Drivers in the Memphis area are generally jerks to people on bikes. Not any more…
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LH Thompson dies at age 68
Just saw the news through my team’s email list…
Component innovator dies at 68
LH ‘Ronnie’ Thomson, president and founder of the eponymous bicycle component manufacturer LH Thomson passed away suddenly on January 12, 2008, less than a week before his 69th birthday. According to The Bicycle Retailer, Thomson had recently recovered from bladder cancer, but his untimely death was unrelated to the illness.
Thomson, a well respected manufacturer of high quality seat posts and stems, was an engineer by trade, and made his career first manufacturing parts for the airline industry. He began the LH Thomson company in 1981, and began making bicycle components in 1995. Through his high quality products and generous sponsorship of area events, teams and causes, Thomson quickly endeared himself to the cycling community.
The parts became so popular amongst the off-road riders that Macon area riders hosted an annual Ronnie Thomson Appreciation day, which is scheduled for this weekend. The event will now include a moment of silence and memorial service.
The Thomson company’s website posted a brief message of support, saying “It is the families wish that the festival continue, and it will. Thomson is no longer just a brand, it is a legacy. Ronnie brought so much to cycling as he looked at everything with a different perspective.”
“Ronnie was always like a father figure,” LH Thomson account manager Karen Glass told The Bicycle Retailer, but added the company would continue. “I know this will be a rough road for the entire Thomson family. The L.H. Thomson company will overcome this. We will continue what you started.”
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (www.bcan.org).
Two Steps Back
My ankle injury seemed to be doing very well- most of the swelling was gone, and my foot (for the most part) had returned to its normal color rather than the odd shade of martian green it had been for the past few days. I was even walking with no pain in the area. SO, naturally, I attempted an easy, on-pavement jog last night with some friends. Not a good idea- although everything felt fine in the first 5 minutes of relatively flat pavement, once we jogged up & over a couple of small but steep pitches, the pain started creeping back up the side of my foot/leg. Going against my will to continue and not be defeated by injury (again), I walked. Luckily, I had Turbo, my Belgian Malinois, and Temesa, one of the Warthogs (group of friends I frequently run with), to keep me company.
Although it was (mentally) painful to stop running, I can tell that the physical consequences would have been much greater- even with just a few minutes of stress to the area, the space between my anklebone & Achilles tendon filled back in with swelling, and it’s painful enough today that I can’t help but limp a little. Thankfully, it’s not bad enough that I can’t ride my bike, but I’m not happy to have the nagging pain again.
Looks like I need more time & probably some at-home physical therapy before I strike out on foot again!
Short Term Overreaching
It’s very effective for inducing training adaptations, but it can make you feel like you’ve been put through all sorts of wringers. The idea is that you dish out a little more to your body than it’s able to handle (inducing fatigue) and then follow with a brief recovery period. During the recovery period, your body rebuilds and adapts to handle the stresses that you initially put on it to cause the fatigue… you get a little better than you were before.
My past couple of days of interval love caught up with me today at exactly 1 hour and 3 minutes into my ride. I was pulling away from a stoplight when it suddenly felt as if something had mysteriously drained all of the energy from my muscles. I’ve spent the remainder of the afternoon/evening trying to sit and rest whenever possible. I skipped my leg workout in the weight room, but that was more of a protective measure to keep my ankle from re-injuring. I’ve got a rest day tomorrow. I’ll need it- my next workout includes 4 VO2 intervals. Woohoo!!!!
Update #3 + Interval Love
So I’m at the (somewhat dangerous) point now where my ankle is swollen and hurts until I take my anti-inflammatory meds, but then it feels OK. Using a neoprene Ace ankle support, I went for an easy ride yesterday and a harder ride today. I decided to switch my Time pedals (with re-centering float) to my old Speedplay X5s (free-float) in order to allow my ankle to stay in whatever position feels most comfortable.
On a side note, today’s ride included three 3 min VO2 intervals. If you don’t know what a VO2 interval is, it’s basically the highest possible intensity you can sustain for any amount of time. I decided to mix it up a bit today- #1 was in a 15-20mph tailwind. I was hauling ass- passing cars were pacing me and giving me crazy looks because I was sustaining speeds close to 30mph. Interval #2 I did up the two largest hills in Germantown (the first into a headwind), and #3 was on my favorite interval road that runs behind my house. Maybe I’m crazy, but I absolutely LOVE intervals. The harder, the better. It carries over to my love of time trials. Something about the pain cave seems like home.
Ankle Update #2
Yesterday I stayed on my crutches all day even though it wasn’t hurting quite as badly as day #1. Even so, it still ballooned up until my ankle and foot looked like a jello mold. This morning, I decided to lose the crutches. I’m actually able to limp around on it pretty good, and after about 40 minutes of ice, I can now see my ankle bone again! I plan to let it warm back up and then ice for at least another 30 minutes. Then, I’m going to try to ride my bike. More on that later…
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.
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:
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:
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:
