Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center

A lot of people have asked how camp out at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs went so I decided to write about it. Before I go on let me just say how grateful and thankful I am to have had this opportunity. Getting the chance to go to the Olympic Training Center made me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. There was SO much to see, so much to learn, and so many incredible people to meet. Two of my outstanding Pain Pathways teammates, Nina Laughlin and Lauren Komanski, went as well. Both are super strong athletes and represented Pain Pathways like Usain Bolt reppin' Jamaica. I digress.

You are probably wondering what this camp is all about. Here is the purpose, according to USA Cycling:

“to identify athletes that would potentially benefit from USA Cycling Women’s Endurance Program. This camp is focused on athletes that are not currently involved in our program and have shown growth and interest in their cycling performances. The primary objective of USA Cycling’s Women’s Endurance program is the growth of American female cyclists in becoming world class cyclist. The goal of the camp is to identify athletes that have future goals of competing with the USA Cycling Women’s Program. The camp will also focus on educating the athlete’s on certain aspects of cycling as well as provide information about USA Cycling Women’s Endurance Program”.

Day 1: Myself, along with 12 other cyclists, arrived at the Olympic Training Center on Wednesday afternoon. We were given a map of the training center and each assigned a dorm-style room with two other cyclists from the camp. Besides being plain and boring, our rooms each featured a small refrigerator, sink, and TV. The next activity was dinner. The dining hall was pretty similar to a university cafeteria- a salad bar, cereal, cooked food, and deserts. The only difference was that almost everything- especially desert- had the nutrition information next to it(ice cream isn’t as much fun to eat when you know exactly how many calories you are consuming). There was also a “recovery station” with high-protein foods, soy milk, smoothies, and chocolate milk. The other significant feature of the dining hall was the TV’s. Everywhere I turned, there was a TV with some sort of Olympic competition playing. I have never felt so surrounded by the Olympics. No wonder America wins so many medals- the athletes literally eat, sleep, and breathe the Olympics. Just in case you were wondering, there were several other resident athletes who were either preparing for the upcoming Paralympics or training for the 2016 games.
That evening, we met our coaches for the week- Renee Eastman(www.trainright.com/tag/renee-eastman), Ainslie MacEachran(www.geminitrainingsystems.com), Katie Compton(www.fuckyeahkatiecompton.com), and guest-rider/coach Alison Dunlap(www.alisondunlap.com). ALL amazing people and athletes. We were given a run-down for the week of our schedule, rules, goals, and, of course, the time-trial that we would be doing in 36 hours.

Day 2: Our first full day of camp began with a short breakfast and a bike ride starting at 8am. The air was crisp and a little bit chilly as we made our way out to Cheyenne Canyon where we would be doing our time trial the next day. We chatted on our way out there and got a chance to “preview” our time trial course which happened to be a 3.1 mile climb up the mountain. When we reached the end of our climb, we were left with two options: go down an unpaved road that took us over to the other side of the mountain, or descend the same way we came. We had pro mountain bikers Katie Compton and Alison Dunlap with us. Need I say more? I’m sure that we were quite a site as we went flying down the side of the mountain on our skinny little wheels. Most of us made it without crashing. As we rounded the corners, we were rewarded with a breathtaking view of Colorado Springs. It was gorgeous. We then rode to one-way streets through “Garden of the Gods” to work on our descending skills. It was an ideal location and we divided into groups so that we could get more individual instruction.
After a long and satisfying lunch, we attended a session by USADA about doping and the different drugs that athletes are not allowed to take. I was surprised by all the clever ways that athletes have tried to hide the fact that they take drugs. Needless to say, we were all sufficiently motivated to avoid drugs before, and after, attending the session. By 2pm, we were all back on our bikes and rode to a park to work on bottle feeding, crashing skills, bumping each other, and bunny hopping objects in the road. Katie Donovan, Nina, and I all hopped in the training center’s ice pool for 15 minutes of excruciating-and-then-numbing cold. Coincidentally, it started raining as we biked back to our dorms. I’m pretty sure that my lips turned a solid blue. Was it worth it? Totally. Ice baths work magic on my legs.
That evening had a roundtable discussion with Alison Dunlap and Katie Compton about training and racing on a professional level.

