Race schedule

I've really missed the racing of last fall's cyclocross season. So, with next season's cyclocross season in mind I put together a tentative race schedule for the spring that includes some crit riding, time trialing, and mountain bike racing. It's all about getting racing experience and not burning myself out...so I'm psyched to try a little bit of everything.

I'll probably end up doing a second base period in late July through mid August, then start building and eventaully trying to peak during cyclocross season.

I'm still not sure about whether I'm doing a fellowship or just being a regular 3rd year medical student next year. I'll be one or the other come June and being a 3rd year will definitely make my goals of cyclocross racing a bit harder...plus if I do the fellowship I'll get to go to Durango, CO for the single speed mountain biking world championships!!!

Unfortunately, the descision is not up to me and I'm still waiting to hear from the pathology department about the fellowship I'm hoping for.

Livestrong

Just read this letter to the editor on velonews:
"First off, the Lance Affect, part, 1 got my son into competitive cycling and has brought home two national medals thus far.

Second off, The Cancer Lance Affect can only do great things to bringing greater awareness. As some one who has lost: mom (colon cancer) grandfather (lung cancer) uncle (throat cancer) cousin (age 11 leucemia): Power on dude.

Third, the Lance Affect, part 2, has inspired me to get back into competitive cycling. ... This 46-year-old, never has been, but who wants to be the best he can be (with a 40-hour job).

If he can come back and even attain some of his former fitness, then I can scratch the surface at what little I had back in the day (for to be a "has been", you had to at least been a once was, with me, that does not apply)"

Right on. Despite all the controversy around Lance I can't tell you how much his story has affected me. Like the writer of this letter, I've lost: Grandfathers x2 (melanoma and hepatic), grandmother (breast), 27 y/o friend (medulloblastoma), and my stepfather (prostate). As for me, although they're suppressed medically, I'll always have cancer cells in my body.

As cliche, annoying, and marketed it may be I still think about the livestrong message and really hope that Lance has a good season of racing. I'm personally really hoping that he makes it to the Tour of Missouri, if he does I'm gonna try and meet him. In the future, I'd love to do something that combines bikes, medicine, and cancer-support.

Med school sometimes sucks

It is a beautiful weekend out there, especially for the first weekend in February. I had marked my calender about a month ago that this weekend was going to be a break from school and that I would take Maggie and Cassidy down to Jasper, Ak for the Big Shark Training Camp.

I was pretty excited to get away for a weekend and not do what I do every other weekend: study lots, all day. I'm over half way through my second year of med school and every year after this promises to be a lot better than what I'm doing right now. Basically the first 2 years are spent in a classroom learning pharmacology, pathology, biochemistry, etc. At the end of this year I take my first national board exam, which promises to be a bitch and determines a great deal about what I can or cannot do in the future. Anyway, my exam is in May and I've been studying for it by doing lots of question bank questions (anywhere from 100-200 per week), reading review books, and trying to truly master the material that is in front of me. This is all to say, that school is a bitch right now and I can't wait to have my weekends back.

The weather in Ak turned out to be bad, so the team ended up moving the camp to Nashville, which would be like an 8 hour drive for me. Even though I was looking forward to riding w/ the team and having some fun, I just couldn't swing 16 hours in the car, trying to study, with a 4 month old in the back (who, btw is just recovering from being sick).

So plan B: ride in Columbia. One of the great things about living here is that there are 2.5 good mountin bike areas within a bike ride from my apartment...so with the weather looking amazing I headed out. Only to realize 30 minutes later that the trails were completely soaked. Now at this point, I always go into a prolonged internal monologue about whether or not I should ride. I don't mind getting muddy. In fact, I love it. But, I hate riding on rutted-out trails. I finally convinced myself to turn around and head home, feeling guily all-the-while that I wasn't studying. When I got home, I decided to just ride the trainer and work on my weakness: steady state work 1-1.5hrs just below my lactic threshold.

I hope I can look back at this time in my life and laugh...but I'm really ridiculous in these pictures. I'm acutally trying to study some pathology on my computer there. While Cassidy is holding my beer. Good girl.