Baby sausage anyone?

Well surgery is all over and things went as good as expected. The ankle is reconstructed and now its a waiting game.  A few things of note from my surgery crew were that it was a good thing I did this now as the joint was looking pretty sloppy and some signs of abnormal wear (arthritis) were starting to take place. I guess the big incision that is usually made was broken into 2 separate smaller ones. I guess my whining about big scars to the surgeon helped. I was heartbroken late yesterday when my surgeon informed me that no physical therapy could be started until week 6 when the cast comes off. He said it was too fragile of a repair to ruin by not giving it a chance to heal. Not what I had in mind!  I have a cast on the lower leg that weighs a ton. My good friend Janet was my sleeper and she was awsome as usual. Probably too awsome because after getting home late in the day I felt really good and started to think this would be a cake walk compared to shoulder surgery.

Boy was I fooled! Sleep was impossible because of the pain once all the drugs wore off. The swelling has set in and my toes are sausages... and I don't even like meat. Thank goodness for Lortab and this cool compression/ice machine called the game ready.

 Seeing how I can hardly even make it to the bathroom without my sisters help, I am stuck on the couch. I have been able to get some resumes out to bike companies for next year to supplement my DRT benefits, so that is good.  Today I think I will get some stuff up for sale on ebay and hopefully start the eclipse book. Man, that's a full day planned.

and then there was light...

<---my sis, me, and mother (grandma) on her

       75th b-day on Christmas eve.
and of coarse it was good. I'm taking the last 2 days of primo riding weather for Indiana as a good sign from God for the upcoming days. Saturday had me comfortably riding in shorts, and even though the wind was massive, it was a super sweet ride. Today was a great mtb because the ground was frozen and the weather was chilly but not to cold to keep me away. Top that off with riding it on Star (indy fab ss) and I was kinda high as a kite.  Yeah, its a good sign. 

So surgery is bright and early at 830 am, at least I can sleep in from my regular working OR day schedule.  I topped off my last meal with a Reese's cup tree and a big glass of skim milk. I figured the milk would get a jump start on healing the holes Dr. is going to drill in my fibula. 

Well, so here I go, my last sane day for a while. 

Watch out competition, I will be hungry for racing come Spring!

Voodoo I love to hate

Yeah I should just add this to my hips right now. Man, I love my Mom, but sometimes she forgets that I'm a fat girl pretending to race bikes. So her candy voodoo is not so good. I thought about donating my christmas candy to the nurses at work, but that would make them more unhealthy thus making my job harder. So while I think of a plan I just keep eating a little more. 

Christmas was good. National Lampoon's as usual, but not too much drama at all. I was thankful to get everyone here and home safe with the crazy ice storms going on. I then followed the holiday's with a OB call shift welcoming the 2nd holiday baby in the community.  That was cool.

I'm hoping for some sort of break in the weather to get outside on the bike this weekend. I am officially gearing up for surgery now as I have spotted my name on the surgery schedule. I need to go a little crazy this weekend so I can live on the high for a couple days. Bike high beats surgery high anyday.

Officially done with racing this year.

Last jersey number of the year.

Kansas City Master's National Race
Man, what a bad blogger I have been. I hope santa still remembers me. I am officially done with the cycling racing season. After posting a 11th in my pro packed Master's class at Nationals I am also officially stoked about the season overall. My race for master's was going pretty good with some major hurt happening on the uphill until I clipped a pole and went down super hard. I just had to have one more major crash. I kinda knocked a left rib out of place, but now its all better so I really don't care. The bad part was it moved me from 8th to 11th. But that's racing...sometimes the obstacles win. Man I love cross and am already planning next year. 

Not to much of the fun stuff for the past week. With continued training and a busy work schedule since returning from KC, it took me a couple days to unpack and almost a week to clean the KC terra firma off my bike. But the babies are all clean and packed in the basement for the winter of rest (or until sold). What a hard life for a racing bike...raced and trained on like hell then sold to some other dude on ebay like a cheap 80's stone wash jean. I love you bikes...each and every one. 