Day 3: Similar to day 2, we were on our bikes by 8am and heading toward Cheyenne Canyon for our time trial. Once we got there, we were given about 20 minutes to warm up. As I rode my bike around, I spotted a huge(by South Carolina standards) deer. I rode up to it, expecting it to run away, but was surprised to find that it just stayed there and looked me right in the eye as if to say, “this is just as much my place as it is yours”. After warming up, we went off in 30 second intervals and rode 1 mile up the mountain for our first time trial. Our second time trial was the full 3.1 miles up the mountain. The first 5 minutes were absolutely excruciating. My lungs felt like they were the size of a pea as I gasped for air and struggled to maintain a satisfactory speed. It wasn't long until I reached a point where I literally thought they were going to have to scrape me up off the side of the road. It was then that Psalm 23 popped into my head. It played itself over and over in my head struggled with each rotation of the pedal and reminded me that my self-worth is in Christ-alone. I don't need to prove anything because He has redeemed me and bought me with His blood. The pressure that I so often put on myself to perform was lifted and it made it so much easier to pour every ounce of effort into reaching the top of the mountain. The USA Cycling van parked at the top of the mountain with icy water, Gatorade, and chewy bars was a sight for sore eyes! Water never tasted so good.
That afternoon, we rode east towards the countryside to practice pace lines, echelons, and the Australian pursuit. We were divided into teams of four and sent off at different times to chase each other down. The combination of the wind on our backs, rolling hills, and teamwork made for a fast and thrilling ride.
This time it was Caroline, Nina, and I in the ice pool. I was slightly more prepared for the cold and was glad for the company. I’m pretty sure everyone else thought we were crazy, but once again, it was worth it! My legs felt so much better afterwards.
After dinner, we convened for a session on nutrition, hydration, and race tactics. Renee Eastman told us that we should be drinking at least 1-2 water bottles every hour and consuming at least 250 calories per hour. Wow! She also said that some people can sweat up to 5,000 mg of sodium per hour. If you sweat a lot, it’s a good idea to get as much sodium in during your rides as possible. Ainslie MacEachran talked about race tactics and identified two types of racers- offensive and defensive. Offensive racers “make” the race and defensive racers “follow” the race. He encouraged us to be aggressive and learn how to take chances in our races. He also coached us on what types of breakaways are more likely to succeed than others based on the teams that are represented in the breakaway and the strength of the riders.

Day 4: Saturday morning, we were back on our bikes by 8am, this time for a long ride to practice receiving feeds from the car. We rode east out towards the countryside with rolling hills, huge fields, and maybe a house every couple of miles. The difference between the mountains and countryside east was night and day. At one point, a mist shrouded the mountains and it felt like we were in Nebraska or Kansas. Practicing getting feeds from the car was a lot of fun. We would drop back, hand our empty water bottles to Ainslie, and as we gripped the new water bottles, he would press the accelerator and propel us back into the group. The coaches decided to extend our ride by about 15 or 20 miles so the ride ended up being about 85 miles total, which gave us plenty of time to go fast, relatively slow, and talk to each other as we took turns on the front. The ride kicked my butt. Seriously. My legs felt like they were filled with lead by the time we got back. Thank God for endorphins!
That afternoon, we had individual meetings with the coaches about our goals, strengths, weaknesses, and the camp. It was a good chance to reflect and look towards our future as cyclists. It was encouraging, challenging, and exciting to talk about some of the opportunities that are out there. Later in the day, Renee demonstrated the proper way to wash a bike and showed us a few ways to keep our bike in top condition. That night, we had a short “camp wrap-up” session and just hung out with each other. It was fun and sad at the same time. A few of the girls left that night while rest of us packed up to leave the next morning.

