October

Happy Halloween everybody! One of my favorite months because not only does it include my birthday(I'm now 23!), but it's a kick off to the holidays (Spooky Halloween, Yummy Thanksgiving, & Family Gathering Christmas & Hanukkah), and great weather.

Thank you for all the followers that keep coming back to see whats going on in my life. Well this week I'm really excited to fly out to La Jolla, California where I will be competing in the Challenged Athletes Triathlon where I will be riding in the cycling portion. My other teammates are also meningitis survivors that I have met before, so I am also excited to see and catch up with them again. This ride will bring new experiences that I haven't done before like riding on the coast, riding 44 miles, and also to be participating in a triathlon. All new things, but they're thrilling at the same time.

I've been working hard everyday for almost a couple of months. With the hot weather that Texas gets, it localized my training session to my stationary trainer that I use at home. But since it is October, the weather has cooled off and I have been getting on the road with my bike a lot more - Thank goodness.

My bike has done me well over the year (and hopefully many more to come), but what is also exciting is that Im starting a new field in cycling called track. Track racing is a sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes that can curve at steep angles. I'm starting this sport because when I'm in Guadalajara for the Pan American games, it will give me more opportunities to compete in different races. I'm nervous to start this new part of my career but I'm definitely excited. Not only will the sport be new, but I will also be getting a new bicycle from Bicycling Sports Shop. They've been so generous to me on my cycling adventures, that I definitely owe them a lot of gratitude. Because not only will they sponsor a new track bike, but they were the one's that gave me my red bike. And they have also generously have handed me different articles of cycling clothing from the shop - which are not cheap and neither are the bicycles. With the track bike, it's really important to be aerodynamic, so I will most likely have a carbon fiber frame, with some new wheels. They will be soo light! My current bike weighs approximately 30 lbs, but my new one will be about 15 lbs. I could literally throw it across the room because its so light.

Anyways many more opportunities are coming my way, and I will be there for the ride - no pun intended. Please stay tuned for more post that will be coming. And wish me luck in La, Jolla.

New Update

Hello Everybody!  It's been a while since my last post, and I have so much to tell.

Looking back on this past year really does shock me.  I can't believe how far I have come since my journey in the hospital.  In my interviews, I speak of my hospital experience as a nightmare.  We went through weekly surgeries, daily wound care changes, and more.  And back then, my spirits were at an all time low.  My body went through some unbelievable changes with the obvious amputations but also, weight and hair loss.  I almost didn't recognize myself, but I knew that I was still the same person.  But sure enough we pulled through.  I knew (maybe with a little bit of encouragement) it was only going to get better, but no one knew what kind of a new adventure I was about to begin.

After the livestrong challenge I knew that cycling was something I wanted to pursue.  So my trainer, Sean Ahmadi, and I kept going with our work out regiment.  Sean has been with me since the beginnig, which was only last summer.  But this past summer, new opportunities were given to us.  My prosthetic company, OPT got me out to Oklahoma for my first time trail.  I was fully confident that I was going to do well, until I saw the course.  I described the hills like roller-coasters.  No one expected Oklahoma to be so hilly.  The road was consistent with hill after hill routine.  But sure enough I accomplished it and I felt like a million bucks.  In fact, here's a video clip. http://www.opttexas.com/index.php/multimedia/video I believe I'm the third video.
But also when we were there, we also met a few people involved with the paralympic committee based in Colorado Springs.  They were intrigued and thought that maybe I have a really good chance in succeeding, because I am a rare category.  Let me explain...  The biggest group are men, with one leg.  I'm a girl, with two legs, both my hands are impaired, and I ride a regular upright bicycle (versus recumbent bikes).  So they were excited that I was interested in the sport, and almost immediately asked me what I was doing in two weeks because the US national cycling time trail would be taking place in Georgia and they wanted me to go.  So I said yes! ha ha...  Then before we knew it, we were in Augusta, GA competing with such a huge and dynamic group of people.  It was amazing.  The ride was spectacular, and started out on the Thurmond Lake Dam at the border of Georgia and South Carolina.  What a unique opportunity, and I am so grateful to participate in this role.  When the race was over, I didn't know how well I did (considering it was pouring rain the whole time) but I came out on top and won gold in my division.  So I currently stand as a US national cycling champion.  This is something that will stay with me forever, and not that many people get this chance.  People work hard for a long time, and still don't achieve what I have.  I am blessed.  I can't believe any of this, but I will definitely sit and enjoy the ride.  No pun intended...

Well after the national's time trail, no one really knew what was next.  Everyone was wondering about the next paralympics in London 2012. But just because I won in the US nationals cycling doesn't mean I'm an automatic participant in being a part of the USA team. So then we got in contact again with the paralympic committee members that we originally met in Oklahoma.  We tried to figure what the next step would be.  Then we were told that the Pan American games are happening in guadalajara in November and that I am in the testing pool to be a part of the American team, and my chances are high. So yes, I'm nervous because this will also determine if I will be participating in London. Crazy...

Other than that I am also looking forward to the next livestrong challenge in October, but this year I will be doing 20 miles (instead of last year's 12 miles).  I'm excited to participate in that but I will also endure the challenged athlete triathlon in La Jolla, California where I will ride 44 miles.  The most yet, and it makes me very nervous.  Even though, I'm slightly scared, I know I will succeeded and I can't wait to have the feeling of accomplishment.

It's been a crazy journey and I can't believe how far I have come.  In my interviews I like to comment, " in 2008 I got sick, in 2009 I learned how to walk, in 2010 I got on a bike, in 2011 I am a nationally acclaimed cyclist, and hopefully in 2012 I can be a world champion."  Wow.  Look at what my life has turned to.  Unbelievable.