Re-evaluating Summer

Last post I mentioned some upcoming medical tests and appointments I'll be going through starting in July. So far I have nothing specific to worry about, but being so young this information is a bit consuming for me, and for Leigh. It may seem silly, but I went to the doctor knowing something was up, but I honestly did not expect to need to see a specialist or undergo any long-term treatments. Needless to say this news has thrown a wrench in my/our summer plans a bit. Initially, and I'm sure I've blogged about this enough, I was planning to use the summer to really challenge myself physically so I could complete a 200k bike ride in September. This would also mark the joyous occassion of my getting a new bicycle. I'd already picked out my new bike (see below: Jamis Bosanova) and Leigh had added the cost into our monthly budget. Projected order date was the first week of June. I was stoked. Then I got my first $800 medical bill and calculated that next fiscal year my medical bills would likely max out my insurance, costing me about $1250 out of pocket plus an extra $100 per month off my paycheck in premiums. In the big scheme of things this is not a huge amount of money and we can afford it, but being a frugal person with dreams of home ownership, debt-free living, and retirement, I felt it my duty to put off the purchase of my new bicycle in lieu of other things. First and foremost, I have to pay my medical costs and pay off my credit card this year. Secondly, Leigh and I are in desperate need of a new mattress and could really use a new car (my Yaris' abilities are maxed out by Alaskan winters). On top of this we are hoping to move apartments in September or October and, at the end of the day, our primary goal is to build up our savings to buy a house within the next year or two.

Leigh has been a champ about keeping us on a reasonable budget and making sure the bills are paid on time and money goes into savings each month, and she was calculating a way for me to get all these tests done and still get my bicycle, but I decided enough was enough. I can't place this financial burden on us and still demand my expensive new toy. Besides, after learning the results of my bloodwork I decided to forego my long distance rides this summer so I don't put too much strain on my system. Without any randonnees to ride, there's no point in investing in a rando bike this year anyway, right?

I've also had to re-evaluate my weight loss and fitness goals. I've been steadily gaining weight for about a month and a half now. At first I just thought it was post-vacation weight, but now I'm pretty sure my body is revolting against me in a way that is connected with my crazy bloodwork results and a possible metabolic disorder. Since this appears to be out of my hands until I get more answers, I can't set any real weight loss goals without the gaurantee of becoming very frustrated. Instead I've decided to be stricter about eating clean, keep track of my calories, fat, sugars, and cholesterol (for medical purposes), and get 45 mins to an hour of exercise most days. The goal is to have healthy behavoir so that my next round of tests will use a reasonable, healthy lifestyle as the baseline instead of coming off a chocolate bender or something else that could skew the results and deter the doc from finding the root cause of my issues.

Knowing how disappointed I am about putting my summer goals on the backburner, Leigh said we should rechannel our summer plans into weekend trips. She's so smart, and knows me so well! Luckily I've recently come up with a few fun ideas that we can do in a day or an overnight throughout the summer. Additionally, I'm not completely unable to do active things this summer, I just want to be more mindful of the amount of strain I put on my body.

Our first trip is this Saturday and I'm sooo excited! The best part is that we have two options and won't decide until we get up Saturday morning- if it's rainy we'll drive 3 hours to Seward to the Sealife Center. If it's sunny we'll drive 1 hour to Portage to the Wildlife Center. Either way we'll wind up in Girdwood for dinner at the Double Muskee, all in celebration of Leigh's 30th birthday!!! Yay!!! Plus it's going to feel great to get out of town for the day. In the coming months I'm hoping to do some overnights, maybe Kenai, or Homer, or Denali. We'll see...