Day 5: A majority of the cyclists left early Sunday morning. Nina Laughlin and I had later flights so we went on a recovery ride with Renee, Katie, her husband Mark, and another cyclist named Caroline. The took us on a cool ride through Colorado Springs and out to Manitou Springs. Riding bikes is one of the best ways to explore new places!
Leaving the Olympic Training Center was hard. The time went by so fast and there was still so much to do, see, and learn.
Getting through security at the Colorado Springs Airport was a nightmare. It all started when I took my bike bag up to check it and the lady asked, “is this a bike?”. I answered, “it’s exercise equipment”. She then proceeded to pull out her measuring tape and stretch the bag out as much as possible so that she could charge me for “oversized luggage”- a solid $200! Oh helllll no. I was upset. After all, I only paid $25 to get there thanks to the staff at the GSP airport. So I told her it was a bike(which is a flat $150 fee). She was obviously peeved that she couldn’t charge me the full 200 and asked me point blank why I told her it was exercise equipment. I just looked at her incredulously and answered, “because it IS!”. I was tired, frustrated, and about to blow a fuse. Afterwards, I kinda felt bad for being such a smart ass. She probably deals with people like that all the time. Nina had an even more frustrating experience with a lady who thought she ruled the airport.

Well, there you have it! The experience was unforgettable and I will miss everyone that I met there. I am so thankful for the opportunity and hope that I have the chance to pass on what I’ve learned to others new to cycling. Thanks for reading!

A huge thanks goes out to Renee Eastman, Ainslie MacEachran, Katie Compton, Alison Dunlap, and, of course, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

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.

To be totally honest...

I am a little spoiled. Actually, let me rephrase that, I am very spoiled. Since the end of my freshman year, school has been a breeze. This is not to say that I didn’t have to study hard, quite the contrary! I am a perfectionist when it comes to grades. From day 1 of my classes, I am usually on top of everything, know exactly what is going on, and have the ability to study for my exams weeks in advance. I am the kind of person who strategically has a final exam meltdown the week before finals so that I can focus during exam week. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “this doesn’t sound realistic in the least bit!” I know, and it’s not. Throughout my college career, I've manipulated my schedule, habits, and social life to accommodate my academic goals while maintaining my sanity and health. For starters, I have always had a great schedule because of priority class-registration privileges (student-athlete/honors college). One of the advantages of early registration is the ability to pick the kind of teachers who want to make you successful(based on online ratings). On top of that, I've had private tutors through the athletic department, spent more football game’s studying than I'd like to admit, foregone parties, and taken homework with me to the beech, track meets, and other trips. Yeah, I know. I sound like a total nerd. I guess I kind of am. The nice thing about making good grades is that it can lead to scholarships that pay a lot more than I would be able to make if I had a job. I guess that’s kind of how I approach school. It’s a job, and the better I do, the more successful I will be.

I have been able to maintain my perfectionistic approach to school up until about two weeks ago when I realized that a) I had no idea what was going on in my classes and b) I somehow landed in four classes in which I did not have the pre-requisites for. Go figure. I can still remember the day when the realization hit me like a freight-train. How was I supposed to teach myself all of the pre-requisite material so that I could understand the material in my current classes? Well, needless to say, I freaked. To make matters worse, I couldn’t switch or drop any of my classes. To do so would mean that I would have to pay over $2,000 to take summer classes. Ehem. Not gonna happen. Gradually, a realization began to dawn on me. This isn’t an unusual situation. This isn’t a major screw-up. This isn’t even something worth freaking out about. This is life. And I am spoiled. Life is not something that I can constantly control. It isn’t something that I can always plan and expect the perfect outcome. All I have is the breath that I am breathing during this very moment. I can plan to our hearts content, but the Lord is the one who decides the outcome; “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9)

Why do I get so upset when things don’t go exactly as I have planned? I am twenty years old and should certainly know better by now. I guess sometimes it is easy to forget that the future is not in my hands. Every time I get a perfect grade or do well in a race, I have an overwhelming desire to give myself the glory. Something deep inside of me says, “this. This is exactly what you have worked for. This is exactly what you have earned. There is nothing you can’t do or plan for”. When I turn to scripture and ultimately, the face of God, I realize that I am completely and utterly wrong. I might as well have blindfolded myself and told myself that I was president of the United States. I didn’t create myself. I didn’t choose parents who would send me to college. I didn’t choose a time period in which I would even have the opportunity to earn a grade in school. Most importantly, I didn’t choose to be loved by the Creator of the universe.

