Now that we aren't pulling on our layers and layer of Lycra each weekend and dirtying our bikes, we have this feeling of, "what the heck do we do with our lives now??!!"

You feel that too?

Yeah. It's a strange feeling! To go from cyclocross racing nearly every weekend to, well, not racing. Life feels a bit empty. Creating a new routine seems daunting. I just want to line back up in the mud and rain, and race!

BUT life must go on and we must get back to normal. ;)

It only makes sense to finish off the season by making sure everything is taken care of, so that getting ready next season is that much easier.

Here are 19 super important post-cyclocross season things you should take care of:

19 Super Important Post-Cyclocross Season Things To Do

1. Clean your bike off. And I mean, CLEAN IT. Take it apart, scrub it with your toothbrush, clean your chain, brush out the chain rings, replace your brake pads (or what is left of them), check your frame for signs of wear and tear, inspect your rubber, inspect your rims, adjust your derailleur, inspect (and possibly replace) your cables, consider fancy new bar tape, get the muck out from under your seat, check your chain for wear (replace if necessary! 2 chains to one cassette, if you're good about it), and just really spruce your bike off. Your bike has been put through the ringer over the season. It has dirt in places you can't even see! 
2. Make a list of things that need to be replaced or repaired on you bike. I always find that I'm forgetting something when I go to the bike shop --- or, I want to buy ALL THE THINGS at the bike shop. Sometimes, having a list can help. If you know the entirety of what needs to be done with your bike to get it spanking fresh and fancy again, you'll be able to better prioritize and plan for what to take care of first. Keep an eye out for sales, clearance items and second hand deals if you're trying to stay in a budget. NOTE: Christmas is coming --- gift ideas?
3. Actually go about replacing and fixing those things on your bike. Just like Christmas shopping last minute, you'll feel pretty stressed if you're trying to get your bike repaired the week before the first 2018 cyclocross race. Take care of your list of things (starting now!) early, and you won't be that person scrambling last minute.
4. Wash your kit. Sometimes it helps to let it soak in soapy water in the bathtub for a while. If you do, drain the water when it's dark and put fresh water in. Repeat until the water comes clear...this may take months.
5. Wash your kit again....because it's probably still got muck in there.
6. Send thank-you notes to all the sponsors, organizers, venues and volunteers of the race series you raced in. This might be time consuming, but it's a great gesture and shows how much we love and want this sport to stay around. Want to personalize your note? Print off a picture of you racing, put your signature on it, and include it as a momento.
7. Create a training plan for 2018. What was your biggest weakness in 2017? Running? (walking...)? Bunny hops? Speed? Starts? Passing? Technical sections? Off-cabmer? Be honest with yourself about what you had trouble with, and make a plan to improve that skill. You can use YouTube videos if you don't live near any of the cities which host practice sessions. Trial and error!!
8. Actually start training for next year. I hear far too many people (myself included) say they wish they had done ______ to prepare for the racing season. Whatever that is --- make a plan to start early! Start now, and you'll be happy you did.
9. Take some time off the bike. Sometimes, after some intense training and racing, your body needs to rest. It's crucial to listen to your body when it's telling you to slow down. 
10. Not into riding outdoors in the dark winter months? Get an indoor trainer (or go to a spin class) to help keep your fitness level up. There are lots of options at every budget level, and it's quite common to find trainers used on Craigslist too. Black Friday and Boxing Day may hold some good deals for you if you do your research. I just ordered a Tacx Vortex Smart trainer from ChainReactionCycles.com -- regularly priced at $699 at MEC, I paid $499 through Chain Reaction. Not a bad deal if you ask me!
11. Buy your UCI or Cycling BC license. EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT! Need I say more? Buy your license before the deadline and take advantage of an early bird discount. For some, it makes sense to buy day of licenses, but if you're going to take part in a number of races, having a license makes more sense. I'm all about saving money where you can. The early bird discount is where it's at.
12. Start budgeting for next year's races. It sucks when you don't have the cash upfront to pay for your races, and you risk missing out on those races....Don't miss out on the fun!! Put $25-40 away each month now, and you'll have plenty cash to pay for your races, travel, post-race beer, and maybe even some fresh new socks from the Enduro sock booth.
13. Start hash tagging all your cyclocross photos with #crossiscoming --- it's over for now, but it'll be back before you know it! Might as well be prepared and give people a constant reminder of the fun to come.
14. Connect with a local riding group and keep your fitness up or learn new skills. There's a lot of riding groups out there and many of them offer road, cx, and mountain riding groups. Find a group that you get along with and make a point of attending their rides. Riding in a group can be a great way to encourage yourself to get out of bed and out on your bike (even in crap weather). Mid-summer, lots of groups organize cx practice sessions --- great way to meet more of the folks in the cx scene and learn (or teach) some new skills.
15. Count down to next CX season as if it's Christmas Day.
16. Check your kit inventory. Just like buying bike parts, handing out cash for kit can add up. Gloves, booties, layers...it's  not cheap. Inventory what you have for kit now, and make a list of what you could use next year. There's always someone at the race who is more prepared than you. Learn from them. Learn from your mistakes. You don't want to freeze your arse off at every race -- racing is far more enjoyable when you're comfortable. Figure out what you're in need of, and start adding those pieces to your collection.
17. Repair kit that has more life left. Just because something has a hole in it, doesn't mean it's trash. Using a needle and thread, you can repair a lot of holes and kit woes. 
18. Give away kit you don't need or want. Maybe you're tired of a certain colour you were wearing this season, maybe you've had a wind breaker in your closet for a few years that hasn't been worn....I bet you there are a few cash-strapped cyclists that would be more than happy to adopt your gear. Your trash is someone else's treasure.
19. Spread the love. You have fun racing cx every year, right? Let's keep this sport growing and get more people addicted to it. Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your boss --- encourage them to come out and watch. Encourage them to volunteer. Encourage everyone to experience cyclocross. The more, the merrier.

