My oh my! How times have changed!

Gosh! I haven't blogged in YEARS! People have asked me to blog my adventures, so I figured I would just come back to this blog space. 

Where to start .... I got divorced, went back to public safety, all at the start of a pandemic. Life has changed drastically in the decade since I last wrote. Some blog posts will be back dated to update the last year and a half, and will include my music, travels, struggles, and growth. Let me tell ya, starting a new life post-divorce in a pandemic world is crazy!! But boy, have I had some fun!

Me now 2021

Climbing

The end of the semester

Wow! Well it's certainly been a whirlwind of a semester, and I haven't had any time to blog about it. It's far more intense than I could have imagined, even overwhelming at times. Thank goodness I had two 10 week classes that ended as the second set of 7 1/2 week classes got going. There would have been no way I would have been able to keep up if I had class every night of the week for the entire semester.

Let me explain - Exercise Testing & Prescription is a very hands on, practical class. Note, I said it's a 7 1/2 week class. We had 7 labs that were due, with one week of vacation in there for the holiday. These labs ranged from 30 to 50 pages each, so each week I had to write at least 30 pages. There were 2 weeks that we had TWO labs due. As if that wasn't enough, that wasn't my only class - I still had Principles of Strength Training, and had to write 4 strength training lesson plans for the first four weeks, one for a mid term practical, a risk management paper, and create/teach a bootcamp class. We must have killed at least a small forest this semester in lab write-ups and lesson plans, and I've had to buy ink for my printer twice.

Thankfully, I have a very supportive and understanding husband who tolerates my late nights of studying and writing, and has been picking up the slack with the household chores. I also work two jobs, and fortunately have a boss who understands that my education is my first priority, and has been very generous in working around my school and homework schedule.

It has all paid off  - I have learned so much this semester such as how to calculate body composition, take skin folds, conduct a submax oxygen uptake test, and interpretting paperwork. Probably the most important thing I learned was to make friends and create a good "study group" to bounce things off of. I'm not talking about a traditional study group of meeting and quizzing each other on the study guide, as I don't learn that way and most of us work various schedules in addition to going to school, so getting together is next to impossible. Technology makes it a lot easier to do - this weekend, I talked to 6 of my 9 classmates on Facebook chat, phone instant messaging, email, and phone calls. We discussed why we got the answers we did, where we found them in the books, and how we interpretted the information.

I'm curious how the class did as a whole on our final exam, as we've been told that we should expect 2 grades below our regular grade range. On our last test, one person got a B, several (maybe 3?) got Cs, and the rest Ds and Fs. Our instructor says this is normal, and inline with what she expects. Well, we studied our butts off for the final, and all worked together. I know of at least one A, because I got it, and 2 other friends got very high Bs which puts us higher than expected. Now I should note that it's not that we don't know the material, because we do. And if my instructor reads this she'll laugh at me, but they are trick questions! It's a joke among us students as to how poorly we can do on the tests in the program. People study like crazy, then completely bomb, so the next test they won't study at all and do just as "well". It's insane - I've never done poorly on tests - ever - much less as routinely as I do on tests in this program. We can walk out of the class thinking, "Oh, that was easy, I did fine on it." and get them back to have Cs if we're lucky. Friends and family will ask how I did walking out, and they don't understand when I say "I have no idea - won't know until the grade reports come out" but we seriously have no clue, and those in the program know what I'm talking about. Like I said, I've come out thinking I've done well, and come out wondering if I answered any question correctly, and gotten the same score on both tests. We joke that we should get those fortune telling 8 balls with the die in it labeled A through E, and we could just shake it and mark our scantron based on what it tells us and do just as well/poorly as we do on our own.

Imagine my surprise when I got my grade report and it showed I actually got an A on the final! I had no sooner done a double take at the email when a classmate texted me asking if I had seen the report yet because she, too, was in shock and awe of the scores. I genuinely believe we did well because we worked together, and not just to memorize answers from our practice test, but because we discuss the whys and hows we arrived at our answers so we really do know the material and were able to answer the new questions we were presented with. To anyone going to school, get good study partners who have the same goals and drive that you do, and work together. It's amazing what you don't see that someone else does, or how much it helps you remember and understand the information when you explain it to someone.

