The summer before Australia

Let the countdown begin!

36 days until I board a plane for Sydney, Australia. Am I excited? Yes. Am I ready? No, not really. This summer has been full of ups and downs. In addition to working for the SC Dept of Agriculture, I've been racing nearly every weekend with a team called Pain Pathways(http://www.cmwomensracing.com/.

My first weekend of racing was in Charleston with my Clemson teammates Rob and Edward. Somehow all three of us managed to crash during Saturday's race. Besides a few road rashes and bruises, we were fine. I am sure that we made quite the impression when we showed up for Sunday's race with what appeared to be matching bandages and wounds.

The second weekend of racing was Brick City Criterium in North Carolina. The race was an epic FAIL. My bike and body failed me. Fortunately the weekend was not lost because Charity and I had the chance to squeeze in a visit with Elise in nearby Raleigh, NC. I love hanging out with my sisters.

The third weekend was near Johnson City, Tennessee. The name of this race is called "Roan Groan". Any guess as to why? The road race started out in Elizabethtown and finished with a 10 mile "hors categorie" climb up Roan Mountain. "Hors categorie"is a French cycling term to describe a climb that it is so tough that it is beyond categorization. Thus we, quite literally, groaned our way all the way up Roan Mountain. After the race, I spent the evening/weekend with some friends in a mountain house near Mars Hill, NC. The scenery and fun times that we had are beyond explanation so I am not going to try.

The fourth weekend was the SC state championship road race in Fork Shoals, SC. This race was particularly fun because Pain Pathways absolutely demolished the field. How? Lynn, Hannah, Marianne, Thea, Deb, myself, and Arden worked together to take four of the top six places in the race. Personally, I don't have much experience working with a team so it was cool to see everything come together so well. As for my part, I just did what my teammates told me to do and pedaled hard.

The fifth weekend of racing was back down in Charleston, SC for the SC state championship time trial. The course was a gorgeous out and back 22 mile ride through the swamplands of Charleston. This race was the first time trial that I actually enjoyed. The clock can be a nasty competitor and it hasn't always been my best friend... especially during my many years of running track and xc. When I switched to cycling, I was excited about the chance to forget the clock and just race. Hence the reason why I avoided time trials at all costs. This particular time trial was a bit of revival for me because it gave me a new appreciation for the mental resolve that it takes to dig deep within yourself for a solid 22 miles without any let up. The race was rewarding and just the confidence boost that I needed. I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out with my good friends Julia and Travis.

The seventh weekend of racing was not really a weekend. I raced the U23/Elite Nationals time trial in Augusta, GA, on a Thursday. This was probably my most "interesting" race. Forty five minutes prior to my start time, I pedaled down to the USA Cycling booth to get my time trial bike check to make sure that it met certain guidelines that apply to national championship time trials. The initial inspection by the officials led me to believe that my bike would meet the necessary criteria with few minor altercations that could be done by the site mechanic. Forty-five minutes later, they concluded that the bike was not going to meet qualifications without sawing off a portion of the handlebars. As frustrated as I was, I could not blame the situation on anyone but myself. It is the riders job to make sure the bike is good to go... prior to race day. Ehem. Anyways. The USA Cycling mechanics gave me one of their USA Cycling road bikes to ride as a replacement along with a new start time next to none other than the top cyclists in the country. Boy oh boy. I looked about as clumsy and non-aerodynamic as a tractor next to a bunch of race cars(yes, I did just use an agricultural analogy). Of course, the announcer got a kick out of the whole thing and decided to call everyone's attention to my situation as I rolled down the starting ramp. Needless to say, my race time was not great and I did not even place in the top 5.

The eighth weekend was the St. Francis Summer Series race at the BMW Performance Center. It was easy and fun. I also rode to Caesars Head with my teammate Arden and a few other people on Saturday. It was BEAUTIFUL.



The ninth weekend was in Kennasaw, GA for the Georgia State Games Championship. I travelled and stayed with my teammate Arden(and her family) at her best friend from high-school’s house. We were both a bundle of nerves before the race because the temperature was in the high 90’s and the humidity was almost suffocating. Beads of sweat were forming on my legs only seconds after hopping on the bike.