What other things are important to do now that the season is over?

Today, marks my thirty-first year on earth.

As I write this, and as I reflect on all that I have managed to accomplish in those years, I'm sitting in an adult-sized onsie on my couch. My laptop is so old that it freezes up with every few keys that I push, and the battery is so weak that if the power cord becomes unplugged, the computer dies.

I'd like to say that I've accomplished all the goals I had set out to achieve when I was younger. I'd like to say that I'm a fully-functioning, responsible adult, with a respectable and well-paying job, a nice car, and that I enjoy vacations.

I'm not any of that.

I'm thirty-one, once-divorced, soon-to-be married, broke, and a few months ago I threw my five year plan out the window.

I can honestly say that at this point in my life, I have ZERO idea where I'm going and how I'm going to get there.

I've got a million ideas and yet no desire to fully research and entertain them. I've had so many ideas throughout my life, and yet, here I am. In my onsie.

I'm starting to think that adulthood is just a glamorized version of puberty. When I was going through my teen years, I tried everything. I dressed as a skateboard punk; I converted into a goth, wore a trench coat and a studded (dog) collar; I made my own fashions and clothes that made no sense; I turned full girly, wore make-up and tried to look 'pretty'; I became a sad musician and wrote sad songs about break-ups.

...the thing is, my youth is not a whole lot different from my adulthood.

My choices in fashion have reverted back to the same fashion choices I made when I was a young girl - leggings, converse and a baggy shirt. Find any photo of me when I was a kid, and I'll likely be wearing tight leggings (or shorts) and a baggy shirt. They were my chosen threads then, and they are my staples now.

I did experiment with pin-up girl, office professional, single bar girl and even gym-fitness-apparel-outside-the-gym (because I didn't work out...). They were all fun stages of my adult life, but none of them stuck.

Nope. Instead, I dress in old lady knits, rubber boots, leggings (LOVE THE STRETCH!!), and baggy shirts that can cover up the aftermath of a doughnut binge.

Keeping it simple.

Ok, perhaps fashion choices are quite what I was getting at when I mentioned that life as an adult isn't a whole lot different than life as a teen. Maybe I don't know where I was going with that thought...

Either way. Doesn't matter! I was going somewhere with that thought, and then suddenly got nowhere with it. Story of my adulthood!

But honestly, during these last few weeks I have spent a good deal of time reflecting and making time and space to be an adult. I've been making efforts to be more pro-active in my health and doing things I should have done a long time ago.

I had all these plans when I was growing up. All these dreams. I envisioned myself having a successful job, having zero debt, traveling and going on vacation regularly, driving a BMW, appearing AND being successful.

Nope. None of that happened. Reality is funny sometimes, right?

Instead, I work part-time after being unemployed for a couple of months post-move. I haven't been on a vacation in a couple years, and the last vacation I was on, I actually couldn't afford - so it all went on debt. I've had a balance on my credit card for years, and I've never managed to pay it off to zero; though, I never miss a payment and always pay more than the minimum. Divorce left me with debt and things I couldn't afford, which added to my debt. I could never even consider owning a BMW....at least not yet! ;) My last vehicle was a banged up Cavalier that I'd had since college.

I pictured myself graduating college and getting some fancy marketing job in the big city, advancing and getting promotions, working on big projects for big brands that people would see on TV or in a magazine.

That never happened.

I struggled to find a marketing job after college because I had no experience and no portfolio. The world of marketing changes so quickly and we (the students) had no formal training with social media or online marketing, so when we left college with our degrees in our hands, we were out of date. To get a job in marketing in the big city, you needed ample social media marketing experience, SEO knowledge, coding ability, video making skills, Adobe editing skills, and a graphic design portfolio.

Quite a reality shock after four-years of studying, exams and thinking you'd get somewhere better after graduation.

If this taught me anything, it was that if I wanted to be successful in marketing, I'd have to keep training, keep learning and keep investing in myself. This is true in anything in life.

You have to stay relevant. Keep yourself valuable by staying up-to-date. Don't become like my outdated and worn laptop. Don't freeze.

Seek opportunities. Keep educating yourself. Stay on top of trends.

This is where my life is now.

I wear my onsie, on the couch, and sip coffee while I envision ways in which I can make a dime while still wearing a onsie. Some of the ideas I have are nonsense and silly, but some of them are not so bad. Not unlike my fashion choices in my teenage years, my ideas are ever-changing - they come and go.

Eventually, I'll land on a good idea and I'll run with it. Until, then, I'll keep searching. I've been here for thirty-one years so far, and I plan to be idea-making for another good number of years to come.