This year certainly isn’t like last year. Last year, while I didn’t ride as much as I should have, I still managed to drop quite a bit of weight. It was the lowest weight I had obtained since 1997. I was so skinny [for me] that all of my clothes were a bit too loose. This year, that “problem” is not evident.

I was inspired by my ride with Dave, the other day. Dave rode over 40 miles. I just did over 16. Whoopee. Tomorrow, I plan to get up and take a morning ride on the mountain bike. This is going to be one heck of a feat, because it will require that I actually get out of bed on my day off and ride my bike in the morning. Wow. I really have high expectations of myself.

Yeah, so, tomorrow, get out of bed and ride. Go home and shower. Get into car and drive to Copper Harbor for volunteer work by 2 p.m. Let’s see how “on time” I really can be. I think I’ve excelled at adopting Copper Harbor time, which is always pretty darn late.

To get back on topic, my goal is to ride a lot, this week. I will be efficient with my online time (work) and spend more time outside on the trails. The only way to get this aging body into ship shape is to ride, ride, and ride some more.

I knew that my plan of skiing, this morning, was not going to happen. I woke up, quite tired, and slowly got ready for my day. I had to go out and snow blow for about 30 minutes – enough to open some tire tracks down my driveway.

I had planned to do a long ski, tomorrow, but I don’t think that will be happening, either. Instead, I plan to spend a couple of hours completely clearing my driveway. It needs to be done after this most recent winter storm that is still occurring. After the driveway bit, I need to clean out the Pathfinder and begin packing for my weekend jaunt downstate.

While I would like to ski, it simply is not possible. I have too many responsibilities and lots of driving to do, this weekend. If I can, I will try to fit in a classic skiing session somewhere along the way. If not, snowshoeing or walking will do. Either way, I plan to keep moving forward with this fresh commitment to exercise.

What I enjoy about Jill’s blog is that she is someone I can relate to – someone who lives in snow land and likes to ride – but someone I can’t even begin to motivate myself to aspire to be. However, Jill’s dedication really isn’t unobtainable, and I completely realize that. This is why her experiences serve as inspiration to me.

Jill is currently going through a life change similar to what I recently experienced. She has resigned from her journalist position with the hope of moving to Anchorage and is receiving a lot of pressure from her current employer to take a more demanding position that is a promotion with an incredible offer attached to it. She is battling with the idea of leaving this opportunity of wonderful job stability for adventure with an unknown professional life. In the end, all she wants to do is ride.

I just wanted to ride, as well. My resignation was in response to the lack of freedom I faced with my job. I spent 50% of my free time tethered to Houghton/Hancock at the will of my employer. If they wanted me there, I had to go. Due to their masterful timing, it became a situation that interfered with my riding, which is paramount to maintaining my sanity, and church – they usually called me in just as I arrived at the church parking lot or during Mass. I couldn’t help out with many trail work sessions due to the time constraints of being on call – I have to arrive within 30 minutes. It was simply no way to live.

I did a lot of research and found that a simple self-promotion would alleviate these issues. Unfortunately, this simple promotion involved resigning from a very stable, well-paying career and returning to college. I don’t think this is a popular choice for many in this time of economic hardship. It was a difficult choice for me. I had several reasons for making my decision and I did a lot of research before beginning this new journey. It most certainly is not easy now that I am back at school. It is very difficult trying to maintain my lifestyle while affording a roof over my head. It is scary. However, it is being done for the quest of happiness in the form of eventual freedom.

Andrea, The Accidental Athlete, left her job, several months ago, to pursue a freelance career. Like Jill, she is a writer. Unlike Jill, she has already taken the plunge. She seems to be happy with what she is doing. She is making positive life changes by focusing more on her riding and successfully losing excess weight, making her a lean, mean, racing machine.

Here we have three examples of female cyclists who are making career changes in a time when many can’t find jobs. What is our deal?

It isn’t that we don’t have responsibilities. We have to eat like everyone else, but why are we willing to throw stability out the window? Even while the need for money is a hot issue, do we recognize that it is not what makes us happy? Are we afraid of getting caught up in a lifestyle that focuses on making an income and tosses riding into the shadows of our lives? Do we place more importance on being truly happy now? Is this unrealistic? Would we rather live, love, and play, even if financial worries are always on the forefront of our minds?

