Free

I was released from PT yesterday.  It feels weird.  I think I'll miss the girl that worked on my shoulder.  She did a good job.  Am I 100%?  No.  My rotator cuff range of motion is probably only about 85% and the rest of my shoulder range is about 95%.  It's not bad considering how the I broke the device the doctor implanted in my shoulder and the bone popped up again.  But it still sucks.  Oh and the little device is still totally sticking up under my skin and still driving me nuts.  I see the doctor again on 12/1 to figure out how to fix that.

So what am I doing now?  Bike shopping!  Yippie.  Decisions, decisions.  Due to my amazing sponsorship, I'm definitely staying in the Trek/GF family and am looking at carbon race bikes.  Do I stick with the Top Fuel 9.9 full suspension, or do I go for the Superfly Elite 29er hardtail?

Isn't it funny that I've had both in the past and am still having trouble deciding?

What's Strange?

You know what's strange?  After a week or so of riding my shoulder is sore.  Not so strange huh?  It doesn't hurt while I ride, just the next morning and next day and next night.  And while I've been away from the gym, enjoying the trails, I've been neglecting my shoulder exercises and weight lifting.

Yesterday afternoon my shoulder was killing me.  So I decided not to ride and instead went to the gym and took a spin class.  After class, I spent almost an hour doing my shoulder exercises and lifting weights.  I increased all my weights and even added bench press.  How does my shoulder feel today?  Fantastcic!  In fact even last night, right after the gym, it felt great.

So even though I'm happy to be riding again, I'm going to need to dedicate at least four or five days a week to weight lifting.  I think it's time to buy some dumb bells.  Ooh, xmas wish list...

I Couldn't Do It

I went back to the scene of the accident again this afternoon.  The section of trail where I crashed was finally open.  The sun was blinding as I attempted the little rocky climb up to the drop that I crashed on.  When I got to the top, I stopped and looked.  I had no where near enough speed to roll through the middle that day.  What was I thinking?  That guy that stopped on the left totally blocked the only line!  It made me mad all over again.

So I backed up, tried to ride it, and I stopped again.  I totally chickened out.  Maybe next time...  So sad.

Joy = Speed

After two days off the bike, just taking spinning classes at the gym, I rode outside again today.  I went to Sherman Branch, an awesome local trail with amazing flow and swoopy hills.  The first lap (about 11 miles) was just kind of eh.  The second started better, which is normal for me.  But by the end of the second lap, maybe the last 15 minutes, I found that joy in mountain biking again.  Oh and I found my speed.  Coincidence?  I think not!

Back to the Scene

Of the crime?  No, of the accident.  Sunday afternoon I headed out to the Whitewater Center to do a few laps and face the little drop that caused such huge damage to my body.

And how was it?  CLOSED!!!  Apparently that section of trail has been closed for months.  Hmm.  I've been off the bike for months.  Weird.

Anyway, I had a good ride.  Definitely got a shot of the reality of how weak and out of shape I am.  On Friday I rode for just over one hour, on Saturday I rode for just over two hours, and on Sunday I rode for just over three hours.  And my legs / quads were burning, a good burn of course.  Maybe three days of riding in a row after taking almost three months off wasn't such a good idea.  Huh?

So I didn't get to face that little fateful spot, but I did get to ride with a great group of friends that held my hand the entire way.  Thanks!

Dirt Divas Year End Party

Our year end party is held at Anne Springs Close Greenway.  The trail there is almost 10 miles long and has some good climbing and fun downhills.  I rode with the advanced group as a sweep.  And boy did I sweep.  We did one lap in each direction and my legs burned.  My lungs were suffering too, but not as much as my quads.

It was a great ride.  I was definitely spent by the end after over two hours of riding.  I messed up on a couple things, but no falls or crashes.  And the borrowed 10 ton hardtail did it's job.

The party was a great success, and hubby and kid came out to enjoy the food and festivities.  As a city, Charlotte has two great attributes.  One, it has 10 local mountain bike trails in and around the city.  Two, it has a huge community of mountain bikers, with both a men's and women's club.

Tomorrow I plan to pick a full suspension Trek EX-8 from a co-worker at the Trek Store and re-visit the Whitewater Center where I had my accident.

Drum Roll Please

I can ride!  I am not only cleared to ride by the doc, but my shoulder works.  And get this, I didn't have some pain, or just a little pain.  I have no pain at all.  I mean none, ZERO!  That's crazy to me.

