Which Came First, The Chicken Or The Egg
As I write this my eyes are having trouble focusing on the computer screen, a lingering side-affect of my latest set-back. To add to the aches and pains of my bike crashes a few days ago I developed a severe case of positional vertigo. It's an experience I don't want to repeat anytime soon.
In the middle of the nigh early Monday morning I turned over in bed. That doesn't sound like a big issue. But it is if you get dizzy and feel the room spinning out of control. I was hoping it would go away but when I next turned over the spinning hit so hard and fast that I had to wake my hubby up to get something to throw up into. My good big stock pot was the first thing he found. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat chicken soup from that particular pan again.
Every little shift of my head sent me reeling. The world would spin so fast and hard that I would flip over in the bed and hang my head in just the right position to make it slow down. I'm usually not an alarmist but this had me headed to the ER. The car ride was agony. Every turn brought new spinning and new nausea.
The staff there gave me some meds for the spinning and stomach problems, and a steroid shot to help my inner ear. They sent me home with instructions to return if it got worse. It did. By just after lunch the pain in my head was unbearable so off we went to visit the good folks at the hospital again. This time they ordered a head CT which came back normal. Hubby thinks they didn't see anything because I've lost my mind doing all these adventures.
And then the debate started. Did the crashes on Saturday contribute to the vertigo that started Monday? Or was my balance already compromised making me a wobbly rider a few days before the full onset of the condition? It all depends on which doctor you talk to. I've taken a drink from my water bottle many many times on a ride and not been that unsteady. But a blow to the head hard enough to crack my helmet is not to be taken lightly either. In the long run it doesn't really matter. Getting back on my feet is the goal, not finding blame.
They admitted me to the hospital for observation and late in the evening one of the doctors did a maneuver where he quickly changed my position and turned my head from side to side. As awful as that felt it did seem to slow the spinning to an almost manageable speed. Between that and the drugs I was on the road to recovery. The next day was spent resting and practicing standing and walking on my own without falling down. Now, it's my eyes that are giving me the most problems. The side-affect of the patch I have to wear (just like they wear on a cruise ship) is dilated pupils. You know how it feels when you go to the eye doctor and they put those drops in your eyes? That's what I'm feeling now and will feel until I go back for my checkup next week.
It goes without saying that I won't be doing the Pedal the Plains ride. I may not have ridden all 100 miles but I would have loved to spend the day with friends just cruising down the highways and byways. My friends have been fantastic and I can't thank them enough for their prayers, concern, and encouragement. If anything, all these adventures have led me to a great place in my life filled with positive, caring people. Ladies, you are so special to me. I don't really care which came first, the chicken or the egg. Just as long as I can recover and get back on the road. Fried chicken and omelets anyone?
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Record Ride, Complete With Road Rash
I woke up this morning and groaned. I ache from head to toe, side to side, and almost every place in between. But through all that pain there is a silver lining. I just completed my longest bike ride to date: 69.66 miles. Close enough to call it 70 miles. I couldn't have done it without the help of my good friend Traci W. but it didn't come without some unwanted excitement.
A week ago I struggled through a 60 mile ride and was plagued with self doubt. My arms and shoulders were cramping, I was dizzy, and the last 10 miles were agony. The goal is a 100 mile ride in just a few weeks and I was upping my mileage every week. But after that ride I just couldn't imagine finishing that challenge.
Traci W. to the rescue! She called me up and offered to come and ride with me this week and help me with my nutrition and pacing so I could finish with a positive outlook. What a wonderful friend! When doing big miles it's hard to find someone to share those miles because, face it, most others aren't looking for that distance or have the time to spend an entire day on the road.
I played with the route and checked the forecast and planned the best 70 miles route I could. Wouldn't you know it, the county put gravel on the shoulders the day before the ride so that messed up the route a little. Then the weather changed and we were blessed with some much needed rain. I've never really ridden in rain so this was going to be interesting.
Traci told me to slow down and ease up on my pace so we took out slow and steady and made good progress through the first 20 miles. I was feeling pretty good, especially when the rain stopped. The weather was cool but not cold and the traffic was light on the back roads through the country side. That's when disaster struck.
I was reaching for my water bottle and my wheel drifted. I could see it coming but couldn't do anything about it as my front wheel clipped Traci's back wheel and down I went. I hit the pavement pretty hard and it rang my bell for a little bit. When I finally was able to sit up and take stock it wasn't as bad as it could have been. My helmet was cracked, my glasses bent, my hip knee and hand took the brunt of the fall. The shifter on my handle bars was cocked a little and the chain was off. Everything was survivable except my derailer, which was stuck on the small ring and wouldn't let me shift up. At lest it wasn't the other way around.
