Refresh

Three years under my belt as an assistant professor and I have learned a great deal. I am still working on finding the balance that I want but rather than giving in and giving up on a productive research career I continue to push. Fortunately, it is now summer and I can feel like a real academic. I am teaching one class (online) and trying to push out as many papers as possible. I have a bit of a backlog right now since I have been able to collect the follow up studies that I have needed and I have not had time to write. I am also looking forward to being back on my bike.

As of this point in the year I have a total of 540 miles in my legs. Only about 3000 less than usual. UGH. To top it off, I think that I sprained my foot about a week ago trying to chase a cane toad out of our yard. Hopefully, the rain and my foot will cooperate and I will be able to get back on the bike tomorrow. I am missing my bike and the peace it brings me.

I can't wait until our trip to NC. I am sure that I am going to get dropped in every group ride and the CCC 4th of July ride is going to be much slower than past years. However, the idea of being out on safe roads, even by myself sounds amazing!

Hopefully, I will see many of of my NC friends in the next couple of weeks.

Either way.....I will see you on the road!

It is time for a refresh and I can not think of a better way to do that than spending more time with my wife and son and more time on the bike!

6 a.m. Motivation

The one of the larger issues that I have dealt with since moving to Florida is the start time for the rides around here.  Almost every weekend morning ride starts at 7:30am. While that does not seem like a super early time you have to think back about what it means in terms of when I wake up.

I ride to most rides so I have to leave by about 7:00 am. I enjoy warming up while getting in some extra miles so it is worth the extra time.

So that I can leave by 7 am, I am up by 6 am to eat breakfast, have some coffee and actually wake up. Then time to Kit up, put some air in the tires and fill the water bottles.

Every time I wake up that early on a Saturday after a long week my body keeps screaming at me to go back to sleep. Maybe not screaming, more like a silent whimper. It is 6 am after all. But every time that I push myself to eat, drink some coffee and put on my kit I am better. By the time I am on the road my body is happy with my decision.

Sometimes the only reason that I am able to get out of bed is because my wife helps to push (or kick) me out, in a friendly manner of course. Sometimes I crawl back in bed because I am too tired. When I do go back to bed I always regret the missed ride, even when I feel more well rested.

I am assuming that I am not the only one that has this issue. So what gets you out of bed for those early morning rides?

End of the Semester!!!

The end of the semester is always a time that students look forward to. Well, so do I.

Winter break officially started for me at 2pm on Wednesday when I submitted my last grades. I love teaching and enjoy being in the classroom but I also like having time to think about my data analysis and work on manuscripts that have been waiting far too long.

So while the undergrads head home and take some time off I have been able to work on data analysis today and revision for a manuscript!!!

I love winter break.

A new start----Balance

It has been a long enough time since I have updated my last blog that I decided that it was time to start a new one. I believe that a new blog is also a good idea since my last one was all about graduate school. Now that I am no longer a graduate student the new blog title and address is more reflective of my new position in academia.

For those of you who had followed my last blog you may remember that the intended focus was on my attempt to find a balance between school, family, and cycling. I think that I did a decent job of finding that balance while in school. As an assistant professor the task of finding a balance has become more difficult and I am still attempting for find a way to achieve the balance.

Cycling is a wonderful metaphor for life in many ways. Learning how to find balance in life is similar to learning how to ride a bike. My wife and I gave our son a balance bike for his birthday and he has made some attempts at learning how to ride it. As he starts to try and ride he has to balance the fear of failing and falling with the joy of success. As speed increases the risk and the rewards do as well.

Starting to ride a bike as a kid and learning to take corners at high speeds in a crit are very similar. Higher speed results in clearing a corner faster than other riders and getting the gap you need to make other racers expend the effort to close the gap. BUT, misjudging the corner and you end up cleaning gravel out of wounds for hours.

Life works much the same way, high risk---high reward. A little extra effort and time you either get the gap or the gravel.

It is all about finding the balance.