At any rate, I'm glad the semester is over. These 5 weeks of break will go by quickly, and I really need it. I haven't had a real break since starting school last January as I went straight into the May-mester then to summer session, and only had a week and a half between summer and fall session. My poor brain is tired :)

Until next time, hope you have a safe and happy holiday season.

There's snow on the mountains....

...and ski pass paperwork to fill out at office - woohoo! It totally rocks to work for a company owned by Vail Resorts, for it means I get a free, unrestricted Epic Pass - A-Basin, Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek and Heavenly anytime I want. Not that I have a lot of free time with school, but I do have the week of Thanksgiving off, and a month and a half between Fall and Spring Semesters. Surely I can find at least a couple Sundays to get up to the mountain this season.

We have also started Sunday cruiser/social/family rides at the shop in partnership with Tony's Market. Dropped my Trek off last weekend for a cable repair, and pick it up tomorrow at work so I can ride in true cruiser fashion on Sundays with a basket and everything :) If you're a beginning cyclist and want to just come hang out and ride around with some fun people, this is the ride for it. Meet at Tony's on Bowles just east of Wads at 9am. It's next to the Bed, Bath and Beyond. More details are on the group ride blog.

Good things come to those who....

Do what they need to do!

I submitted my volunteer form to work the USA Pro Cycling Challenge a bit late. Okay, it was a lot late. They opened volunteers in January of this year; I didn't know that, and submitted my form 2 weeks ago. Once I saw it opened in January, I started searching for a direct contact for the volunteer coordinators for Breckenridge, Denver and Golden (the three closest cities to me). The Breckenridge coordinator told me he had plenty of volunteers, but he'd keep my name just in case.

I then received an email from the Denver coordinator advising me of training that was taking place the afternoon of Sunday, August 7th - the same day as Tri for the Cure. The times didn't conflict, but I had worked on Saturday and Sunday morning at the race, and I had my Anatomy/Physiology final on Monday that I needed to study for. As much as I so want to work the race, my studies come first, so I didn't attend the volunteer training.

Now, summer session is condensed. 15 week courses are shortened to 10 weeks. My class was on Monday and Tuesday for 2 hours. The last week of class (two 2hr days) we had to go over FIVE chapters. There simply wasn't enough time to go over everything in those five chapters before our exam. Our teacher skipped over a good 50 slides a day saying "you can read about that; we covered that in lab..." Now "lab" consisted of coloring and dissecting things. Because of the short semester, labs typically took place before we learned about the subject in class, and therefore didn't make a whole lot of sense. I was in somewhat of a panic - not only did I have to read these chapters in one week, I had to completely understand all the concepts. It was all nervous system and special senses, so not easy stuff.

Once I got home from the triathlon, I took a shower and a nap, and got on with more studying. I was up early into Monday morning reading and doing some exercises to make sure I understood everything. When I got to school, all the other students were standing around with somber looks on their faces as well. We all looked like inmates taking that final stroll down death row as we followed our teacher into the class room. We all had the same concerns - that there wasn't enough time, that we hadn't covered everything.

Teacher handed out the test, and to our surprise, it was one sheet, front and back - 50 questions. All multiple choice, matching or true/false - no fill in the blank - which means, the answers are on the page. We started and I literally finished it in about 3 minutes. It couldn't be THAT easy. Not wanting to get up and turn it in so soon, I went back to recheck my answers. Yes, it WAS that easy. I stood to take my test to the teacher, and as soon as I cleared my chair, 2 of my lab partners followed me up. I guess no one wanted to be first! We got outside relieved that it was so easy. We guessed the teacher took it easy on us since we hadn't covered everything. She let us keep the question sheet, and upon checking it, I could only find one that I had missed. I was so pleased.

