Update!

Happy (late) New Year!!!

I can’t believe it's already February…

I hope everyone has had a great start to the new year, and has set goals for themselves to crush in 2016!!

First of all, I have some super exciting news to share...

I am officially an athlete ambassador for Clif Bar Canada!!!!!!!!

Since Clif bars are one of my most favourite things on the entire planet, I wanted to share that with everyone. Being an athlete I am very in-tune with my body, and only put high quality fuel into it. Clif bars and gels not only taste awesome but help me fuel my body with ingredients I can actually pronounce. So, thank you very much Clif for supporting me and making me an ambassador, I will proudly represent you!

This year, some of my new year's resolutions included practicing yoga, keeping a journal, and reading more. If you know me, you would know that reading isn't necessarily my favourite thing to do...However, I have decided to challenge myself. For Christmas my mom bought me Clara Hughes' book "Open Heart, Open Mind", and honestly, I can barely put it down. Words cannot describe how much I look up to Clara Hughes and how she has had such a positive impact on so many people’s lives (including mine.) So, if you're feeling like you need some motivation and feel like reading about one of Canada's strongest women, physically and emotionally, this is the book for you.

Off the topic of cycling for a moment...

I have entered another new chapter in my life...I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE!

In other words, if you’re driving on the road, WATCH OUT :)

Another new thing I decided to try this year is cross country skiing. I often miss the sunshine that comes with cycling outside, but living in Canada I thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the snow we are blessed with, while getting a workout at the same time! I really like cross country skiing on my recovery days, because it allows me to cleanse my muscles and prep for the next day of training, while getting a workout and fresh air at the same time.

I’ve done a couple of awesome track training camps this year, which all pushed me to CRAZY limits (in a good way of course). Now i’m looking forward to going to California next week for a 2 week endurance camp!

You’re probably wondering…Where does school fit into all of this?

Well, my friends...that is a very good question!

I am going into my second semester of grade 11, and school is very important to me (and my parents of course). I’m very lucky to go to a school with such incredibly accommodating teachers who are on board with wherever my cycling adventures take me. Of course, it gets tough sometimes when I miss days/weeks of school...but as I said, school is important to me and I enjoy it, and I believe it is important to keep it a major priority. (I also plan on going to university :) )

While my mind is being “exercised” at school, I have found that practicing yoga (one of my resolutions) helps me wind down at the end of the day. Yoga also improves flexibility, which prevents injury. Another new method of “injury prevention” we have recently discovered is concussion testing. Unfortunately, concussions are very common in the cycling world, and if me (or my brother, who is a wrestler) were to get a concussion, we want to have baseline information that can help us recover. it’s basically neurological baseline information that can help to understand a concussion and how to treat it. Injury prevention at its finest!!

Thanks Miller Health Centre!

Going into 2016 I’m so lucky to have the support of Clif, Miller Health Centre, all of my amazing coaches, my family, friends and boyfriend Andrew. I see 2016 as being the best year yet!

One more thing...my last new year's resolution is to post on my blog more... I guess we’ll see how that one goes ;)

Ali