Sunburst

I rode Sunburst today. Wow. I feel bad for anyone on a rigid bike. I had to stand up quite a bit just so my back didn't go out! It's a little different than past years, but not all that much. It's somewhat marked. . . . . .I think Dave ran out of arrows 1/2 way through though, cuz all of a sudden they stop.

The single track up top (and below) needs to be clipped back, and raked. I'm sure we'll do this again. . . . . .as in past years.

There's one place up top where you can catch air, then that curves to the left and I can see many-a-rider losing it there. I almost did a skid on my butt, but thankfully I still have "skills" (even if I don't have endurance).

I only did two laps. . . .not sure I could handle a third. Not necessarily from a soreness standpoint. . . .but from an "oh my gosh am I tired" standpoint. It sure sucks being out of shape. Hopefully that stage won't last long.

Caught at last

Someone caught me. . . . . . . . . .

Curses!

One of our administrative assistants quit today. Handed in her resignation and walked out the door. So much for giving notice. Tuesday is the day our AA's do all our ads, and she was "the ad girl". Fortunately for our office, I have helped in that department in the past and I'm just about the only person who knows how to do that stuff. So I got to step into her shoes and piece things together so we could "go on" with our real estate lives.

I was hoping to take some time to myself now that my nightmare transactions closed. . . . . . but now I'll be picking up the slack for her until we find a new person, on top of doing my full time job. It's a good thing I'm still not back to riding in full force . . . .BUT I'm getting there.

Today was my first day of PT. This therapist was good. She knew what she was talking about and thought it was pointless for me to see her 3 times a week when she could be teaching me this stuff and having me do it on my own. Sweet.

The general consensus is that I need to listen to my body and if it hurts, don't do it (at least right now). Seems with each passing day my disk gets a little stronger and with the PT, the chiropractor and the NMT, I'll soon be able to "climb" without my butt hurting again.

Although it probably won't be for Kewaskum. . . . .but who knows?? Anything can happen. :-)

The dog

What does one say about a dog wearing a cone and slippers?

Devil's Head

So much to say. . . . . .the "horns" made an appearance, because my "fans" asked for them (no picture, sorry).

Then there's the race course recreated in spaghetti for your viewing pleasure. . . . . . .

Princess Amy hanging out with a tummy ache. . . . .
CK before. . . . . . .

And of course, CK after he tangled with a tree, broke his seat off, and earned the new nick name "Gimpy". . . . . . . . .

Nice calf!! It's only twice the "normal" size. . . . . .maybe next race will produce good results without catapulting OFF the bike. . . . . .

Spectating is hard work. Off to bed I go.

Hanging by a thread

Thank god it's almost Friday! This past week has been one of THE most difficult in my real estate career. Combine that with the fact that I can't relieve the stress by going out for a long ride on my bike and that makes things even worse.

I had a family almost homeless. . . . .and I managed to pull their transaction together with 15 minutes to spare. Their house closed here as they're sitting in South Carolina and the builder got the wire of funds just before close of business so he could hand them their keys. It was touch and go but in the end all went well and they had a place to sleep.

Today I went for chiropractic adjustment #2 and so far, so good. Also had my NMT massage (neuromuscular therapy massage) and she found a ton of spots/knots in my quads. . . .go figure. It's not like I've been using them. Also found some serious stress knots limiting the mobility of my shoulders. I think I'm falling apart MORE by NOT riding. Too funny.

Tomorrow has me attending one last nightmare closing and then I'm home free. . . . . .pack the camper & head to Devil's head. Both the chiropractor and the NMT (and the surgeon) Ok'ed riding the MTB as long as it's "easy, for a short period of time and doesn't inflict any pain". Sweet. I think I'll preride Devil's Head. Then I'll party cuz I don't have to race it. I HATE that race.

Taking Control

Have you ever felt so many things were beyond your control? I think I must be somewhat of a control freak - at least where my own health is concerned. Yesterday I decided waiting around for this disk issue to heal just isn't my style. I don't particularly like guessing at what I can and can't do, asking questions and getting no answers, being patient and seeing no results. So I decided nobody knows my body better than I do. . . .I might as well be the one to find the solution to fix it.

