Update

The last couple weeks have been a whirlwind and I haven't really had the chance to think about my next post. I guess I should say first off that my visit to Beth Israel confirmed my gut reaction that I do not have cancer, and even better in the immediate sense, I don't need to have surgery any time soon. I do have what's known as a vascular malformation, a condition that I've had since birth where the blood vessels in my calf are essentially dilating and creating an expanded pocket of tissue. I'm not sure why it made itself known to me so suddenly, but I have my theories. In any case, I've been told to train at the level that I want, and we'll watch and see what happens. I'll have follow up MRIs every 3 to 6 months to track it's growth and some sort of surgical intervention is probably in my future, but hopefully only after I have better health coverage. It is still a tumor of sorts, and it does bother me, but if I don't have to have someone carve out my gastroc, I'll deal with the annoyance. So...half iron, here I come.

Brings me to this idea of new year's resolutions, which I don't generally believe in, but in observing my own behavior over the past two weeks, I guess on some level I do believe in that fresh start. I haven't exercised, other than skiing, over the holiday period. I've eaten poorly, slept even worse, and consumed more alcohol than I should have. I think initially I told myself that I was celebrating the news from Beth Israel. Then I was finishing up finals and then family was here for a week for Christmas. In truth, I think I needed a sloth period before the ramp up in intensity my life is about to take. I start class again tomorrow for my winter semester, and in less than a month I'll be 30. I'll get all the rest of my grad applications in and hopefully by early spring, I'll know where I'm off to next. Throw into those life changes some serious training, a couple of classes, a full time job, and the best damn winter New Hampshire's had in a while drawing me out to the slopes whenever possible and I can see the next months passing in a flash. So the last two weeks have been my calm before the storm, my chance to wallow a bit in my singleness before redefining my reality and truly embarking on a new life path.

In terms of training and races, my current plans are for the Rhode Island half iron in July, and the Vegas marathon in December. I'm working on convincing a friend that she really wants to do the Nike Women's marathon in San Francisco in October, but for me that all depends on how crazy PT school turns out to be. And while some of my friends enjoy great outdoor training weather all year round, I find myself grateful for inventions such as four wheel drive, fleece, tractors with plow attachments, and soon enough either treadmills or spikes on my running shoes. I've never seen this much snow before and it's fantastic, but it does tend to inhibit the training. I think snowshoeing will have to substitute.

(Sorry for the goofy ass placement of photos--still figuring out how this all works and clearly not there yet)