Sorry for the lack of updates. Teaching and training have been keeping me plenty busy. Teaching is going really well - I've got some great students and it's been fun trying to get back into teacher mode after having been just a daily sub for a couple of years. All the lesson planning, grading, and just daily chaos of being a teacher have definitely kept me on my toes! After three weeks I'm starting to feel a bit more comfortable but I still have moments of feeling a little overwhelmed. It really has been fun though and I'm grateful to have this experience. Hopefully it will help me in the future job hunt!
My new training routines are starting to feel normal and getting up at 5AM doesn't feel quite so bad. It's finally stopped snowing in Wisconsin (I know I've just jinxed us now) but it's still pretty cold and many of the roads are wet/icy/sandy. Rideable though. I have now ridden my bike outside a whopping 8 times this year - 6 times while in CA and twice here in WI. Jeez - how pathetic is that! But soon the trainer will get neglected in the corner again and spring will truly be here.
Speaking of Spring next week is spring break for the Madison schools and I'm getting out of dodge. I figured taking on the teaching position made me worthy of making the trek to North Carolina for a week of solid riding in the beautiful mountains. I started going to NC when I was a student and on the UW cycling team and this will be my third time there. A bunch of students will also be down there and stay at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. The last few years there has been a group of alums who rent a cabin for some extra space. I know . . . we're old - we just prefer to not partake in the occasional shenanigans of the college kids.
Here is a picture of such shenanigans from back in the day - Tank and I having an apple juice drinking contest. Good times but like I say - I'm too old for that now.
I've had a lot of fun in NC though and I look forward to returning. The University of Wisconsin cycling team introduced me to racing and I haven't looked back since. It's a fantastic organization and the members put a lot of themselves into the program.
So I'm counting down the minutes practically until departure time on Friday. A few of my Midwestern Kenda teammates will be joining me in addition to some alumni. Hopefully the weather holds out and we get some spectacular days on the bike!
