There Is ALWAYS A Silver ehhh... Pink Lining

Ok,  I found it  a little disappointing that some of you didn't make a stab at my MRI image.

Maybe you just looked at that sucker and TOOK OFF thinking.... BAAAAD KARMA OVER HERE...

gotta run!

I totally understand.

So are you ready for my  diagnosis?

Compression stress fracture to the neck of my left femur.  Lets get right to the PINK lining.

1.  I am sooooooo sooooo soooo lucky this was a Compression stress fracture and not a Tension

stress fracture.

2.  I'm also very fortunate that I have no discomfort (anymore) while walking or I would have been

subjected to 6 WEEKS OF CRUTCHES then another 6 weeks of praying it heals so you can even think about running.  Reading that makes my skin crawl.  6 weeks of NEVER

letting your foot touch the ground (EVER) in order for it to heal.
Lucky me?  You bet.

Doesn't take away the HUGE disappointment for me in starting the year off EXACTLY the way I did last year-  stress fractured and laid up for 8-12 weeks watching all my base training swirl down the toilet.

So now we investigate since this raises a RED FLAG (or two).  Blood work for a vitamin D deficiency. BTW: This is WIDE SPREAD. I had no idea. You can have loads of calcium in your diet but if you don't have enough D to absorb it,  this can be a big problem.

 So  for your viewing pleasure: I  gave a little blood today... but wait! This one doesn't show  any blood!!!

                                                    better

Also  I am having a bone density test next week. 

I can't bike

I can't go to Yoooooga

I can't run (Duh)

I can't water run (booooo)

I can only swim (sigh)

for now

and now doesn't last forever.

You can ALWAYS count on some drama over here!

One of these things is not like the others,

One of these things just doesn't belong,

Can you tell which thing is not like the others

By the time I finish my song?

Did you guess which thing was not like the others?

Did you guess which thing just doesn't belong?

If you guessed this one is not like the others,

Then you're absolutely...right!

                                          Valentine Bagel

Warm toasty bagels and an icy cold ride were the topic of this weekend.
I did my first base ride (2:20) outside up in Farmington Maine in bright, sunny,  yet chilly weather. Regretfully,I did drop the ball in my packing for an outdoor adventure but in retrospect, it was a good wake up call in preparation  for my next outside ride. I'll share my mistakes in hopes to save any of you hardy souls venturing out there in the elements that don't live in Bree Wee -papaya paradise.

1. Even if you wear 2 pairs of socks, toe warmers are NOT ENOUGH in temp 37-42 with a windchill added to that in a ride over an hour.  I wish I had remembered my winter booties and  (heated) chemical toe warmers packs too. You can never be too warm with your feet and hands for that matter which brings me to my next suggestion

2. Invest in a good pair of gloves with windproof mitts that go OVER your gloves. I lacked this and wished I remembered mine while packing up my gear.  I had 2 pairs of Louis Garneau  winter gloves on but again, after an hour, they failed me due to lack of windproof ability.

3. Never leave without FOOD and force yourself to drink out there. In cold weather, it's so easy to forget this. Eating keeps the furnace fueled and fired up. No sense bonking AND freezing too, right??

4. I don't think it's the smartest thing to venture too far  from home but rather do a double loop unless you have support with you and here's my reasoning:    When your hands are already frigid, no way in hell am I changing a tube out there. That's when your cell phone comes in handy for a -  " PLEZ COME AND GET ME!"   Lucky for me, no mechanical issues and my partner in crime Rob was all too near who I made it perfectly clear how cold I was every 30 seconds. Ha!

                                          Smiling only for the camera and  ready to be done at the 2 hour mark




  Death pedals.

And really.. who rides with these pedals? I had to borrow Rob's  because the Crank Brothers eggbeater
pedals I had ordered didn't arrive in time.    These are SCARY. You can only clip in on one side and
after 3 attempts, I avoided unclipping at all costs.

TGP's Must have's for cycling in the winter chill

Bike:
*Pristine and completely tuned up to avoid mechanics at all costs
*Possibly considering changing your tires out to 32 cross/city tires if your rims can
accommodate them. Good for traction in changing conditions of snow, ice, sand and winter worn roads.
Snap on fenders to keep your bum and front of your tights DRY.  ( mine are coming with my pedals!)


Gear:
*barclava
*2 base layers and wind protection
*winter tights with a windproof layer on the front
*winter fleece (breathable) gloves with windproof mitts
*chemical toe and hand warmers (make sure they are not expired)
*heavy Vaseline  based cream (with sunscreen) for your exposed skin on your face
Winter booties


Carry:
Keenex
chapstick
cell phone
food
money
license and debit card


HAVE FUN!!

A Pictorial Quiz Of Suffering (on 2 wheels)

Today was the annual Team Psycho Indoor Time Trial here in Boston. It's a yearly tradition and I don't think I've missed one in 5 years since I've been a member.
For weeks I rattled off "no way am I doing the TT this year." I'm just not putting
myself through that with a big fat ZERO in my cycling training log. NO WAY.. NOT DOING IT. CASE CLOSED."
It's a woman's prerogative to change her mind, right? Of course it is!

So.... I came up with a good reason to sign up on what fitness I had ( not embellishing here) 4... count them, 4 indoor trainer rides.

Here's my reasoning:
I have no baseline of heart rates or power zones for training at this point and
there is no better way then to do a 30 minute time trial to get these numbers.
Doing it on my own was not an option. I just won't go as hard as I am able without
a studio of loud music and 12 other cyclist (per heat) suffering along side of  me on
a Computrainer course with 62 inch LCD screens showing how out of shape I really am.

Also my teammate Dede affectionately known by me as The Wattage Beast,   promises to review my numbers and set me up with appropriate zones.

Anyway, lets get down to the  pictorial quiz business,shall we??

Here I am with one of my TP team mates, Kevin. Kevin drove alllll the way from Manhattan just for an afternoon of cycling fun here in Boston. We look so happy and fresh don't we? I am
completely and totally naive to what is in store for me. Silly girl.... STUPID girl

Now for our  little quiz:

Ready???

This Picture (only 3 minutes into the time trial) says:
A. Wow! I am in better shape that I thought!
B. BRING IT ON! I'm gonna nail this.
C. Ha! Pain??  What pain?  I'm gonna kick some A$$!
D. All of the above

 A mere 7 minutes into the ride (notice the color change in my face)
The following statement(s) are True:

A. I'm pre-menopausal and I'm having a hot flash moment.
B  The pornographic material  I am viewing is making me blush.
C. I'm having an allergic reaction to my morning bagel with organic peanut butter.
D. None of the above.

Please complete the sentence with one of the following choices below:

Kevin and Elaine are__________________

A. practicing bike yoga.
B. Leading the rest of the riders in group prayer
C. Hiding their twisted and distorted expressions
D. A and B
E. B and A
F. Not A or B
G. Only C But not A or B

BONUS QUESTION (worth 10 points!!)

It appears that I am:

A. Counting the threads on my towel.
B.  Asking Anne (who is taking the photo) if she can see any of my grey roots.
C.  Finding it difficult to hold my upper body and head up while riding a steep hill to nowhere.
D. Looking for a dropped Cliff Blok
F. Getting ready to ask someone to call 911.
G.  C and F and maybe B

Who ordered the rain with my palm trees?

It's presently pissing rain here in Orlando. I did not order this for my mid winter escape so if you are in need of some rain where you are, kindly wish it your way, won't you?? The weather in Florida can be IFFY this time of year and I was well aware of this while packing. I knew it would be SLIM finding myself stretched out by the pool sipping a beverage and taking in some natural vitamin D. One day it's 70 (but not sunny) the next, 48 AND WINDY and I was wearing GLOVES and shivering in the dark before the start of the Ocala 1/2 Marathon Sunday morning. All the locals were wearing fleece and tights with barely a smidgen of flesh exposed, yet here I was....

The Ocala 1/2 marathon was a very scenic and  fun course. Not flat by any means but a good variety of rolling terrian , beautiful paved roads, horse farms and loads of Spanish moss trees lining the roads combined with pefect race conditions. I accomplished exactly as I had planned:
 * Run a 13.1 mile distance race at a semi hard but controlled effort  throughout yet treat it like a training day with no expectations placed on myself.
*Concentrate on staying relaxed while paying lots of attention to my run form and be as efficient as possible and finally,
* Test 2 of my First Endurance fueling products  ( PreRace and Liquid Shot)


Mission accomplished.

I have loads of work to do to get my running where I want it to be for 2010, but I'm on the right track.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off  for a  well deserved soak in a 120 degree bubbling hot tub.

ahhhhhhhh.