Wow.

Even as I write this, I am being overcome my emotion. I am so undeserving. My pride and self-centeredness is about as far off as Obama is from conservatism. Just kidding, it’s a lot farther. Maybe the Grand Canyon would be a better analogy. Or how about Osama bin Laden from Santa Clause? You get the picture.

‘For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9)

eat smart, WHAT?

My oh my!

It has been a long time since I have posted. I know I know, blogging really does not take up that much time. However, being the perfectionist that I am, I do not like to blog unless I've said everything that I want to say and have had the chance to edit it. I'm not doing that this time, so bear with me.

In the last blog post, I mentioned that I was working on a project but didn't say what it was.

Over Christmas break, I was on the South Carolina Department of Agriculture's website and I found a link to a site called "Eat Smart, Move More SC" (which I will refer to as "esmm"). The name intrigued me so I looked further into it. As I scrolled up and down, I noticed that the website had a number of alarming statistics about the poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, and obesity in the state of South Carolina. I went on to read about the resources and tools that the organization provides counties within South Carolina. So far, nine counties in SC have established chapters. I looked for Oconee, the county that I grew up in, and did not see anything. If Oconee County doesn't have a chapter, then why not start one? The need and resources are there.

I got in touch with the Executive director of esmm who told me a little bit more about the organization and put me in touch with the Region 1 County Health Educator. I met with her and we came up with a game plan to get this thing started. Next, I started networking and figuring out who all to get involved. The third person I talked to was not interested, but gave me some great contacts. I called the first number that he gave me and got a positive response about starting a chapter of esmm. Bingo. He is the school superintendent for district 1(Oconee County). This morning, I met with the executive director of a previous health organization, the school superintendent, and the county health educator. Together, we came up with a game plan and a focus area. As it turns out, we are going to try to launch a farm-to-school program in Oconee.

Three people on board, a mission, and a plan. YES!

Wanna check out the organization? http://eatsmartmovemoresc.org/

We also have a FaceBook event page at http://www.facebook.com/events/215839741834356/

God is so good. Every day, he encourages me through the people that I talk to and his word. Right now I am reading in Isaiah and learning more about the character of God. Even though the Israelites sinned over and over, he constantly gave grace and mercy to them. At the same time, his holiness and justice cannot tolerate sin. No if's, and's, or but's about it. The sacrifice of his son was the ultimate nonprofit, public act of love that we can possibly imagine.

The Last Month of 2011

A lot of thoughts run through my head on my daily bike rides of 1-4 hours. Oftentimes, my mind runs over the things that I haven't gotten around to doing in a while. The most common being, of course, blogging. So this time, I have decided to write a blog post before my ride. Right now, I am sitting in spandex cycling attire on my fluffy pink bedspread. My purple room is flooded with light and the wind outside is making white-caps on the lake. It is beautiful sight but does not promise a pleasant bike ride. I hate riding in the wind.

The past month has been filled with family time, friend time, cycling, school, and traveling. My exam week this year was the best I've ever had. I had two exams on Monday and left for the beach on Tuesday with my family. There was a small part of me that felt sorry for my fellow students holed-up in cooper library. I tried my best to enjoy the sun at the beach for them.

One of the highlights of this Christmas break has been the Upstate Winter Bike League. For those of you who are not familiar with the UWBL, it is a group of appr. 100-150 cyclist who gather in downtown Greenville to suffer together during the cold winter months of December and January. The group divides into two groups to accommodate different abilities and fitness levels. Before the first UWBL, I was nervous. I knew that I wanted a challenge and had been told that I could probably keep up with the faster group (the A group). As we rolled out of the parking lot on our 70 mile ride, I cautiously positioned myself in the group in order to get as much draft as possible. As I glanced around, I could tell that many of the cyclists surrounding me were just as competitive as I am. Sure enough, towards the end of the ride, several of the cyclists took off with a speed that was difficult to match. I leaped up in my seat and tried my best to stay with them. My surroundings became completely irrelevant as I struggled to maintain a speed that I had not equaled in months. The challenge, the competition, and the sheer exhilaration of riding fast was invigorating, exhausting, and addicting. Needless to say, each UWBL has been challenging and fun as the distance and intensity gradually increases.

