So...THIS is recovery week?

2 days until the Squamish MOMAR http://www.mindovermountain.com/ and I am trying to enjoy my 'recovery aka taper' week. Normally, I would be wriggling with energy and needing to hold myself back from training too hard in the week leading up to a race. However, on Monday, my friend the sore throat, greensnot monster decided to resurface from the deeep (I thought I had him burried for ever) and now I am dragging my sorry self around and just trying to make it through the work day. Although not near as bad as the last experience the timing could be better and so desperate times call for desperate measures: bring on the greasy Oil of Oregano under the tongue, 5 cups of vitamin C packed super salads each day and the new super weapon ColdFX. Crossing fingers and sleeping tonnes from here on in with positive thoughts to kick this and pull off 100% by Saturday.

It has been a great week other than the snotmonster however! Fun, playful bike rides on the weekend and having a nice break from longer training days is a nice treat.

Saturday was the annual crazy plant sale on Dyke Rd-and I mean crazy. Sure garden people seem all civilized and calm at first...but get them into a plant sale and it turns into a shark feeding frenzy! Grabbed a Mexican Orange and bolted for the door-must-get-air. Yikes! I swear a put 4 weeks worth of gardening and yardwork into 2 mornings this weekend-I went nutz on those weeds!

On Tuesday both my bike (my Giant) and myself got our pre-race tune ups:: My bike went for some attention to Mountain City Cycle and I had my usual pre-race acupuncture treatment with Michelle Hughes of Comox Valley Acupuncture-which always smoothes things out and makes my body feel so much more balanced. V. good.

Wednesday I spoiled myself at Beyond the Kitchen door with one of their specialty cooking classes. Those who know me know I am a 'foody' and enjoy cooking and eating and learning new recipes. These cooking classes are the perfect fit for a foody like me! I highly recommend them and thoroughly enjoyed myself last night. New Caribbean Cuisine with Nathan Hyam did not disappoint. I was taken straight back to Nicaragua with the flavors of coconut milk, lime, pinepple, cilantro as they bathed juicy prawns and snapper. So good. So much for watching my caloric intake during taper week. It was so worth it!

So, I head to Squamish tomorrow and must pack up all my race gear and goodies into bags and bins so that I am ready to rock on race day. Seat adjustment, tire change, pack strap modification, nutrition plan, harness and rappel gear::check check check!

Stay tuned for a race report on Sunday or Monday!

Happy healing thoughts,

S