An Update on 2013

I decided to breathe a bit of life into this blog. If you look at its archive, you will see that my number of posts has been steadily decreasing since 2007. Last year, the amount dropped to 39. Because my blog's url is "boy on bike", my absence from the bike spurred me to a profound sense of "literary nihilism". Forgive me if that was a poor use of the word "nihilism". I tried my hardest.


I suppose I'm not the best at self-disclosure, particularly regarding my hip. I'm often incredulous as to why so many people ask me how my hip feels. For some reason, I expect them to know my physical condition without being told. I don't self-disclose. My hope is that this blog post will partially remedy that issue.

Hips
As I said in a previous blog post, I was diagnosed with femoroacetabular impingement in both of my hips. In December I had arthroscopic surgery on my right side. I will soon have the left side done. So far I'm not feeling much improvement, but the surgeon says that is normal. However, the right side clearly feels better than the un-operated left, and that's a good sign. I'm looking at 4-6 months until I can begin training/racing and a year until the symptoms go away completely. I don't have a complete plan, such as how I will prevent the injury from reoccurring, but certain things are out of my control.

School
Last fall, I started at ASU Polytechnic as an English major. I commuted to school, thinking that I would be spending my free time on my bicycle. Regardless, there was an utterly miniscule chance of living in the dorms. Polytechnic was a convenient place to take care of my Gen Eds, but for the long term, it's just not the place for me. I came to the conclusion that I don't want to be an English major. I enjoy the English language and its products, but I hate how professors read into things. Learning about literary criticism made me want to gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon. There are no hard feelings.
In the fall I will start in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Downtown Phoenix (ASU). I don't know all the details, but I know I have made the right choice. Because I hate change, a boatload of conviction is required in order for me to change my environment.

Cycling
Personally, this year has been a huge improvement. Being at the races is actually enjoyable. I love being on Team Winded and having the position to influence my teammates. They are great kids; I can only imagine how enjoyable it would be to race with them (pretty enjoyable, I'm guessing). Since I've stopped racing, two cool things have come up for me: coaching and announcing. I train a handful of athletes (from Winded), and it has been a great experience. It makes me feel more invested in the racing. I've announced four races thus far. I enjoy it (not as much as racing), and find it to be a great excuse for going to a race. I'd like to pursue announcing further, especially if the hip thing doesn't work out. All-in-all, many opportunities I did not expect have come to me since I was injured.
 
 I don't know what my life will look like a year from now, but I will trust God. He cares for me. I really struggled with my injury and college last year, but God used those moments to teach me. Enjoyable circumstances, and good athletic performance are extremely fleeting. I will keep on saying that... because it is true.
That's what I've learned. Thanks for reading all the way to the bottom of the page. Have a lovely day.

Comments

Dr. S said…
Thanks, i needed that. Going through the mid life crisis with physical ailments and family issues derailing my cycling aspirations.

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