Finn and Leif

Bit of a rough day here. Finn, my buddy, had surgery today to remove a tumor from his chest. The vet said that the surgery went well, that Finn tolerated it well, and that they sent the tumor to Iowa State University for analysis. I should find out in about a week what's going on, what kind of tumor it is, etc. Meanwhile, his lab work was within normal limits, the vet thinks I caught whatever it is early, and his prognosis should be good. I'll rest a lot easier when the verdict comes back from ISU...

As some of you know and some of you don't, I had another Norwegian Elkhound before named Leif. I lost him at the much too young age of 2 due to cancer, an aggressive, rare form of cancer that strikes dogs most commonly under the age of 2. I'm scared that the nightmare is happening all over again...

Leif, my beloved.

Punk Rock Cycling

I met some of the strongest, most independent, and beautiful women this weekend when I went to Des Moines as part of this newly formed women's cycling team. We all met at this club (seriously, I had no idea Des Moines could have such a cool night spot...) called Liar's Club. All of us dressed per strict specifications for the team photo shoot. We met each other and some of the sponsors. We talked about the upcoming season and plans for the year. It was an awesome night.

I have not been this excited about riding, racing, and women's cycling in a long time. I feel as though this is long overdue. We have an amazing group of women who are all dedicated to making this happen and want to see women's cycling promoted in the state. We have support from our sponsors. We have a team manager/director who wants to see us dominate and I'm confident that he will help us do just that.

What an inspiring and empowering evening...

Training and A Trophy

Today, after my morning classes, I was walking across the river from the east side of campus to the west side to go to the gym. It was a windy day today, the kind the campus is notorious for, especially in the winter when everyone dreads having to cross the river. The wind just whips through there, chilling you to the core. Today, the wind was whipping my hair across my face so much I could hardly see where I was going. I had just tossed my hair back and was trying to tame it with an elastic when I saw a guy sprinting past on a bike in hospital scrubs. He looked familiar and it took me a minute to place him. He's an anesthesiologist that races with the team I used to ride for. The last time I saw him was at a time trial I did over in Illinois. We both won trophies that day. I had to leave early and missed out on collecting my trophy. Somewhere, he has my trophy. I was thinking that I'll have to get it one of these days.

Nah, I'll just have to win some more this year.

Adventure Racing

Never even heard about this sport called adventure racing until a bunch of friends started doing it. They've done a couple now, but nothing as intense as the one they did this weekend - a 24 hour race full of trekking, mountain biking, paddling, rappelling, and orienteering. It started at midnight Friday night and went until midnight Saturday night.

A friend and I went to go pick up the 2 teams of 3 each that we knew Saturday evening. The winning team did the 24 hour race in 13 hours and 17 minutes. Teams straggled in the entire time that we were there and the stories were just amazing. (As were the stars that we got to see while waiting.) One team got stalked by a mountain lion while they were orienteering in the dark. One of the points they had to find was in a field of stinging nettles. They paddled past tug boats and barges to find islands in the middle of the Mississippi River. One of our guys fell in a sink hole bigger than him when the edge of the bank gave way underneath him. Two got their hands stuck in the rope rappelling into a natural amphitheater.

The best stories come from the drive home. One of the teams refused to let me drive them home, so I rode back with the other team. They insisted that they were fine, and they seemed to be fine. At the time. On the way home, sleep deprivation hit and the hallucinations started. They saw owls sitting outside their window on the interstate, went 40 mph on the freeway, and stopped more than a half block back from stoplights in town. This morning, every single one of the said, "I don't know why we didn't let you drive."

Next time, I'm driving home, even if I have to fight them for the keys.

Goals For The Year

It's been an intense past week with juggling the return to school, trying to maintain my level of performance at work, and riding in preparation for the upcoming races. It's a lot to manage, and the procrastinator in me is struggling with time management yet again. With that in mind, I wanted to publish my goals for the year in the hopes that you all will help keep me on track when I start slipping. They're lofty, but I do better with challenges, so here it goes...

1. Straight A's in my courses. Organic Chemistry and Physics.

2. Top 1 or 2 tier MCAT score.

3. Learn to do a track stand.

4. Stay with the pack in local/regional races.

5. Revamp the student program at my hospital.

6. Become a certified brain injury specialist.

7. Travel abroad for 4 weeks.

Alright, there you have it - two goals each for school, work, and riding plus a goal for myself. Time management will definitely be key in getting them all met. Wish me luck!