A Look Back on 2016 and What's Next in 2017

A Look Back on 2016 and What's Next in 2017

2016 was another trying year. I was still in the cervical collar when I rang in the New Year.  It was a bittersweet moment, as I was happy to leave 2015 behind, but I also felt deflated as I was starting the new year of with an injury. I could not wait to be healthy, and thought that once I was free of that damn C-collar I would be good to go. What a delusion that was! It took me almost a year to feel like my old self again, and this was certainly not for a lack of effort to claw my way back to health and fitness. Much to my dismay, the road to recovery was long and lasted for the duration of my final full triathlon season before I return to medicine. Needless to say, this pursuit did not go as I had hoped it would, and after a great deal of struggle and despair I now feel at peace with what was and what will be.  Sometimes life does not feel fair, but I found it feels much better to embrace the struggle instead of fight it, and to not harbor resentment towards the unfortunate circumstances life throws at me.

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Why Go Pro?

Why Go Pro?

Why go pro? A good question, particularly at a time when there seems to be dwindling support of professionals in the sport by one of the largest and arguably most influential brands in triathlon, Ironman. While the announcement of professional prize purses at Challenge races brightened my day, I am not in it for the money (or the fame). Of course I would love to earn a paycheck by doing what I love-one of the reasons I am going into medicine-but I know as a professional triathlete you don’t just get a paycheck by showing up to work. With the restructuring of prize money and some companies pulling back on their financial support of professional athletes, cash is going to be a lot harder to come by, especially as a first year pro.

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