A few miles down the road we took a lunch break and I had time to gather my thoughts. I was OK, just really embarrassed at my stupid mistake. We were soon back on the road and I was feeling pretty good, all things considered.
We made a few more quick stops and even met my Hubby for a few minutes as we made our way back to town on the highway. The wind was starting to pick up so we took the most direct route back to town to ride in a more protected area. That meant we needed to put in a few extra miles in town so we started riding the city streets.
I'm not an urban rider. Busy streets make me nervous. But what happened next was just dumb luck. We were on a fairly busy street and I wanted to head to a better less traveled street. As we were riding Traci saw an opportunity to turn a block early and took it. I was just a little ahead and by the time I realize she was turning I was past the intersection. I tried to make the turn and almost made it but was leaning the wrong way and clipped the curb. You guessed it, down I want again, landing on the opposite side as I had landed in the morning.
Talk about feeling stupid. Two falls for two stupid reasons. This time my lower leg was banged up and my should took a pretty good hit too. We had about 13 miles to go and I was a mess. Riding wise I felt pretty good. It was everything else that hurt.
We made it to the zoo and did laps around that area to round out the miles. I wasn't totally exhausted but I was ready to stop. 70 miles was in the book and I was upright and smiling.
I knew I would be sore in the morning but, holy cow! I expected all the bumps and bruises to hurt, but was surprised how much my shoulders and arms ached. As of right now I am not thinking of riding the 100 miles next week but most likely will call it a day at the 67 mile marker. It's not what I was working toward by I don't think I'm going to be able to handle a longer ride.
Traci was a good sport about picking me up when I was on the ground, and for driving over and spending the day with me out on the road. I did learn a few lessons along the way such as: leave lots of room between riders when you take a drink. Plan your turns ahead of time. Most of life's bumps and bruises will heal. But the most important thing I learned is that the miles are much easier with friends along for the ride. Next week is the Pedal the Plains ride and I will enjoy the adventure. Just not as many miles of it as I had planned.
I woke up this morning and groaned. I ache from head to toe, side to side, and almost every place in between. But through all that pain there is a silver lining. I just completed my longest bike ride to date: 69.66 miles. Close enough to call it 70 miles. I couldn't have done it without the help of my good friend Traci W. but it didn't come without some unwanted excitement.
A week ago I struggled through a 60 mile ride and was plagued with self doubt. My arms and shoulders were cramping, I was dizzy, and the last 10 miles were agony. The goal is a 100 mile ride in just a few weeks and I was upping my mileage every week. But after that ride I just couldn't imagine finishing that challenge.
Traci W. to the rescue! She called me up and offered to come and ride with me this week and help me with my nutrition and pacing so I could finish with a positive outlook. What a wonderful friend! When doing big miles it's hard to find someone to share those miles because, face it, most others aren't looking for that distance or have the time to spend an entire day on the road.
I played with the route and checked the forecast and planned the best 70 miles route I could. Wouldn't you know it, the county put gravel on the shoulders the day before the ride so that messed up the route a little. Then the weather changed and we were blessed with some much needed rain. I've never really ridden in rain so this was going to be interesting.
Traci told me to slow down and ease up on my pace so we took out slow and steady and made good progress through the first 20 miles. I was feeling pretty good, especially when the rain stopped. The weather was cool but not cold and the traffic was light on the back roads through the country side. That's when disaster struck.
I was reaching for my water bottle and my wheel drifted. I could see it coming but couldn't do anything about it as my front wheel clipped Traci's back wheel and down I went. I hit the pavement pretty hard and it rang my bell for a little bit. When I finally was able to sit up and take stock it wasn't as bad as it could have been. My helmet was cracked, my glasses bent, my hip knee and hand took the brunt of the fall. The shifter on my handle bars was cocked a little and the chain was off. Everything was survivable except my derailer, which was stuck on the small ring and wouldn't let me shift up. At lest it wasn't the other way around.
A few miles down the road we took a lunch break and I had time to gather my thoughts. I was OK, just really embarrassed at my stupid mistake. We were soon back on the road and I was feeling pretty good, all things considered.
We made a few more quick stops and even met my Hubby for a few minutes as we made our way back to town on the highway. The wind was starting to pick up so we took the most direct route back to town to ride in a more protected area. That meant we needed to put in a few extra miles in town so we started riding the city streets.
I'm not an urban rider. Busy streets make me nervous. But what happened next was just dumb luck. We were on a fairly busy street and I wanted to head to a better less traveled street. As we were riding Traci saw an opportunity to turn a block early and took it. I was just a little ahead and by the time I realize she was turning I was past the intersection. I tried to make the turn and almost made it but was leaning the wrong way and clipped the curb. You guessed it, down I want again, landing on the opposite side as I had landed in the morning.