Three days before Christmas, Jesse had the pleasure of getting all four wisdom teeth yanked out of his mouth. Fortunately, his faithful girlfriend was there to drive him to and from the dentist, sign a few papers, and take care of him until his mom could pick him up and take him home for Christmas. He was a great sport and emerged from surgery with a goofy lop-sided smile and an appetite for a chocolate milkshake. The next morning, I drove down to Atlanta with my dad to pick my sister and brother-in-law up from the airport. My dad and I had some good conversations during our trip down to Atlanta. I am always amazed by his wisdom and knowledge about the world around him. After our trip to the airport, we had a huge lunch with Jesse, his mom (hi Minnie!), and his lovely sister Bonnie who is coming to CLEMSON next year! My brother-in-law, John Miller, claimed to be of the "northern" Miller clan, while Jesse claimed to be of the "southern" Miller clan. Regardless, there were a lot of Millers around.

Christmas day was... interesting. I woke up at 5am with a horrible stomach ache. It didn't take long for me to figure out that it was a stomach virus. As of this year, I have been sick 4 out my 20 Christmas's (20%). Statistically, this should not be possible! It's not like I get sick very often either. In fact, I can only think of a few times that I have had the stomach virus during a time other than Christmas.
My sisters brought my presents down to my room with about 20,000 shielding sprays of lysol before and after entering my room. I opened my presents via Facetime on my phone and slept for most of the day. In some ways, being sick wasn't all that bad. It forced me to slow down and be thankful for what God has given me. I can be such a selfish pig sometimes. Fortunately, I have a God who loves me and constantly reminds me of the fact that I have been saved by His grace, and His grace alone. Hallelujah!

After Christmas, I got to see Jesse and his dad before they headed off for a 4 day excursion on the Appalachian trail. I stayed here and worked on my plans for this summer. You see, I am leaving for Australia during August and have committed to racing almost every weekend during the summer. On top of that, I will be taking an online class. This will leave me enough time for a part-time job/internship. I want to do something that I am passionate about and walk away with more than a paycheck. So far, I have an idea that has the potential to be AWESOME. Right now, I am in the information-gathering process and will reveal the "project" in my next post if it is a real possibility.

Until then.

Colorado, School, and Agriculture Future of America

I know, I know. It has been a while since I have posted! A lot has happened since October 23rd.

The rest of the Colorado trip was amazing. We went to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre and raced up the stairs.

I ran on some trails that surrounded the area. It reminded me of Arizona because the dirt was bright red and the rocks were massive (hence the name “red rocks”.) I love being outside and exercising in new places. Every sense-hearing, smelling, feeling, seeing, and tasting- is engaged and immersed in the new environment. You not only see, but experience the area. Anyways, the next day we went up to Boulder, Colorado.

Jesse and I wandered around downtown during the morning and then borrowed Amy and a friend’s bike to do some real exploring. After climbing a solid 17 miles, we ended up in a small town north of Boulder called “Nederland”. Say it out loud. Sounds weird right? It almost sounds like you are trying to say “Netherland” but have a speech impediment. For that reason alone, I do not think I could live there. The town gave me another reason though. As soon as I got there, I sought out a small gas station where I could fill up my water bottle. I imagine I looked pretty pathetic as I slowly opened up the door with my ice-cold fingers and walked in with stiff legs and a cherry-red face. I put on sweet smile and kindly ask the young guy at the register if I could fill my water bottle up. Now, during past experiences, the guy running the register would recognize my sorry state and jump to get water as fast as his legs could carry him. Well not this guy, no sireee. He turns to me with a sour face and goes, “uh, that’s gonna cost you 75 cents”… “oh but, I (teeth chattering) I don’t have any money”. He replies, “well too bad. We charge for water”. I meekly swallow the few grams of moisture in my mouth and proceed to ask, “well… uh… how clean is the bathroom water”. I mean hey, when you need water, you really need it. “Oh, that’s going to be 75 cents too”. My chin about hit the floor. Who charges money for 8 oz of bathroom water? Geez.