I told my husband that I was already done, and that the test was super easy - I couldn't believe it! He said "Maybe it was easy for you." I told him, no, that my lab partners finished at the same time as I did and we all thought it was easy. Granted, my main lab partner has a BS in Biology from Westpoint, and he and I had been going back and forth on who had the highest grade all semester long. While the test was easy, it was because I had taken the time read everything. The test certainly could have been more difficult, and the examples in the study guide where much more complex in physiology than the exam was, which is why we were so nervous about the test.

When the grades were finally posted, I was shocked. First, I apparently missed 2 questions, not 1 (I hate not getting tests back because I don't know what I missed! I still had the highest score in the class). Second, there was only one other "A" which I assume my lab partner got. There were quite a few Bs, but what surprised me was the number of Ds and low Cs. The test was so easy, that the only way people could not have gotten at least a B was to not have read the text. It's that simple - there wasn't anything complicated about the test at all; no complex systems to explain, no major memory recall on the cranial or spinal nerves - it was very straight forward and EASY. I'm glad I stayed home and read the text, even if I missed the volunteer training.

Then, I received an email from the volunteer coordinator in Breck asking me if I was still interested that he had a spot for me! I was jazzed! I told him I was still interested and to put me down.

The day after that, I received an email from the Denver coordinator saying that even though I didn't attend the training, I could still work the race. I responded back that I was indeed interested and to put me down. They sent me all the training materials and the presentation from the Sunday training that I wasn't able to attend.

Everything just fell into place. I did what I needed to do, and I was rewarded for it. I took the time to study, and was rewarded with an easy exam. I feel that because I prioritized appropriately, I was rewarded with the fun stuff. I took the initiative to directly contact the Breck coordinator so I was on his radar even if I wasn't on his original list from the USA PCC, and I've been given a special assignment. Because I emailed him with a little bio, a sort of mini resume of my qualifications and what I could do for him, he's given me an assignment that isn't part of the regular volunteer posts. Breck is holding citizen street sprint races prior to the time the racers enter the town, and I get to work those - right on the finish line of the race. Then I'll be done with my "job" prior to the time the race enters the town, and I can watch the pros sprint at the finish rather than being a course marshal out away from the excitement.

I guess the point of my post is, do what you need to do. Be patient, prioritize, and prepare. One of my favorite quotes is from Louis Pasteur "Chance favors the prepared mind." I knew what I wanted and needed to do; I did what I had to do, and by chance I got an easy test and a great volunteer assignment that I was prepared to receive.

Tri for the Cure

I had the opportunity to work Tri for the Cure this weekend. This is a women's only sprint triathlon that benefits the Denver Metropolitan Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to end breast cancer forever. It was at Cherry Creek State Park which is only 6 miles from my house, and since parking is a pain during events, we from the bike shop rode in. There's something so serene and quiet about riding a bike at 4:30 in the morning - the sky was clear with stars shining bright, and practically no cars on the roads.

Once I got to the park and found the rest of the crew, we set up and proceeded to service bikes as needed as the racers filed in. It's quite a site to see so many different people, of all shapes, sizes, ages and athletic abilities at this event. The difference in bicycles was just as diverse - everything from cruisers with fenders, to mountain bikes, to full blown tri-bikes. The race starts with the competitive/elite women hitting the water, followed by survivors. Then everyone else follows at 3 minute increments. There was something like 3,000 participants, and over 25 waves going out.

Once the race started, I was stationed at the bike mount area to assist riders with thrown chains or those who needed help onto their bikes after the swim. I must admit, this sounded odd to me, as no one has ever been in the mount area to help anyone in a race, much less help getting on a bike, and one can actually get disqualified for receiving assistance in a race. I found the race director to confirm thee rules to make sure I didn't DQ anyone with my help. We had maybe a half dozen people toss a chain, and one flat tire.

