In less than a week, I’ll be riding in the Courage Classic, a charity bike ride that raises money for Children’s Hospital Colorado. As I start my pediatric critical care fellowship at Children’s Hospital Colorado, it feels especially meaningful to support the incredible kids and families who get care there every year.
That said…there are a few reasonable questions you might have.
“Didn’t you just move to Denver?”
- Yes. About a week and a half ago.
“I thought it takes a few months to adjust to living at altitude. Are you even acclimated yet?”
- Certainly not.
“Okay…but at least you’ve been training for this, right?”
- Well…I’ve ridden my bike twice since moving here. Full disclosure, I also didn’t train before moving. In fact, I’ve only been on my bike three or four times all year, and exactly zero of those rides involved hills.
”…And this ride is in the Colorado mountains?”
Unfortunately, yes.
“Isn’t the ride soon… on July 19?”
- It is.
”…And your fundraising deadline is the day before that?”
- Also yes.
If you know me, this probably isn’t surprising. I have a long-standing habit of enthusiastically signing up for physical challenges that I’m objectively underprepared for. Despite the odds, I have yet to require hospitalization or cause permanent damage, and I’d really like to keep that streak alive.
So if you’d like to motivate me to keep pedaling while I’m questioning the life choices that led me up that mountain, please consider donating. Bonus points if you do it quickly—I questioned my ability to do the ride long enough that both my fundraising deadline and the ride itself are less than a week away.
Thanks for supporting an amazing cause… and my questionable decision-making.
