Photo gallery of Dayton

Name: Mark Dayton

Age: 55

Profession: Hematologist/Oncologist

How long have you been biking to work and why did you start: I started riding to work last year as we went to daylight saving time. I felt the need to find more time to exercise, both for the exercise and the stress release. Once I had figured out options for showering, saddle bags to carry charts, clothes, and supplies, and bicycle lighting, I started to ride to work.

Do you bike for recreation as well: I do ride for recreation. Years ago, I raced bicycles. As I progressed through medical school, I no longer had adequate time to train and eventually quit racing. I do still enjoy riding and have gotten together with my medical school roommates each summer for the past 20 years for a family vacation which almost always included some bicycle riding. One particular bicycling-oriented trip we went to France in 2003 to ride the classic climbs of the Alps used in the Tour de France.

How do you stay active despite a busy work schedule as a doctor: Riding to work has allowed me to stay active. I live 15 miles from the hospital and from IMA (Internal Medicine Associates, Inc). I have to get back and forth to work somehow. Riding takes me about twice as long to commute as driving, but combining the commute with exercise helps me rationalize the time I am taking. By the time I get home in the evening, any time I do not take to review charts for the next day or to finish paperwork for that day, I feel I owe it to my family. The extra 30 minutes I take in the morning—nobody is up. The extra 30 minutes I take at night just seems easier to justify/rationalize if I have not actually walked through the door but am actively trying to get home.

Any other fitness activities you enjoy: I enjoy walking in the woods and along the shores of Lake Monroe.

What tips would you give someone looking to bike: Choose a bike that is well suited to what you wish to do. If you want to go off-road, a mountain bike is best. They are generally sturdier and absorb the shocks of rough terrain. If you want to commute, you need a sturdy bike, but if the commute is very far, you will enjoy it much more if the bike is also relatively light. I ride a bike to work cross-designed for riding on smooth or rough roads or even off-road if necessary. If you want to go on long rides in the country and especially if you wish to go up and down hills, a light bike with light wheels makes riding much easier and therefore more enjoyable. Learn to ride a straight line. Be visible—wear bright clothes and use a light and reflectors when it is dark. Share the road and remember even a Smart Car is bigger than you are.

Best lifestyle change in the last five years: Riding to work.

What is the best health advice you’ve received/given: Every day I deal with people who face huge obstacles to staying fit. Trite as it seems, the old adage “use it or lose it” describes what patients going through chemotherapy for cancer face. I am constantly encouraging people to stay active, because as soon as they do not stay active, they lose conditioning quickly. It is sometimes very, very hard to get it back.

What motivates you: I like to help people. Many people think that it would be very hard to do what I do for a living, but I do not think so. In one way or another, I can help virtually everyone who comes to see me and that is what I try to do. Sometimes we can cure their disease. Sometimes all that can be done is to assure someone that they have done everything reasonably possible that can be done for their disease. We can always try to control the complications of the disease. But I cannot do that if I do not have the health and stamina to be there.

How do you stay driven: I do not think of myself as driven. I am committed to trying to help people and I like what I do. I have tried to surround myself with people who help me keep that commitment intact.

Who inspires you: I am inspired by the people who surround me. I have an incredible, supportive family who accept the time commitments required to be a physician. I have good friends I can turn to for support. I work with an absolutely fabulous

group of nurses and staff at both IMA and the hospital whose dedication to patient care makes it almost impossible to drift off the path of compassion. And I work with patients and families who by and large face every day with determination to do well despite the obstacles they face. It is not hard to see how that constant contact with patients and

their families might put most other problems into a better perspective.

Are there special places where you draw inspiration: I love coming home to our lot on a bluff by Lake Monroe. Sitting on the porch watching the deer, turkeys, foxes, eagles, woodpeckers and other animals is very relaxing and restoring. I also enjoy riding along on an otherwise empty country road with the wind in my face and nothing but peace and quiet around me.