It was almost a year ago that I bought my first road bike, slid into some Lycra and learned how to clip into and out of the pedals. It's crazy to think how much can go by in just one year.

When I bought my road bike, I had one goal in mind - completing the Whistler Gran Fondo. I set myself a training plan, got on that bike, and rode, and rode, and rode. I completed the Whistler Gran Fondo no problem, and with energy to spare. Training to get to the point of readiness was not a hard feat - once I had my mind set, I realized I could do anything!

The whole process of setting a goal, making a plan and seeing it through to the end was amazing! I felt empowered, I felt healthy, I felt mentally strong. With each bike ride, I could feel myself growing stronger, and I felt more determined to ride farther than the last ride. That's not to say I didn't have my off-days - trust me, I had them - but I didn't let those off-days derail me from the plan for long.

Road cycling eventually turned into cyclocross (CX) racing (of which, I am now completely in love with!) and discovering that I really do have a competitive side. After nearly a full season of CX racing in the beginner category, and placing no lower than 5th place in all my races (including Provincial's Master's 30+), I plan to continue training for and racing CX, and move into the Intermediate category...and, hopefully, with hard work and determination, move up into racing Elite.

It's incredible what you can do once you put your mind to it. You are so much more powerful than you realize. It's for this reason, that I have set myself a new goal - to ride the 4 Peaks 4 Parkinson's 2016.

The ride isn't a race - it's just a ride - but it includes riding up four rather long hills: SFU mountain, Seymour Mountain, Grouse Mountain and Cypress Mountain...all in one day. It's a gruelling 140km ride with 3,000 m of elevation. This will be the longest and hardest ride I've done, to date. I have 8 weeks to train, and I've been pretty dormant all winter - so my mileage is pretty low. I've set myself a training plan in order to succeed, and I have the help of my boyfriend (along with my stubbornness) to get me to that goal!

I'll be sharing my training plan online, as well as my nutrition and diet regime. On my Instagram, I'll share photos along the way. It's a charity ride, and I'll be seeking donations towards the cause very soon.

I'd love to hear what you've been doing, what goals you've been setting and how much you've impressed yourself when you've stuck to those goals. Tell me about it in the comments.