I started with ordering some books off Amazon.com to better inform me of exactly what's going on. I think part of my frustration is that I don't understand why I have to just "wait". What is that accomplishing? Hopefully some self-education will help in that respect.

Then I called my doctor to have him put me back in physical therapy. . . . .this time with a sports specific therapist. Someone who understands my need to be active and on my bike, someone who will help me find a way to ride. . . . .maybe not compete just yet, but at least RIDE.

Then I found a new chiropractor. A younger guy in West Bend who specializes in sports injuries and also works closely with physical therapists. I see him for my "free consultation" today. We'll see what he thinks is a good plan of attack.

And lastly I see my massage therapist on Thursday. She specializes in neuromuscular stuff. . . .and has training working with athletes as well. Hopefully she can help me with a plan to loosen my hamstrings, get the lumps out of my quads, and get my butt to stop hurting.

I'm thinking between ALL these professionals, and by educating myself, hopefully I can form a plan of attack that has me feeling like there's hope to race again. Whatever it takes to be back on my bike in a timely manner, without causing more damage, I'm in for trying. But sitting back for 6 months and "waiting" is NOT an option. I may not make my living as a professional cyclist, but my entire life is built around cycling. . . . . my friends. . . my activities. . . . my stress relief. . . .my fitness . . . . .everything. To NOT bike is not an option (unless it means I will DIE if I ride, then MAYBE I'll rethink that).

Cross your fingers for me and if you or anyone you know has back problems/issues, please share your stories with me. I'm trying to learn from this process and hopefully help others in the process.

So much to catch up on

There's so much to catch up on today. Yesterday we took the Virgin out to teach her some mountain bike skills. We found out she definitely needs clipless pedals & shoes. She rode the trails pretty good and seems excited to go back again. Maybe we'll hook her yet!

Then there were games. . . . . . .which I might point out I dominated at. And the tables were flipped with CK getting it handed to him this time (usually HE'S the one handing it to everyone else). And of course Bill & Squirt's battle. . . . .

Then today was the "girl thing". . . . . . .Amy's "bridal shower". Isn't it just fitting she climbed on the bar to open her gifts??

And of course here are the "3 hotties". . . . . . . . or as Amy referred to us at the shower "the 3 hottest girls in WORS". . . . . .

Amy got some cool stuff. . . . .lots of cookware. Maybe now she'll make us that "PIE" she keeps talking about. . . . . . .

3 Week Body Makeover

Sweet, I found this article today. It says all I need is a set of walking shoes, a set of dumbells and 21 days to get a new body.

I have that!! Maybe I'll "get a new body". Sweet. This is the fun part about not having to follow a "training plan". I can do whatever I want.

Time for other things

This "down" time has given me the opportunity to catch up on a few other things. . . . .besides trying to piece together several real estate transactions that are hanging by a thread.

I've finally just about completed the living room project. I started back in January. . . .painting the living room portion, but not the bar area. This week I finished that. Now I just have to put the 58 bottles of alcohol back into the bar (I swear there must be that many) and put the light switch covers back on and we're good to go.

Then it's time to tackle the laundry room. . . . . . .

Aren't home improvement projects so much fun? It seems you finish one and then there' s always another, and another, and another. I think that's why we moved the last time. . .too much to do!

Realization

I've come to realize that no one is able to tell me what my body can and can't do, and how it will react to different rides of different exertion levels. Apparently every person is different, and every circumstance is different and there is no "handbook" of how to recovery from a back injury.

After this past weekend's rides my "disk" appeared to be a tad bit aggravated. While I am not experiencing the severe pain I had prior to my 2 epidural injections, I did get the constant numb & tingly feeling back in my left leg, all the way down into my left foot. I also got the deep aching pain in my left glute back, which I've come to realize is the actual disk being irritated. I understand this is how the whole thing started, so obviously I'm more than a little cautious about pushing it too much.

I've spent the week researching my disk issues, looking for information that may help me make an intelligent decision as to how to proceed with "my life", and I just haven't found the answers I'm looking for. . . . . .or any answer for that matter.