Now, here is where I have to "preach". I was absolutely amazed at the lack of knowledge participants possessed about their bikes, and how dirty and in disrepair they were in. While we've all been beginners at a sport at one point or another, if you're investing the time and money into training and doing a triathlon, somewhere along the line the conversation about equipment comes up. This should include equipment maintenance and repair.

First, I was amazed at how many people even came up to our bike tent for air. I always bring a pump with me to a race, or at the very least, pump my tires up before leaving the house. Now, things happen, and if you don't pack your equipment the night before, I can see how easy it is to forget a pump in the morning haste to prepare and leave. But not only was the number of people needing air ridiculous, I couldn't believe that only one person had tire pressure that was even remotely close to what it should be. It was as if these people hadn't checked their tire pressure in weeks, if at all! It was also incredible to see so many people coming up with flats and needing tubes, and then they were upset if we didn't have a tube in their size with us. Remember, I mentioned earlier how many different kinds of bikes were there....

Second, I couldn't believe how dirty some of these bikes were. Now, I know I can be a little anal when it comes to my bike, but since moving to a condo where I don't have a hose, I've been forced to refrain from cleaning my bike after every ride. At the very least, I do wipe it down every other week, and lube my chain on a regular basis. These things were filthy and gritty! No wonder some of these people tossed their chains - there was no place for the cogs to go!

Third, people just expected too much. Who goes to a race expecting a full bike fit or the ability to shop for parts and have them installed the morning of a race? Note, there were like 3,000 participants - we were there to help them all, not focus on a fit or full tuneup for a race that starts in less than an hour. One lady walked up and asked "Do you have an extra wheel? My friend forgot her front wheel at home and we don't think her husband is going to make it here." When we said no, she rolled her eyes and asked if we had an extra bike for her to ride. The glare we received when we told her "no" was insane. Another lady came up saying that she had her friend's bike that she's ridden a couple of times, but it hurts whenever she does so she wonders if she needs the saddle height adjusted or a different saddle entirely (of course, we didn't have a spare saddle laying around).

My favorite part, as these two ladies were walking down to transition, one threw her chain. Her friend told her to put it on, and the other replied "No! I don't want to get all dirty. THEY (the guys in our tent) can do it." Yes, our crew over heard that, and as the chain was reset, the thought was "hope you don't throw that mid-race, lady!" Come on, people!

While I understand that this race is popular with beginners, people need to understand that they need to be responsible for their equipment. We were there to offer assistance, a minor tweak here or there for something that maybe happened on the way over, a little air for those who rushed out the door, but we weren't there to make money - it would have been frowned upon to have a fully stocked mobile shop to sell from; everyone who needed a tube (and we went through a ton of them) would have had to pay for them, and there would be no way for us to stock parts and equipment for every single type of bike out there. As one woman went through transition, she threw her chain and cursed the guy from our tent as if it was his fault she didn't take care of her equipment and expected a miracle at 6 in the morning. Another lady went through and flatted her tire as she mounted the bike. I walked over to help her and knew it was a futile question when I asked "Do you have a spare tube?" as I saw no equipment bag on her bike. She replied that she had one, along with a pump, with her stuff in transition. I told her if she wanted to, she could run down and get it and I would pull the wheel and the tire to change it for her. When she returned (with a hand pump - CO2 is so cool, people!!) she was amazed at the speed with which I put the new tube in and set the tire (it was a mountain bike, and my time is less than 2 minutes to do this). And off she went.

My point is, come prepared! Ask questions, and be able to take care of yourself. We were set up in transition and at the mount area. There's another 11 miles where you're out there alone, without us to set that dirty chain for you (which wouldn't be so damn dirty if you cleaned it once in a while, and then it probably wouldn't have popped off while you were just walking it down the lane!). Preparation is a BIG part of the race.