I think so.

I think we know what really makes life worth living, and we already have all that we need to do just that. We recognize that while jobs are necessary, they are not all that we are.

With a wind chill in the upper teens, I didn’t want to go without my gator. My lungs wouldn’t appreciate that. They like the incoming warmed air. I had to think fast. I had to work out. I…went to the SDC and weight trained for 20 minutes. I hit the sauna, showered, and made my way to dinner.

Nice save.

I used to watch Grey’s Anatomy every week. I could take it or leave during the first season, but became addicted to it during the second season. I think it is very well done. Dramatic, yes, but that is why we like it. I think one thing I really appreciate is the diversity of personalities in the story. While I have personal experience in a real medical setting, and know I’ll never work in a Grey’s Anatomy setting, for which I’m actually thankful, I find a lot of inspiration in the show, and I’m even starting to find inspiration in House, which I’ve never watched until recently. House offers me inspiration for a different reason. It is much more unreal with some pretty inaccurate information, but it has its merits.

The kind of mental stimulation these television shows offer me is very inspiring to me. They encourage me to look at my own journey down the educational road to medicine with hope, confidence, and excitement.

My professional goals aren’t the only aspect of my life that relies on inspiration and encouragement for fulfillment. Cycling is something that is currently at a low point on the dedication scale. I want to do it. I know how I feel when I do it. I just can’t seem to get out and do it.

Cycling takes such a large time commitment. There is the preparation, and my preparation takes at least an hour. That is just how I am. I have to run through mental checklists, inspect things, second guess my choice of clothing, and try to predict potential problems that may turn my ride into a terrible experience. This time of year, I want to feel my toes when I return home. That is the potential problem that is currently in the forefront of my cycling mind.

After planning and preparing for the ride, then I actually spend anywhere from one to three hours on the bike. That can be a lot of time. After my ride, I spend another hour taking in post-ride calories, showering, and finding clean and comfortable clothes. Sometimes, I have to make myself presentable for social functions. On a three-hour ride day, that is five hours. I would say that is a bit time-consuming for the average gal.

There isn’t much inspiration in the early stages of winter. In the summer, I was inspired to commute and ride regularly by friends, community bike clubs, my team, and blogs, such as Ali’s blog, Dirty Picasso Ride. There is something about seeing someone bring home heavy groceries in a backpack on her bike. Of course, I don’t think Ali has to go as far as I do, but it is inspiration nonetheless. I recently wrote about another blog that is offering me wintertime inspiration, and I think that inspiration is going to break my lazy spell quite soon.

I also find it helpful to read. One of my greatest sources of inspiration during race season is The Lance Armstrong Performance Program book. Last spring, I found it useful for getting me out on the roads. Now, I may enlist its services to get me rolling on the snow. Receiving Bicycling magazine in the mail is also a motivator. When I least expect it, it shows up. I usually read interesting tidbits that make me think, “I need to try that!” and I head out to ride.

In the meantime, while motivation is at its lowest point for the year, I find it necessary to plan ahead. I sometimes have to research important things like tire pressure and clothing choices and then determine if I have what I need to make things doable. Since I’ve been putting off my trip to Houghton for three days, now, I will have my bike ready to go before my head hits the pillow. I will also lay out my clothes and get my backpack ready.

While inspiration is what fuels our dreams, it is often necessary to couple it with careful planning, as I’ve been doing – now, all I have to do is execute that plan. Inspiration is what makes us get out of bed in the morning and say, “Hey, I think I’ll do that, today!” While inspiration isn’t always what gets us to follow through, it is the initial spark that may throw into motion a series of events that lead to the achievement of our goals. In a sense, inspiration fuels our dreams.

I knew I had to make today happen, rather than just letting today occur. I chose to pack my forgotten backpack last night. I prepared pancake mix the day before yesterday and prepped the coffee pot last night. Whenever I have to get up early, I need coffee.

This morning, I woke up at 5:30, threw some pancake mix in the pan, started the coffee pot, and provided breakfast for the dogs. I ate two pancakes, drank a mug of coffee, let the dogs out for a potty break, and washed my hair. I then threw on some winter-friendly clothing and headed out to the driveway with my scoop in hand.