Saying goodbye to Amy was the worst part about the trip. Some friends don’t stay in touch when they move halfway across the country, but not Amy.

Besides being a great friend, she is fun, adventurous, and has a great sense of humor.







Once I got back from Colorado, I had only a few school days before I was off to Kansas City for another meeting. The trip went well and we got a lot accomplished. I could tell that everyone was a little antsy because the conference was in less than a month.

During the next couple of weeks, I spent a lot of time training and studying.
In fact, I can honestly say that I became quite boring.

The week before the AFA conference, Ispent 12 hours in class, 16 hours on the bike, and the rest of my time either sleeping or studying.
The Saturday before the conference, Jesse and I went up to Greenville for the Hincapie warehouse sale to buy some winter cycling clothing. Now I don't have an excuse for not riding in the cold.

The AFA conference will forever stand out in my memory as one of the best experiences of my college career. My teammates on the leadership team- Ana, Bryce, Wayne, Katelyn, Lance, Cary, Blake, and Amanda- have each impacted and inspired me. You can listen to professional speakers all day, but in the end, it is friendships that really make the difference. I miss these guys.

After a group opening session, all of the students were divided based on year in college. Bryce, Ana, and I were in charge of the freshman group. Basically, we took turns introducing speakers, facilitating games, conducting group meetings, and answering a boatload of questions. During orientation, we divided the group of 120 freshman into 3 groups and made them each form a line. Then we gave everyone a toothpick and gave each person at the front of the line a lifesaver. The goal was to transfer one lifesaver (with a toothpick sticking out of your mouth) from one end of the line to the other end. Whoever got the lifesaver to the end of the line quickest won. Take a moment to imagine the scenario. It was hilarious. Let me tell you, the 2011 AFA freshman were incredible. During the games, they were wild, fun, and interactive. It got quite loud more than a few times. When we had speakers come in, they were respectful, attentive, and asked good questions. At one point, one of the speakers had three students come up on stage and act as panelist while discussing their future career plans. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought these students were conference speakers themselves. The best part about our particular group of students was their genuine passion for agriculture and the future of our industry.


I learned two things about myself during this experience. First, I love public speaking. Yes, I do get nervous, but it is a positive feeling that energizes me. A few times during the conference, people came up and asked if I had taken public speaking classes.

I told them no, but when you grow up in a family of ten, you learn to appreciate any kind of audience. Not only that, but I was the middle child... so obviously it was my job to make sure that others heard me. Getting the chance to speak in front of 700 people is a privilege and an honor. Second, I love talking. Now hold on, hold on. I know what you are thinking... "Molly, it's pretty obvious that you love to talk". Yes, yes, but I love talking in the sense that I love conversation and learning about other people. During the career fair, it hit me that this was not an intimidating or strict procedure, but a chance to talk and learn about other people and their companies. Sometimes it can be so easy to fall into a negative pattern of thinking instead of appreciating the positive side of things. I know I am preaching here, but trust me. Shifting your attitude really does work.

During the entire conference, I could feel God’s presence with me. With the amount of sleep and responsibilities, I should have been exhausted. In fact, sheer exhaustion was my number one fear going into the conference. Halfway through the conference, He brought a short piece of scripture to my mind, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). God granted me the ability to pour passion and enthusiasm into everything I did… and enjoy every minute of it. He is so good.

On the way home, my connecting flight from Charlotte to Greenville got cancelled. U.S. Airways gave me a voucher for a sketchy motel nearby and put me on the next flight out in the morning. Word of advice, don’t fly U.S Airways unless you enjoy spending the night in a run-down motel with beds that are flatter than a pancake and harder than your concrete driveway. Fortunately, I made it back home the next morning ten minutes before my first class. I parked, hopped out of the car with my backpack, and ran to class looking a little… ehem... rough. After class I made sure to tell my professor about my unfortunate travels and the dedication it took to make it to his class in time. Hopefully he will remember that small piece of information when he grades my next test…

PHEW! I am running over 1,000 words here so I’m going to stop.

Adios Muchachos!