This race was particularly interesting because we were racing against different teams than we were used too. One minute we would be coasting along, and the next, someone would be “attacking” (aka sprinting) during a flat section of the race.The racing strategies didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me because it’s easy for the main group to catch you if you attack on a flat stretch. Who knows. In the end, it was my own stupidity that won out because I started my sprint for the finish line and lost all steam just a short 10 meters out from the finish. My legs felt like they were filling up with lead and I experienced a sinking feeling within me as I watched my competition fly past me at the last minute. I came in a disappointing 7th. Shortly after the race, I heard one of my competitors brag about beating me in the final sprint. Whoa boy, that lit a fire inside of me. Needless to say, I did better in the criterium the next day by coming in 2nd after my teammate, Arden, who took 1st.

The tenth weekend was in Asheville, NC. This was the legendary French Broad Classic. The race is legendary for two reasons. One, cyclists have been flocking to this race from around the south east for decades.

Two, the road race has over 5,000 ft of climbing and cyclists just love to experience pain. This year's race attracted more pros than ever before. As a result, it was fast, fun, and furious. In addition to racing, I spent time with my aunt, granddad, and my cousin and her friend Maria. I really enjoyed talking and hanging out with them- especially since I will not get to see them again before I leave for Australia. I will miss them.

"Though the fig tree may not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines;
though the labor of the olive may fall,
and the fields yield no food;
though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer's feet,
and he will make me walk on my high hills"

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Y'allstate

"Around here, its Y'allstate". The above sentence is Allstate insurance's effort to market themselves to people who driving through downtown Columbia, SC. South Carolinians have pride in who they are and where they came from. A marketing campaign that would work in Boston or New York, would almost certainly never work down here. Why am I telling you all this? This summer I have been immersed in marketing, South Carolina culture, and the sweltering humidity and heat that comes with it. More specifically, I've been interning with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, taking summer classes, and racing throughout SC, GA, and NC. The following is a short synopsis of some of the things that I have been working on and have gotten to do so far. [The picture below was taken a few days ago when we filmed a commercial for the State Farmer's market]

Since my start date of May 24th, I have been learning about GAP certification, Farm to School, and the different facets of the department of agriculture. My first day in “the field” was going with regional coordinator Weatherly Thomas to check six Lexington County school gardens and distribute over two thousand Collard seeds to students and faculty. I also went to the State Farmer’s market to help Weatherly film a promotional piece about the market. It was a great opportunity to learn about the distributors and the GAP requirements that apply. Not all of the operations managers were willing to be in the video. The ones that were, however, had many great things to say about the SC Department of Agriculture and the market.

I've spent a lot of working on promotional material for the Farm to School program. One of them is a compilation of Certified SC farms that offer tours that will serve as a resource for school teachers. The brochure and webpage also include state parks and museums that pertain to agriculture. The second piece that I am working on is a brochure that highlights a farm from Berkeley County named Hickory Bluff that has had success with the GAP certification and selling to schools. Some of my time working on the brochures has been spent in the office and some of my time has been spent at home. I have enjoyed working with my fellow intern, Susan, in the office that we share. We have a lot in common and work well together.

So far, I've attended three meetings; the SC Food Safety Council meeting, the New and Beginning Farmers graduation, and the Farm to School Staff meeting. The SC Food Safety Council meeting consisted of about 45-50 representatives from corporations, government agencies, and schools. As soon as the meeting started, the meeting facilitator announced that we were all going to introduce ourselves. I must say, I was a little surprised. I was even more surprised when her eyes scanned the room and she picked me to be the first to explain who I was and what I was doing there. We saw a presentation by a food scientist from Clemson University, the School Food Safety director, and several others. The presentation by the School Food Safety director opened my eyes to the extensive coordination and precaution that goes into daily making sure that thousands of kids don’t get sick. After the meeting, I met several people from the Bi-Lo food safety group, USDA Aphis, DHEC, SCDA, and the Dept. of Education. It was interesting to me how each person had a different perspective on the our food system and how it operates.