Andrea

Ankle Update #1

Surprisingly, my busted up ankle didn’t keep me awake last night. I stuffed a couple of pillows under the sheets to elevate the covers off of the area. This morning, I am able to rest my foot flat on the ground (with little or no weight), and I’m able to put my toes on the ground with very light pressure when I’m walking (on crutches). Also, I can move it passively a little bit- the swelling is still bad, and it’s impinging on the range of motion.

I’m happy with the overnight progress. It’s definitely unexpected with as much as it hurt yesterday. Today’s plan is on/off ice and elevation to try to bring some of the swelling down.

Andrea

Trails and tribulations

I met up with the Warthogs today for a Swamp Stomper training run. Unfortunately, about 10 minutes down the trail, I slipped on a wet root and turned my ankle pretty bad. After sitting on the side of the trail for a couple of minutes, I decided that I’d try to run it off. A few minutes later, the pain wasn’t subsiding, so I stopped to check it out. My ankle was starting to swell up. I decided to run along slowly, but that seemed to be worse. Before I could question as to whether or not I should continue, I turned the same ankle on a leaf-covered rock. At that point, I was hopping on one leg and cursing. I turned and began walking back to the car (about 2.5-3 miles). Soon, I decided to jog slowly (walking was just taking too long). It was painful, but tolerable.

On the way home, the swelling and pain worsened. I was worried that it was broken, so I went to the minor med place to have it x-rayed. Two and a half hours later, I’m on crutches with an air cast- no break, but a lot of pain and swelling. I can’t put weight on it without severe pain and a very disturbing grinding/popping feeling.

I’m not sure what to do next. This month is really important to my training for the race season. If I can’t get back on my bike soon, it could negatively impact my early-season races. Hopefully I can heal quickly and get back on within a week.

Pictures:

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Andrea

New (somewhat) Piercings!

I went to Micheal @ No Regrets Tattoo Emporium yesterday to have my ears re-pierced from 16 gauge top/bottom to 10 gauge on top & 8 gauge on the bottom. First off, I have to say- the 8 gauge needle looked SCARY. However, Micheal is an awesome piercer. He works faster than a crackhoe on Third Street, so the pain was minimized as much as possible. I will never let anyone else besides him touch me with a needle (well, maybe Joe, but that’s a tattoo needle…) Right now, I’m wearing some posts with large, flat ends. Once I’m healed, I’m hoping to get some sort of decorative plugs. I think they’ll look better than the hoops I was wearing, and they’ll be more aerodynamic (yeah, I’m a dork).

Pics:

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Andrea

Product Review: Gore Vulcano Gloves

I purchased these gloves from Terry in the late fall while they were having a 50% off sale, so they cost $32. I have to say that if I’d paid full price, I’d be pretty pissed off. The fit is great, and they’re quite warm (to about 45 deg F) for as thin as they are (as well as being wind and waterproof), but the durability of these gloves leaves much to be desired- the stitching in my right shifting fingers is wearing out, as is the stitching/fabric in the area between the thumb/index finger. The stitching is also letting loose along the side of the right thumb, although that could be as a result of a fall that I took a couple of weeks ago (which is why I’m not complaining too much about the rips you can see in the palms, although it’d be cool if they were a bit more resistant to fall-related tears in that area since it’s not an uncommon part to hit if you do fail to keep the rubber side down). Now, keep in mind, I’ve worn these since purchase for most of my rides in weeks where I’ve trained anywhere from 8 to 15 hours, but, if I’d paid $64 for them rather than $32, I’d expect them to hold up to that type of stress. Overall, I’d recommend these only if A) You can get them on sale cheap like I did, B) Don’t ride as much as I do, or C) Just want a nice, thin but warm pair of gloves for everyday use for cold weather, outdoor things other than cycling (driving, dog walks, etc.)
Photos of the gloves/damage:

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Andrea

Fatigue is Cumulative

Today I rounded out a 15 hour training week with a 3.5 hour group ride- about 65 miles total. It was tough- A couple of the group members were keeping the intensity pretty high for this time of year. On the way out (to Red Banks, Mississippi), we kept the pace pretty consistent, and I stayed in the mix. I hadn’t really intended to ride that hard, but it was too tempting to test out how I was performing after being on a consistent training program for the first time. I was very happy with my performance. A couple of times I put out enough effort that I knew I would have been dropped in the past, but was able to maintain steady contact without issue.

After our rest stop, we hit the road just long enough to warm back up only to get to a railroad crossing that was blocked by a stopped train on our back road that would be used to head back North towards TN. The detour that we took following that was not much fun. We continued down a small highway to Byhalia, MS, where the pace kept surging and slowing as people were getting dropped and caught back on. We ended up riding north on a busy two lane highway- speed limit 55mph, and covered up in countryfolk who were not at all happy to be slowed down by a mass of people in spandex going 20mph. We tried to form a rotating paceline, but a couple of the guys thought that they’d show off how fast they were by hammering the pace every time they pulled. The result- thegroup was shredded in hostile territory. I was not happy, and once we got out of the traffic hell, I chased down the lead group and asked what the Hell they thought they were doing & let them know that at least one group member was about a mile back and entirely alone. They did not seem too concerned, but they did pull over and stop for a few minutes while the remaining group caught up.

We cruised in to Germantown, only to have the same guys start to push the pace again. I stayed back with a couple of guys (Ryan and Aaron) who didn’t feel the need to participate in the off-season pissing match.

I’m very happy with my ride, and with my training in general. My endurance has improved, and I felt strong today, even after consecutive high-volume training weeks (~14 hours the week before). I could feel it in the latter miles of the ride, and I’m pretty exhausted now, but I’ve got a nice rest period on the schedule for the first week of the new year.

Even this early in the pre-season, I’m feeling good. All I need to do now is lose 10 pounds before April…

Andrea

Product Review: Ibex Breakaway Jacket


I got one of these for Christmas from my parents. So far, I’ve worn it 3 times in temps ranging from high 30’s to low 50’s (with various base layers). I am convinced that Ibex’s merino wool is made from magic sheep- This jacket is like a wearable thermostat- it keeps you exactly warm enough to be comfortable. The best part is that I haven’t washed it yet, and it doesn’t stink! It’s got a single back pocket as well as a chest pocket, and it’s wind & water resistant. I haven’t tested the water resistance yet, but the amount of wind resistance is just right to keep you warm. I’ll post an update once I get it out in some colder temps.

‘Til then, buy one here: Ibex Breakaway Jacket on clearance @ Sierra Trading Post

Andrea

2008 racing haunts me in my sleep…

I had dreams last night about bike racing. Some good, some not so good, but here’s the schedule of races in the area (though I’m not going to all of them). The purple, bold ones are NRC races. The tentative plan is to start the season off in April with the Smith & Nephew Omnium, which is held in the Memphis area.

March

April

May

June

July

August