journey towards that goal.