I couldn’t justify snowblowing since we only had about an inch-and-a-half of snow. The snow was also light and fluffy versus heavy and wet, so a scoop was sufficient. I let Cori, aka “Little Red,” in the house because she wanted none of this. My trusty, black dachshund, Marji followed me as I began pushing the scoop down the dark, quarter-mile driveway along a tire track, occasionally throwing the excess snow off to the side of the driveway. I cleared the area in front of the mailbox, and then headed back down the driveway to clear another tire track. The minute I turned around, Marji took off for home; so much for trusty. By the time I got back inside, it was 7:20. I let Cori out for one last potty break and put them both “nigh-night” in their kennel. I grabbed some yogurt with granola and a cup of coffee for the road.

I arrived safely to my 8:00 Biochemistry class. Yes, 8:00 am is too early for biochemistry, just in case you were wondering. I forgot to take my coffee to class, so I finished the barely-warm coffee when I got back to my truck at 9:30. Then, it was off to the Student Development Complex for a little weight lifting.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was lifting the same weight with the same number reps and sets as I had last spring at the end of my program. I changed the weight for two exercises because the proper weights weren’t available for use for the one, and the other is very difficult and I chose to start at a slightly lower weight, which was a good idea. I took a shower and headed home for lunch. With everything out of the way, all I have left to do is study and do the dishes.

This will most likely be my routine for the majority of Tuesdays through the rest of the year. Come January, my schedule will change and I will look at adding a day, changing my weight training days to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Today’s accomplishment is a great achievement simply because making that first day of a program happen is the most difficult in starting a training program. Prepping for, and carrying out plans proves to my psyche that it really isn’t that hard. Another excellent benefit of today’s accomplishments is that I feel great, I’ve regained my self esteem, and I feel ready to begin working toward my spring cycling goals.

My total bike time is about four to six hours. It takes me about a half-hour to an hour to prep for my ride, including food, gear, and dogs. My actual ride time take about two to three hours, followed by a shower and stretching – another hour. By not biking, I can save four to six hours.

Why is saving this time important, today? I have lots of homework and reading to do:

It’s quite a bit of work, and I’ve gotten through a lot of it, but I still haven’t completed it.

Another reason why I’m not riding my bike, today, is because I have to do the dishes. I cleaned the silverware the other day, but my plates and bowls are stacking up on the counter. That’s getting done, as well.

Getting a ride in would be doable, even after all of that, but I have one other thing, today: a Red Jacket cyclocross meeting. That will take an hour or two, then it’s off to bed. Correction: I am just going to stay home, do homework, and clean house. It’s about time I didn’t go anywhere for one day.

My goal, after today, is to stay on top of things so I can feel free to ride my bike, whenever. That would be nice. I get to commute, tomorrow, but I won’t be able to do that highly desired mountain bike ride. That will have to wait until Friday. Then, it’s another busy weekend.

It’s Monday, so this is the first day of the week for me. I rode for two hours and forty minutes. This is a great start to reaching that ten hour mark! I rode Churning Rapids, again, and managed to squeeze out a little more mileage. I hit twenty. Man, I feel good.

I’m pretty optimistic about the upcoming week. I plan to ride Michigan Tech tomorrow, so that may end up being a three hour ride. I’ll ride Churning, again, on Wednesday. You may be thinking, “Jeez, Di, take a break,” but realize that I am. I have a twelve hour shift on Thursday – so no riding, and I can’t ride Friday because I have a twelve-hour race on Saturday. I’m estimating that I’ll have eight hours of riding in before Saturday. Yes, this will be a great week, and I plan to see some weight loss as a result.

I showered and moved on to a partial movie. I proceeded to, yes, you guessed it, KBC (Keweenaw Brewing Company for you rookies) for good times with good friends. Oh, and I knew I could pay my teammates, Chris and Tammi, for my entry to the 12 Hours of Potluck in Marquette. Yeah, you saw right through me. That was just an excuse to go drink beer.

It is the Strawberry Festival in Chassell, this weekend. If I can get the money that is owed me for the sale of my horse, I will ride out there to get it, then head on to Chassell for the festival. I will then finish the ride, shower, and proceed to KBC for good times with good friends.

My plan is to ride to Michigan Tech, do some loops, and ride back. I’m packing a lunch and plenty of water and Heed. Hopefully, it won’t rain.