That all said, this was a very inspiring race. There were kids there in their teens racing all the way up to women in the 80s. There were skinny minnies, and heavy weights racing (and my favorite part [not being skinny myself] is seeing the "heavier" women totally killing it out on the race and the skinny fit "looking" women struggling - weight isn't everything when it comes to fitness!). It was so cool to see families of women racing together to support each other. The last group through was a group of 5 or 6 - an 80 year old granny with 2 or 3 daughters/daughters-in-law and a couple of granddaughters. Granny was a survivor. When you see something like that, you have no excuse yourself. Yes, triathlon is difficult. The Swim-Bike-Run is hard on the body that isn't used to it. But when you break it down, it's only about 1 1/2 to 2 hours of activity, which isn't all that much. I've gone hiking and backpacking for a longer amount of time than that, and my usual Saturday bike rides are way longer. 12 miles on a bike isn't that hard, and you can always walk the 5k at the end. The point is to finish, to complete it, and when you see an 80 year old breast cancer survivor doing it, you know that you can, too.

So, get out there! Do something with your body. Even though it's "just a sprint", it's a triathlon, something most people will never do or attempt. But I'm here to tell you, YOU CAN DO IT! It doesn't matter if you're last, it doesn't matter if you need to rest. Just by finishing, you've accomplished something special. So DO IT!

ACC - Thank you for the discount!

For those of you who've been students struggling with a budget, you know how entertainment and fun and sometimes go by the wayside due to a lack of funding. As a retuning student coping with an extreme loss of funds, it's incredibly difficult for me to adjust to. Going from being able to do whatever I want to, to planning out months in advance how much money I need for tuition and books (and medical insurance that was previously paid for by my former employer), has certainly put a cramp in our fun time!

Fortunately, Arapahoe Community College really seems to understand the limited budget of students, and the importance of having fun. As a student, I have access to some super sweet discounts - next Tuesday, I can get $5 Rockies tickets (if my husband will go - he's boycotting them until they get above .500). I get discounted day and season passes to Elitch Gardens, day passes to Water World, and they plan cool trips like for $10 I can go to the Pike's Peak Cog Rail and that includes transportation there and back, lunch, and the train ride. They also did free tours to Dinosaur Ridge.

But, coolest of all was the two white water rafting trips they planned this summer. If you've been watching the news, you know that this year we've had record breaking water levels on our rivers. That makes for some sweet rafting. If you've ever been rafting, you know that half day trips start at around $65/person, and full days go for about $85/person or more. If you do one of the more "reckless" trips like the famous Numbers of the Arkansas River, it's even more expensive. So, you figure that's at least $130 for 2 people to raft; throw in gas to drive all the way down to Buena Vista, and it's looking to be close to a $200 day easily - not something a student can really afford. Well, the college offered us an incredible deal - I have no idea how they did this, because even if you plan a large group, you're still looking at $50+/person to go. We got to go on a full day rafting trip, transportation down there and back, snacks and water for the trip, and the outfit they went with does a steak lunch complete with BBQ'ed sweet corn on the cob (all you can eat) - all of this and it only cost us $20 a person. Again, only $20 each!

Needless to say, as soon as I saw these trips come out in the student newsletter, I immediately signed up for both trips (they were limited to 28 people each). We were allowed to bring one guest. Ron was out of town for the first trip, so our friend Patrick went with me to raft Brown's Canyon - the most rafted area in the world (or so I was told). Ron and I had done this part of the Arkansas River before, but it's different every time, especially with the high water flow this year.

The second trip was supposed to be to the Numbers, a little further north on the Arkansas, but the water levels have been so high, they've only run the Numbers twice so far this season - it's been far too dangerous to raft. Here I must give a shout out to the fabulous rafting company that we booked with, Buffalo Joe's, for accommodating this "let down" of missing the Numbers. They dropped us in just south of the Numbers at the top of Wild Horse Canyon, and we proceeded down the Arkansas for 26 miles, taking in everything the Arkansas has to offer on our marathon length trip. We took in Wild Horse, the Narrows, and all of Brown's Canyon. This was an exhausting and wonderful trip down the River - not something they do very often, and the first time this season that they'd run that length. When we would talk to other rafting companies along the way, the guides would ask where we started and where we were going and would just pause and grin "Sweet!!!"

