One Year

One Year (and one week to be exact) I started chemo for the second time.  Although only one year has passed since STARTING chemo, so much has happened since then.  Radiation, oophorectomy, lots of doctor's appointments, and even more healing.  Throw in moving twice in the past three months, which in and of itself can be considered a major life event, and we have had an eventful past twelve months to say the least.

7/17/2013:  

One year ago I was in disbelief that I had to go through chemo again.

I am not sure what my point is exactly except that even though treatment feels like eons ago, it wasn't, and we are both still healing.....

Which brings me to training.....

Since this year is all about healing and listening very closely to my body, I am a 'self-coached' athlete for the first time since turning pro back in 2006!  I have had some amazing coaches, who have taught me a lot and helped me get very fast on the bike, however at this moment I am not ready for the type of structure and intensity I have done in the past.  While I definitely try to have structure to my current training program and purpose to my rides, I have to be incredibly flexible based on what my body and mind is telling me each day.  At this point, there is a very fine line between pushing to gain speed/fitness and recovery.  (Note: lingering fatigue from cancer treatment is a common side effect and can last for a very long time.  Personally, although you won't find much literature on this, I feel that cancer treatment prolongs recovery after hard workouts/races, however from experience, I also know that this too improves with time).  I know I need to push myself in my training, but I also require increased recovery (both physically and mentally), which impacts how often I am able to get good, hard training sessions in.  This is compounded when I race as even more recovery is needed.  While I admit that sometimes it is a bit frustrating when I bag a planned session because my body is telling me NO!, it is also interesting to experiment with my body and discover what it is capable of.  I have always been one who enjoys the 'process' of training (almost) as much as racing itself.  I guess you can say that I love the 'art of getting fast'!  Another change in my self-coached program is that I have incorporated more weight-training into my regimen.  While I have always done weight-training in the off-season, for the first time I am continuing it through race season, and since there are only so many hours in a day and a finite amount of energy that can be dedicated to training, my time on the bike is impacted.  That said, being post-menopausal due to cancer treatment/surgery in addition to my current cancer medication that causes rapid bone loss (Aromatase Inhibitor), maintaining muscle mass and bone integrity is vital for my health.

Photo break:

Snowbird ICUP Pro Women podium.  I felt really good at this race and loved the course.  

I love this podium picture too.  Current stars, future stars, and me in the middle!

The Utah pro crew.  I feel like a giant between the two midgets:)

Thanks Angie Harker (Selective Vision) for capturing this 

awesome photo of me doing something weird with my tongue!

 Summer trip visiting family in Iowa.  Had to bring the bikes.

 Visiting the in-laws.  Iowa feels like a tropical forest compared to Utah.

Back to the blog:

So although things are a bit complicated in getting back to where I would like to be, overall
life is going very, very well.  We are feeling settled in our new home in Park City and love, love, loving it!  I pinch myself every day that we live in such a beautiful and peaceful place.  My summer has been filled with lots of awesome mountain biking, hikes out the back door with Dizzy, and weekly moose sightings!...and some pretty exciting racing right around the corner.  Steamboat Stinger, Wasatch 360, and Moab Rocks stage race to name a few!

Dizzy feels right at home on 'his' lounger.  He likes to chill in the cool mountain breeze.

The neighborhood moose taking a snooze next door!