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| Such a beautiful day |
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| Saw a handful of friends who go to school out of state this past break (Shaina!) |
This Christmas break has been a consistent one compared to
previous years. However I have found myself way busier then in past years. Part
of this has to do with the fact that I enrolled myself in a winter class for a
handful of reasons. It would boost my GPA, it would knock out a humanities course and
It would bring my total hours above 15 for the first half of the year. (I’m on
an academic scholarship and need 30 total hours a year to keep it). This winter
class would end up taking up the majority of my free time. Between four essays,
five exams, and a discussion post every day if not every other day I found
myself unable to hang out with my friends the way I wanted. But in hindsight I
am glad I got through it and with an ‘A’
I am happy though to have gotten some of the most consistent
cycling I have ever gotten in a winter period. That being said, I am also sure
I got in more cycling then probably any other area of the country based on what
I have been seeing on the weather channel. My break started off really well
with time spends with friends and family. However I feel like I spent the majority of my time on the road getting in some great miles. I know that every single big
day I get in on the bike now will help me get through a hard spring semester
ahead.
The break started with a nice trip to Austin, which I wrote
about HERE. After that weekend of time spend in Austin I devoted almost all my
time in between training and my winter class. Although I was on break I felt
like I never got away from school. Timing rides around essay and exam
dates is something I do all year already and I did not want to keep doing it
this winter.
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| potential semester schedule for the spring |
As the winter progressed I found myself really devoted to
spending my time on the bike and on my laptop writing essays. Although I would
rather be with friends I spent a lot of time just thinking. Thinking a lot
about where I am heading down the road in my life and I am really excited to be
in the position I am in. It is really exciting to know that this spring I will be waving the Pearland/Houston flag in the domestic professional peloton. Something that I feel like has not been done for a while. I am also still going to be a full time student at the University of Houston as I finally get into what will be my major specific classes.
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| This was the last day of break before classes the next day (70 degrees and sunny) |
It has been awesome to see how much of a positive impact I
have made in my local cycling scene. I have never gotten so many congratulations
from my friends on the road this winter. Not just for my team signing but also for just
being a positive and helpful force on group rides. Even the fact that I am
staying in school full time with my new team is also a reason many people has
been saying how excited they are for me. Not too many young people I know are racing at continental level while still being a full time student at a university, and this could not have been made possible without the flexibility Astellas is giving me as we work a schedule around school and my exams. I also could not have
gotten this far in my life cycling and school wise without the help and
support of my family and friends. It has been quite a journey so far and I plan
to make the most of it as I continue forward in my degree plan as well as my
cycling aspirations.
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