Saturday I crashed. One minute I was riding along the next I was sitting on the side of the road in pretty much the same position as Lance when he broke his collarbone in Spain last month. Pure and simple. I was stunned, bleeding and starting to get very sore. What surprised me was the number of cars that slowed down or stopped with offers to help me. Maybe not all non-cyclist drivers are jerks.
Here's what I think happened since I'm not too sure, because it happened so quickly. Truly one second I was riding-the next bleeding. I was rolling about 18-20 mph down Western Blvd in Raleigh near downtown. I'd been battling the wind all day, again, and was at that point trying to decide just how far I wanted to go that day. I approached an off ramp for South Saunders Street and hit one of the street reflectors at the point the road and the ramp split. That blew my tire and that pushed me into the sand and grit that collect in the triangle between ramp and road. Blam, I was on the road not rolling down the road.
Crashes in general piss me off because for a number of reasons. I was pretty messed up and felt a little shocky, so I called my wife to come drag my sorry butt home. The week before she had a conversation with an insurance guy who planted all kinds of you should add coverage this and that because your husband is a cyclist. Greeeaaaat! Calling her for help was very unusual, so she dropped everything-in this case shopping, and came to get me.
While I waited for Deborah to come get me, I inventoried damage to me and my bike. First the bike. The left shifter was out of position. The chain was off. Both brakes were out of alignment and oh yeah, the front tube was blown. There didn't appear to be major damage.
Next I started checking myself out. There was a pretty decent size chuck missing from the tip of my right thumb, which explained the blood on my saddle since I leaned on it with my right hand when I was sitting on the ground. I could see road rash from 4 inches above my ankle up to my thigh and feel more all the way up to my shoulder. I lifted up my jersey to see there was a decent scrape on the top of my shoulder-another section of my body missing a piece. Then I notice blood dripping down my left arm. I had a 4 inch scrape running up my forearm because a few layers of skin had been removed.
My Hincapie jersey was shredded all along the left side. My bibs weren't too bad. Then I realized I didn't have sunglasses on. DAMN! Where are my Radars!? I found them near where I fell and luckily they flew off early and didn't have any damage. At least that was good.
Deborah arrived with all three girls. This made getting my bike and me in the Jeep at the same time tough. We maneuvered things to where I sat in the back with the seats folded down along with my bike. I noticed a new pain riding home as Deborah hit bumps that seemed to be huge compared to reality. My left side ribs were very sore. Great, that means 4-6 weeks to get over that injury. We initially thought I'd cracked one or two, but maybe they are only bruised. We'll know in a day or two.
We got home and I put my bike in my workshop and trudged upstairs to take my gear off and get a true picture of the damage. This is the part that really starts to piss me off. Crashing on a bike usually means road rash. It's a bitch to clean correctly and you have to accept that you're going to be in pain every time you shower for awhile. The amount of time depends on how bad you're scraped up.
There really weren't any big surprises as Deborah and I checked me out. I cleaned myself up a bit and got a shower. Yeah, it hurt as expected. The scrapes weren't too bad but my thumb and shoulder were the worst. The second thing that pisses me off is the fact that you are really sore after a crash, but because you have scrapes all over, you can't just stay in a hot shower to help the muscle soreness.
Deborah went out and got the usual crash supplies, with one new addition. She also got a spray with benzocaine-a pain med, and an antibiotic. Excellent I thought, pain stuff with infection stuff. That was until she sprayed it on me. She started spraying at full blast with sweeping motions to cover my left side nearly head to toe. It felt like someone had dipped me in pure alcohol. DAMN that hurt! I yelled a little-well more than a little, but quickly made it clear that I wasn't yelling at her. She felt bad since I was in more pain, but we both got over it as the benzocaine finally did what it was supposed to do and deadened the pain. Finally we both laughed as I apologized for being such a big baby and she apologized for lighting my body on fire.