Yesterday, after taking 2 days off the bike, I rode at Blue for about an hour. Today it seems my issues are the same. I don't think they've worsened, although they definitely haven't gotten any better. I guess that means I keep taking it one day at a time, one step at a time. Sooner or later it's either going to get better, or revert back to where it was. At least then I'll know.

I broke down and finally took my WORS plate off my bike yesterday. It was a sad moment, because it was me admitting that unless some miracle happens, I'm not getting back to racing any time soon. I was not prepared when this whole thing happened for the possibility that I might not be able to bounce back quickly. But again. . . . .baby steps. Right now I'll ride for fun at 60-75 minutes at a crack and hopefully soon I'll be able to ride "hard" and/or "long" again without pain or "issues". When that happens, I'll be able to kick the training in again. Right now, I just hope to not lose any more fitness than I already have.

This may be a long road back. . . . . .but I'll get there. It may be next year before I'm lining up on the start line again. . . . . .but I can wait. I have to.

Gotta pee?

It's just not fair. It's just so much easier to be a boy and pee.

Hatfield

Well, we thought since we had a two weekend break from WORS, we'd actually get up to Hatfield like we say we're going to do every year to ride. Those trails are so much fun. So we set off to do the 3 hour WEMS race.

I'm not sure what Captain was digging for in the garbage here. . . . . . .I think he just does that when nobody is looking.

This was the debut for CK's new ride, which he picked up from the shop on Thursday. With all the Trek problems the boys have been having, it seemed like a good idea to stray from Trek and try something else. . . .and why not make it a hardtail.

Riser bars??!? I thought those were only for Single Speeders and recreational riders.

The boys raced the 3 hour at Hatfield and rode the first half of the race together. Captain was experimenting with his race strategy, trying the going out hard theory to see where that got him. About 1/2 way into the race another 3 hour boy was starting to catch them so Bill gave Jeff the word to "go" and he went.

Jeff won the 3 hour, the "other guy" managed to finish just ahead of Bill and Bill took third. Afterwards he felt like crap and made this little pile. . . . . fruitpunch Gatorade. . . . . Mexcian was out as dinner options that night. . . . . . . . .

I was given the "ok" by my doctor to "slowly ease my way back into normal life" on Friday, so I tried an easy 2 laps of the race course Saturday, but the boys wouldn't let me race. :-( It was SOOOOO much fun. On a scale of 1-10 my desire to race the 3 hour was about a "12". But two easy laps had my body feeling a little tired and irritated so I decided to listen.

Sunday Captain was feeling much better so we tackled the trails together. The 3 of us rode the loop the 6 hour used (or so we think). There was some climbing in there and I could tell the body was/is still not "normal". I just need to understand what I can and can't do right now so I don't end up in the same position again. Thank GOD I didn't lose any skills. . . . .cuz I sure lost a LOT of fitness. But it's ok, because riding my mountain bike "out of shape" is a million times better than not riding it at all.

Forget it

I've made an executive decision.

You people will have to type the word verification if you want to comment.

What do I do everyday?

For the most part, I enjoy my job. It's never the same, and often times when I think I'll be doing one thing, a wrench is thrown into the plans and the day totally changes. For people who don't like "routine" jobs, real estate is great. For people who like a "regular paycheck" and "regular hours" real estate is not the job for you.

This week I've spent a number of hours in crisis mode. I've had to talk several people "down off the ledge" including one family who are moving out of state (the truck comes FRIDAY) and we've just found out their whole transaction might fall apart, giving them two mortgages in two different states. Their kids start school next week, they're closing on a new house in 2 weeks and neither of them have found a new job. . . . .and now their whole world has been turned upside down.

Then there's the family who is struggling with health problems as well as financial problems and can't afford to stay in their house. . . . .and we can't find a buyer for their house. Helping them cope with how their going to live was another trying matter this week.

And then there's the foreclosure property I have listed, that I've had 5 different offers on, none of which have gone to closing for various reasons. Yesterday consisted of yet 5 more messages left for the bank on what they want to do with the current buyer, and the next buyer who's waiting to put their offer in.

Real estate isn't just showing houses or listing houses. That's the easy part. It's being there to listen and pick up the pieces of the lives of your buyers and sellers when their real estate deals fall apart at the 11th hour. It's being there to listen to them rant and rave that their house hasn't sold and it's WAY better than everyone else's house. It's being there to assure them that everything will be ok. . . . . .or to explain to them that it's not going to be ok and help them figure out a solution so they can move on.