Talk about feeling stupid. Two falls for two stupid reasons. This time my lower leg was banged up and my should took a pretty good hit too. We had about 13 miles to go and I was a mess. Riding wise I felt pretty good. It was everything else that hurt.
We made it to the zoo and did laps around that area to round out the miles. I wasn't totally exhausted but I was ready to stop. 70 miles was in the book and I was upright and smiling.
I knew I would be sore in the morning but, holy cow! I expected all the bumps and bruises to hurt, but was surprised how much my shoulders and arms ached. As of right now I am not thinking of riding the 100 miles next week but most likely will call it a day at the 67 mile marker. It's not what I was working toward by I don't think I'm going to be able to handle a longer ride.
Traci was a good sport about picking me up when I was on the ground, and for driving over and spending the day with me out on the road. I did learn a few lessons along the way such as: leave lots of room between riders when you take a drink. Plan your turns ahead of time. Most of life's bumps and bruises will heal. But the most important thing I learned is that the miles are much easier with friends along for the ride. Next week is the Pedal the Plains ride and I will enjoy the adventure. Just not as many miles of it as I had planned.
Sunday, September 1, 2013
It's All About the Bling
Maybe it's a little silly, but give me a chance to score some unique swag and I'm all over that race. If that swag happens to be a tiara, well, where do I sign! When Claudia B. put out the word that she was doing the Tiara Tri in El Dorado how could I resist.
We made our plans, booked the hotel room, and even had shirts made representing our fitness club, Team 4F. Claudia, Kate H., Meghan M. and I were registered and on our way.
The only flaw in the plan was my training. Non-existent would be the way to describe my workouts over the past 4 weeks. I had managed a few long bike rides and a few short swims, but running was missing from my calendar. My son's wedding and reception, a family reunion, starting back to work, and just plain lack of motivation took it's tool. I have been working toward a 100 mile bike ride in mid September and was not even thinking about a running event let alone a triathlon.
Claudia has been working all summer long and competed in the National Triathlon Championships a few weeks ago. Kate has been doing a triathlon almost every weekend to finish her goal of 5 for the year. Meghan, like me, has been struggling to find the time to workout but is still very active with softball and other activities for her work as a fitness director. But she's young and full of energy. I on the other hand am not a spring chicken and my body is reminding me of that fact.
But I was game to give it a try. This would give me the opportunity to accomplish my goal for the year of doing an open water swim. You see, I had never in my life swam in a lake. I live in an area where water is scarce. Being a farm kid and then a farm wife did not lead to a lot of spare time in the summer for camping and boating, especially when it involved a long drive to the nearest body of water. So an open water swim was really a big hurdle for me.
We arrived at the lake, which is actually a man-made pond near the big lake, in plenty of time to pick up our packets and rack our bikes. This is a new event and we had no idea of how many women would be there but the bike area seemed pretty full and we had to fit our bikes in where we could. But all I could think about was that lake. I didn't know what to expect or how I would react and was more than a little leery of what lie below the surface.
Turns out I didn't need to worry about what was below because the water was so cloudy you couldn't see more then a foot or two. I walked down to the shore with the girls and dipped my feet in. And immediately cringed at the squishy sand between my toes. I didn't bring a bucket to wash my feet during transition so I was worried about sand in my shoes. I didn't need to add things to the worry list but it was getting longer by the minute. I felt things in the sand and Claudia just laughed as I jumped at every turn. Someone remarked about a fish flapping in the pond and I added that to my worry list. I joked about making friends with the lifeguards and water rescue people because they were going to have to save me, only I wasn't really joking.
But it turns out that I was not the only one there who had never done any lake swimming. While waiting for the start there were quite a few other ladies with the same look in their eyes: terror, mixed with resignation. Terror of the unknown, of not seeing the bottom, of feeling something touching you out of the deep. And resignation that we were going to do this. We were going to run head long into something we had not prepared for and didn't understand.
There were 4 waves and I was in the last. I thought that was a good thing because everyone else would be ahead of me and I wouldn't have that many bodies close to me. Claudia gave me some last minute advice and before I knew it we were set to go. I started strong and fell into a good stroke rhythm but was totally disorientated at not being able to see anything. I kept touching a swimmer to my right but when I turned my head as I was underwater I couldn't even see her. At the first turn I started to feel more comfortable but was still very tense. A few seconds of back stroking at the half way mark and I was ready to make the turn for the shore.
That's when I took in a mouthful of lake water. I instantly flipped to my back and started coughing. Claudia was near and asked if I was OK and hung back with me a little bit. I soon was in control again and back on my stomach for the last 100 meters. When the bottom rose up to meet me I took to my feet and started high stepping it to shore. Claudia and I exchanged a high five and she was off. I had made it through the swim!
