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If you can ride a road bike or mountain bike and jog a little bit you can probably do a cycle-cross race. I did my 1st one last year and it was a whole lot of fun. It is sort of a combination of mountain biking and cross country running. There is a bit more to it than that and that’s why we interviewed Matt Scott, the brains and heart behind the Valley Cross Series. They now feature races at Cultus Lake and in Abbotsford. Matt will elaborate on the sport and on details for his upcoming events.

If you have never done a cyclo-cross race before, give the interview a listen.

After being inspired by Matt, make sure to visit the Valley Cross website to register and to get more details.http://www.valleycross.ca

And YES!! there will be food trucks and fat bikes!

Just finished the ninth annual Abbotsford Care Run held just before the rain began to fall at Rotary Stadium. Even though the numbers were a bit down this year, the on-course support was exceptional. For the two-lap ten kilometre course there were six aid stations, so you were never far from water. Another aspect of the run course that I think that other race organizers could learn from Irene Henrichs and her support crew was course markings. As you know, if you have your race brain on, you are not thinking too much. This morning’s course was super well-marked. I do not think I ran for more than maybe sixty seconds without seeing some kind of course markings, be they balloons, volunteers, mile markers, or aid stations. Congratulations to Cares Counseling and Restoration Services as well as all the participants in the event. We will have the race results coming up on our next podcast.

After a few weeks of learning the ropes, our 1st podcast is ready. This week’s program features a look at some of the race results from the past month, a repeat of the Cares Run interview with Irene Heinrichs, our fit tip of the week, as well as a look ahead at some health and fitness events in our area. Happy listening!

If you are enjoying your off-season and are looking for a low-key event to introduce your friends or family to the intensity and challenges of a running race, or you are NOT in the off-season and want to test your current level of fitness, the Cares Run for mental heath in Abbotsford would be a great opportunity for you.

The run is taking place at Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford on Saturday October 15th at 9 AM. It features 1K, 5K, and 10K distances.

I had a chance to speak with Cares Run organisers Irene Heinrichs and Lesley Shebib about the history and purpose of the run. You can hear the interview below and you can get more information by following this link http://www.cares.ca/viewcategory/25

If you have been training and racing seriously or consistently over the past few months (a time of year that I like to call “race-season” ) you are likely relieved that you can reduce your training and more than likely, cut way back on your racing.

Precious weeks between the end of summer and the start of the Fraser Valley’s dark and rainy season, are a great time time to reconnect with family and the kind of friends who have a slightly more sedentary lifestyle than you. These weekends away from the pool, turbo trainer, or treadmill or even away from your favourite running route may provide not only a physical break, but a mental break as well.

Furthermore, this transition, or off-season, can be an opportunity for you to work with others around you to achieve their athletic goals or, to motivate them to set some. One way to do this is to sign up for a race to do with them. Not all racing need be foot to the floor, no holding back, awe-inspiring and hamstring destroying. Racing can be social, and yes, even FUN.

On another note, your off-season may offer you a chance to try a type of racing that you have never tried before, a novel way to exploit your fitness and sense of adventure. Coming up in the next few weeks, fitspeek.com is going to be investigating some of the Fraser Valley’s athletic options for your off-season (that is if you have one) or simply a chance for you to shake up your crusty old training and racing routine.

Two days after the race my legs were still trashed. No matter, the sun was out and my work was done. Time to play! Out of the garage came my toy, a canary yellow Scott Foil, still wearing Zipp 404s from July. But for this ride there would be no power meter, no speedometer, no water bottle, no stopwatch, just me and my bike.

Rolling out of the garage it felt strange to be stripped of gadgetry…not for long. My plan for a flat ride was thwarted when one too many cars went West on Seventh Avenue. Hills it would be. Right on Wren, down the pitch on Clay, a sharp right on Tyler and then up, up, up, albeit slowly.

No hard effort here, just find the easiest gear and use it. The previous thoughts and stresses of the day dissolved in a series of half-hearted pedal strokes.

Despite the low effort, my tired legs were shaky hitting the top. No problem, a few minutes of downhill should be enough of a break. When the incline relented so did the fatigue.

Rather than crush it as the road flattened, I coasted, squeezing each ounce of speed and momentum out of the Foil. As the energy subsided, instead of burying my head down on my aero bars (like on a “real” ride) I looked up…and around. Green trees, rolling hills, and the taste of clean oxygen filling my lungs, no stench of Matsqui manure up here.

At the usual intersection of pain and suffering, I took a U-turn, opting for an easier route. Up a recently paved section on Richards Street, I absorbed the scenery. To my right – a rare unobstructed view of the Fraser Valley and to my left  – what the hell was that? With no power meter alarms squealing or stopwatch ticking, it was time for exploring. Up Saunders I went. When the pavement ran out, my curiosity didn’t. I kept going, punctures be damned.

My road bike performed, well, pretty well for a road bike with slick tires and I made it up the loosely-packed gravel trail for five minutes before my legs shouted out to me “enough.” I listened to them. I got off my bike and took a look around. There was just a gravel trail and a drizzle of late summer sunshine filtering through the forest.

After a minute or two for some semi-artistic photography, I pointed my bike downhill and cautiously descended, knowing now more than ever why mountain bikes were invented. Glad to be back on pavement, I took a left on Richards and navigated my way home. How far I went on the ride can’t be measured in miles but, rather, in attitude – don’t know, don’t care, don’t matter, exactly what I was looking for! Zero training effect! Welcome to the off-season!

I was one of those lucky enough to be racing Sunday in the 4th and last race of the 2016 Dynamic Race Events series. This one was back at Cultus Lake and featured for the 1st time, a Half-Ironman distance event. It was quite a well-run race. Although there were a few times on the run course where there could have been more cones, overall it was a satisfying race experience. It is always nice to be able to race a triathlon in your own back yard!

This weekend (September 18) the triathlon season in the Lower Mainland wraps up with the Cultus Lake Triathlon organized by Dynamic Race Events. In addition to the Sprint and Standard (Olympic) distances a new Half-Ironman distance will be offered. Will the rain hold off or will competitors face a Sunday morning slog in the rain?

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