On the eve of my upcoming knee surgery, Wednesday, I finally got a chance to go for one last bike ride today. It was a short loop around the Creek Path in Boulder, much of which is still covered in snow. For a hour today all my troubles faded away and I was able to enjoy the vacation from life that is cycling. I was at peace with the world if only for one hour.
I'm sure I'll be able to ride again at some point. I'm just going in for a simple orthoscopic exploration and a small incision in my posterior medial area (the inside of the back of my knee). They have to go in through the rectum, which I'm not sure I'm okay with. Just kidding! You should have seen the look on the nurse's face when I told her the doc said that was the normal entry point. "For knee surgery??!!", she responded. We had a good laugh!
With 38 consecutive days of snow cover in Boulder, riding has been a challenge lately. Temperatures have been well below average this winter, the lowest 16 days ago, a temperature of -3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Riding in these conditions is an exercise in misery, with cold extremities, bloody noses from breathing frigid air, and a wet butt from brown salty snow-slush puddles on the roads. When I'm training I ride in these conditions to maintain my misery tolerance. This season my motivation has been lacking as a result of being humbled and beat down on a daily basis for the past 18 months with knee pain. There are no problems in life, only challenges and I've tried to maintain a positive attitude throughout my injury. Right now my attitude is this:
If I can't race anymore I'm grateful I had the chance to. Peaking in the 2005 season was one of the most fun satisfying, rewarding, and years of my life. I'll cherish the memories of the people and the races. I gained a wealth of knowledge that has accented other areas of my life.
If I can race again I'll have a dedication and ability to suffer unmatched from previous seasons, fueled by every single day I've been unable to train or even ride in the past 18 months. The well I can dig into to suffer will be much deeper. I'll train and race smarter with a huge emphasis on injury prevention and maintenance. I'll choose races that won't set me up for more overuse injuries or re-injuries, i.e. no more 30 hour adventure races or solo 24 hour mountain bike races.
So either way I win and worse case scenario I give up Mountain Bike Racing to become a Rally Car Driver! Wish me luck on Wednesday!!
I'm sure I'll be able to ride again at some point. I'm just going in for a simple orthoscopic exploration and a small incision in my posterior medial area (the inside of the back of my knee). They have to go in through the rectum, which I'm not sure I'm okay with. Just kidding! You should have seen the look on the nurse's face when I told her the doc said that was the normal entry point. "For knee surgery??!!", she responded. We had a good laugh!
With 38 consecutive days of snow cover in Boulder, riding has been a challenge lately. Temperatures have been well below average this winter, the lowest 16 days ago, a temperature of -3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Riding in these conditions is an exercise in misery, with cold extremities, bloody noses from breathing frigid air, and a wet butt from brown salty snow-slush puddles on the roads. When I'm training I ride in these conditions to maintain my misery tolerance. This season my motivation has been lacking as a result of being humbled and beat down on a daily basis for the past 18 months with knee pain. There are no problems in life, only challenges and I've tried to maintain a positive attitude throughout my injury. Right now my attitude is this:
If I can't race anymore I'm grateful I had the chance to. Peaking in the 2005 season was one of the most fun satisfying, rewarding, and years of my life. I'll cherish the memories of the people and the races. I gained a wealth of knowledge that has accented other areas of my life.
If I can race again I'll have a dedication and ability to suffer unmatched from previous seasons, fueled by every single day I've been unable to train or even ride in the past 18 months. The well I can dig into to suffer will be much deeper. I'll train and race smarter with a huge emphasis on injury prevention and maintenance. I'll choose races that won't set me up for more overuse injuries or re-injuries, i.e. no more 30 hour adventure races or solo 24 hour mountain bike races.
So either way I win and worse case scenario I give up Mountain Bike Racing to become a Rally Car Driver! Wish me luck on Wednesday!!
2 comments:
dude, will be thinking of you on Wed...
adam
yup. Good Luck. Give a call over the weekend if you're up to it. Cheers - OB
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