It was a wild ride. We had 2 or 3 rafts flip in our tour, and we picked up a group from another company who had flipped their raft and lost it. Their safety kayak was able to get ahead of the raft and pull it to shore right at our lunch stop, which was a perfect place to drop them off.

We were on the river for so long, that we got to experience the afternoon monsoons while rafting. The wind was harsh and the river angry, blowing white caps into our faces on even the calmest sections of water. It freakin' fantastic! Our guide, Jesse Burns, was absolutely incredible and the most hospitable person ever. When we left the shop in the morning, the sun was shining. I remembered how warm it was 2 weeks earlier when Patrick and I rafted and I was too hot in my splash jacket so I didn't one the second time around. By the time the storm blew in, it was C-O-L-D! Jesse brought extra sweaters for people to wear under their splash jackets, and gave one to me to keep warm in. He also brought coffee in a thermos which was excellent after several hours on the raft in the cold. (side bar - it was funny seeing the look on our faculty member's face when she and her husband's raft came in behind ours when I reached down and opened the thermos and took a swig, then passed it to Ron and Jesse. They were like, "Hey! What you guys got there?" I said "Nothing to see here, carry on...")

Super great rafting outfit, so if you're ever rafting the Arkansas definitely go with Buff Joe's. If you go with someone else, you'll regret it as you smell the steaks grilling from the river as you head in for your deli sandwich! Awesome guides - if you do Brown's Canyon, ask for Grant. If you go north ask for Jesse Burns.

So, here I got to enjoy two weekends of fun, introduced Patrick to joys of river rafting, and hang with my hubby doing something other than study, all for the price of $60 (Pat paid his own $20). For $60, I rafted twice, Ron came once, and all for less than the price of one single ticket. I heard the school uses student activity fees to cover the difference in price. Whatever they do, it is so appreciated! They also bring bands in over the summer to do evening concerts, and offer classes at all times of day in misc formats in order to accommodate any student schedule imaginable. I've been so impressed with what I've seen so far from the staff and advisors that I wrote a letter/email to the college president, Diane Doyle, and SHE WROTE ME BACK!

For anyone thinking about returning to school, it's so much fun, and there are a lot of benefits to it. Do some research and choose the one that's best for you. I don't mean to brag or justify ACC, but they have a 100% pass rate for students in my program for the ACSM exam, and a 75% job placement rate after graduation in my program (the other 25% go on to a 4 year), and their Automotive Program was named the best in the nation for 2011. That's pretty impressive for a small school - ok, it seems big for a CC in Colorado, but I'm from California!

I just want to say "THANK YOU ACC!"

What's this all about

Well, not to get all egocentric, but it's about me - my life, what I'm doing and what I think. Some people are interested in that sort of thing. Others, not so much and they don't have to follow.

Where did this start? So long ago that I'd almost forgotten. When I was in high school, I had a couple of "dreams" or dream careers. The first was to be an anthropologist or archaeologist (I am a child of the Indiana Jones era!). Even now, I would still be perfectly happy living in a tent on a dig out in a desert or rain forest some where searching for that next discovery and publishing articles in National Geographic. I was really good anthropology, forensic anthropology in particular. But my folks didn't really see much of a future in that.

My second was to be an athletic trainer. I took ROP classes back in high school for it, was the student trainer, volunteered at the SPORT Clinic before and after school, and took classes at the local community college for it. I was even accepted into ASU's sports medicine program. But financially, it wasn't realistic for me to go, especially with out of state tuition.

