My mom and I in Seattle

It has been so long I don't even know where to start.  So much has happened since December (December? Really?) - Had a great time in California for Christmas with the family and no bike (just running shoes) for the week; a family filled New-Year's in Portland; a Seattle trip with my mom, sisters, niece and nephew (see photo below); a great beginning to the race season with well-attended Island Cups full of fast girls, sweet single track, and lots of suffering; and then a trip to Hawaii with Drew for our first real vacation together (read : no race, no training plan, no family).  All that - and really that is just what I can think of in my 30 second inventory of 2012 experiences - before the beginning of May.

Drew and Iris having a heart to heart

This year the focus has shifted, Drew and I are both still racing, but really the main focus has been our jobs, our families, and enjoying all of the wonderful people and places we have around us.  Both of us still love to ride, but I have been exploring more and more the world of running and am considering racing the Wildwood Marathon in Portland - maybe next year??  An all off-road marathon along the Wildwood Trail in Portland, OR (which has a high possibility of being the best place for post-race celebration food and beer!)

Drew demonstrating proper cross form at
Victoria School League's Bike Jam

That being said, we still have race plans, last weekend (while Drew was working) I headed up solo to the Port Alberni Island Cup.  This race holds a special place in my heart - I suffer more here than possibly anywhere else, the scenery is beautiful, the race organizers awesome, and the first time I met Drew I drove him to Port Alberni for this race.

This year was no disappointment, the trails were dry and tacky, the course was long and hard, I did a hard pre-ride and then headed to the start line.  Not knowing how my body would react to the lack of racing recently (the last 4 years I've raced almost every weekend throughout the summer) I figured I would give everything from the start line to see how much I had in me (not conventional OR intelligent wisdom at work here).  Heading into the single track I was surprised by a couple of the guys I had jumped in front of (they passed me early on though to claim their rightful spot at the front) and felt great.  My technical skill was good, not great, but my legs felt good and I rode steady through the first 20 minutes of single track climbing.

After 2 crashes, (I'll be spending more time on my bike to get used to my sweet new brakes and freshly rebuilt -read: actually moves - for), an epic battle with Mark from Arrowsmith Bikes (who was so kind and took a beer-break to let me catch up and pass him and then still proceeded to beat me!), a ton of climbing, and around 30k of pristine single track I rolled in first place in the ladies....but behind Mark.

The friends we made on the beach in Kona

Next up Drew and I are volunteering at BC Road Provincials as neutral support on Saturday, then Sunday I head to Boulder for Pearl Izumi run meetings...looking forward to an exciting week of new shoes, new clothes, and new tech!  Also in the works, I have a new brand I will be representing on Vancouver Island...very exciting...but probably worthy of its own post!