I collapsed on the couch with Motrin and a remote control for the rest of the evening. Sleeping is a bitch with bruised or cracked ribs. There isn't a good way to position yourself. There's only varying degrees of bad. I found a position I could live with and went to sleep. However, I woke up at 4:30 in a lot of pain so I took some more Motrin and tried mostly unsuccessfully to sleep. Sleeping gets better as you heal, but the first nights suck.
Getting out of bed can be the most painful thing you do with rib damage. You can't get leverage to get up and over the side without using arms and stomach muscles that put pressure on your rib cage. Getting off low couches, out of beds, out of non-SUV cars and other basic movement you take for granted, now hurt and will for awhile.
The next morning we went to church. This is the second round of people telling you riding is way too dangerous. However, in the final analysis, most people wished me a speedy recovery while wincing as they looked me over. Just here to entertain, I guess like a side show freak in this case.
Every non cyclist tells you your sport is way too dangerous for them insinuating you're nuts for riding on the road. Next they start telling your stories of people who had arms hacked off or thumbs hacked off or heads cracked open or people getting killed. You of course are supposed to stand there smile and nod thoughtfully, rather than scream at them like you would prefer to do. Most of what they tell you is third hand information or worse, but it makes for great story telling, so they tell you.
Bless my dear mother-in-law. She is a true saint and I love her as much as I did my own mother. My mother in-law stopped by after church to drop one of our daughters off. I said hello, but I didn't want her to see me busted up unless I had to. Somebody ratted me out. She came over to the couch smiled like only a mom can and said, "well let's see how bad you are." She looked me over smiled and hugged me. She managed to hug me without hurting me or I didn't notice since I love it when she hugs me. Deborah's family was a huge and unexpected bonus that came with our marriage. She didn't chastise me or warn me or anything else like that. She just smiled and said to get better. Unconditional love, I knew what it felt like with my wife and now I know what it feels like with her family. I'm so blessed and I know it.
Today, I'm back at it trying to get things done and take care of the kids while they are on spring break. I'm still plenty sore, but the scrapes are healing probably as much from the tender loving care from my family as anything else.
Can I be pissed off for too long? No I can't. I get pissed off at the non-cyclists who don't realize crashes just happen sometimes. I've had a run of bad luck in the last few weeks, but I've thousands of miles and been hurt very little comparatively. Basketball guy can blow out a knee, right? Softball guy can tear a rotator cup, right? Even golf guy can bust something up, right? Well maybe not, they walk most of the time. My point is any sport a 40 plus year old is going to participate in has the risk of getting hurt. Get over it! I have!
Can I be pissed off at the pain? Sure, but that will lessen and go away in time. Will I stop riding? Not a chance. How quick will I get back on the bike. Within days, maybe even today just for a short spin. I have a cycling addiction and I'm glad for it. Nothing is going to change that. I'm going to ride until I can't push pedals, which means I have at least 40 more years of riding ahead of me.
Am I pissed off right now? No, not really, but crashing your bike touches off tons of irritations and pain that keep you from participating in the sport you love. That's the ultimate thing that pisses me off, but I'll get over it once I get back in the saddle again, SOON!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
March Roars Out Like a Lion
Last week's rain just about drove me up a wall. Neither the kids or I could get outside much. This led to the determination I am not wired to live in a place like Seattle. No offense to Seattle, but I need the sun too much to live somewhere it rains as much as it does in the Northwest.
Adding to the pressure of not getting to exercise, was the fact I got laid off from the agency where I was working. I got added to North Carolina's ten plus percent unemployment rate. "At least you'll have more time to train," said a cyclist friend of mine. "Yeah, but I don't get paid to train on my bike," was my response. My prospects looked better by the end of the week, so I'm hopeful this is temporary.
There were good things that happened last week on the cycling front. First, Oakley came in as a sponsor, which was a great endorsement. I've been an Oakley fan back before the days of the M-Frame. I've owned several pairs over the years including a recent pair of Flak Jackets that gave their life to save part of my face and eyes in a crash in January. In that specific crash, I learned sneezing while hitting a pothole can catapult you over the handlebar. I wouldn't recommend it.