I did what most of us who can't afford to go to college d0 - I started working, bought a house, then a car (it took me a long while to buy a car where I had payments to make on it) and money became the primary motivator for my employment. I've always had a life outside of work, and my jobs have never defined me as a person - they were simply a way to pay the bills and entertainment. I worked my way "up the ladder" and found myself making pretty damn good money for a person without a college degree. In fact, there were many people who were surprised that I didn't have a degree. To that I say, degrees don't make you intelligent; I know plenty of stupid people, or those who have no common sense or people skills yet they have a degree - people seemed surprised that I could be so smart without a degree. Personally, I feel too much emphasis is placed on degrees when it comes to job placement. There is something to be said for trade and technical schools where certain learned skills are necessary; but in regular, everyday jobs, intelligence coupled with some training classes on very specific skills should be enough when most of what you'll need and use is learned on the job - doesn't experience, motivation and intelligence count for anything????

So, when I found myself in a job where I couldn't be promoted without a degree, I decided to do something about it. I tried to switch jobs, but all the jobs within my pay range wanted degrees, too. These are Administrative and Executive Assistant positions, people! Degrees aren't needed - common sense and experience is! Realizing that I was going to have to go back to school if I wanted a new job, I registered. But I hate government, and I want nothing to do with public administration or management. Sure, I could have gone back for a political science or PA degree, had my employer pay for part of that education, and advanced further up the chain to make more money - working 60+ hours a week in a job where you aren't appreciated but expected to care, and you don't get raises based on your performance but based on whether or not the 9 elected officials who "govern" the city think staff in general deserve them. No, if I was going to spend my money on school, it was going to be for something that I WANT to do; something that I'll enjoy doing; something where I'll wake up in the morning excited to go to work rather than dreading what political bullshit may happen.

Which leads me back to the two things I wanted to do 18 years ago.....realizing I would need a PhD to go anywhere in anthropology/archaeology, I chose the athletic training route. There are many reasons for this, but first and foremost, I know a lot about the subject. Being a life long athlete, I know all about injuries - I've certainly had enough of them to know what they feel like, how to maximize healing and how to completely screw yourself up even more than before. I know all about overuse, and not resting enough to allow for proper healing. I know about rehab, and how important exercise therapy is from years of NOT doing it properly if at all. It's also a shorter program, and in two years, I'll have my degree and 4 certificates that will allow me to jump right in to some sort of job in the field, or go forward to Metro State for another 2 years to expand that degree further.

I love sports. I've played softball for 28 years and still play to this day. I love bicycles and work at a bike shop actually riding bikes (I'm a group ride leader). I'm on a triathlon team, though work and school currently eat up most of my time so I haven't been able to train or race this season (I hope to be back on track next season especially since I have swimming as a required class for school!).

I don't have to work with sick people. While my degree will offer a number of options such as personal training, Silver Sneakers, exercise rehab therapy for cancer or cardiac patients, I can focus on the personal/athletic training aspect of it and do that sort of rehab. Personally, I would rather work with athletes who have the drive and motivation to get better, and who aren't (typically) going to die on me any time soon.

Here in the Denver Metro area, we are fortunate enough to have 6 professional sports teams, and numerous college teams right at my finger tips. A few miles south in Colorado Springs is the Olympic Training Center. Colorado has the lowest obesity rate in the country, and the general public are much more motivated in taking their personal health seriously, and pay for things like personal trainers, triathlon coaches, etc. The opportunities here are endless!

So, that is what this is all about. It's hard juggling school with work and a personal life. It was scary quitting a very well paying job to work part time and pay tuition. But it's so worth it. I'm much more relaxed than I was, and certainly happier. I still have stresses like how I'm going to make tuition, or learning all the functions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, but it all works out. I'm a much more dedicated student than I was back out of high school. I put a lot more effort into my studies and try learn as much as my brain will possibly hold. And it's all worth it.

I hope you find this blog interesting, entertaining, enlightening and even motivating. Too often we think we can't leave a job or make a change in life because we're too afraid of what may happen. The security seems to be worth the misery. But life is short, and all the pain that your daily job causes you isn't worth it. There's always something else out there - you just have to find it. It may not look like what you expect it to, but it's there. Just open your eyes, your heart and your mind and be willing to accept what is presented.