Woke up at 3 AM Sunday morning in severe pain. My right tonsil was swollen to what felt like the size of a baseball. Spent the next 5 hrs writhing in pain, crying and drooling because I couldn’t swallow. Nice.

Every year at this time I get a nagging sore throat due to allergies here in Florida. I go to a holistic doctor to get acupuncture and some homeopathic remedies (I like to avoid antibiotics as much as possible as they always leave me feeling lethargic and empty on the bike) which in the past have helped immensely. This was a whole different story though.

My mom drove me to the ER at 8 am where the doctor informed me that I had tonsillitis and that since I couldn’t swallow pills he would give me an antibiotic shot as well as a painkiller/anti inflammatory shot to ease the pain. In the ass. Of course.

I find it amusing how, as a cyclist, I enjoy suffering on a bike for many hours a week. I relish the pain even, but stick two little needles in my butt and I’m a sniveling cry baby holding my mommy’s hand. Makes no sense to me.

Anyhow, all of this means a little time off the bike. I’m going crazy without it but Cody keeps telling me to just use the time wisely to mentally prepare and train for next year… Good advice in theory but much harder to put into practice.

Not much else to say, I’m a bit tapped out right now so I’ll just leave you with one of my favorite quotes about bikes-

“Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live.” – Mark Twain