I got an education from the team at Oakley about lens selection. It is a lot more complicated than I ever thought. My Oakley Radar Path glasses came with Fire and VR 28 Polarized lenses. I now have two great selections depending on the conditions. Unfortunately I had to wait a day before I could road test the Fire lens. I'll be writing a review/overview of lenses in a coming post.
The next day something mysterious twice punctured my front tube. The first time I thought it was a fluke, so I changed the tube, pumped it up and took off. I didn't notice the tire had gone nearly flat as a took a 90 degree right turn on a slightly wet road about a mile from my house. The bike slid to the left and out from under me. I landed on the pavement and bounced on my head before coming to a stop. One more reminder why cyclists wear helmets. I was fine and my bib tights saved me from getting road rash other than a small patch on my right knee. I've had far worse.
Through some meticulous detective work, I found small nick on the inside of my rim that obviously connected with tubes when they were pumped up beyond a certain point or hit a large bump. A little filing and it was gone-mystery solved.
The next day I finally got to ride a decent distance. I had been taking 1st Endurance Optygen for a few days and I had some Pre-Race added to EFS Lemon Lime drink before the ride. Holy cats as Bob Roll might say, what a ride! I was very comfortable and flying.
I know without question I've moved the bars on my VO2Max and my lactic threshold after the Optygen loading period (1 week). Pre-Race and EFS drink seem to amplify things another level entirely. I'm sure training has had something to do with my form, but the only thing without question that changed over the week was 1st Endurance products. I'm going to write in more detail about that and hopefully talk to one of the guys there to get some more perspective.
I passed the 1,000 mile ridden milestone Sunday the 28th. That's the earliest in the year that I have ever passed that mark. I feel great about it and look forward to rolling the next 1,000 even faster now the sun has returned from its winter hiatus.
Within the last 10 days or so my weight also headed in the right direction. A little discipline and some more saddle time pushed me from bouncing between 174-176 to bouncing between 169.5 and 172.5. Not a lot to crow about, but the direction is right for a change. Only 10-12 more pounds to go before I get to my first weight goal!
This week is supposed to be fantastic with sun and warmer temperature. I hope I can get sunny news on the job front and get some good training time.
Adding to the pressure of not getting to exercise, was the fact I got laid off from the agency where I was working. I got added to North Carolina's ten plus percent unemployment rate. "At least you'll have more time to train," said a cyclist friend of mine. "Yeah, but I don't get paid to train on my bike," was my response. My prospects looked better by the end of the week, so I'm hopeful this is temporary.
There were good things that happened last week on the cycling front. First, Oakley came in as a sponsor, which was a great endorsement. I've been an Oakley fan back before the days of the M-Frame. I've owned several pairs over the years including a recent pair of Flak Jackets that gave their life to save part of my face and eyes in a crash in January. In that specific crash, I learned sneezing while hitting a pothole can catapult you over the handlebar. I wouldn't recommend it.
I got an education from the team at Oakley about lens selection. It is a lot more complicated than I ever thought. My Oakley Radar Path glasses came with Fire and VR 28 Polarized lenses. I now have two great selections depending on the conditions. Unfortunately I had to wait a day before I could road test the Fire lens. I'll be writing a review/overview of lenses in a coming post.
The next day something mysterious twice punctured my front tube. The first time I thought it was a fluke, so I changed the tube, pumped it up and took off. I didn't notice the tire had gone nearly flat as a took a 90 degree right turn on a slightly wet road about a mile from my house. The bike slid to the left and out from under me. I landed on the pavement and bounced on my head before coming to a stop. One more reminder why cyclists wear helmets. I was fine and my bib tights saved me from getting road rash other than a small patch on my right knee. I've had far worse.
Through some meticulous detective work, I found small nick on the inside of my rim that obviously connected with tubes when they were pumped up beyond a certain point or hit a large bump. A little filing and it was gone-mystery solved.
The next day I finally got to ride a decent distance. I had been taking 1st Endurance Optygen for a few days and I had some Pre-Race added to EFS Lemon Lime drink before the ride. Holy cats as Bob Roll might say, what a ride! I was very comfortable and flying.