And then sometimes it's leaving work in the middle of the day to go ride your bike, or packing up every other weekend to go camp & race bikes. That's the part I like the best.

Word verification

Had to add the word verification to my comments page, sorry for the inconvenience. Someone keeps hitting my blog with crap posts. . . .links to junk.

Calumet

What a weekend. Calumet is always a fun place to camp. Once again we were on the "water", moving up in the world again. Aren't we just a good lookin' crew?

The course was fun to walk. . . .I did a lap Saturday since I can't ride my bike yet. It took me about an hour and 15 minutes. . . .and I'm TOTALLY counting that as training. Of course I was sweating, huffing and puffing as I was out of breath, and I'm sure my heart rate was a little higher than it should have been. But it felt good to do SOMETHING.

I'm finding out it's REALLY hard to be a cheerleader and just watch when you're feeling almost normal. I know. . . .patience is a virtue. . . .I think it's one I do NOT have at times. But knowing if I'm NOT patient I'll drive them to cut into me to "fix" the problem has me being just a little more obedient than normal.

Bill had a great finish today. He looked incredible. Wasn't even breathing that hard when I saw him. He took 3rd in age which gave him another podium finish. CK wasn't so lucky. He took yet another spill, this one all of his own doing, and had more bike issues. I think Trek is hitting the crapper. I got my workout today running up and down the hill a number of times for handoffs. I actually had fun. My butt started to hurt a bit. . . .but I think that's still ok. I guess I'll find out later this week.

Home at a reasonable hour. How exciting. I guess I'll clean up now and actually relax a bit before it's time to hit the sack.

Off to Calumet

Last race at Calumet this weekend. While last year was relatively good to me (8th overall in Sport). . . .usually Calumet isn't very kind to me. It's more of a "roadie" course. . . .one for those "in-shape" people who like less technical stuff. . . .NOT me. While I'll be sad I won't be able to race the LAST WORS race there (or so they say), I think I'll get over it.

And I'll DEFINITELY get over missing Devil's Head. I hate that one.

I hope to try riding again next weekend. We'll see how that goes, and figure it out from there. Until then. . . . . . .I'm still a cheerleader.

Second one down

Today was my second "epidural steroid injection". They held my feet down, just incase they spasmed involuntarily like the last time. It wasn't as painful as the first one, as there must have been more room for the medication to go, so it didn't press directly on my nerve. I still felt it all the way down my leg. . . . .but definitely not as intense as the last shot.

Having these injections take a lot of out of you. I came home and plopped on the couch to watch a movie, then prepared a new recipe for dinner. Moving around to some extent was good, because these shots make you very sore and stiff. This evening I feel like I did before the first shot. :-( But I'm sure that will pass.

Hopefully #2 will help me "heal" enough to actually ride my bike. I've got one more chance after this one, and if that doesn't do it, it's off to the surgeon. I miss Phoenix.

For your amusement

Ok, so I'm not happy about the whole Floyd thing, nor do I want to spark a debate on the issue. . . .but this was pretty funny.

He's adorable

I had the privilege of seeing the Saroldi-Gonzalez baby today. What a cute one! I pulled out my camera to snap a shot or two, only to find out my battery was dead. Nice. So check out Tony's Blog for some new pics.

Francisco was awake when I got there, but he decided to grab a nap soon after that. . . .and that was the last time I got to see him "active".

Ulla looks as radiant as ever. Her feet are all ballooned up though. . . . .just like the time I used that stuff on my face and it got puffy. . . . .but she's still just as beautiful as ever.

And Tony was just beaming when he arrived and went right to little "Frankie" to pick him up and kiss him. Pretty easy to see the love there.

I snuck some Godiva sweets into mom. . . . . . because I believe she's entitled to a "treat" after squeezing out that 7lb, 5oz, 21 inch "cutie pie".

Congratulations again to Tony & Ulla. Soon we'll see Ulla out training again. . . . .pulling little Frankie behind her in the burley. . . . .then she'll come out of "retirement" to kick my butt in WORS again. I can't wait.