October was a quieter month on the racing front, but still full of good progress and solid training. It marked the start of cross country season, and it’s been great to get back into some different competitions after a long triathlon season. 

The month began with the East District XC Relays, which was a great opener. It felt good to put in a strong individual performance and contribute to a solid team result — a real confidence boost heading into the rest of the winter season. 

Outside of racing, I’ve been spending more time on the bike, focusing on improving my power and bike-handling skills. After a few crashes earlier in the year, I’ve made it a goal to build more confidence and control, and it’s been paying off with some good training sessions and smoother skills. 

To round off the month, I raced at the National XC Relays. Unfortunately, our team wasn’t full this time, so it ended up being more of a solo effort — but I made the most of it. I ran a strong race, chasing people down and testing myself against some top competition. 

Overall, October has been a good balance of racing, training, and rebuilding. The focus now is on carrying this momentum into November, continuing to strengthen across all three disciplines, and keeping consistent through the winter block.