So, I'm now planning for major ankle surgery on the 29th. I'm looking into sweet crutches and ice packs. But really looking at ways to maintain my cardio. Never a moments rest for a National cross champ!

Big Win at a Big Race

Yep, that's right...I have scored a win at Cyclocross nationals! Okay, so it was the 2/3 women race and no stars and stripes jersey was handed out, but I'm still super stoked about it. I had a poor start position but somehow worked it out to be 2nd wheel by the first straight! The leader took a bad line and I remained in the lead for the remaining of the 5 laps. Sweet! It was a really great feeling that made all the travel, training, flavorless eating, and money spending well worth it for the whole year. My super sis made the trip with me and really hung in there with all my crazy quirks and I was really happy that she could make the trip with me. Anyone who gets up at 5am to go stand in 15 degree weather to watch girls in tights must be a great friend. 

The morning was so cold and frozen, I even thought it was a little crazy. But once I took the lead, I was on fire! Actually, I really walked away with the race and didn't feel too pressured aside from losing about 30 seconds from a chain drop issue. It was great to cross the line with the hands in the air. I am gonna have to get used to it I guess, Coach Don is gonna have me freakin fast next year I feel. 

The season is nearing an end and with about 4 major aches and pains from body poundings this season, I am really looking forward to just training and resting. Look for the post on my Master's race once I get the energy to type some more. 

Easy Win at a hard price

                                                                              collecting the bling ->

Well, it was a very easy win for me this past weekend at the ky state championships in L-ville. I took an early lead and was soon passed by Amanda McKay . This worried me since she has some mad skill, however, she faltered a little in the first monster sand pit and I rode by clean, and easy. From that point on I had a big lead and took the win unchallenged by more than 2 minutes. Totally happy about this!  Especially since I don't even feel I got out of my zone 3 h.r.  The most exciting thing that happened was when I traumatized some poor man while he was trying to get in my port-o-pit. I forgot to lock the door and I was full blown in the middle of embrocating my butt. Sorry dude, therapy my be needed. 

Props to the other DRT pimps: Andy rocking a 4th in elite and Emily holding on for 7th in elite also on a muddy, fun coarse. I really love this venue and race late in the year.

The trip back was hell, traffic was like my Chicago days and I about went nuts. It took me seven hours to get home! That was not fun, but I guess the win made it a little better. Anyway, all that racing and travel sent my little upstart cold into a monster. After struggling thru work yesterday I had to come home and pass out. I had to miss my ride and that really ticked me off. So I am playing couch  and bed bum today trying to salvage what I can so I can be ready for Kansas City Nationals in a couple weeks. 

Another day before a day.

So for those of you I haven't spoke with in detail this fall- I have officially arrived at the pro level of cycling. It only took like 10 years. I guess that school thing was kinda my main focus there for awhile. Anywho... I spend a 3 day race weekend in Cinci beating my previous level competition by minutes and decided I need and should step it up again. That's the short story of all that.  

Today is anther day before another that I get to go play on my bike. Fresh off my pro win last weekend in the Ohio state championships, I am heading to L-ville in the morning for the KY state champs. Last weekend was fun, but I must have been "on" because I ended up riding around for 40 minutes alone out in front. I think ky will be another story because a great gal I race in mtb is signed up. Should be a good race, and of coarse I plan on coming out on top! I will have my hands full since I am full blown in the middle of the start of a cold. I woke this morning to textbook sinus virus. I can't decide if I should blame this on my kid company for the holidays or blame it on Zach E. who was sick last week in the car ride back from the race.  Anyway, the bags are packed and I on my way.

Here I go... from old school to new!

I'm stepping up to the now by getting with the program. I thought I would give the blog thing a try since I'm having trouble keeping up with people the old fashion way. I think this will be a good way to keep my peeps up to date and keep me up to date with my peeps. This will be a work in progress since this is all new to me. Hang with me and I will try to improve my blogging abilities as the days go by.