The rest of the race was pretty uneventful for me. I passed several younger riders on my bike and was feeling pretty good. I took it easy on the run and walked when I wanted. Little did I know that if I had stayed with that old lady in the green top just ahead of me I might have passed her and placed in my age division. But that was not what this race was about for me.
It was about concurring the unknown. Doing what you fear. Becoming a more complete triathlete. As I crossed the finish line and they hung a finisher medal around my neck and put a tiara on my head little did they know they were crowning me as a true triathlete. As I looked around and saw the smiles on the other ladies faces I realized that we were all glowing with pride. By putting that little cheesy crown on our heads we were bestowed with the title of triathlete and everyone of us was proud of our accomplishment.
I missed placing 3rd by just over 2 minutes. If I had trained hard and pushed a little more... Well, I did what I came to do. Claudia ended up placing 1st in our age group and Meghan placed 3rd in spite of a shoe lace verses bike chain incident. Kate, like me, finished just out of the medals but was very happy with her run.
My friend Yolanda R. once posted on Facebook: "You know you're a runner when..." My response was "you don't mind having your picture taken when you are sweaty as long as you're smiling!" I'm modifying that response by adding "WEARING A TIARA!! "
 |
| Kate, me, Claudia, & Meghan - Team 4F |
We made our plans, booked the hotel room, and even had shirts made representing our fitness club, Team 4F. Claudia, Kate H., Meghan M. and I were registered and on our way.
The only flaw in the plan was my training. Non-existent would be the way to describe my workouts over the past 4 weeks. I had managed a few long bike rides and a few short swims, but running was missing from my calendar. My son's wedding and reception, a family reunion, starting back to work, and just plain lack of motivation took it's tool. I have been working toward a 100 mile bike ride in mid September and was not even thinking about a running event let alone a triathlon.
 |
| Tiara Tri - How cool is that! |
But I was game to give it a try. This would give me the opportunity to accomplish my goal for the year of doing an open water swim. You see, I had never in my life swam in a lake. I live in an area where water is scarce. Being a farm kid and then a farm wife did not lead to a lot of spare time in the summer for camping and boating, especially when it involved a long drive to the nearest body of water. So an open water swim was really a big hurdle for me.
We arrived at the lake, which is actually a man-made pond near the big lake, in plenty of time to pick up our packets and rack our bikes. This is a new event and we had no idea of how many women would be there but the bike area seemed pretty full and we had to fit our bikes in where we could. But all I could think about was that lake. I didn't know what to expect or how I would react and was more than a little leery of what lie below the surface.
 |
| My first open-water swim - EVER! |
But it turns out that I was not the only one there who had never done any lake swimming. While waiting for the start there were quite a few other ladies with the same look in their eyes: terror, mixed with resignation. Terror of the unknown, of not seeing the bottom, of feeling something touching you out of the deep. And resignation that we were going to do this. We were going to run head long into something we had not prepared for and didn't understand.
There were 4 waves and I was in the last. I thought that was a good thing because everyone else would be ahead of me and I wouldn't have that many bodies close to me. Claudia gave me some last minute advice and before I knew it we were set to go. I started strong and fell into a good stroke rhythm but was totally disorientated at not being able to see anything. I kept touching a swimmer to my right but when I turned my head as I was underwater I couldn't even see her. At the first turn I started to feel more comfortable but was still very tense. A few seconds of back stroking at the half way mark and I was ready to make the turn for the shore.
That's when I took in a mouthful of lake water. I instantly flipped to my back and started coughing. Claudia was near and asked if I was OK and hung back with me a little bit. I soon was in control again and back on my stomach for the last 100 meters. When the bottom rose up to meet me I took to my feet and started high stepping it to shore. Claudia and I exchanged a high five and she was off. I had made it through the swim!
The rest of the race was pretty uneventful for me. I passed several younger riders on my bike and was feeling pretty good. I took it easy on the run and walked when I wanted. Little did I know that if I had stayed with that old lady in the green top just ahead of me I might have passed her and placed in my age division. But that was not what this race was about for me.
 |
| Queens for a day. |
I missed placing 3rd by just over 2 minutes. If I had trained hard and pushed a little more... Well, I did what I came to do. Claudia ended up placing 1st in our age group and Meghan placed 3rd in spite of a shoe lace verses bike chain incident. Kate, like me, finished just out of the medals but was very happy with her run.
My friend Yolanda R. once posted on Facebook: "You know you're a runner when..." My response was "you don't mind having your picture taken when you are sweaty as long as you're smiling!" I'm modifying that response by adding "WEARING A TIARA!! "
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