I know without question I've moved the bars on my VO2Max and my lactic threshold after the Optygen loading period (1 week). Pre-Race and EFS drink seem to amplify things another level entirely. I'm sure training has had something to do with my form, but the only thing without question that changed over the week was 1st Endurance products. I'm going to write in more detail about that and hopefully talk to one of the guys there to get some more perspective.
I passed the 1,000 mile ridden milestone Sunday the 28th. That's the earliest in the year that I have ever passed that mark. I feel great about it and look forward to rolling the next 1,000 even faster now the sun has returned from its winter hiatus.
Within the last 10 days or so my weight also headed in the right direction. A little discipline and some more saddle time pushed me from bouncing between 174-176 to bouncing between 169.5 and 172.5. Not a lot to crow about, but the direction is right for a change. Only 10-12 more pounds to go before I get to my first weight goal!
This week is supposed to be fantastic with sun and warmer temperature. I hope I can get sunny news on the job front and get some good training time.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Being a dad has laughs and sorrow, but riding helps clarify-sometimes
Friday March 20th I signed my wife and I up to chaperon my 12 year old son's middle school dance. There was plenty of teasing about embarrassing him-none of which came to pass. However, it added another day-now three in a row, when I didn't get to ride. However, I wouldn't have missed this experience for the world.
The dance was from 7:00-10:00. When we arrived we were given our rotation of assignments, which consisted of where to stand in the gym like a Secret Service agent being ever vigilant to stop unwanted activities and threats. I'm glad my wife went so we could talk and half enjoy the music played at what seemed to be a skull splitting volume. Let's discuss what the average 12-14 year old thinks dancing is in this day and age. It's what I would call a modified "pogo" or calf pain inducing jumps up and down repeatedly punctuated with arm motions of some sort, but hammering and lawn sprinklers come to mind most prominently. Slow dancing is at this age consists of both partners placing their wrists on their partners shoulders and swaying. Needless to say we laughed a lot, but were very glad to go home.
In between soccer schedules, I managed to get two nice rides in over the weekend, which allowed me to enjoy the improving weather. I got to use First Endurance's Pre-Race and EFS sports drink for the first time since last fall. I ordered these to go with the Optygen the great folks at First Endurance were sending my way. I tried all of the First Endurance products last year during the summer and fall, but I had taken a break due to the cold weather. That was a clear mistake.
I had forgotten how good their products were and what a direct effect they have on my riding. Pre-Race and EFS sports drink when used together are high grade jet fuel. I rode harder in terms of speed and heart rate, but with a great deal more comfort and efficiency. My ride numbers proved that out. On longer rides, I've added EFS Liquid Shot with great results too. I only wish there were other flavors in addition to vanilla. First Endurance also has an interesting blog post about using Pre-Race and Liquid Shot together on rides. I'm looking forward to the added kick Optygen will give me in a week or so after the "loading" process is complete.
There was a painful parenting situation this weekend I'm sure nearly all of us have or will face. My oldest daughter loves soccer. It's her passion and she would rather practice and play than do almost anything. The problem now is her genetics have caught up with her. She still has the aggressiveness and passion for the game, but she may have peaked in terms of her abilities relative to the members of her team. She's seen her playing time drop dramatically as the team progressed into the upper strata of state-wide rankings and new players have joined the team. It's not much consolation for her to be told that she's in the top 250-300 14 year old girls in the state when her playing time is down. It also didn't do any good to tell her that she's progressed farther than I ever did as a competitive athlete at her age. I felt utterly powerless and useless. I'm not sure who felt worse, but it was probably her.
She has my competitive fire, but also unfortunately my lack of natural soccer genetics. The immediate prescription was some additional coaching and playing time as a guest player on a team where she should be a dominant force on the field as well as the ability to learn coaching by shadowing her coach during the game when she's not playing. That seemed to salve the wound, but not heal it. How can a parent effectively, gently, and lovingly tell a child their destiny and skills lie beyond the field of play in a sport they love? I'm still struggling with this one and not sure there's a real answer.
