To say that this year is the craziest year my life is no understatement. I’ve always been able to find the light in every situation. When it was announced that the Paralympics games would not be happening in 2020 I let out a big ”Yessss!”
The reason for this is because I recently got bumped up a class and I was barely hanging on in the previous class!
This delay has given me the ability to bear down and train like never before. With no races or any competitions this year it was a little bit difficult to gear up for a particular date or race. With that being said, it was about getting stronger and faster while keeping the tip of the sword sharp in the event that there would be an event! Around the world things are happening differently and some nations have actually had their national championships!
Over the past few months there was a lot of up and down from my apartment to the garage for some good outdoor rides. It seemed as if I was hitting pbs on my trails wherever I went and it definitely made me feel good but the real test is when you get out of the city and start climbing and putting down some real uninterrupted efforts! Living downtown is probably the worst thing for a cyclist as you take your life in your hands everytime you leave your door. I mean you do that anyways but with the way people drive on the roads today you’re really taking a huge risk.
Collingwood has always been a nice little escape for me ever since I was young. There are various activities up there but mainly visiting Blue Mountain and having fun! This past weekend was anything but fun! It actually was a ton of fun but the pain and discomfort of chaffing and sore muscles made me a little whiny bitch! I forgot what it was like to climb and put in really hard efforts while trying to stay within an eyeshot of one of the best handcyclists in the world right now!
My buddies that represent Canada currently are the cream of the crop and I had the pleasure of riding with Joey! He laid the smack down on me but never left me behind which can become extremely demoralizing. After Saturday’s climbing we had a simulated TT which allowed us to open up and see how the arms were truly feeling. Thank God I found some anti-chafe butter and got ready to rip.
Sanding last minute…
It was a fairly flat course but a little tough. I averaged just over 32km/h which is ok but nowhere close to where I need to be. With that being said I now have a month off of the bike. To me I was like “What the heck!”
But rest is important! The body needs time to relax, recover and just have some plain old fun in life. This reset is necessary in order to prevent burnout, in both the physical and mental state.
So what’s next?! MORE TRAINING! I have an amazing team behind me now with everything that I need except for funding! Now that I mention that, I should also announce that I have received a bit of funding from OUR GOVERNMENT! I AM A CARDED ATHLETE! For those of you who don’t know what that means, it basically means that the National Team has recognized that I am putting in work and that I will need some help to aid in the purchase of equipment, travel and everything else the bike entails! This is absolutely huge and a sign that things are going in the right direction!