Today I rode two 5.5ish mile laps at Francis Beatty Park.  I had planned on trying a smooth course my first ride back.  But time in the day ran out and I had to ride local.  So I ended up at the rooty-est, most detested course in Charlotte.  It's where I learned to ride and love the roots, so what the heck.

And how was it?  Totally fine.  No pain, no odd feeling.  I was a little scared, a little nervous.  But is was no big deal.  No pain at all, really.  I type it here and I've said it so many times out loud and yet it's still so hard to believe.

I took it a little easy on my first lap and then chased some guys on my second lap.  I know, I'm dumb, but old habits die hard.

So I guess I'm okay.  I mean my shoulder is okay.  I can pick up my kid, I can ride my bike.  What else is there, right?

Tomorrow is the Dirt Diva / Tarheel Trailblazer Year End Party and I will get a chance to ride a long course with some good climbs and real descents in a group setting.  We'll see how that goes.  Wish me luck...

Go Ahead

That's what the doc said.  Just go ahead and ride.  Like he's sick of saying no already.

I went to see him today cuz the little device that he implanted popped up when the bone popped up again.  I was hoping it would settle down, but it hasn't.  It's like a small pin that sticks up under my skin and irritates me to no end.  Late in the day it feels like it's burning.  I showed it to the doc and he said he can't remove it yet because it's not totally healed and won't be for six month.  In December he can do an in office procedure to cut me open and shave it down....fun, fun!

I told him I was still leaning towards having surgery again in December anyway.  He said he thinks I'll be fine and doesn't recommend it.  To sway me to his side, he said go ahead and ride and really test my shoulder for the next few weeks and come back and see him on December 1rst and make a decision.

Okay, sounds good.  Now of course it's raining...and we don't ride wet trails in Charlotte.  Oh and I don't have a bike.  I better get busy.  The trails will dry out soon!

Nutrition, Diet and Peanut M&M's

Here's what I remember about food from my childhood:

going to the farmer's market every Saturday (it was cheaper and better, I was told)

homemade fresh squeezed juices

no sugary cereals allowed

lots of oatmeal and kasha

watermelon, cantaloupe, & honeydew were dessert treats

yogurt was a snack

cottage cheese and farmer's cheese were staples

honey was a sweetener

drinking lots of hot tea

buying french bread and croissants at Vie de France

getting fresh tortillas and chips at a hole in wall Mexican restaurant to bring home

shopping at Trader Joe's

buying deli meat, cheese and bread at a real Italian deli

eating entire avocados

lots of fish, tuna, etc.

'salt will make you blind'

'butter is gross'

'for the cost of a McD burger, I could make four burgers at home!'

'if you're going to eat candy it better be chocolate, preferably Toblerone, not that sugary crap'

we never ate kids meal, always shared our parent's food

I was lucky, really, really lucky I think.  My mother was all about organic and whole foods before there were even such terms.  I learned to appreciate food for how it tasted naturally and loved it.  I grew up healthy and never had any weight issues or problems with eating.

I had my first Twinkie at 22 and learned to appreciate french fries.  But still I stuck to my mainly healthy diet.  It's been easy for me.  When I've gained a little weight, I've worked out a little more and eaten a little less.  When I'm in Italy or Paris, I eat everything is sight, cuz I know I can work it off easily.  I know I'm lucky.

The first time I had to really pay attention to nutrition was when I was training for my first marathon.  I added long (12-17 mile) runs to my work-out, but then would still head to the gym to take my favorite step or spin class and lift weights.  Looking back that sounds nuts, but hey, that's me.  It took a large amount of food to keep me going in those months and since I don't cook, I had to get really creative.  That's when I first learned about gu...yum!

Mountain biking, both riding and racing, required a totally different perspective on nutrition for me.  When I was running and going to the gym, I had to fuel my body, but my stomach had to be almost empty for at least two hours before a workout to avoid cramps and an upset stomach.

Riding allowed me not only to eat right before and during a ride but also hydrate which was quite novel.  I don't have any secrets to share.  I do the usual, bagels with peanut butter, or Cliff protein bar before a ride, and then gu's along the way.

On a little gu note, I love, love, love the Accel Gels.  They 5g of protein in them and I have found that they last much longer than any other gu's I've tried.  And the flavors are all awesome, for a gu that is.

Anyway, the one food I never ride without is peanut M&M's.  I actually did take a few months off and it hurt me.  Turns out I'm faster, have more umph, and happier with my favorite candy.  Oh and if you really want to know the details.  I bite each peanut M&M in half, only through the candy shell and chocolate, and eat the one half that the nut ends up in.  I throw away the other all chocolate halves.  That's the nut / chocolate ratio that works for me!