Sunday I did what I always do now. I take my thoughts with me as I ride to try to figure out answers to my problems and to try too find peace to the difficulties in life. My problem this weekend was that while my body felt strong, energized and powerful in the saddle, my brain and soul felt inept, unsure and powerless. I know this will pass with time and my daughter will find her way forward with or without me, but right now that's like my mother telling me when I was 14 I would eventually grow taller. I found peace at 5'9". I hope my daughter will find peace as a soccer player whenever she plays in the future even at my age. More importantly, I hope she and I can find a way to channel her fire and passion into something in addition to soccer.
The dance was from 7:00-10:00. When we arrived we were given our rotation of assignments, which consisted of where to stand in the gym like a Secret Service agent being ever vigilant to stop unwanted activities and threats. I'm glad my wife went so we could talk and half enjoy the music played at what seemed to be a skull splitting volume. Let's discuss what the average 12-14 year old thinks dancing is in this day and age. It's what I would call a modified "pogo" or calf pain inducing jumps up and down repeatedly punctuated with arm motions of some sort, but hammering and lawn sprinklers come to mind most prominently. Slow dancing is at this age consists of both partners placing their wrists on their partners shoulders and swaying. Needless to say we laughed a lot, but were very glad to go home.
In between soccer schedules, I managed to get two nice rides in over the weekend, which allowed me to enjoy the improving weather. I got to use First Endurance's Pre-Race and EFS sports drink for the first time since last fall. I ordered these to go with the Optygen the great folks at First Endurance were sending my way. I tried all of the First Endurance products last year during the summer and fall, but I had taken a break due to the cold weather. That was a clear mistake.
I had forgotten how good their products were and what a direct effect they have on my riding. Pre-Race and EFS sports drink when used together are high grade jet fuel. I rode harder in terms of speed and heart rate, but with a great deal more comfort and efficiency. My ride numbers proved that out. On longer rides, I've added EFS Liquid Shot with great results too. I only wish there were other flavors in addition to vanilla. First Endurance also has an interesting blog post about using Pre-Race and Liquid Shot together on rides. I'm looking forward to the added kick Optygen will give me in a week or so after the "loading" process is complete.
There was a painful parenting situation this weekend I'm sure nearly all of us have or will face. My oldest daughter loves soccer. It's her passion and she would rather practice and play than do almost anything. The problem now is her genetics have caught up with her. She still has the aggressiveness and passion for the game, but she may have peaked in terms of her abilities relative to the members of her team. She's seen her playing time drop dramatically as the team progressed into the upper strata of state-wide rankings and new players have joined the team. It's not much consolation for her to be told that she's in the top 250-300 14 year old girls in the state when her playing time is down. It also didn't do any good to tell her that she's progressed farther than I ever did as a competitive athlete at her age. I felt utterly powerless and useless. I'm not sure who felt worse, but it was probably her.
She has my competitive fire, but also unfortunately my lack of natural soccer genetics. The immediate prescription was some additional coaching and playing time as a guest player on a team where she should be a dominant force on the field as well as the ability to learn coaching by shadowing her coach during the game when she's not playing. That seemed to salve the wound, but not heal it. How can a parent effectively, gently, and lovingly tell a child their destiny and skills lie beyond the field of play in a sport they love? I'm still struggling with this one and not sure there's a real answer.
Sunday I did what I always do now. I take my thoughts with me as I ride to try to figure out answers to my problems and to try too find peace to the difficulties in life. My problem this weekend was that while my body felt strong, energized and powerful in the saddle, my brain and soul felt inept, unsure and powerless. I know this will pass with time and my daughter will find her way forward with or without me, but right now that's like my mother telling me when I was 14 I would eventually grow taller. I found peace at 5'9". I hope my daughter will find peace as a soccer player whenever she plays in the future even at my age. More importantly, I hope she and I can find a way to channel her fire and passion into something in addition to soccer.
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